Headphones, worth it? Which ones? - Overclock.net

TriplePlay · 07-09-09

I was posting in this thread before about getting new headphones:
http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards...205s-202s.html
And I decided to make a new thread to keep from hijacking it further.

Anyways, will getting HD202's or any other headphones really sound much better than this USB Microsoft headset I have, given that I have a laptop sound card? (not sure what mine is, HP's site says "3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated" but I'm not 100% that is what it is since I customized my laptop on their site so mine didn't have a specific model number)
These are what I have now:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826105209

In case you didn't look at the other thread, I don't want to spend a lot, maybe $45 shipped, max. I listen mostly to classic rock, alternative rock, and ska-punk. I probably won't use these much for games since the headset I have has a mic built in. I also want circumaural. I don't want the headset to rest against my ear (I'm fine if the inside touches my ear or whatever, but I just don't want all the pressure focused against my earlobe). I'm not restricted to Sennheiser or anything, but those are what I've been suggested for that price range.

So, is it even worth it for me to upgrade? If so, then what should I get?

Thanks guys, +rep for good advice of course

dreadlord369 · 07-09-09

Haha you weren't really hijacking my thread, we actually had the same problem so you were actually helping it along.

Also, usb headphones usually blow since they use a usb sound driver which always suck, the 202's, 201's, or whatever will kill the usb ones hands down.

TriplePlay · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreadlord369

Haha you weren't really hijacking my thread, we actually had the same problem so you were actually helping it along.

Also, usb headphones usually blow since they use a usb sound driver which always suck, the 202's, 201's, or whatever will kill the usb ones hands down.

Haha, good to know.

I know USB headsets usually suck, but I didn't know if my sound card in this lappy was so crappy that it wouldn't really matter. I didn't know if the sound card was bad enough that it wouldn't matter if I had a bad or good pair of headphones, if it would be limited by the card in both setups.

drjoey1500 · 07-09-09

From what I've read, I recommend JVC HA-RX700

HD201 if you don't mind bass light, or HD202 if you want a bassy mess.

Also, Koss ksc75 or ktxpro1
I know they are supra-aural but they don't press too hard. Real light, with nice cushy foam (at least the ksc75)

From my personal experience (the two I've heard/owned), HD202 have alot of bass, at least for me. Too much IMO. Then again, I never noticed it until I got more headphones. Ksc75 also have a bassy sound. They can be modded to reduce the bass. Between the two, the ksc75 have a slightly clearer sound. Better treble and mids, but sacrifice isolation. I still think the harx700 are your best bet

.

*Forgot to mention, the HD201/HD202 have a half circumaural half supra-aural design. It depends on how big your ears are. For me the pads sit around my ear, but my ear still touches the back of the earcup.

TriplePlay · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by drjoey1500

From what I've read, I recommend JVC HA-RX700

HD201 if you don't mind bass light, or HD202 if you want a bassy mess.

Also, Koss ksc75 or ktxpro1
I know they are supra-aural but they don't press too hard. Real light, with nice cushy foam (at least the ksc75)

From my personal experience (the two I've heard/owned), HD202 have alot of bass, at least for me. Too much IMO. Then again, I never noticed it until I got more headphones. Ksc75 also have a bassy sound. They can be modded to reduce the bass. Between the two, the ksc75 have a slightly clearer sound. Better treble and mids, but sacrifice isolation. I still think the harx700 are your best bet

.

Cool, thanks for the input. Definitely keep it in mind and see what others have to say

Although I definitely don't want the KSC75's, I don't like that style at all. And I really just like the feel of the circumaurals better, even these cheap ones I have now feel better than any others I've used (other than nice circumaural's I've tried in store demos). I had some Logitech ones that pressed against my ear, and they were comfortable for a while but after an hour or two they would start to hurt a little >_<

Quote:

*Forgot to mention, the HD201/HD202 have a half circumaural half supra-aural design. It depends on how big your ears are. For me the pads sit around my ear, but my ear still touches the back of the earcup.

Well if my ear touches the back that is fine. My ears just touch the back on the ones I have now and they're comfy, but I just don't want the pressure of the phones all against my earlobe.

dreadlord369 · 07-09-09

I've been thinking for a little bit and what I'm gonna try and do is grab a fiio e5 and try it with the 205's and see if they round the bass out a little bit.

TriplePlay · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreadlord369

I've been thinking for a little bit and what I'm gonna try and do is grab a fiio e5 and try it with the 205's and see if they round the bass out a little bit.

Wishing you luck, hope it turns out well

Anyone else have suggestions or any input? Still looking for help

chinesekiwi · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by drjoey1500

From what I've read, I recommend JVC HA-RX700

This tbh. Best by far in terms of full-size headphones at this price range.
Better sounding than the HD555 (yes, better @ $34) after a bit of burn-in.

RallyMaster · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi

This tbh. Best by far in terms of full-size headphones at this price range.
Better sounding than the HD555 (yes, better @ $34) after a bit of burn-in.

I wouldn't say it's better sounding but rather different sounding. Since it is indeed true the HD595 and the HD555 are similar sounding, then there is no way in hell the RX700 beats the open cans in instrument separation.

To the OP: For 45 clams, there's not exactly much room to work with. You should go with the RX700 in my opinion because the HD201/202/205 all have really small pads and the HD205 will definitely cause you pain because it's a headclamp. There are a lot of better headphones out there though but money is required to obtain them.

TriplePlay · 07-09-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster

I wouldn't say it's better sounding but rather different sounding. Since it is indeed true the HD595 and the HD555 are similar sounding, then there is no way in hell the RX700 beats the open cans in instrument separation.

To the OP: For 45 clams, there's not exactly much room to work with. You should go with the RX700 in my opinion because the HD201/202/205 all have really small pads and the HD205 will definitely cause you pain because it's a headclamp. There are a lot of better headphones out there though but money is required to obtain them.

Yes, I'm aware that I'm definitely not getting nice audiophile headphones. But I'm honestly not an audiophile, I don't have a good soundcard, and it's not worth spending a ton of money for the nice sound, to me. But I can appreciate good audio, so I figured I'd try to find the best budget headphones for what I'm willing to pay.

Although from what I see on the 202's, the pads don't look any smaller than my MS headset, and they fit around my ears just fine.
I could be wrong, however. I've never worn any Sennheiser headphones.

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Headphones, worth it? Which ones?

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