I bought some Sennheiser 280 pros a while back since I broke my 215s. Before the 215s I had 438s. Can't remember what happened to those. Anyhow, this might sound dumb, but I really dig it when I see a recording or music video with 280s in them. Makes me feel like I made the right choice.
That's kind of a silly reason to feel as if you made the right choice, shouldn't it be based on how you like the way the headphones reproduce sounds? I guess everybody gets the feeling of reinforcement if they see the product they use in media.
I bought some Sennheiser 280 pros a while back since I broke my 215s. Before the 215s I had 438s. Can't remember what happened to those. Anyhow, this might sound dumb, but I really dig it when I see a recording or music video with 280s in them. Makes me feel like I made the right choice.
As a long time owner of 280 pros, I can tell you that you did.
Picked up some Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm headphones on the Amazonia, and I'm super happy about that choice. I was told phones and devices would not be able to handle them, but while I can max the volume without it killing my ears, just below max is where I'd normally listen. Obviously an amp would only improve things, and I am about to install a soundcard into my desktop for that purpose, since these are not going to likely be headphones that leave the desk. I have the Level OVER for that and those still rock.
I can't go back to earbuds for serious listening. For running or biking sure. But full cans are the clear winner every other time.
Picked up some Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm headphones on the Amazonia, and I'm super happy about that choice. I was told phones and devices would not be able to handle them, but while I can max the volume without it killing my ears, just below max is where I'd normally listen. Obviously an amp would only improve things, and I am about to install a soundcard into my desktop for that purpose, since these are not going to likely be headphones that leave the desk. I have the Level OVER for that and those still rock.
I can't go back to earbuds for serious listening. For running or biking sure. But full cans are the clear winner every other time.
You've pretty much got the same setup as me now except I have the DT-880 Pro instead. An amped sound card helps and improves the sound tremendously.
Picked up some Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm headphones on the Amazonia, and I'm super happy about that choice. I was told phones and devices would not be able to handle them, but while I can max the volume without it killing my ears, just below max is where I'd normally listen. Obviously an amp would only improve things, and I am about to install a soundcard into my desktop for that purpose, since these are not going to likely be headphones that leave the desk. I have the Level OVER for that and those still rock.
I can't go back to earbuds for serious listening. For running or biking sure. But full cans are the clear winner every other time.
You've pretty much got the same setup as me now except I have the DT-880 Pro instead. An amped sound card helps and improves the sound tremendously.
Yeah, I installed a Sound Blaster Z (even though apparently my mobo has a pretty legit codec and I probably diddn't need it) and I'm loving the setup so far. I can tell why people in reviews were a bit iffy on the highs this thing has, but its not outrageous. I'm currently playing around with the Sound Blaster EQ to make some profiles for certain situations like bass music, vocal-heavy videos, and even an ASMR profile, though I'm going to try seeing how I like the no-EQ mode as well; all the other software settings just make things worse so I'm sure the EQ isn't ideal for the 'purist' even though I'm not one.
There's tons of gimmicy sort of gaming headsets and other new fancy looking stuff... these phones were designed before I was born and I like how they're no-nonsense but well-built. That's the kind of design I like, the stuff that survives the ages. IF it's still being sold new and it looks like it did when my dad was my age, you know it's not going to go out of fashion or become obsolete anytime soon.
The reason I went with the 880s is because I prefer the bassy music but not distorted like most speakers / headphones. Also has the best combo between highs and lows for playing games for me.
I would recommend not using any modulation for movies, music and most things. If you play games the virtual surround is better than the Asus Xonar (the type I use) audio cards when you enable "surround" and "crystalizer".
If anyone tries these, please share your review. I use earbuds, but they constantly hurt my ears because they are too big. I'd switch to headphones, but the can be unweildy and muss my hair.
If anyone tries these, please let me know. I use earbuds, but they constantly hurt my ears because they are too big. I'd switch to headphones, but the can be unweildy and muss my hair.
If anyone tries these, please let me know. I use earbuds, but they constantly hurt my ears because they are too big. I'd switch to headphones, but the can be unweildy and muss my hair.
Have you tried changing the tips on the earbuds?
I saw the above posts way late.
