This thread serves as a Q&A section for all new/existing audiophiles seeking advice on their next headphone purchase!

The rules are simple, no flaming/bashing and try not to spam (posting irrelevant post).
You may ask us any headphone/earphone related question, and we will gladly assist you. Don't be shy!

When asking, please remember to STATE YOUR BUDGET. Better if you give exact numbers... "not so expensive la" is not considered a budget

Other info such as the following will also be helpful to get faster and more accurate responses:
- Your rig (mp3 players, amps, sound card etc)
- What type of usage (movies/ gaming/ music etc)
- File format used in your source (i.e. flac, mp3 etc)
- Genre of music you listen to (classical, jazz, metal, etc)
- Headphone/ earphone type (closed, open, circumaural, IEM etc)
- Other requirements (if any) (mic, volume control, 5.1ch, 7.1ch etc)

Some model to consider, RRP might be different:

thanks to bro Vape On

This post has been edited by Ask_Yip: Jan 2 2016, 04:21 PM

Some audio terms used in this thread and their meaning:

Circumaural headphones:
Sometimes called full size headphones, these are made in a circular fashion that surround the ear completely.

Closed back:
Closed back (or sealed) headphones are designed to reduce the effect of external noise on your listening and also to keep the noise made by the headphone drivers from leaking out and disturbing people around you.

Ear Bud:
Ear bud headphones are small in size and are placed directly outside the ear canal.

In Ear Monitors (IEM):
In Ear Monitors (IEM) also known as Ear Canal Headphones (ECH's). These earphones are placed into the ear canal and effectively seal your ear with their small rubberised ear-tip sleeve (can also come with various tips). They are small, lightweight and very portable.

Noise cancelling headphones:
Noise cancelling headphones reduce the perceived noise from outside with the clever use of small microphones located inside the earpiece and active electronics within the headset. The basic principle is that the noise signal for the outside world is inverted and then summed with the signal from the audio source. The result is that the ambient noise from outside is effectively cancelled out, which lets you enjoy your music.

Open back headphones:
Open back headphones (sometimes referred to as vented) are designed to allow sound out through the back of the earcup. This design gives a character to the sound that is often described as having an open soundstage, or natural. One reason for this is that there are less reflections than a closed back (or sealed) design.

Supra aural:
Supra aural headphones have pads that sit on top of the ears, rather than around them.

NOISE CANCELLATION DOES NOT EQUAL TO NOISE ISOLATION, get the facts straight:
Noise cancellation works by cancelling out constant noise from outside surroundings, like machine sound or motor sound, or jet plane turbine sound, you will still hear people talking, baby crying, car passing by, people beside you blasting music while break dancing, a couple quarreling etc. Noise isolation is for silence from surrounding sound regardless what it is.

Noise cancellation is a premium priced technology, and the reason behind it is it uses to external mic for left and right to obtain the constant noise, and the headphone produces a counter noise wave to cancel out the noise, so you don't hear machine sounds. BOSE claimed to be the first to create NC headphones, so they might get patent fee from it, who knows.. Expect something around RM1k for a NC headphone.

first to reporting in!

Track topic done.

This post has been edited by chabuchabu: Sep 10 2014, 11:52 AM

Topic Pinned. Have fun

Thanks mod

Generally, which is better?
cheap Philips[rm58.90] or cheap Pioneer[rm85.90] headset?
Didn't get a good look on the model number.
Ask_Yip

This post has been edited by ErgoProxi: Sep 10 2014, 01:26 PM

Hard to say, but brand wise I will vote for Philips.

I tried most of the Pioneer brand headphones in SenQ, all not to my taste, too bassy and sounds very dry.

I tot pioneer is generally better?
how's Philips?

This post has been edited by ErgoProxi: Sep 10 2014, 01:33 PM

isn't pioneer is like more famous and overrated while philips are some sort of underdog ?

Philips produce more balanced sounds and can listen to all genre of music.

But...

Senheiser FTW

where to find[commonly found]?
got any 'round rm50[since 'm keep misplaced/lost 'em?]

