Hi people. I need a HEADPHONE recommendation.

I listen to metal, rock and all its sub-genres. I want it to be portable as well. I also don't listen very loudly. Rarely do I reach 50% volume for any music player I use.

My sound preference. I already own a Shure SE215-SPE and an AT ATH-IM50 for IEM. I don't listen analytically when I'm out and about, and for my headphones I would like them to be bass monsters compared to my IEMs. So I got many choices open for me. I'm even tempted to buy things I won't normally look at. So I have a few in my mind but I would like your opinion and any other suggestions.

- V-Moda Crossfade LP (if possible LP2)
- V-Moda M80
- Audio Technica M50

For the M80 I do need to let go of one of my IEMs (the IM50 I think), but it is an over-ear. I prefer around-ear but I've had a Grado SR60i before and it was alright. Also it is portable and sounds comparable to the less portable M50 (or so people say).

Nothing touching the RM800 price please. So basically a lot of bass, but with enough detail to let me listen at moderate volumes. Kinda like a Future Sonics Atrio (which I also used to own) but in headphone form.

AKG K67, Audio Technica M50x, or AiAiAi TMA-1?

Just looking for something fun, with a lot of bass that doesn't kill the other frequencies.
Actually, scrap the AiAiAi because I may find the non-swivel cups annoying, just the M50x and K67.

My music genre varies, but it ranges from Prog rock to metal and a lot of their sub-genres, oh and also some instrumental. These are the music when I'm on the move. For sitting at my desk I have a Shure SE215-SPE.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Mar 15 2014, 11:49 AM

Yeah, I have been reading through all my options as I was waiting for replies.
Thanks, I'll look into those as well.

Dang.
Oh well, found another headphone to probably fill in the gap....well more like squeezing into. Pro700mk2.
It stretches my budget quite a bit, but I think I can find a way.
So now, new list:
-Audio Technica Pro700 mk2
-Audio Technica M50/x
-Koss Pro DJ100

I like the 2 audio technicas because of their looks and detachable cble. As I understand it the 700 is the far bassier version of M50...which I find quite intriguing.
but honestly, the DJ100 isn't bad looking either. I would certainly be the only one wearing them around my uni that's for sure. How's the bass on the DJ100?

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Mar 15 2014, 04:07 PM

Noted. Leaning towards the M50x now.

I have a bass reference to go by, but in IEM form; Future Sonics Atrio. If they have as much bass or even more than that, but without too much loss in everything else, I'm happy. I'm not looking for a headphone for serious monitoring. Anyone have any thoughts on that comparison (M50 vs Atrio)?

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Mar 15 2014, 06:57 PM

Oh, disregard this, I've made up my mind on the M50x. Though I like bass, I just can't sacrifice too much treble for my Metal music collection.
Also, the M50x seems to have bigger earcups despite smaller drivers.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Mar 16 2014, 02:13 PM

I think for you there should be some bass involved. I was gonna recommend a Sony EX50...or 55 or something I forgot, and an XB30, but they have average isolation despite sounding rather good.

There's the Hippo Pearl. But I can't remember quite well how they sound like. It was brief and a few years ago. They do have a good bass amount and no sibilance though, that I do remember. Not really at bass head level but a decent amount, almost sounding like that EX55, or 50 Sony.

There's Jaben at Subang Jaya.
Also according to Audio Technica's website there are two shops at KL; Panphil Sdn. Bhd., and Tecxel Global Resources Sdn. Bhd.

Since you're using it mostly for music and movies, a Superlux would be a wiser choice. A gaming headset's sole purpose is accurate sound placement, and multiplayer experience (talk garbage using the mic ). That 7.1 virtual surround can sound pretty cool. Works great in games especially FPS, but if you listen to music and movies the mid-range (where vocals are) may sound thin and distant. I don't know how these USB powered 7.1 things work, or if you can switch between pure stereo and 7.1, but you will most likely be stuck with a sound that's only good at certain genres. They also lack treble, because you can't have a sound that's fatiguing for hours of gaming.

A Superlux is a music headphone. They can have good stereo imaging, present greater detail, very good for both music and movies. But for gaming you will find that sometimes sounds coming from odd angles aren't presented properly. Enemies coming from the rear may sound exactly the same as enemies coming from the front that are slightly far away. Enemies from top, right may sound like they're coming from the right but distant. Pretty much unsuitable for gaming really, but not a deal breaker. You can still use them, and they're perfectly fine for other games that don't require such precision sound positioning.

A balanced armature driver generally needs more than one driver per earpiece to get any sort of bass that you can feel, and they are very very expensive. The cheapest single driver armature I had was a SoundMagic PL50. Not a lot of bass that you can feel, but the bass is tight and audible, and that was already RM200. Something like Shure's SE425 has good bass impact, costs almost RM1k.

Spend a bit more and get a Sony XB-30. Your music genre is pretty basic so they should suffice. Slightly cheaper would be EX50. Not as much bass but certainly got impact. A rather old IEM is a Hippo Booml. Pretty decent and certainly for bass heads but I'm not sure if it's still available. Ask Jaben, the official distributor.

Up the ante a bit and get something like a Sennheiser CX300.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jun 29 2014, 02:34 AM

You may be able to come close using a downloadable PC software. Razer has one downloadable, and it is over by 30th June! You can download it and try, and maybe donate a bit for charity. Or else, pay USD20 when the deadline is over. Just Google Razer 7.1 emulator, or Razer Surround. Only works for PC though.