However if you're still interested and have Etymotics or are interested in good earphones, all Etymotics can have custom moulded ear plugs made. There are global partners (e.g. Aus/NZ look up Pacific Ears) in addition to the many listed on the Etymotic "custom fit" portion of the website.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
Shit, that's a really good question. I've never thought about that before.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
Shit, that's a really good question. I've never thought about that before.
I have no facts for this, but as a user with non-standard ears the oval may accommodate ear shapes like mine?
On that note, I've found myself not often not making use of the full seal. Sure when there's ambient noise I want to not hear but most of the time I don't wanna spend the extra 10 seconds making sure that the seal is unbroken and so I just pop them in quickly so they won't fall out.
That's not on the go. And in that case, I just wear actual headphones: never earbuds.
I abhor full size headphones, they make me feel like my head is in a vice, maybe I've just never had the right pair but the one I bought at the request of my employer (some steel series gaming thing) bothers the crap out of me and I use it as infrequently as possible. Earbuds are what I use most of the time
That's not on the go. And in that case, I just wear actual headphones: never earbuds.
I abhor full size headphones, they make me feel like my head is in a vice, maybe I've just never had the right pair but the one I bought at the request of my employer (some steel series gaming thing) bothers the crap out of me and I use it as infrequently as possible. Earbuds are what I use most of the time
Some will wear in like a hat. Others just have bad design.
Gaming headphones are with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, garbage on a hotplate.
I bought my dad a set of Sennheiser HD598c for $99 on black friday. For that price, I should have gotten myself a set. Those normally are at least $150 and people were paying happily $200 for the open version.
Nowadays, I wouldn't buy a set of audio equipment, for primary listening use, that has an average price under $100-150, and I would suggest the same to anyone else with the means. If you want cheapo backups or some inexpensive earbuds for on the go, fine. If you're just not able to spend the money, there are some great exceptions that are affordable.
But I wear over ear full headphones on average probably 8-16 hours a day and so even my $200 Beyerdynamics or $300 Level Overs were a pretty bargain basement dollar per hour of use. Thinking of it that way I should probably budget more next time.
Either way the comfort is a big deal and I never get fatigued with the Beyerdynamic even after a full day of working with them on. They feel so natural. And they do sound leagues better than gaming phones. And a mod mic allows voice chat with clarity. Really a better way to go than any gaming phones.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
I have no facts for this, but as a user with non-standard ears the oval may accommodate ear shapes like mine?
Having never designed headphones, I can't see any real acoustic reason. In fact, D shaped cups are probably better at sealing around the ear, not because of ear shape, but head shape and rigidity immediately around the ear. Oval/round cups are probably cheaper to produce/source, though, since their already so common. Or it might be a ham butt situation.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
I have no facts for this, but as a user with non-standard ears the oval may accommodate ear shapes like mine?
Having never designed headphones, I can't see any real acoustic reason. In fact, D shaped cups are probably better at sealing around the ear, not because of ear shape, but head shape and rigidity immediately around the ear. Oval/round cups are probably cheaper to produce/source, though, since their already so common. Or it might be a ham butt situation.
I was speculating out my ass that it's probably much easier to account for acoustics given a symmetric design rather than an asymmetric design. But I don't know if that is really true considering how every production theatre is designed. Talking to my buddy who actually works for a headphone company (hes in sales not engineering so very anecdotal) his first thought was that was just probably a cheaper option.
Actually his second guess was that was just the best driver design, which seems like it might be true. That page doesn't really explicitly answer the question, but it does show that almost all variations are circular, or at least symmetric. I'm sure that website might have a better answer somewhere if you follow the rabbit hole.
EDIT: That website seems to be significantly lamer than I thought, its just a store. But I still stand by my theory.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
I have no facts for this, but as a user with non-standard ears the oval may accommodate ear shapes like mine?
Having never designed headphones, I can't see any real acoustic reason. In fact, D shaped cups are probably better at sealing around the ear, not because of ear shape, but head shape and rigidity immediately around the ear. Oval/round cups are probably cheaper to produce/source, though, since their already so common. Or it might be a ham butt situation.
I was speculating out my ass that it's probably much easier to account for acoustics given a symmetric design rather than an asymmetric design. But I don't know if that is really true considering how every production theatre is designed. Talking to my buddy who actually works for a headphone company (hes in sales not engineering so very anecdotal) his first thought was that was just probably a cheaper option.
