This thread serves as a Q&A section for all new/existing audiophiles seeking advice on their new headphone purchase. The rules are simple, no flaming/bashing and try to not to spam (posting irrelevant post).

You may ask us any headphones/earphones related questions, and all of us in headphilers in this forum will gladly assist you. Don't be shy!

When asking, please remember to STATE YOUR BUDGET. Give EXACT NUMBERS... "not so expensive la" is not a considered a budget

Other infos like the following will also be helpful to get faster and more accurate responses.
- what you currently have (mp3 players, amps, soundcard etc)
- what type of usage (movies/ gaming/ music etc)
- source (i.e. flac, mp3 etc)
- type of music listen to (classical, jazz, metal, etc)
- personal requirements like type (closed, open, cirumaural, IEM etc).




Best of luck on your headphones/earphones purchase.





Previous threads for reference....
Recommendation Thread V1

Recommendation Thread V2

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 23 2008, 08:35 PM

haha 1st to report!

yeah i noe..but wanna try other IEM too,expanding my wise knowledge bout audiophile..since my budget very tight,had to choose mid range IEM..sumone ofer me their UM2 aso..hehe

This post has been edited by BigSaver: Dec 23 2008, 09:27 PM

Um2 is good.. Aside from the slightly harsh highs using olives i don't find any other flaw for it..

The closest thing to er4p will be triple.fi and W3 but W3 has sibilance and rolled off high. Both has better low freq response and soundstage compared to ety.

walabies sell both W3 and TF10P.

hii all sifus here, iam new here,

i wanna ask if budget rm100 can recommend me any IEM or easy portable headphone (like those headphone can easily keep inside messeger sling bag)???

prefer new set.

i am using samsung T10 as my player playing all kinds of music in daily usage. (actually i too noob dunno to differentiate the types of music )

and also i saw people selling FiiO E3 Headphone Amplifier in Bulk section there, is it will improve sq if i use it together with recommended phone??

thanks

Get ep630 if budget less than rm100. Or bulk up to rm170+ for mylar bijou. if you dont need isolation, ksc75 and px100 is good too.

err..but the price??killing me..yeah,heard lot of critic on new w3..now targeting um2


get ep630 at bulk..RM55 onli..

currently i'm also using Samsung T10 and using EP-630...hahaha....quite nice...but anyone can show me the eq for deep bass??? thanks alot

I wouldn't say that W3 has rolled off high, UM2 then has little rolled off highs, recessed and so is the SE530, having way too rolled off high.

ok guyz...juz an advice...if you havent even hear the sound of UM2 and W3 plz do not post as if you had heard the sound before...the preferences of sound for each person tends to be different...so if you wanna judge them both...i can let you audition them if im free...but lately alot of arseholes are posting crap remarks bout W3 when they havent even heard it before...juz becoz some users posted up negative reviews and the whole internet world juz eat their words and start spreading them as if they heard of it before...btw...my um2 is up for grabs too

Any recommendation for metal sounds iem?? similar to MS1??

IEM
Creative EP-630 RM55
if u can stretch ur budget then i would advise u get Mylar Bijou RM170

Headphones
Audio Technica T22 RM69
Koss KSC-75 RM80+
PX100

Fiio E3 is said to amplified noise & bass so far...

hi guys..
i need recommendation...headphone for my zen x-fi..
grado sr60 rm290 or Sennheiser HD 215 rm315..or maybe grado sr80 rm388...
which one is better and more comfortable...
TQ

This post has been edited by vaires: Dec 24 2008, 06:10 PM

any good in-ear headset to intro?for music and movie mostly music
budget between RM100~150

I'm using sony mdr-e32lp.I bought it to replace my old broken sony earphone that came with my walkman..I love the deep bass it produces.I use it mostly for listening to music and movie.Price is RM99.Come with 3 set of silicone earbud.

Hurm.. Just needing your opinions guys,

Recently just gotten myself a portable player, pairing it with my HR2 is indeed wonderful, however, I've decided to take it a step further and I wish to start looking for a pair of budget IEM for isolation usage.


Budget is about RM200, using it for music only, and I seriously dislike warm/bassy sound signature (guess the Bijou is a big no for me, just to give a scale, I find the M30's bass too overwhelming and MS1's bass just nice for my personal taste), had been trying to target for the x3i as I've pretty much brought myself to be fond of its sound signature, but ah heck, I doubt anyone is selling a new set anymore. >_<

Any advises or recommendations would be appreciated.

if the type of music u listen to is the type that requires a soundstage i.e. classical etc, dont bother with grados... almost non-existent sound stage.

plus theyre supra-aural which means they sit ON the ear. not around it....


mebbe u should take a look at the audio technicas from akabane or walabies.