Some Philips model are worth looking at, I personally like the M1 and L1 but too bad they are overpriced.

Top-up a bit and get a Koss KSC 75, but is a clip-on.

Or..

Xiaomi Piston.

how 'bout lower price but gooding quality ones?
did mention I keep misplace/lose 'em.

This post has been edited by ErgoProxi: Sep 10 2014, 02:21 PM

then go for xiaomi piston , it is just about Rm50

That ain't headset/phone.
go other alternative?

This post has been edited by ErgoProxi: Sep 10 2014, 02:40 PM

Huawei Honor IEM, KZ ED, all under $20

Plenty of budget options







New thread!!

*ahem*

Philips Fidelio X2. That is all

Need sifu for some recommendations:

- My rig - smart phones, laptop, PC.
- What type of usage - music, videos, more focus on musics (instruments, vocals, NOT hardrock, NO Techno, but don't mind decent bass).
- My file sources - Youtubes, Flacs, MP3. Better cater for lossless eg. monkey files too.
- Genre of music you listen to - instruments, vocals as above. But I still love bass when bass is due.
- Type: Headphone

Budget : around RM300.. unless there is good reason to increase the limit ? I am all ears..

Thanks for help.

This post has been edited by peter32: Sep 10 2014, 05:02 PM

what about AD700x ?

No

with RM 50 you can just go for reputable brand like Sony/Philips/JVC if you can find one

Grado SR60i

but semi open sound leak so you might disturb others if you using it in public

Looking for a closed back headphone for music and gaming, my budget is around rm100, any recommendation? Thx

Thanks. Will look into it.

I think the cost is around RM700 right ? Anything good at around RM300+/- ?

Beyerdynamic DTX501p, direct and clean sounding with very decent bass. Though small but quite comfortable for wearing.
Creative Aurvana live, slightly warm and sweet, soft and musical.

If you are looking for gaming headset, can consider Sades SA902

Thanks! Will research more on these.

I saw Sony is selling MDR-1Rmk2 for RM649. Just wondering are these worth it even at this "low" price? I'm comparing to the like of HD558 and AT M50, and I know I might be wrong to compare with monitoring cans.

Before this I'm eyeing on the Kingston HyperX Cloud, basically a Takstar 80 with a mic. However it's very much overpriced here in Malaysia. At ~RM400, I think I can get a much better cans.

- Your rig: Asus Xonar U7, AE Aego M
- What usage: FPS Gaming + Music
- File format: lossless, 320k mp3.
- Genre of music: pop song (taiwan, english)
- type: over hear close or open.
- Other requirements: bonus mic, I don't mind if it sound great and do without one.

EDIT on 13/9: A few people asked me where did I get the MDR-1R for RM649, good news is that Sony Malaysia is running promotion now, so you can just pick them up at Sony stores in the country. The price is also shown in their online store.

This post has been edited by edmund_yung: Sep 13 2014, 08:47 PM

Do checkout the SoundMAGIC HP150 as well

The price is OK for 1R mk2, I think they just want to clear it and give way to their new flagship. And it is more portable than M50 and HD558, and have better look imo.

Any recommendations based on below info...

- Rig : Laptop, smartphone and mp3 player (Sandisk Sansa Clip)
- Usage : Music (for office)
- File format : Mostly mp3
- Genre of music : mixture of classical, rock, alternative, pop, instrumental, electronic
- Type : Headphone
- Budget : RM200

What model are they releasing soon?

The MDR-Z7. But it's a Semi-open vented HP, don't think it would perform well as a portable

Then I think I'm picking up the MDR-1Rmk2. That Z7 is a USD800 part!

I heard the HP200 look like quite a value buy! And I'm guessing the HP150 is as good as HD558 and stuff?

This post has been edited by edmund_yung: Sep 11 2014, 09:47 PM

AKG K44

How about V-Moda M100?

A little too big for my liking...

rig - smartphone, laptop, ipod
usage - music
File format - mp3
Genre of music - edm, classical, instrumental, pop
Headphone - closed back
Budget - below RM250
Other requirements - is it possible to find a closed back headphone which is not that big? 'cause im a girl and would prefer a smaller one

Thanks for helping!