Actually his second guess was that was just the best driver design, which seems like it might be true. That page doesn't really explicitly answer the question, but it does show that almost all variations are circular, or at least symmetric. I'm sure that website might have a better answer somewhere if you follow the rabbit hole.
EDIT: That website seems to be significantly lamer than I thought, its just a store. But I still stand by my theory.
Dynamic drivers tend to have to be circular for their design to work in pushing air to make sound waves.
Planar dynamic and eltrostatic drivers can be almost any 2d shape you want (but generally symmetrical is best for sound reproduction (many planars are rectangular as the circuits are easier to design).
The driver design should have no bearing on the pad, I'm talking about the pad.
Hey @Victor Frost how come more over ear headphones don't have "D" shaped earpad holes for your ears, why are they nearly all round or oval? So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
I have no facts for this, but as a user with non-standard ears the oval may accommodate ear shapes like mine?
Having never designed headphones, I can't see any real acoustic reason. In fact, D shaped cups are probably better at sealing around the ear, not because of ear shape, but head shape and rigidity immediately around the ear. Oval/round cups are probably cheaper to produce/source, though, since their already so common. Or it might be a ham butt situation.
It does indeed seem to be a ham butt problem. As the HD800s and HD700s but didn't sell well due to the headphone's sound signature (you could get a better sound signature from far cheaper headphones.
Gaming headphones are with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, garbage on a hotplate.
Yeah except for the "Hyper Cloud X" and derivatives as they are just rebranded Takstar 80s which are a poor man's knock off of Beyerdynamic's 880. But in direct comparison for music the Takstars are terrible.
I bought my dad a set of Sennheiser HD598c for $99 on black friday. For that price, I should have gotten myself a set. Those normally are at least $150 and people were paying happily $200 for the open version.
The closed back version of the 598 sounds better anyway, yeah you missed out.
But I wear over ear full headphones on average probably 8-16 hours a day and so even my $200 Beyerdynamics or $300 Level Overs were a pretty bargain basement dollar per hour of use. Thinking of it that way I should probably budget more next time.
Yeah same, but when I bought my 880s they were relatively new and cost just over US$300.
Price point isn't really fixed for sound quality though, there are good sounding headphones at most prices however the lower you go, the worse the build quality is (i.e. so you can get 12 pairs of $60 headphones or spend a few hundred for ones that will last a lifetime).
Good news is the Hd598c are still only $130 on Amazon. I haven't opened the set i got for my dad but after Christmas if I like what I hear on them I think I'll get a set.
And to the point of cheaper phones sounding as good as much more expensive ones that's definitely pretty true. It's not just build quality though, the materials you get and comfort seem much nicer when you get higher in the price band... again surely exceptions down low exist but I don't see much of that out there.
The Steelcase 200 look alright. I'm thinking if they were bought on the company dime and you aren't needing to use them all day, every day I'd probably not bother spending a lot of money on a new set of cans unless you can try something on and verify you like it better enough to invest your own coin. The Steelcase V2 which seem almost identical were fairy well rared it seems so I'm sure for the price they pack lot of value.
Aesthetics wise they look ok. Pixs make it seem the plastic is kinda cheapo glossy stuff so not sure the effect on sound or longevity. I don't like that style headband, and wonder if that contributes to some of the head-vise factor? I know that I prefer velour earpads over leather and definitely over pleather or cheap fabric, so maybe that also helps.
Oh, the retracting microphone is cool, and this is the one area a dedicated gaming headset will trump a set of audiophile cans with the mod mic: one cable vs two. When using modmic on a headset you have a much bulkier cord situation because youll probably have the mic cable strapped to the phones cable. In practice it's not a significant issue, but can have its moments.
Comments
I guess everybody gets the feeling of reinforcement if they see the product they use in media.
I can't go back to earbuds for serious listening. For running or biking sure. But full cans are the clear winner every other time.
There's tons of gimmicy sort of gaming headsets and other new fancy looking stuff... these phones were designed before I was born and I like how they're no-nonsense but well-built. That's the kind of design I like, the stuff that survives the ages. IF it's still being sold new and it looks like it did when my dad was my age, you know it's not going to go out of fashion or become obsolete anytime soon.
