Headphones, No excuses.

by im a tree • 5 Dec 2011, 15:40 • Journals
One of the many uses of the journals on this site is asking for hardware advice. Headphone journals are filled with people with absolutely no experience in audio recommending some of the WORST pieces of shit "gaming" headsets I've ever had the displeasure of seeing.

I bought some Superlux HD668B's (+AKG velour pads) for a Christmas present for €28

And they're awesome, admittedly, the build quality isn't going to be awesome at this price but it is far better than any "gaming" headset, see: steelseries, fatality, sennheiser pc series.

My first impressions are spectacular highs, the best I've experienced at this price. The lows for me seem a bit loose and not too intense. Personally I'm not a fan of heavy bass over accurate bassand these guys deliver. The "wing" headband design seems quite stolen from Audio Technica, and sits pretty comfortably even for an imitation. I've only been listening to these through a headphone amp so far so things may change but I likey.


Naturally I couldn't have a pair of headphones in my posession without giving them a test run and review burning them in for the recipient. Couple of cheaky pictures:

http://tuomas.co.uk/cf/superlux1.jpg
http://tuomas.co.uk/cf/superlux2.jpg


Full review at a later time! With Christmas monies just around the corner I might take a stab at the budget options for headphones for gamers and maybe even some of the more luxurious options.


tl;dr - Stop giving razer, creative, steelseries, fatal1ty, etc, etc, your money and enjoy audio more.


ps: customer service, doing it right (this was Thursday, .de shipped faster than amazon uk):

image: superlux0
Comments
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noodle 5 Dec 2011, 15:42
getting another pair of PC350/360's for xmas, mad?
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Panda 5 Dec 2011, 15:43
YOU DA MAN :)
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perforator 5 Dec 2011, 15:43
Lol are those headphones pink bro?
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ag0n 5 Dec 2011, 15:45
I need new phones tbh. Do you think this is better than my zalman 5.1? or even the Steelseries Siberia (i want this ones, but they are kinda expensive)???????
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perforator 5 Dec 2011, 15:46
Siberia is shit
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ag0n 5 Dec 2011, 15:47
:((( Damn i though for the price they should be good, haven't read any review yet.. And they look really great ^^
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J 5 Dec 2011, 17:38
These siberia v2's sure are decent in my opinion. I am pretty sure that there are several better alternatives though if you look enough. These fit to my needs =)
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ag0n 5 Dec 2011, 17:48
well i care about price, don't wanna waste much money, any suggestion?

i need something decent, not expensive, confortable, with mic (prefer a normal mic instead of this type that goes close to your mouth) and sound/mic mute control...any idea? xD
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GunRu5 5 Dec 2011, 15:47
I bought some siberia v2 but friend matuka told me after I order it to get these -.-
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Cardo 5 Dec 2011, 15:48
those headbands aren't stole from audio technica or whatever, many brands have them.

For gaming these are all right i guess

im happy with rocking my AKG
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 15:54
many brands have stolen this type of headband from audio technica :)
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 15:59
They are purchased for somebody who won't be doing any gaming and so far I've only been listening to music on them, no idea about the soundstage!

AKGs are sweet too, never owned a pair of my own :(
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Niels 5 Dec 2011, 15:49
Sony mdr-7506 Professional Studio Monitor
image: SonyMDR7506

review
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 18:25
nice!
i got the v6 which is exactly the same except for the warranty and the gold plated plug
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trakos 5 Dec 2011, 15:51
Oh yeah, some proper content ! :P Just when I was whining at how little of such can be found here.

I once bought steelseries headphones, the first version or something. It was the worst crap I've ever had, and costed a lot... And the quality was the worst I ever experienced, had to send them to service after a year. The only good thing about them was a microphone.

Then, I had philips shp8900 for almost half of that price, and they were indifinitely times better. I even enjoy my simple hd201 sennheisers more (though they're not comfortable). So yeah, I fully agree.
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 15:53
actually, PC360 is pretty solid for headset, sound quality somewhere around old HD555 (but overpriced, as usual amongs headsets). And tbh, first version of Siberia headset (made by Icemat) had really nice sound signature and appealing look (white ones).