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurv...s/dp/B000ZJZ7OA

http://www.noontecusa.com/product/noontec-...ereo-headphones

If you prefer more details on upper mids and treble, more musical, can go for Creative Aurvana live. It's already stopped production but you still can buy the remaining stock for now.
If you need a more bassy headphone with better punch for EDM and rock, can consider JVC HA-S500.

The SoundMAGIC P30

Thanks for recommending! can I know whether any of these two headphones available at local stores in Malaysia?

Thanks for recommending! :)do you mind telling me where can i get the JVC S500 in malaysia local stores? searched Jaben's online store and couldnt find the model

Thanks! can I know where can I get this headphone at local stores other than getting it from online stores?

If I'm not mistaken those need to bring in from jp, but I bought mine from one of the forum guy in garage sale.

Audio Technica

I don't know why but I saw most of the girls are using Audio Technica here in Singapore

This post has been edited by Ask_Yip: Sep 12 2014, 01:47 PM

Your best bet would be looking at the garage sales in lowyat forums. But usually we just buy them online to ship over here

Hi SIFUs, wanting to venture a little bit into the audiophile world but don't know where to start. Can anyone give me suggestions for a decent headphone with infos as below?

Rig - Planning to get a portable music player. Now listening on PC and iPhone. Recommend for a newbie as well with budget no more than RM1k
Usage - Music
File format - FLAC or DAC (Not sure if DAC is the higher format for FLAC)
Genre of music - Jazz, Pop, Vocal

Headphone - Please recommend
Budget - Around the price of a Beats Studio v2. RM1200-ish? Beats are overpriced IMO so...
Other requirements - Over ear with sound isolation. Bass with crisp vocal capability. Best if there is something that acts as a mute button like the Beats Studio v2 has.

Sony MDR-1R for half the price. I think someone mentioned a sale going on for about 650+. It's meant for portableuse, very comfortable and is a very fun pair of headphones

Where can I get best closed back headphones?
Purposes mostly for watching tv series, movies and music sometimes.

Budget : Below RM300

I found Jaben is way overprice and too expensive.

liquidgal E1-AKG and a couple more at garage sale -> music player and audio accesories

This post has been edited by noobandroid: Sep 12 2014, 11:05 PM

- rig - smart phones, laptop, PC.
- usage - music, videos
- sources - some youtube, flac , mp3, mp4.
- genre of music - country, pop, pop rock and sometimes i do listen some instrumental music too
- type: Headphone
- budget: below RM600

This post has been edited by llthim: Sep 13 2014, 01:12 AM

- Your rig : iphone and laptop
- What type of usage: music,movie
- File format used in your source: youtube .......
- Genre of music you listen to : dubstep, pop, classic, vocal,jazz
- Headphone/ earphone type: closed =)
- Budget!!!: below 400

looking forward your recommendation =D thank you

This post has been edited by mrmario: Sep 13 2014, 02:06 AM

SoundMAGIC HP150

Audio-Technica ATH-M40X

Ok. Thanks for your recommendation
beside this, do you have any other recommendation?

this seems to be over my budget

a guy up there say he saw sony selling at 650 discounted price, pm him for location.

Thanks for your info
Currently I'm looking at the Audio Technica ATH-M50x too but no sure would it be cheaper or not if I'm getting it in Singapore.

This post has been edited by llthim: Sep 13 2014, 12:01 PM

guys can recommend me few earphones. Budget less than 100-200 range. Something i can easily purhcase in lowyat. Audio technica or any brand


iphone 5, PC with 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)
- movies gaming, music
- mp3,mp4, mkv
- Any
- earphone IEM
- doesnt matter, if got mic also ok.

The multi-award winning SoundMAGIC E10

wow looks nice.. can buy in which shop in lowyat?

