Yet another headphones thread

[KeithTalent]

So I just ordered my X-FI Xtrememusic sound card. Found a great deal ($80 Cdn. brand new) :thumbsup:

Now comes the hard part, what headphones to get. I searched around and read a bunch of threads here, plus I went over to HeadRoom and did some reading...still

So here we go. Information:

1. A lot music will be listened to as I have no stereo, only my PC and my MP3 player.

2. Many games will be played (a lot of newer ones)

3. Open or closed does not matter to me

4. I will buy an amp if need be, but I know absolutely nothing about them

5. I am Canadian, so I obviously need themt o be available up here in the Great White North. I use NCIX.com and DirectCanada.com but am open to other sites.

6. I do not consider myself an audiophile, but I do love music and I was able to notice a difference between the onboard from my laptop and the onboard from my new rig.

7. I would prefer not to spend more than $150 Cdn on the headphones alone.


So essentially all I want is to make the most of my new sound card without breaking the bank. If there are wireless headphones that can do that (probably not) I would be cool with that


Cliffs:
1. Xtrememusic card
2. lots of music and gaming
3. amp recommendations if necessary
4. must be available in Cda. around $150 Cdn. for phones
5. ......
6. profit??

Thanks in advance for your help.

PurdueRY and YoYo I am looking in your general direction

Thanks, KT

 

[PurdueRy]

Alright, well since you don't care about open or closed I would start with what I have personally used and heard.

I would recommend the Sennheiser HD555's as a good headphone for anyone interested in higher end audio. I also think it is a good match for the X-fi especially at the price you paid. I realize these would probably be a bit overbudget. However, they do not require a headphone amp(although using one never hurts ) so the cost saved there could make this a good choice.

For about half that price you can get the Grado SR-60's. I have never heard them but they do have quite a few fans in that price range.

The Sennheiser 280's are the most typically recommended for good sealed headphones. However, the bass is a bit lacking and you sacrifice sound quality for the closed design. Since you said this is not necessary, I would recommend looking only at open designs.

Another thing to consider is what type of earpad you like. The HD555's are a circumaural design which means the earpad goes all the way around your ear. The Grado's are a design where the earpad sits on your ear. Personally I prefer the circumaural design, but different people can have different preferences.

EDIT: Oh, and just in case you were wondering. Generally, stay away from "surround sound headphones". They tend to sacrifice sound quality for the "surround sound" drivers. A good headphone should give you great positioning for games even with only two drivers. Also, your soundcard features CMSS 3d which will help emulate surround sound on a stereo source.

 

[Bobthelost]

I've got a pair of SR60s, the headband is not very comfy to start with, but after a bit of breaking in they are pretty good. The sound quality is very nice too, i heard stuff i'd never known was there listening to my stereo or cheap speakers. Try them on, see how they sound in person, preferably compare them to the competition's offerings.

 

[Boyo]

I have the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and I love them. To my ears, the bass is just fine and Headroom gives them a great rating. I would go with those...But headphones are a tricky thing. What sounds good to one person, sounds like crap to another.

I would recommend going to a store to listen to them before you buy any headphone.

 

[KeithTalent]

Hmm, tough call. The HD555s are hard to come by up here apparently. I only found them at one place for $200 Cdn. If I can get by without an amp though I do not mind paying the extra.

I can not find anything at all on the SR60s (I mean for purchase)

Nor can I find the HD280s for sale..wtf, Canadians don't buy nice headphones???

I am pretty sure the ones I use now on my PC sit on my ears and they start to hurt after a while, so do the ones you guys recommended here sit on my ears as well or do they cover?

Thanks so much for your help everyone!

 

[Bobthelost]

The SR60s sit on the ears, the headband is steel (metal at least) which means it will adjust over time, mine has. Up untill that point they may start to get uncomfortable after 4 hours or so, one of the failings, also some people prefer to buy 3rd party covers for the headphones. Not perfect but i'd buy another set (well, i lie, i'd get SR70s next time) again.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
The SR60s sit on the ears, the headband is steel (metal at least) which means it will adjust over time, mine has. Up untill that point they may start to get uncomfortable after 4 hours or so, one of the failings, also some people prefer to buy 3rd party covers for the headphones. Not perfect but i'd buy another set (well, i lie, i'd get SR70s next time) again.