About the luxurious solutions, I owned HD595 before, sold them and recently I decided to invest nice amount of money into my home audio equipment. Headphones with stand are already sitting on my table for few weeks, dac is on its way and as soon as I get next paycheck I am ordering an amp. Hopefully everything gonna be here before christmas, want to enjoy some nice music during holiday. Actually my parents are giving me hifi stand as christmas present, gonna look nice with everything in it (I am also planning on building HTPC and getting TV, but thats music of a next year). When I have everything at home, I am gonna take some pictures and post it here
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 15:56
Sounds good! I'm using a USB based headphone amp which is getting the job done at the moment, gives me portability too. What DAC have you purchased?
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 16:02
QuoteUSB based headphone amp

this does not sound legit, amps work with analog signals only, sound more like combo dac+amp.

my intended equip is:
Audio Technica ATH-W1000x (already at home, some pics)
Audio-GD NFB-12 DAC/amp - already ordered, gonna be here in week or two, probably the best bang for bucks with its promo price of 200$
Project Sunrise - a lil' DIY project, buying it already built tho, its kinda new but it has incredible reviews and preferences, maybe in future I will get Little Dot I+ as well, just for comparison since its designed especially for low impedance headphones, such as Audio-Technicas
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 16:10
yeah forgot the +DAC :3

that setup looks damn sweet
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 16:16
well, I will need some good cables as well because that amp seems to be kinda picky on source, its not very forgiving. And I am thinking of what to do with my laptop since all my USB ports are taken,1 for powering external cooler, 1 for external hdd and 1 for mouse. Unfortunatelly there is no spdif output, eSata cabel for my external hdd will never work properly and only solution for this I can think of is using usb adapter for charging with 2m long usb male2male cabel to power cooler without need to plug it into the laptop. Will figure out smth, when I get enough money for htpc, everything is gonna be working like charm :)
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zeddd 5 Dec 2011, 17:17
i like your website
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 17:20
thx, but it needs complete rework, coding, graphics, scripting, everything. But I am kinda busy with job and school, so its not gonna be any time soon :(
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zenix 5 Dec 2011, 17:48
No, i have them both and the HD555 is superior in anyway possible.
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vib 15 Dec 2011, 23:32
+1 on that

except I have the PC350 instead of the PC360
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malkavian 5 Dec 2011, 15:54
i got sennheiser HD555 and think theyr great. u say they're bad? :p

and if so, how can yours be so so cheap? :S
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 15:57
Sennheiser HD555s are sweet, the "pc" series are typically really bad and if not then horrifically overpriced.

HD555s though offer good value, have a really nice sound and are pretty comfortable, I've recommended them many times.
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HIRVI 5 Dec 2011, 22:25
Hello,
You have any recommendations which headphones I should buy for christmas? There is not other requirements but gaming (nerd). They must cost under 100€. I don't know anything about good gaming headphones for under one hundred euro and I am currently going for Siberia v2 USB since I have some shitty integrated soundcard and that headset would offer a somewhat decent soundcard aswell.