Currently using my samsung iem that came with the galaxy s4

looking for an affordable (but better) replacement
mostly for music. sometimes youtube

budget: ~100
device: galaxy s4 as of now/ laptop when travel
songs: r&b / pop / hip hop (versatile is better)

eye-ing on the xiaomi piston 2

This post has been edited by reverze: Sep 13 2014, 09:04 PM

while the Pistons may sound really good for the price, the isolation is really poor. which means you will need to bring the volume much higher to overcome environmental noise = ear damage

Can check out JVC HA-S500 and Creative Aurvana live. JVC with more bass, CAL with more details on upper mid and treble.

If you prefer cleaner sound that emphasise on details. for below RM100, can consider Superlux HD381 series. Slightly over RM100, can consider Vsonic VSD1.

-

This post has been edited by liquidgal: Sep 14 2014, 01:48 AM

Hi, i looking for best all purpose headphone without using amp for good sound, currently eying audio technica m40x, m50x and es700
since my first earphone was audio technica ckm 300is

My rig - smart phones, laptop, pc, ps3, ps4
- What type of usage - video, music, and gaming
- My file sources - Youtubes, MP3, mp4, mkv
- Genre of music you listen to - any
- Type: Headphone

Budget : Rm 500-700

Thanks for help.

How abt for music? not often play games.

rig - desktop gaming
usage - Youtube music, Mp3, Gaming + talking on Teamspeak
File format - mp3
Genre of music - Metal
Headphone - closed
Budget - max RM 500
Other requirements - What brand is good for the requirement which i stated above? Sennheiser? Audio Technica?

You should be able to get ATH M50 for your budget.
Or you might like ATH Pro500Mk2 as well

If you don't mind semi open, can consider Superlux HD681 Evo. Slightly warmer and with more bass than other Superlux family. If bass is not an issue, can consider HD661 and HD669 for close back.

If you prefer softer, musical and comfortable sounding, Edifier H850 is a quite decent choice.

It's really depends on your preference and personal taste on sound. For the price range, can consider ATH M50X, ES700, Sennheiser HD598, AKG K550.
ATH M50X has a stronger and tighten bass compare to the rest. It is easy to drive. The sound stage is larger than M40x and more open, mids is fuller and more solid.
ES700 and K550 are headphones with lesser bass.
HD598 is rich and thick sound, the bass quantity is still a lot but more loose and flexible.

Can consider M50x, custom one pro, HD598.
ATH M50X has a stronger and tighten bass and easier to drive. COP though has low impedance and higher potential than M50X, but without proper amp it won't sound good.
HD598 is rich and thick sound, the bass quantity is still a lot but more loose and flexible.

I will definitely check them out thanks

Thx for the recommendation, i will check them out first

guys, i went to the sony store.. tried the md1r mk2

and i was blown away by the comfort and sound. my superlux were shit compared to it.

damn i need an upgrade lah. anything that i can buy below 400??

Depends on what kind of music you listen to.
Normally ATH M40X would be good with most genres.
Or you can even go with Shure SRH440 (many more good heapdhones for this budget)
If you're into rock music. And you're okay with an open headphone. alessandro ms1i and grado sr80i are good choices.
It all depends on what type of music you listen to

i usually listen to the top 40. hows the earpads on the m50/m40x

the sony's i tested were AMAZING.. like marshmallows on my ears.

never tried out m50 but should be similar to m40x which are really comfortable. probably not the sony mdr1mk2 because the shape also plays a huge part in comfort.
but m40x is one of the best you can get for under 400rm

Don't pick m40x for gaming.

Yup. These are definitely not for gaming. Movies might not also sound good.

Hi..can u guys help me

Rig - xperia, laptop, ipad
Type of usage - movie, music, video
File source - mp3, mkv, mp4
Genre of music - all but mostly pop rock
Type - headphone
Budget - max rm150

Thanks

Which one is better? edifier h850, sennheiser hd201 or sony mdr-zx310

Sennheiser CX 300-II vs Audio-Technica ATH-IM50, final heaven 2 which better ?