---

Added on December 24, 2008, 6:41 pmX3i no more meh??? and i thought there was a Bijou version of the X3i?

for ur budget the crossroads are pretty hard to beat. so i guess talking to yuheng about ur requirements would be the best bet....

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 24 2008, 06:41 PM

*waves*
Arlow.

Haven't talked to you for like.. Ages.

Hurm.. Last I heard, even the Bijous which supposedly comes with lesser bass themselves are pretty bassy, so I don't wanna risk it. >_<
Gotta stop disturbing walabies though. Perhaps it's time to drop yuheng a message as well.


But yea, the HR2 are actually pretty good, was stupid enough to hook it up toi the BoA earlier. Gah. Made it too warm and muffled for my liking. Until I hook it up to my laptop, I went literally 'wow!'.

i tot bijou got its own bass lvl...thats why they made bijou 1-4?
its better if you contact walabies,yuheng is pretty busy currently...

i have budget for both grado sr60 and sr80...but i don't know what suits me..maybe someone can give me advice..
i use headphone to hear music(like avril songs) from zen x-fi, movies and games from laptop..
and mADmAN...what u mean by soundstage..
they said grado's are not comfortable..rite?
TQ

This post has been edited by vaires: Dec 24 2008, 08:36 PM

from what i've seen, grado sr's aren't build with comfort in mind, if you are wearing it for long hours, unless you go DIY and change the cushions.

First thing of all, many people have comfort issues with the Grados/Alessandros.
They basically come with two stock earpads, SR60/80 comes with bowls where else the MS-1 comes with comfies. (referring to your budget la.)
Bowls are kinda hard, even myself find it uncomfortable, when I find the comfies sufficiently comfortable, however many other people find it to be irritating to the ears.

Secondly, Grado/Alessandro have nearly non-existing soundstage, or I'd rather call it extremely in-your-head narrow soundstage.

Soundstage basically means the wideness of the reproduced field of music playing from your headphones.
For example, in an orchestra setup, we'll have the violins at one corner, the cello at another corner, the percussion at one side, basically an accurate/or wide/or good soundstage is perceived when a much more accurate field of instrument imaging can be done. Hurm...

Ok la. In layman terms, you feel the 'surround' or the '3D' motion of the reproduced music/sound.

I'd rather recommend you to go for Audio Technica ATH-M30 or the Philips SHP8900 at about RM200 budget. Hurm.. of course, feel free to drop walabies or Akabane to see if they have any stocks for something at the sub-RM300 region.

This post has been edited by Enigmatic: Dec 24 2008, 08:52 PM

erm bass is the sound signature that make your heart bump?
erm dont know how to say it hope u understand wad i mean
sry asking noob question newbie here >"< i searched about it but dont really understand wad it mean =.=

Bass is formed by a certain range of lower frequencies in audio. (can't remember the exact frequency range, and I can't log into Headfi >_<)
In other words.. Boom boom thump thump those things are what you guys would call bass.


It's not exactly a sound signature. Sound signature is more like a flavor, the way a certain audio reproducing equipment reproduces audio. For example, each chef's cooking would have different taste, even if it's the same dish, just whether we can notice it or not.


Do correct me if I am wrong though. Rather fresh in this field still.

erm if sound signature is like wad u say y it not come with the song but with headphone lol
so tat mean CrossRoads have high bass?i dont really like bass too make my heart bump...=.=

mm..ok..
Audio technica SJ3 = RM320
Audio technica M40 = RM380
which one is better..

what about Sennheiser or SteelSeries Siberia..

---

Added on December 24, 2008, 10:37 pmSteel Series Siberia NeckBand (White) = RM385
is this hp ok?