You could recommend couple of cans so I could check if I could get any from Finland and what are their prices here. (Not going to order them from inet:( )
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ScaTmaN 5 Dec 2011, 15:56
I also need new Headset ^^ , got Sennheiser PC150 since 4 yrs allready and the mic is allready broken any cheap idea? :)
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FeedMe 5 Dec 2011, 15:58
ive got free ones from the humo :3
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crook 5 Dec 2011, 15:59
Looks pretty decent for it's price, you might have convinced me to get one! I'm using shitty head buds with a headset mic around my neck atm, bit annoying :)
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Yossarian 5 Dec 2011, 15:59
Hmm, do you think they are better than my Skullcandy Rasta's ?
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 16:07
nothin on my dr. dre monster beats bro
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J 5 Dec 2011, 17:38
The truth!
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dEzIrE 5 Dec 2011, 20:19
does that mean you dislike those? :P
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 23:01
Justin Bieber ones? :)
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niSmO 5 Dec 2011, 16:01
got fatal1ty, you seem to hate it but it is actually pretty good tbh
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FeedMe 5 Dec 2011, 16:12
so overpriced
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niSmO 5 Dec 2011, 16:19
got mine for ~£20? pretty cheap compared to sennheisers etc
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FeedMe 5 Dec 2011, 17:15
oh thats pretty good then :_D I'd still not buy one tho
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 18:30
are you kidding? this is the worst audio product i have ever got (a friend got me one, i wouldnt ever buy this crap myself)

the only good thing was that it had a mic, and it was shit.

There are so many better audio products available for the same price, even the 10 dollar coby cv-185 is a million times better
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jnz 5 Dec 2011, 16:08
Audiophile good is 100-120 up, some decent for 70-80, some pretty good for less.
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 16:14
I would agree, however for someone that isn't going to be amping it and just using out of a pc/laptop/ipod then you can get by with some cheaper cans that still offer great value for money. Some stand out, porta pros, soundmagic pl's, etc so much that it's a wonder people still buy some of the consumer grade skullcandy, apple, type shit that's available.
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jnz 5 Dec 2011, 16:20
agree. Yeh there are some perfectly decent sounding ones for less if you buy the right thing. I like a clear, fairly neutral and crisp sound without being uncomfortable on the high and with full but controlled/defined bass. Most people have no idea though.
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Yossarian 5 Dec 2011, 16:29
Just 2 days ago i broke cable of my soundmagic's pl30 :(

What a loss.

Any suggestions to what replace them with?
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 23:02
Ah man, my PL-50s went bust a few weeks ago too. Replaced them with the Klipsch S4 which were on offer @ ~ 1/2 price, and although I do admit they're bassy, I absolutely love that when I'm rocking out to my current music taste.
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arca 5 Dec 2011, 16:24
Still rocking my Fat1taly, and will be as long as I can't afford a good soundcard and headphones.
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Nub 5 Dec 2011, 16:27
still satisfied with my 5€ trust headphones
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HIRVI 5 Dec 2011, 16:31
I don't know anything about headphones under 100€. Christmas is coming up and I am planning to buy new headphones. Can you recommend me some good headphones for under 100euros for hardcore gaming?
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 18:31
http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-96-portable-headphones-reviewed-v-moda-m-80-added-11-27-11

e: or read my reply to agon
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HIRVI 5 Dec 2011, 20:36
On head-fi they tend to suggest headphones that cost far over 100 euros even if you say you want max 100 euro headphones. Anyways I am pretty suspicious about those suggestions on head-fi since there aren't many competitive gamers.
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 21:02
the mdr-v6's ive got are absolute boss ander under 100 bucks, can hear everything really clear

together with the zalman clip on mic its a total bang for your buck in this price range
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HIRVI 5 Dec 2011, 22:12
Can't find those from Finland.
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 23:45
they werent available in holland either, theyre kind of hard to come by.
found a pair on amazing .co.uk though, they ship to europe pretty cheap (or even free)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00001WRSJ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1323125087&sr=8-1&condition=new
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HIRVI 6 Dec 2011, 11:21
Not gonna order from interenet. Doesn't Amazon sell some fake products as well.
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dualinity 6 Dec 2011, 13:40
ive bought these exact ones, twice.

theyre just fine.
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Skydeh 5 Dec 2011, 16:44
For those who like the "In-Ear" option, I can't recommend these enough!

http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/soundmagic-e10-black-red.html

Easily better then the Beats and Bose £100 equivalents (I have a set of each btw).