This post has been edited by moron88: Sep 16 2014, 07:06 PM

Didn't quite like the CX 300-II - Sounded fairly bloated and muddy.
Unfortunately did not audition the ATH-IM50 yet; I like the Final Audio Design Heaven 2 though, directly driven out from my iPod Shuffle it presents mids in a very sweet maner.

Also, you might want to consider the form factor preference - I like the conventional wire "straight down" design of the Heaven 2. "Over the ears" IEMs take me too long to wear with lots of fumbling.
However having the wire looping over the ears might help in reducing microphonics.


Perhaps you might want to spend some time and audition the ATH-IM50 over at E1 - AKG.
The Heaven 2 you should be able to audition at any Jaben branches.

i tested the Heaven 2 at jaben branch in penang. it was awesome. really liked it. haven test ATH-IM50. will be going E1 this saturday to test it out. Hopefully they don't disappoint me

Just came across this sales thread then thought of your post: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3340177
If possible you might want to save up, since you know you already like the MD1R MK2.



Have fun, and don't forget to report back on your impressions of the ATH-IM50 here after testing: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3115641

hi there.. i used to own an hd201. it was "okay", but was kind of flimsy.

there was this one time i broke my toe and accidentally sat on it.

it broke into 2 pieces.


and the sony is an on the ear headphones so i dont know about that...



the hd201 cables are quite long. so you cant bring them outside

hi guys, im stuck between the shure sh440 and ath m40x.. which do u guys think is better suited for me?

im an all rounder listener, i listen stuff from electrohouse to pop
but i listen to very little jazz and classical though. my priority is comfort and also isolation.
prefer not too heavy bass like stupid beats. just enough oomph in them is ok

m50 is rm 360

isnt that model discontinued?

Both are really good headphones. But for comfort and isolation, M40x is much better than srh440.
But you might not like the sound of M40x, cause you don't get much of the bass you'd want for electro/house or pop.
But if you're someone who doesn't like much bass. It should be fine.

I don't remember how hd201 sounds, and never tried h850 before. But I do own a ZX300 (sounds the same as ZX310).
I can't make a choice out of those 3 but I would highly recommend you check out audio technica ath-s100 / s100is
You can get these for under 100rm online. And for this price this is amazing.
Compared to my zx300, the ath-s100is, it sounds so much better and gives much better isolation. comfort wise it's quite the same.

This post has been edited by raeimad: Sep 18 2014, 03:54 AM

Can consider Superlux HD681 Evo. It's slightly warm and with more bass compare to other Superlux Series. Very comfortable for wearing as well and comes with velour pad.

Actually for lower range headphones, I do suggest to go for other brand instead of big brands for higher C/P ratio.
Not many audiophile in Malaysia actually know about Edifier H850. I bought it from China as it was rated highly from a famous China audiophile review website Soomal .
Once tested, I was really surprise by the performance. Never expect such a smooth and musical sounding headphone at this price range. For pop, classical, jazz and so on it's really good.
My sister is using it for her vocal teaching class now.

If you prefer something with more bass and warmer sounding, can consider Superlux HD681 Evo. Superlux is always the brand that I recommend to composers and musicians for entry level sound monitoring headphones. It excels especially on details. Hardly find other headphones at this price range that can outperform it in terms of separation, positioning and details. But it may sound a little bright and sharp on treble depending on your set up. 681 evo is the headphone with the darkest treble among Superlux. Details slightly muddy compare to the same range Superlux brothers.

Actually I believe it depends on your set up. I have tested M40X and M50X on Aune T1 MK2, both gives me equally punchy and tight bass. Their difference are more on sound stage, and details especially on mids. Vocal on M40X is a little backward and not as solid as M50X. But the difference in price is quite a lot so I think M40x is really a good pair to invest especially when you do not have decent dac and amp. The performance will be even closer.
To me, the bass is definitely sufficient and perform quite well for EDM and rock. The X version has much more bass boost compare to the previous M40 and M50, which make me love them more.
Shure headphones usually has very beautiful treble, focus more on mids and treble. M40x has more bass than SRH440.

This post has been edited by liquidgal: Sep 18 2014, 01:01 PM