This post has been edited by vaires: Dec 24 2008, 10:37 PM

hmm SS neckband can get at RM360 last time i ask
i quite love it too because the design lol cant seem find any neckband with the big ear-cup
but the sound quality is same with normal siberia which can get with RM260 even for the special edition (red)

This post has been edited by KHOdin: Dec 24 2008, 10:42 PM

No ==

need to buy a headphone asap before i spend it on other things ...
my budget is rm300-rm400...
TQ

This post has been edited by vaires: Dec 24 2008, 11:40 PM

soundstage has been explained in earlier posts....

as for ur avril lavigne, then yeah the Grados will suit you.....grados are known to be good for rock/ metal...

in terms of the comfort... alot of people assume its uncomfortable due to the supra aural design. and alot of people do find it uncomfortable. but there are also quite a number of people who find it comfortable for hours of usage... so at the end, this comes down to the user itself.

for ur budget and music, perhaps the Alessandro MS-1 would be better compared to the Grado SR60 and SR80. most people who has the money for the SR80 would end up going for the MS-1.


but if ur worried about the supra-aural thingy, try to make ur way to 1 Utama in Bandar Utama. go to the old wing. theres an audiophile shop there near Jusco, 2nd floor if i remember correctly. go there and check out and audition the Goldring DR150. from all the descriptions ive read in head-fi, the descriptions make them sound as if the DR150 are circumaural versions of Grados. ive heard them briefly at that store and i have to say the description is pretty much accurate. the DR150 is selling about RM450 if im not mistaken.

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 24 2008, 11:43 PM

already order grado sr80 from DAViS..
TQ averyone...especially TS

This post has been edited by vaires: Dec 25 2008, 01:10 AM

hi guys im looking for good in earphone n the bass quality is great...n my budget is below RM100 ...should i get this earphone or get creative ep-630 or sonicgear ear pump RM50??

No doubt the Creative EP-630

just got the Klipsch Custom 1

not fully used to iem yet. the ear feel so vacummed.
wanna ask -
how to reduce those "wire brushing" noise when you move around?
the cables brushing on ur clothes, with each other,
really quite obvious esp when the ear piece is in ur ear

how much the price for creative ep-630?

Hie guys Merry Christmas!

New Thread already soo fast...alright i'v ask Walabies regarding Audio Technica ANC7...it seems he never heard before...so i went to shop to double comfirm the product name found out the price is much higher than AT-ES7...

I would like to know any of Audiophiles try before this product (ANC7) how good is it? Whether the cushion is comfortable in long hours usage (2~3 hours)

I'll post up some pic for easy references.... AT-ES7 VS AT-ANC7


AT-ES7


AT-ANC7

Thanks guys!

RM55 for OEM in Bulk Section

Hi, i'm having a budget around 100-200. I'm open to both iems and headphones..so it doesn't matter, js as long the SQ is GOOD..
Using it with my ipod classic 80gb, mostly mp3 320 kbps songs..i don't know how to get FLAC songs haha..wanna try though..ipods i heard don't need amps, so i din get one..perhaps any good suggestions how to upgrade here? to better earphones...thanks!!!

i got the anc-7 b4 i sold to a fellow forumer here
it is very good closed can and better then bose noise cancelling can imho
very detail, clear and bright and required 1 aaa battery
can be actived passively and very easy to drive even it is 250 ohm
by my cowon d2 and ipod and aigo player similar to meizu ( fyi 3 major players i have)
well u can ask neo lam here for opinion
he got it from me btw

@sep90,

Thanks for the information. So, will this ANC7 sq is much better than ES7? i tested Boss Around Ear jsut now the SQ not too bad though....

Btw what u think if the both products mentioned above? AT-ES7 and AT-ANC7?

Thanks

ES stands for Ear Suit which hints at something hip/cool/trendy, so its targeted at portability, while NC is Noise Cancellation which offer total(?) isolation so you can enjoy your music even when someone is screaming on top of their lungs beside you. And i believe ANC7>ES7? Correct me if i'm wrong. No personal experiences on both cans. But in the end, its up you to decide which one suit your needs.

Ic thanks....

coz they do not have display sets at the shop. Is all conceled in the box

I wonder y so many ppl saying Bose is not good? hmm but the Bose Around ear can selling such a high price.....

bose=buy other sound equipment
but seriously bose is not meant for serious audiophile
cos there r something much better out there .....
heard bose b4? i heard all of them and all disappoint me.....and doesnt worth the price i paying it for ...

QFT...i tried some bose products...blek...not to my taste...but if you think its good enough then go for it

How bout PIONEER's SE-MJ5? Is it a good headphone? saw @ singapore selling for RM 150?can't seem to find it in malaysia..but manage to test it during PCFAIR the other day,but the dudes said its not for sale?(test stock)

i think singapore more towards Shure/Audio Technica/Phiplis.....

Most of the youngsters using AT for playing mp3 or PSP

ohh Shure SE510 selling $799 =rm1900 wow that's freaking exp.....

nope here in sg i could get it for $620 max without pth
with pth add 50 onli

Anyone using Technics RP-F880 Pro Monitor Series???

it is the 50mm drivers....