EDIT - I have a set of Steelseries Siberia in black for sale, worn approximately 5/10 times, £25 for people in the UK!
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 16:52
Used some Soundmagic PL30s and they were pretty boss. Bose and beats are renowned for ripping off their customers though.
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Skydeh 5 Dec 2011, 17:12
Theses Soundmagic's are brilliant. Easily my best every purchase. I would never buy beats full price, only off the back of a lorry ;)
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Ati_ 5 Dec 2011, 16:56
Still have the same headset for .. 6 years? PC150, still awesome. Bought a PC360 once, what a piece of shit, returned it and back to my PC150 <3
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vib 16 Dec 2011, 00:03
lol? how and in what aspect is the pc150 better than the pc360?
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Ati_ 16 Dec 2011, 17:05
comfort and sound.
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clouver 5 Dec 2011, 17:01
lol dont have him
what end of SHIT things.
-
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Owzo 5 Dec 2011, 17:08
NOBODY CAN HANDLE YOU MEEZ!!!! NOBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O)
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 17:22
Meez, just the man! I have been wanting to get a prety nice sounding set of headphones recently but have like ZERO idea about them. I don't want to spend a whole load as it's only for my old ipod. What would you recomend and would you get one of these mini amplifiers for mp3s?
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 17:31
If you get headphones then you should get an amp if youre serious about audio
I would also look at IEMs (earphones) though, I recently got the Klipsch S4 and although bass heavy they're splendid. Tried the Soundmagic PL-50 before them and they were swell too. Paid £25 for the Klipsch S4 on Amazon (In white).
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 17:43
Cheers brother!
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 17:31
For mini amps the "Fiio E5" is considered godly at it's price and can be charged via standard micro-USB (that all phones seem to use these days) and it's only £13 on Amazon - just read the reviews!

For ipod headphones there are many great value IEMs you can buy and that thread has reviews/pictures of a lot of them - or are you looking for overhead headphones?
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 17:43
I don't seem to get on very well with in ear headphones. Are there any good over ear ones or are they wasted on mp3s?
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im a tree 5 Dec 2011, 18:29
not wasted at all, just a little less portable!

you probably don't wanna get full on hifi headphones if you have to carry them around, but there are smaller options available eg the sennheiser px's, koss porta pros... that kind of thing which aren't too expensive and are quite portable
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 18:36
Nice one, the wife has been bugging me to give her idea's of what to get for xmas. Seeing as I have an hour walk to work in the morning I need to upgrade the shit I have now! Cheers!
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 19:41
what do you need an amp for exactly? Is your player unable to provide enough power to drive your headphones to their fulll potential? Are you trying to achieve some specific sound flavour/signature? Or you want amp just because other ppl are using amps? For IEMs (or any portable headphones for that matter), you dont need any amp because they primary source is supposed to be portable player with limited driving potential. For desktop headphones, you might need an amp, but the choice is heavily dependant on specs of those headphones.

Btw, I am same when it comes to IEMs, I dont like that feeling of having something in my ear. I also dont like head band when I am walking, so the only thing that left were clip-ons. I got my ATH-EW9 for over 2 years and I love them. Maybe they are not the most comfortable for very long continuous use, but they do sound really nice. I actually like them more than my old HD595s.
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 19:46
I have had a pair of over the ear headphones and the volume was just not good enough. The headphones were fine and were loud on other devices (as I do like my music with mega bass and epically loud!) So all I want from the amp is to really increase volume + add a bit of bass to it!
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 19:53
not loud enough = your player is not capable of driving them :)
So, for you Fiio E11 should be good
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 19:54
Nice one mate. I am currently getting idea's for the wife so she can actually buy me stuff I want for xmas instead of more socks!
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 19:57
ye, I have same deal with my parents :D This year, I am getting TV table(stand) :) I dont have TV yet, but I am planning on getting one within a year (together with some decent htpc for absolute audio/video pleasure).
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potty 5 Dec 2011, 20:01
Nice, Recently invested in a new TV (52" HD something made by samsung) just to compliment the 50" tv I have in my room :D

My new project for the new year is to build a warm insulated garage and have my own cinema room (I have the electric pull down screen and the projector as my dad didnt like them!)
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Elly 5 Dec 2011, 17:29
Had my Sennheiser HD515's that I got for £30 brand new (still £55 new) for a year until one of the earpieces snapped off.

