Audio Earphone/Headphone recommendations needed

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles

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Apr 28, 2009
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My Budget:$250

My Location: Canada, ON

My Source: Sansa Fuze, My Alienware laptop

Looking for either a headphone or IEM, portability is not a criteria as I can manage with or without. Im just looking for SQ.

Priorities: Soundstage (and lots of it), bass (specially low-end bass) and mids.

Music I listen to: Trance, Indie rock, Alternative rock, Psychedelic rock etc.

Also, I prefer isolation so I think closed backed headphones or IEMs would suit me more. I have no amp, so lower impedance is also a plus.

I'm considering getting Audio Technica AD900 (closed back), how are they?
 
fLUX

fLUX

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Nov 21, 2009
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If i am not mistaken ad900 is open back , i think you are referring to a900 , if its ad series , my ad700 does not have much of bass , very wide soundstage , awesome vocals presentation but listening to trance and hard rock music you dont feel ad700 justifies this genre that well.

I feel its more for the soft rock , pop , classical song types headphone and they really excel at those songs.

Going by what i have read so far the m50 might suit your taste well but again people say they are better with a amp around , ad700 does not benefit very much from amping , a good sound card against a onboard surely makes hell of a difference.
 
esanthosh

esanthosh

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Jan 3, 2010
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Judging from AD700, A900 (AD is open, A is closed) would not have too much bass quantity.

If not for isolation, I'd have said FX700. Try one of the Denons - D2000 should fit within your budget if you can find a suitable deal on head-fi.
 
Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles

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Apr 28, 2009
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Yeah sorry, mixed up was talking about A900.

I've heard (or rather read) that D2000 has recessed mids, and mids are a priority for me. Ditto for FX700, I dont mind the isolation that much but mids are must.
 
Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles

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I just really like how DDM is described, seems to fit what Im lookng for.

Isnt there a more comfortable DDM with better build quality and isolation? :p (I know Radius HP-TWF21 but I think its overpriced)
 
H

hahahari

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May 17, 2009
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My 900 is just perfect if you dont consider "decent" soundstage. It has good soundstage. But just not a lot of it. Bass is pretty good. I was a basshead until I fell in love with the bass on 900. Its just the right amount. Tight and punchy but doesnt cause fatigue.
 
esanthosh

esanthosh

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Mephistopheles said:
I just really like how DDM is described, seems to fit what Im lookng for.

Isnt there a more comfortable DDM with better build quality and isolation? :p (I know Radius HP-TWF21 but I think its overpriced)
Click to expand...

DDM-2 can be had for $200 from Dimitri, but not sure if he's still selling it. There have been one report of two replacements and two failures with DDM2, so I am not keeping high hopes about it.

Recessed or not, FX700 is the only meaningful upgrade to DDM, even if it does not isolate much :p.

Not sure about Westones. May be one of them will fit your requirement? Have you considered SM3?
 
psygeist

psygeist

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^^

Monster Turbine Copper @$99

If someone is in Canada then it's a steal to get one.

Future Shop Web-Only Boxing Day Sale (Ontario) P14 - Boxing Day 2011: Boxing Week Deals and Flyers from RedFlagDeals

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Deal goes live on 24th @futureshop.ca

Electronics, Cameras, Computers, Video Games, TVs & Appliances - Future Shop
 
esanthosh

esanthosh

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MTPC is a bit more balanced when compared to MTPG, but may suit your requirements. I am a bit skeptical when it comes to sound stage and presentation because Joker mentioned

The presentation of the Coppers is rather different than that of most in-ears, same as with the Golds. The soundstage is not the largest among all IEMs but it is quite adequate in both depth and width. The imaging and positioning do not possess the pinpoint accuracy certain other earphones are capable of providing and as a result the MTPC, like the MTPG, has trouble tracking large compositions. Instead, the sound of the MTPC is extremely blended which, when coupled with the deep subbass, pays tribute to the ‘in-ear speaker’ marketing done by monster for the entire Turbine line. The highly blended sound may actually seem more natural to some compared to the Sennheiser IE8 with its football-field-sized soundstage or the Westone UM3X with its holographic separation.
Click to expand...

But for $99 + 13% Tax, you can't go wrong. If you want bass-heavy, good mid range kind of signature and better sound stage than MTPC, better look for Monster MD Tribute from head-fi. MD Trumpets (the latest) are more balanced from what I read.
 
esanthosh

esanthosh

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No idea about E10 as I've not looked at FiiO products in a while. May be somebody else could clear that doubt.

Do you have a budget in mind for the DAC?
 
Brendon

Brendon

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Mar 21, 2005
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I have the E10. Bought it as a portable DAC in case I want to use my YH-100s and HD650s. For driving power its got plenty ! I am shocked that it can properly drive my power hungry YH-100s with relative ease and this thing runs on just battery. :p

That said the SQ is decent but not great. My $149 Music Streamer II has better treble, different sounding mids, better bass and noticeably wider and better soundstage.

However the Music Streamer II can give some volume to the HD650 but can't drive it properly while the E10 should be able to drive just about every headphone on earth baring perhaps the AKG K1000.

That the E10 is powered directly from a USB port is simply mind-blowing !
 
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