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Best (surround sound) Headphone under $300, preferably without an amp.
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Senior Member
28 product reviews
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6. February 2011 @ 17:59 |
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I'm looking for one that will give me that "surround sound experience" that I can simply plug into my blu-ray player, Xbox 360, and sometimes mp3 player (rock music, soundtracks). If I really do need an amp, I don't want to be spending more than $80 - $100. I have a pioneer elite AMP in the family room, but my laptop, blu-ray player, and xbox are hooked upstairs, so I want to take that surround sound expereince with me without installing another 5.1 speaker setup.
I heard that the Dolby Headphones are a gimmick compared to Ultrasones and Sennheisers. I'm interested in maybe the Ultrasone Pro 750 or the Ultrasone HFI-780. I was looking at Sennheiser HD series, but I prefer one that blocks out all outside noise, so I won't have to turn up the volume too much. Also I don't want a headset that has a lot of base, if any just a little bit of base. I was looking online at B&H and they will ship the Ultrasone Pro 750 to Canada for $325.
Also I'm not very experienced in this, the only headphones I've owned are a sport headphone and a cheap $80 noise-cancelling Panasonic headphones, but do open back headphones generally offer better sound quality than closed? I won't be using this in noisy places anyways, but I don't want to damage my hearing by turning up the volume with open back headphones. Thanks.
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AfterDawn Addict
1 product review
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1. March 2011 @ 18:26 |
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"The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
Ferengi 82nd rule of aqusition
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Senior Member
28 product reviews
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5. March 2011 @ 22:26 |
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Thanks for the reply, I actually picked up the Senns HD 558's today.
I was looking hard for some Ultrasones HFI-780?s and PRO 750 but couldn?t find any stores in Canada. I did find one that carried the DJ model. I liked the sound isolation, but they were a little too tight for me and had way too much base.
I?ll give a short review in case someone is in the same predicament as me.
I tested out the Senns HD 558 and 598. They are very similar, however the 598 seems slightly to have more of a punch/base to it and a very slightly more soundstage, while the 558?a are a bit calmer with less base (exactly what I was looking for). Mostly because of the price I had gone with the 558, however I still didn't feel like there was a huge difference between the 558 and the 598 if at any, the 558s are a very good headphone, even un-amped, these headphones are so easy to power. I'll be getting an headphone amp soon, so it should sound even better, but even then they are still great.
The 598 did feel a bit more comfortable, felt silkier which was very nice, but the 558 are still very comfortable, almost the same as the 598's, and they also seemed slightly more solid/sturdy than the 598's as well. I'm wondering if I?ll be able to buy the pads for the 598's and switch it with the 558's, the colours won't go together but I don't care, since these will only be used for home.
These are open headphones, so yes, you can definitely hear people talking, not as bad as I thought they would be (coming from someone who?s mostly used closed cans), but it didn't feel as if I wasn't wearing any headphones, there was some slight ambient noise blocking, however I would only use these in a quiet place, I'm only going to be wearing these at home anyways to watch movies/games at night so it should be perfectly fine.
I also tested out the Senns HD 800, supposedly the world?s best headphones, there wasn't a dramatic difference in terms of comfort, but it did fell a lot more airy, lighter. To be honest, these headphones weren't really amazing as everyone says they are. IMO the 598s were just as good as a headphone, The 800 seemed to have a lot of that in your face sound, but that's just me, however they sound VERY crisp and clear, soundstage wasn?t as big as people say they were though. These headphones are hard to power up, and it was only hooked up to a small external desktop amp. Really good headphones, but definitely not worth the huge price tag at all.
I'm very happy with the 558's. Only problem is I'm still trying to find a very good Dolby headphone amp without a huge price tag. I'm not too sure about the Astro Mixamp with movies, and I?ve heard of slight noise when turning up the volume. Does anyone know if there will be any new portable (home) amps coming out soon, that have Dolby headphone? Thanks again.
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AfterDawn Addict
1 product review
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10. March 2011 @ 01:10 |
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"The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
Ferengi 82nd rule of aqusition
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