I would recommend not using any modulation for movies, music and most things.
If you play games the virtual surround is better than the Asus Xonar (the type I use) audio cards when you enable "surround" and "crystalizer".
Also the moulding process here.
The only reason I don't have them, is because they're not cheap. If the tip were interchangeable with other earphones, that would be great.
However if you're still interested and have Etymotics or are interested in good earphones, all Etymotics can have custom moulded ear plugs made. There are global partners (e.g. Aus/NZ look up Pacific Ears) in addition to the many listed on the Etymotic "custom fit" portion of the website.
So far the only models I've noted to have "D" shapes for ears are the Sennheiser HD800 and HD700.
I bought my dad a set of Sennheiser HD598c for $99 on black friday. For that price, I should have gotten myself a set. Those normally are at least $150 and people were paying happily $200 for the open version.
Nowadays, I wouldn't buy a set of audio equipment, for primary listening use, that has an average price under $100-150, and I would suggest the same to anyone else with the means. If you want cheapo backups or some inexpensive earbuds for on the go, fine. If you're just not able to spend the money, there are some great exceptions that are affordable.
But I wear over ear full headphones on average probably 8-16 hours a day and so even my $200 Beyerdynamics or $300 Level Overs were a pretty bargain basement dollar per hour of use. Thinking of it that way I should probably budget more next time.
Either way the comfort is a big deal and I never get fatigued with the Beyerdynamic even after a full day of working with them on. They feel so natural. And they do sound leagues better than gaming phones. And a mod mic allows voice chat with clarity. Really a better way to go than any gaming phones.
Those are the guys I got on the corporate card. I'm assuming they're not in realm of headsets that are actually good?
Actually his second guess was that was just the best driver design, which seems like it might be true. That page doesn't really explicitly answer the question, but it does show that almost all variations are circular, or at least symmetric. I'm sure that website might have a better answer somewhere if you follow the rabbit hole.
EDIT: That website seems to be significantly lamer than I thought, its just a store. But I still stand by my theory.
Out and about are IEM territory for me.
I imagine in a work place I would probably grab a set of closed back headphones. Dynamic drivers tend to have to be circular for their design to work in pushing air to make sound waves.
Planar dynamic and eltrostatic drivers can be almost any 2d shape you want (but generally symmetrical is best for sound reproduction (many planars are rectangular as the circuits are easier to design).
The driver design should have no bearing on the pad, I'm talking about the pad.
As the HD800s and HD700s but didn't sell well due to the headphone's sound signature (you could get a better sound signature from far cheaper headphones. Yeah except for the "Hyper Cloud X" and derivatives as they are just rebranded Takstar 80s which are a poor man's knock off of Beyerdynamic's 880. But in direct comparison for music the Takstars are terrible. The closed back version of the 598 sounds better anyway, yeah you missed out. Yeah same, but when I bought my 880s they were relatively new and cost just over US$300.
Price point isn't really fixed for sound quality though, there are good sounding headphones at most prices however the lower you go, the worse the build quality is (i.e. so you can get 12 pairs of $60 headphones or spend a few hundred for ones that will last a lifetime).
And to the point of cheaper phones sounding as good as much more expensive ones that's definitely pretty true. It's not just build quality though, the materials you get and comfort seem much nicer when you get higher in the price band... again surely exceptions down low exist but I don't see much of that out there.
The Steelcase 200 look alright. I'm thinking if they were bought on the company dime and you aren't needing to use them all day, every day I'd probably not bother spending a lot of money on a new set of cans unless you can try something on and verify you like it better enough to invest your own coin. The Steelcase V2 which seem almost identical were fairy well rared it seems so I'm sure for the price they pack lot of value.
Aesthetics wise they look ok. Pixs make it seem the plastic is kinda cheapo glossy stuff so not sure the effect on sound or longevity. I don't like that style headband, and wonder if that contributes to some of the head-vise factor? I know that I prefer velour earpads over leather and definitely over pleather or cheap fabric, so maybe that also helps.
Oh, the retracting microphone is cool, and this is the one area a dedicated gaming headset will trump a set of audiophile cans with the mod mic: one cable vs two. When using modmic on a headset you have a much bulkier cord situation because youll probably have the mic cable strapped to the phones cable. In practice it's not a significant issue, but can have its moments.