After they broke I got the Cresyn CS-HP600's for £25, it's a new brand to me but apparantely the best I would get for my budget by reading reviews/forums and I must say the sound quality is far better than my HD515's, but also they have met the same fate as my HD515's (one of the ear pieces snapping off from the frame).
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 17:34
Had my HD555s for 2.5 years now and im still enjoying them!
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NoCS 5 Dec 2011, 17:33
PIONEER HDJ 500....100€ TOP
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plekter 5 Dec 2011, 17:44
I have found a simple way to assert quality in headphones. Count the number of "yes"-es you can answer to these questions


1. Are they from a brand that have audio product/headphones as their main line of business?
2. Are they expensive?
3. Are they german?

All three = yes, you're pretty much golden.
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 18:18
had a BRAND NEW pair of sony mdr-v6's that arent available anywhere in holland
they got stolen within one day of having them... (last friday)

FML

> ordered new ones from amazon uk, should ariveany time soon now
> got some beyer dynamic pads to go with them

> still thinking of what amp to get; either a
fiio e11
image: 51ENd4C3W%2BL

or a DIY cMoy BB
image: 11
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RazZaH 5 Dec 2011, 18:19
can i listen to music for like 2-3 hours without hurting my ears ?

i mean are they comfortable?
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dualinity 5 Dec 2011, 18:23
you can always buy other earpads for them if you dont find them comfy enough.
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ironic 5 Dec 2011, 19:04
image: limited-edition-headphones
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 23:03
.........
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ironic 5 Dec 2011, 23:45
image: problem-officer
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ScarZy 5 Dec 2011, 23:49
Huge problem, you've chosen a fashion fad over audio quality!
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ironic 5 Dec 2011, 23:53
Guess its more of a problem to you then to me :x I know I could've got better quality for that price. Even better for less the money, but I like the Dre's alot, so
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danL 5 Dec 2011, 19:41
like those headphones, wanted to order, no shipping to croatia

fuck that :/
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zafoga 5 Dec 2011, 20:02
My home setup

image: a0c99aef_IMG_0182
(not my picture but the bifrost and valhalla is like this infront of me)

Audeze LCD2 coming in january

Unique Melody Miracles are about to ship this week

considering to buy a Fostex T50Rp set to mod around like i did with my cheapo CALs

buying in january HM801 with Game Amp or Colorfly C4 not to sure

considering to buy another pair of heir customs with 8 BAs just to test them
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FiLuS 5 Dec 2011, 20:07
Did you take Bifrost just because it matches Valhalla? I believe there are better DACs out there for its price, especially if you bought version with usb.
btw, looks like someone has shitload of money to "waste" :)
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zafoga 5 Dec 2011, 20:17
yes i did , felt in love with the design and was just another "mood buy" , prolly gonna end up selling as the soundsignature doesnt really appeal to me. bass bacame tighter in a awkward way.

its my only hobby after weightlifting so np , good thing is that you can sell alot of the US imported stuff for a high price in germany as ppl dont wanna deal with custom fees and stress etc
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d227_speedy 5 Dec 2011, 20:53
Perfoheissers wtf
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RebeccaBlack 5 Dec 2011, 21:21
Looks good for 28€
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w1Za 5 Dec 2011, 21:32
AKG K271 MK II here, tried them for gaming, but they just sound too linear but with a decent eq for music or just for mixing/rehearsal they are over-the-top imo
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beAsty 5 Dec 2011, 22:31
Senneheiser HD's were always fine and worth the money. Currently having the HD 555 (for a few years already) and I wouldn't buy anything else for that money.

My current project: Building a HTPC into a Sony ES-Series Amplifier so it fits perfectly to my full Sony ES-Series Audio System.
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