I don't know of any external device that can emulate such a thing, or even for devices other than than PC.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jun 29 2014, 05:24 AM

I didn't say they were unsuitable, I said they were not optimal. Taking into consideration the headset of choice and budget:

1. Would you want the hassle of having a separate mic (if they're not uni-directional can easily pickup other people's conversation in a noisy LAN tournament)?
2. If you already have a soundcard that's capable of accurately emulating 5 or 7 channels you're good to go with any decent headphone, but what if you don't?
3. An AD700 has great soundstage and accuracy, no doubt. But at over twice the price and no gamer convenience?

The drivers and ear cup themselves weren't made to do the job, that's why they have built-in emulators. Why bother with complex software algorithms to simulate 7 speakers if sound placement wasn't what gamers want? They were made to make gaming easier, just like a gaming mouse that has those shortcut buttons. They were made with the sole purpose of gaming. Just like why walkie-talkies sound horrible and make women almost sound like men. But they are free to operate, work for decently long ranges, and you can relay information very fast. When you talk about gaming headsets sound quality with music is never in mind. Almost always when a gamer uses them, a game would be loading on the screen. In this case, no matter how good an audiophile headphone is, they're no match for a headset when it comes to games. Leave "conventional" headphones for real music listeners, and real gamers with gaming headsets.

I have, and would still advise that he pick up a decent headphone. He doesn't use it for gaming much and they cost less while performing just as well (or better) with music and movies.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jun 30 2014, 04:14 AM

We both gave the same recommendation forget the headset, go with a conventional one.
But, you seem to add that gaming headsets have no place in the world and if they had souls they'd burn in hell.
You have a really negative sentiment against them.

These guys, presumably unlike tolaktakjatuh spends 5,6 hours, even more a day with games. Maybe an hour or 2 a week with music. Many gamers don't care for sound quality that much, as long as guns sound like guns and people sound like people. They would opt for the convenience of having everything in one unit, instead of having to buy a separate mic and then maybe a mic/headphone splitter if they have a laptop that has only one port, just so that in the RARE occasion that they do listen to music they'd get the best possible sound quality. They pay for that convenience, just like why anyone would pay for a BT headphone when a wired one would have much more potential with sound quality. I am in no way a gaming headset fan, I'm purely a music guy, but I do understand why someone would go with a headset if he's serious about it. They do have their place, that's all I am saying. If they are even only slightly critical with sound quality, I would think they themselves would opt for a conventional headphone without anyone telling them to do so.

Let us get things straight. For his case, a gaming headset will be quite pointless as they are not very enjoyable with movies.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jun 30 2014, 06:14 AM

The 668b is said to be tuned towards the neutral side. Some may find that it is balanced, others may find that it is bright. It's bass extends quite low and presented with detail and speed, I can't recall the impact (demo unit I listened quite a while ago) it had but bass isn't its forte. I would describe it as having a slight V-shape frequency, as the mids does sound recessed, with elevated treble and bass. These have a great ability to present details.

The 681 Evo has a more bass heavy presentation, and very warm sounding. Good sound stage, enough treble to keep anyone satisfied but never gets too "hot". Not as detailed but has a more "street" friendly sound, meaning no one would be offended by its sound, unlike the 668B which some may find overly bright. This isolates better too.

My recommendation would be the 681 Evo. For movies they're quite awesome, and I think they'd look better with the PS4.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jul 1 2014, 12:35 AM

"Although the name is a gaming headset".
Of course they're not going to sound as good with music, because they are gaming headsets. You're more critical with music than games so you need a proper headphone, what you need is a big closed-back headphone.
For some reason the JVC rectangular headphone thing pops up in my head. IINM they're priced like RM500 and are quite big, closed back, and isolates very well. But they look like toasters on your head. As heavy as one too. Superlux has a few nice big closed backs (like an HD660). I have an HD681 Evo and although they are semi-open, unless you listen VERY loudly they won't leak sound out.

Like what H3LLKEEPER said, some enjoy monitors for music listening, some don't.

Monitors are what the name implies; they are used to check for quality over a production, to "monitor" the music. Preferably when monitoring a music piece you want the headphone to be as neutral as possible. Some enjoy this type of headphone because a lot of the time you'd hear the details in the frequency range that are often clouded by "conventional" tuning, like background hisses, quiet triangle instrument in a busy orchestra piece, the breath noises of a singer, etc. They can be quite exciting to listen to and you'd probably listen to your entire library again with them.

However, some people do find that often they are light on bass, bright and "hot" in the treble region, too flat and unexciting. Not all of them are like that, some do have a respectable amount of bass and can even have recessed treble, like a Sennheiser HD650. Depends on the musical taste of the producer. They tend to be rather expensive and properly big. For those who have never experienced a monitor sound, care must be taken in purchasing one without an audition. There are polite sounding headphones that sort of come close to monitor sounding, like the Fischer Audio FA-004 (these are cheap, but small BTW so I wouldn't recommend them for you).

Also there are DJ monitors, and are different than studio monitors. DJ monitors tend to have full-bodied bass and high level of isolation, and have swivelled ear cups, suitable in noisy clubs and one-handed operation. A few famous examples would be Audio Technica M50, and Shure SRH750.

Try them out, maybe a monitor sound is fresh for you and you'd like 'em.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jul 1 2014, 10:48 PM

There are monitors that costs very little, and Superlux does offer them.
As for a recommendation....the HD660 is the only thing that comes close with your requirements (big and closed back). Spend extra on Beyerdynamic replacement pads. All in all budget should be under RM350. They have quite a lot of bass too if you're into that. I don't remember much else.

I also noticed one person recommending the M40x for another person. That is actually a very good headphone, but may be too small for you if your ears are a big as what you say they are.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Jul 1 2014, 11:14 PM