Hi Sep90

Any lubang to get AT-ES7 here with good price? Saw Apple shop here selling S$250 mate....

Oh ya, Best Denki is selling Panasonic ear/headphones too...wonder how good is the SQ...

where can i find Shure or Bose earphones in Malaysia??

walabies and yuheng r the source here
pm them for the price

---

Added on December 27, 2008, 6:44 pmshure u can get in digimall in low yat plaza
bose well in epiccenter i know that midvalley got stock and pavilion as well hmm

This post has been edited by sep90: Dec 27 2008, 06:44 PM

Hey, I just lost my SonicGear ear pump. I need a pair of earphones to listen to music. I listen mainly to rock, pop, pop rock and dance. MY budget is RM100. I don't need noise cancellation. Don't need Ear Bud/IEM.


I want something that's not bulky therefore not getting any headphones. I'm gonna use it daily.

This post has been edited by Jamess: Dec 28 2008, 10:59 AM

hi guys..i wanna upgrade my koss porta pro..i use headphones for listening to musics(rock), watching movies n some music recording..how about senn's HD555? is it worth to upgrade? compare to philips shp8900, which is better? any oher recommendations?

This post has been edited by barjoyai: Dec 28 2008, 12:14 AM

isnt there a HUGE price difference between the HD555 and the HP8900???? dont really think its a fair comparison....

but for me... for rock. id go with the phillips. sennheiser's laid back sound signature makes them unsuitable for rock/metal. takes the energy out of the music.

but wat would be better would be the Grado SR60 for less than 300 or the much better Alessandro MS-1 for about 4xx

Hi all, I'm looking for an earphone around rm100++.

I just want to ask wether anyone has tested the Razer Moray?

I know Razer's not pro in audio but it fits into my budget and Razer IS Razer..

I would appreciate it if there's other alternatives..thanks alot..

thanx for the reply..but at my place, there is 1 last pair of hd555 which i can get around rm3++..whereas shp8900 costs almost rm3++ also..so what do u think?i can't get grado or alessandro here..

Hurm..
Where is your place?

ukraine..

- MP3 player, X-Fi soundcard
- Music
- mp3
- trance, rnb, hits songs
- closed

Budget around RM200~RM300.
Finding deep bass headphone. Something like HPM-70 bass.
Bought a Moray, not suitable for music.
What's the different normal headphone with DJ headphone?

I'm looking for a IEM that's good for metal/rock. Does any of the Mylar ones fit the category? There are so many different models sold here and I don't have a clue about their differences.

Any other portable headphone recommendations are welcomed as well. My budget is below RM200.

This post has been edited by quarantined: Dec 28 2008, 09:20 AM

that day i say this person using a very nice design headphone..
i looks like made from steel..
anyone know what headphone is that??

lolz...alot headphone are also made from steel...care to elaborate more on the design?

And ur "this" person is refer to?

Can somebody recommend an excellent headphone where I can listen to my TV audio output.

I need a good bass, good treble and very low noise.

It should be wireless.

The headphone should be powered by AA batteries.

There should be more than one headphone which can tune into the wireless output. (two should be enough)

This post has been edited by pucman: Dec 29 2008, 12:34 AM

like i sid id go for the phillips....

but im a sennheiser hater... coz also like i said...their laid back sound signature really isnt suited for rock/metal.... and i listen to metal...ALOT.



it would of course be best if u could audition them first.

erm..based on what u said, i guess i've to try both of them..
don't wanna regret later..

Are there any good IEMs for Metal? Is Mylar Bijou suitable? Like them because of their portability.

Hi. I'm thinking about getting Sennheiser's HD201 (which i can get around RM100) but I don't know if I should wait and get a much more expensive one later on? If it helps:
-I'm currently using Sennheiser MX400 earphones.
-I listen to mostly symphonic metal which needs a strong bass and the orchestra and vocals have to stand out.
-I've never used headphones before.

need help to change my ipod touch earphones...kinda faulty...

Brand : Any
Type : IEM
Usage : Soft - Pop musics
Budget : Below 200-250
Comment : Strong Bass is not a thing for me =p

hope u guys can help

This post has been edited by PluEitaro: Dec 29 2008, 03:29 PM

koss or mylar or sen px 100 if u dun mind portable cans...

Hmm...probably you're refering to the Steel Series neckband, I owned one...good sound quality & it has an attached mic too...works the magic during VOIP calls while using my Ipod touch!!

where can i buy KOSS stereophones in KL??

hi guys...im looking for cheap n superb earphone... i just buy st2pid sonic gear ear pump .....it not that good actually..... i think my ipod touch earphone is more better..... so this time i decide to buy CrossRoads Mylarone Bijou...do u think this earphone is good???..please recommend me the best earphone...hehehe....

wah no budget ah??? is it ok if we recommend u an earphone that costs over RM1k?


next time state ur budget

and yes mylar is good.

ohh..hhehehe. ..sorry my budget is not over RM170....please recommend me... Crossroad Mylarone Bijou, which version is the best?


This post has been edited by slicker_192: Dec 30 2008, 01:34 AM

hw does the bijou compare to the shure scl 2?

depend on ur own personal reference...

both are very nice earphone...

This post has been edited by juniortit@n: Dec 30 2008, 10:59 AM

sound quality wise nt much of a diff?

when you say "depending on your preference", how do you mean?
hw do these two differ?

This post has been edited by d3vilzzzz: Dec 30 2008, 11:11 AM

hi,
im looking for a headphone thats good with music(mostly rock,metal) and game

i got rm300 now and max can go to rm400

@mADmAN
other than Philips, is audio technica good with metal?

ATH-A500 is nice with metal, IMO.

Hi guys. Im loved my Crossroad but seems to spoilt after one year and half. Its really good and reliable compare to my old canal earplug e.g like Sony and Philip 9600 which normally can last me for 3 months and so.

I'm interested to get a earplug and is this model good guys for Klipsch Custom-1 ? As wanted to try something different now. Budget around RM300. Thanks alot.

madman,

you remember at another thread you recommended me the AT AD500 for my gaming / surround needs

i forgot to ask you, what offerings from other brands at the similar price range (300-400) that I can test out also cos i don't want to rush in and just test one hp

philips good ?
i do some research before,people say philips good.
but i never try it.

for around that budget, i dont bother recommending anything else for gaming.

so i wouldnt know....mebbe one of the sennheiser perhaps?? HD555 mebbe?

wow... it's THAT good huh

So i shouldn't bother myself with these other HPs?

Audio technica ES7
Audio technica Em9R
Audio technica M40
Audio technica SJ3

Beyer Dynamics DT440

Sennheiser:HD414

they're all in the price bracket.

that highly depends on u....

i truly doubt that any other closed headphone in that price range can beat it...but thats just me and ive havent heard any other headphones in that price range.

plus the comments on head-fi seem to agree with me too

ok great that saves me a lot of trouble

gonna look for yuheng as soon as i get back to kl

thx a lot sifu!!

when we talking about sound quality,it is very subjective..

some might prefer shure scl 2 rather bijou but some might not...

so that y is all depend on your preference...the way how u taste n feel the music...

both are very nice earphones...

bijou - many ppl recommend..
shure - highly branded product..

This post has been edited by juniortit@n: Dec 30 2008, 07:24 PM

between mylarone bijou 2 n 3...which one should i take guys??..i don't wan my earphone play my music bcm noise....n i dun wan over bass....

go get mylarone bijou lvl 1

lvl 1 = more bass?

I'm confused since there's a thread here that says the higher the number the lower the bass hence more clarity, but I read the opposite statement in the Head Fi(?? can't remember) forum. Can someone clarify?

I love rock and metal and I don't like the bass to cover out the other frequencies. Used to have a Spark Plug that sounds like mud .

Hey guys which brand of headphones/earphones should i get..
I really love music and and which can really give me quality music hearing?
As in the brand la..
I dunno which to choose la..there are so many brand..
Plan to get the bijou though..
My budget not that high..maybe around RM500 and below?

rm500 u can get a good headphone/earphones aledi
wat r the songs u normally listen?

Hi guys,

Like everyone else, I'm trying to find a decent earphone within a certain budget. I recently purchased a creative EP-630, which was my first in-ear I've used. I know that the in-ear sound (in the head) is not everyone's cup of tea, but for me, the EP-630 sounds kinda muddy. The bass is strong but often overpowering, while the mids and highs were...muddy.. for the lack of a better word. Does anyone else have this impression.

I'm looking for something with more balance and clarity since i'm not (always) into heavy thumping bass. Budget-wise, probably up to 250++. I'm curious.. is the EP-830 better in this regard i.e. no overpowering bass, more balance sound and clarity? Mylar Bijou?

Perhaps the sifus can help us newbies out. Everyone keeps asking these open ended questions i.e. what's good for this price range, etc. etc. Could someone give a guide of what to expect for a certain price range? Or rather, what is a "good buy" for different budgets.

Cheers!