Ryan's Headphone Review Thread

Interesting, can't say I've heard anything about a new Denon flagship but I would love to see some proper wood cups on them again (and hopefully properly damped this time...).

I'm thinking my next purchase will be either the PM-2 or possibly the new Sony flagship depending on how it measures.
 
I need to replace my headset as my current one has problems with Windows 8.1 :(.

Using a Plantronics GameCom 780 but there is no driver support for 8.1 (took them long enough just to support 8). I was willing to put up with the problems at first but they have annoyed me enough to make me want to replace them now...

Considering either Kingston HyperX Cloud or SkullCandy Aviator right now after reading your reviews. Which would you recommend from the 2 choices (or something else around the same price range)?

I generally have my headphones on for 5-10 hours per day so comfort is a priority (the 780 hurts the top of my ears after wearing them for a few hours).
I use them for gaming, listening to music and watching films/TV shows. I very rarely need a mic (occasional Skype use) so a clip on mic would be fine.

On board audio (Gigabyte Z87X-OC), no sound card/amp. Pay day next Friday so I won't be ordering until then.


A bonus would be very little sound leaking to disturb my partner when she is watching TV (same room) as she gets annoyed at the amount of noise she can hear from the 780 (almost as clear for her as it is for me, even on low).

Thanks in advance :)
 
The HXC is better for gaming with the velour pads which leak a lot more. The leTher pads seal better and leak very little but are more suited for music. I prefer the Aviators sound overall. It's tone, vocals and overall balance is more pleasing. You can't go wrong with either. The HXC has better accessories so that's something to think about. If you don't min upping your budget to about £95 the AKG K271 is excellent. Really good mids, vocals are really good and a nicely balanced sound.
 
Ryanr1987 said:
The HXC is better for gaming with the velour pads which leak a lot more. The leTher pads seal better and leak very little but are more suited for music. I prefer the Aviators sound overall. It's tone, vocals and overall balance is more pleasing. You can't go wrong with either. The HXC has better accessories so that's something to think about. If you don't min upping your budget to about £95 the AKG K271 is excellent. Really good mids, vocals are really good and a nicely balanced sound.
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Thanks Ryan, I'll have to have a think before pay day and decide whether or not to increase the budget.
 
Ryan or Ninja, Audeze clamping force and comfort, how do you rate it compared to AKGs 700 series?

Could you wear some Audeze for say 8 hours without hating them, I literally put them on my head, played one song and then had to go to a meeting but found them a little stronger force wise but it helped to mask the extra weight.
Was blown away by the sound though, talk about sounding like a 40 grand speaker system from grand headphones :eek:
 
^JP^ said:
Ryan or Ninja, Audeze clamping force and comfort, how do you rate it compared to AKGs 700 series? [...]
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Can't speak for Ryan or Ninja, nor can I compare to the AKGs, but I can say that I've worn the heaviest Audezes [XCs] for extended sessions [6 hours+] while designing/working at my computer, no problem.

You know you've been wearing them once you take them off, if you see what I mean, and it can get a bit warm [maybe I should try the microsuede pads]. But I've found the clamping force to be just right to mask their weight, as you suggest: not so strong as to cause a feeling of pressure, and not so light as to make these heavyweight 'phones move around on your head.
 
Thanks simisker, I didn't mean to cut anyone out of my question just I know they both use them.

6 hours+ no problem sounds good to me :D
 
The clamping for is noticeably stronger. The ear pads are more plush on the Audeze range, and they also do a better job of distributing the clamping force (they have more surface contact area due to their flat shape).

Personally it doesn't bother me all that much, it's probably still has the most clamp out of all my headphones (the HE-560 does come close though) and it's certainly the most heavy.

I have worn mine for extended listening/gaming sessions without issue but ymmv.

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I find them snug. They clamp a lot and are heavy. I found that the weight and clamp wasn't the worst I've felt. I could have them on for about. 4+ Hours without issue weight wise but the leather pads got too much! If it wasn't for the leather they would be my only headphone!(the vegan pads sound grainier) everyone's experience seems to be different, I never really have issues with weight.
 