Unfortunately it looks as if Grado does not sell in Canada. I can not find them on any site, not even Futureshop or BestBuy.ca

Too bad because HeadRoom seemed to love some of their offerings.

 

[mrbobdobalina81]

Yup, the Sennheiser HD 280s are very nice

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
The SR60s sit on the ears, the headband is steel (metal at least) which means it will adjust over time, mine has. Up untill that point they may start to get uncomfortable after 4 hours or so, one of the failings, also some people prefer to buy 3rd party covers for the headphones. Not perfect but i'd buy another set (well, i lie, i'd get SR70s next time) again.

Unfortunately it looks as if Grado does not sell in Canada. I can not find them on any site, not even Futureshop or BestBuy.ca

Too bad because HeadRoom seemed to love some of their offerings.

You might want to try one of the internet shopping engines, might surprise you. Or if you know of an audio geek forum with posters from the land of Maple leaves then you might be able to get information about who (if any) stock them.

I ended up going into a little shop in london to find mine.

Edit: Or get the seinnheisers, you aren't exactly going to go too far wrong with either.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
The SR60s sit on the ears, the headband is steel (metal at least) which means it will adjust over time, mine has. Up untill that point they may start to get uncomfortable after 4 hours or so, one of the failings, also some people prefer to buy 3rd party covers for the headphones. Not perfect but i'd buy another set (well, i lie, i'd get SR70s next time) again.

Unfortunately it looks as if Grado does not sell in Canada. I can not find them on any site, not even Futureshop or BestBuy.ca

Too bad because HeadRoom seemed to love some of their offerings.

You might want to try one of the internet shopping engines, might surprise you. Or if you know of an audio geek forum with posters from the land of Maple leaves then you might be able to get information about who (if any) stock them.

I ended up going into a little shop in london to find mine.

Edit: Or get the seinnheisers, you aren't exactly going to go too far wrong with either.

I will take a more extensive look around my area to see if there are any other stores that may have other options. I tried pricegrabber.ca, but no dice on the Grados or the HD280s.

Even if I do end up just getting the HD555s, it would not hurt to see if there are better prices around.

Thanks again for all the help.

Cheers, KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Crap, sorry, one more question.

I f I do go ahead and get the HD555s or any of the other headphones recommended here, would there still be any benefit to getting an amp for them?

I know absolutely nothing about amps, which is why I am asking. Sorry if it is a ridiculous question.

Thanks, KT

EDIT: what about these: Grado SR80

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Crap, sorry, one more question.

I f I do go ahead and get the HD555s or any of the other headphones recommended here, would there still be any benefit to getting an amp for them?

I know absolutely nothing about amps, which is why I am asking. Sorry if it is a ridiculous question.

Thanks, KT

There is always a benefit from good, well designed amplification. That said, I have used my HD555's directly from my sound card(which at the time was an Audigy 2 ZS) and also from my receiver(a Harman Kardon AVR435) and both sounded perfectly fine. I would say it sounded a bit better off my receiver but the difference wasn't huge. I imagine running them off your X-fi would be just fine.

Another note, not sure if this is what you expect. But with any of these headphones mentioned, don't expect "huge" bass. That is often a sign of a bad headphone or music that is improperly calibrated. Seems like people listen to music with the bass pumped up so high that they don't know how it was actually recorded anymore. The thing that makes these headphones great is their clarity. I have actually been startled before because I thought I heard sounds coming from behind me(like a door opening) but it was actually just being played through my headphones.

Good luck finding the Sennheisers. Not sure if your willing but this is a rather good deal and he ships worldwide:

Text

 

[KeithTalent]

1. Bass is not a huge concern for me, I prefer crispness and clarity to booming and thumping.

2. It seems as if an amp is not necessary then, so I will skip it.

3. Holy crap, good price on those. I may jump on them if the shipping is not outrageous. Thanks for the link!

Once again, thanks for all the help, it is greatly appreciated :thumbsup: