Need a Headphone for 7-8 K and an affordable Amp for 3 K

[The Incinerator]

The Senns 518 etc etc are so laid back that it makes ACDC sound like Jack Jonson if you know what I mean. It robs the song of its emotion,its not an all rounder,it holds itself back and misses the moment. It will never let the true emotion emote outta song what musician wanted cause its so heldback.It never rises up to the occasion when there is one! But with acoustic, western classical (small ensemble ) a small southern jazz quartet it comes on its own. Games and Movies are not at all its forte and not even all kinds of music,its not an all rounder its laidback warm sterile headphone.

If you can stretch the budget take a look at the Sennheiser Momentum. Monumental Performance.

 

[AbhMkh]

For your purpose just avoid the Senns , I would say get ATH-M50 ,its still the king of the hill.If your headphone aint up to the mark then no amp or dac will help your cause,no matter what you get.Get a great headphone first and then the amp.

ATH M50 has a different sound signature than that of the HD 518/558, it emphasizes more on bass, its a bass heavy headphone.The Senns on the other hand arent inclined to produce booming bass but have a wider soundstage with sculpted mids and highs.I personally dont like bass heavy headphones so I would pick the HD 518/558 over ATH M50.

Besides if you look up on the internet you will find many people complaining about how uncomfortable M50's arw for extended periods of use whereas the HD 518/558's have been praised for their comfort factor.

*linustechtips.com/main/topic/51787-hd558s-vs-ath-m50/
[MENTION=94364]siddarchris[/MENTION] : E11 is a portable amp if I am not mistaken, if you are looking for a portable amp within 3k I would recommend the "Soundmagic A10", I have them and they are fantastic.

Cheers!
Abhijit

 

[ithehappy]

Well ATH-M50 is NOT a bass heavy headphone. I wanted to buy it, then after seeing lack of bass comments refrained.

 

[The Incinerator]

He has only read reviews but have not heard em in real world with different sources,his comments are his proof!Somebody commenting about the bass of an ATH-50 being boomy should be taken as a joke. On a serious note I would say its detailed, refined , balanced ( unlike the senns) and smooth with good bass range which is deep with superb Q slope and not overpowering at all in any stage and any case.

 

[ithehappy]

Well that's good news! I can get them then! Have you ever had any chance to use a V55?

 

[siddharchris]

He has only read reviews but have not heard em in real world with different sources,his comments are his proof!Somebody commenting about the bass of an ATH-50 being boomy should be taken as a joke. On a serious note I would say its detailed, refined , balanced ( unlike the senns) and smooth with good bass range which is deep with superb Q slope and not overpowering at all in any stage and any case.

I have read at least 20 diff forums to make a decision only to find myself more confused. Initially I was convinced of buying a Headphone with an amazing 'SOUNDSTAGE' but after reading through this *www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103148, I have tracked back to square one of finding a neutral Headphone with decent sound reproduction.

On those lines, M50 certainly looks better (again through comments only!), but I've decided to try them out myself. Help me to visit some dealers in Chennai to get some tangible experience.

Being a beginner, this is a substantial investment for me and I dont want to choose something hastily and regret later on!

 

[AbhMkh]

He has only read reviews but have not heard em in real world with different sources,his comments are his proof!Somebody commenting about the bass of an ATH-50 being boomy should be taken as a joke. On a serious note I would say its detailed, refined , balanced ( unlike the senns) and smooth with good bass range which is deep with superb Q slope and not overpowering at all in any stage and any case.

I don't need to hear them personally, the people who do these reviews are experts and unlike amateurs like us make their living out of it.I have a lot of high end IEM's and Headphones like the Klipsch Image X7I, Shure SE 215, Klipsch Image S4, Sennheiser HD 202 and the Sennheiser HD 558 and most of them were brought on recommendations from these reviews.I don't regret a single purchase.

Coming to the Frequency response graphs of the ATH M50 and the Sennheiser HD 558, this site has them both.

M50 : *headphones.reviewed.com/content/audio-technica-ath-m50-over-ear-headphones-review/sound-quality

HD 558 : *headphones.reviewed.com/content/sennheiser-hd-558-on-ear-headphone-review/sound-quality


Quote from the sound quality section of these reviews.

ATH M50 :

As you can see from the chart below, the frequency response of the ATH-M50 was a little more dynamic than what we usually like to see, but for some people the overemphasized bass and subdued 5-10kHz ranges might be preferable to other headphones. Audio Technica seems to have frequency responses very similar to this one in other models they've fielded, but this one is somewhat improved over other models we've seen. Still, don't let the branding fool you, these are not headphone variants of studio monitors. Not even close.What does this response mean for you? Well, in addition to feeling like you have a subwoofer inside your head, you'll also notice that sibilants (s, sh sounds), cymbal crashes and high-hats will all sound a little muffled in comparison to other instruments and voice sounds. Given that these specific sounds are typically pretty loud in comparison to others when their levels aren't toned down a bit in an unmixed track, it's not terribly surprising that Audio Technica would elect to downplay these sounds. We still believe that if the track is mixed correctly, this underemphasis is unnecessary (and leads to bad mixing if you use these headphones at home to create tracks). These are not ideal headphones for this purpose.

Sennheiser HD 558 :

If you're looking for a flat frequency response, the Sennheiser HD 558 have a good one. What isn't pictured here, is a dropoff of about 10dB at 90Hz, meaning that these headphones may not be the best bet for bass-lovers, but will do fantastically well for most everyone else.


IT IS CLEAR FROM BOTH THE FR GRAPH AND THE REVIEW THAT THE M50 ARE INDEED "BASS-BOOSTED" PERIOD.