Hi guys, looking for a little advice. I did make a thread a short while ago asking for some good all-rounders which gave a few headphones to look at but I'm not really too sure what would be best.

As I said I'm looking for a nice set to be used for a mix of gaming (mainly flight simulation, and a little bit of FPS/racing), and music. Probably 60:40 gaming/music. Won't be used for any sort of competitive gaming or watching movies. Tend to listen to chillout/hip-hop/rap mainly but from time to time pretty much anything. So having said that probably after a set with good bass and that will perform well in all the above areas. They'll be connected to my Asus Xonar DX (might upgrade to the Essence STX or look to get a DAC at a later date though).

In terms of budget I'm looking at maximum of around £150 perhaps a tad more and would consider second hand too.

So from what I've read the contenders are:

1. Philips Fidelio X1
2. AKG K612 Pro
3. AKG Q701
4. Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 Ohm
5. SoundMagic HP200 (seen a couple of places where they can be had for on budget)

Any advice welcome!

Thanks :)
 
I have the hp200's and got them for £130 with shipping etc. and absolutely love them, however they are not what I would call basshead cans and they also have very low impedance (20ohms) which tends not to play well with PC sound cards as they tend to be geared more for high impedance phones (I have mine hooked to a headphone amp that I've modified for a gain of 1 just to drop the output impedance of my Soundblaster Z)

in fact, a quick search leads me to believe that your DX card has an output impedance of 100ohms? which isn't a great match for any of the phones you've listed (the highest being the 612's at 120ohms)
so looks like you need to budget for a headphone amp or swap soundcard sooner rather than later
 
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The only phones in the list that will definitely play nicely with the DX are the AKG's because their impedance hardly varies at all (in the audible spectrum) as the frequency changes.

The problem is that the DX is designed for feeding an amplifier, not headphones and while it will produce a half decent sound, with mis-matched headphones the bass will be rather woolly and imprecise.

I think this is possibly why a lot of people find the same about the Fidelio X1's, it's because while playing bass notes, their impedance can vary by as much as 30% and if the amp has a high output impedance that means it can't control the voice coils in the headphone accurately.

Use them with something like an O2 or a Magni and they should be a lot tighter.

The irony is that while the AKG's are by far the least sensitive to damping factor (amp's output impedance / headphone imput impedance) they will almost certainly need an amp anyway because they are so insensitive. :D
 
Thank you chaps. So looks like the DX will have to go, I thought it probably would in all honestly as it's more aimed at home theatre rather than headphones. So that begs the question what shall I replace it with? I'd probably prefer an all in one solution like getting the Essence STX or another sound card with a headphone amp rather than a separate amp. Would the STX be okay or are there any alternatives worth considering?

If I go down that route that presumably it opens up the options on the headphone choice a lot more. What would be a better match then?

Edit, our of interest if you were to pair the DX with a dedicated separate amp how would that compare to STX as a standalone? If It be better I'd certainly consider this.
 
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These will all be fine with the STX

AKG K612 (no bumps)
AKG K702 (no bumps)
AKG Q701 (bumps)
Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm (closed back)
Beyerdynamic DT770 250ohm (closed back)
Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm (open back)
Beyerdynamic DT880 250ohm (semi open back)
Sennheiser HD 600 (open back)
Sennheiser HD 650 (open back)

The Fidelio X1 should be ok as they are not ridiculously sensitive to impedance mismatch but it's still not ideal. Ideal would be if the amp's output impedance was below 4ohms.
The SoundMagic are an unknown, I can't find any data on them
 
The soundmagics are 20ohm, and work best with an output impedance under 2ohms
I did try them with my Z (22ohm) and they sounded really flabby and loose, with a little headphone amp they come to life and sound well above their price (they blow the dt990's out of the water)
 
Thanks for that andy. Just hit the fire button on the Essence STX so no need to worry about the DX now!

From what I've read the STX has an output impedance of 10 Ohms so I suspect that will be a little much for the SoundMagic HP200's. Bit of shame at they look really nice and get reviewed pretty well. My local indy had a set for £150 brand new. Also a friend has offered me a pair of virtually brand new Fidelio X1's for £130 which is tempting me. Not sure which to go for or get of pair of the Q701's (although a tad overbudget).
 
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