Now if the OP is looking for Bass-Neutral Headphones(as he mentioned in his first post) ATH M50 is obviously not the way to go, I have the Sennheiser HD 558 and I am satisfied by the amount of Bass it delivers despite the flat response it on paper.

 

[The Incinerator]

So you gonna buy sound by graph or a reviewer who has his own preferences? Best of luck. Your basics lack. He wants a headphone which he will use for movies music and games.He needs an all rounder not a ruler flat sterile boring headphone.

I use a Klipsch Custom 3/ Sleek Audio SA6 / Etymotics /Denons/ Sonys/Grado / AKG etc etcand hell lotta audio gear from amps to speakers to dacs to subs to directional plate speakers to THX cerified audio gears, that dosnt make me elite,does it? Sound is personal so a person having a low end iem might still find it better over a hi end iem whoz sound signature he loathes.Sometime my entry level Lenovo iem picks up and presents detail in a way that fortune costing Grados or Klipsch dosnt! But Trial and error puts the blame on source.Play around with source amps and speakers, interchange them over the same recordings, spend hours on them,tear your hair rather than reading those half baked reviews done by some so called pro whom your ears have never met
Trust your ears.


Audio dosnt work in a way that expensive means better. I just removed an all Alpine 1.3 Lac system from my Fortuner coz it was plain ear piercing bright and even a DLS amp from my other SUV couldnt calm it down,hence changed it with a all Pioneer for Rs 89K,spent whole day yesterday doing that,and the final sound just blew me,the technicians and my frens away. I had chose the Alpine based on reviews and graphs and stuffs printed on the back of their packaging,sensitivity ,watts, long/short term power handling,ohms dips, etc etc and final result was a bummer!Thats not how sound works my fren.

 

[anirbandd]

since you guys are talkign about high end headphones and amps, i think it would be prudent to say that the source is equally important.
[MENTION=146807]siddharchris[/MENTION]: when you finally play the music from the PC/Laptop, use good source.. meaning, use audio cds or WAV/FLAC/ALAC. if you can get hold of 16bit/192khz files, thatd be awesome. stay away from mp3., or other formats.

and regarding the audio player, do even think of going towards WMP/VLC. Use foobar from www.foobar2000.org with WASAPI. its a really powerful player, and with the Windows Audio Session API it produces bit perfect sound, i.e., produces the sound as it was recorded. bit to bit.

hope this helps.

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So you gonna buy sound by graph or a reviewer who has his own preferences? Best of luck. Your basics lack. He wants a headphone which he will use for movies music and games.He needs an all rounder not a ruler flat sterile boring headphone.

I use a Klipsch Custom 3/ Sleek Audio SA6 / Etymotics /Denons/ Sonys/Grado / AKG etc etcand hell lotta audio gear from amps to speakers to dacs to subs to directional plate speakers to THX cerified audio gears, that dosnt make me elite,does it? Sound is personal so a person having a low end iem might still find it better over a hi end iem whoz sound signature he loathes.Sometime my entry level Lenovo iem picks up and presents detail in a way that fortune costing Grados or Klipsch dosnt! But Trial and error puts the blame on source.Play around with source amps and speakers, interchange them over the same recordings, spend hours on them,tear your hair rather than reading those half baked reviews done by some so called pro whom your ears have never met
Trust your ears.


Audio dosnt work in a way that expensive means better. I just removed an all Alpine 1.3 Lac system from my Fortuner coz it was plain ear piercing bright and even a DLS amp from my other SUV couldnt calm it down,hence changed it with a all Pioneer for Rs 89K,spent whole day yesterday doing that,and the final sound just blew me,the technicians and my frens away. I had chose the Alpine based on reviews and graphs and stuffs printed on the back of their packaging,sensitivity ,watts, long/short term power handling,ohms dips, etc etc and final result was a bummer!Thats not how sound works my fren.

wow.
lotsa money!!

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btw, your 1L car system reminded me, above a certain limit, money sings. literally.

 

[sandynator]

Sound is quite subjective. What I like the other persons may not like it. From what I had read few mnths back I found Audio Technica ATH M50 to be pretty versatile headphones.
Two mnth back I had an opportunity of trying Sennheiser Momentum on ear model which retails @15k in croma outlet. I was not carrying my Nationite player so the sales guy connected it to some sony player. I heard it for just 3-4 min & found out to be bass heavy & dark sounding. I'll have to hear it again with my setup.


[MENTION=146807]siddharchris[/MENTION]
Better get an demo/audition first preferably with your audio setup & songs before investing into anything.


[MENTION=146621]The Incinerator[/MENTION]
hey bro you opted for all pioneer? I do agree with alpine being bright.
Can I just dare to ask, Why? I mean any specific reason to choose pioneer over many other international brands which are officially available here.

 

[anirbandd]

^Pioneer does have some very good audio hardware.

 

[siddharchris]

since you guys are talkign about high end headphones and amps, i think it would be prudent to say that the source is equally important.
[MENTION=146807]siddharchris[/MENTION]: when you finally play the music from the PC/Laptop, use good source.. meaning, use audio cds or WAV/FLAC/ALAC. if you can get hold of 16bit/192khz files, thatd be awesome. stay away from mp3., or other formats.

and regarding the audio player, do even think of going towards WMP/VLC. Use foobar from www.foobar2000.org with WASAPI. its a really powerful player, and with the Windows Audio Session API it produces bit perfect sound, i.e., produces the sound as it was recorded. bit to bit.

hope this helps.

The music collections are in FLAC at 16/24 bit 44kHZ sampling rate and the Movies are at DTS/Dolby 6 Channel 24 Bit 48kHZ sampling rate. Foobar plays all these but unable to get the detail due to crappy headphone I have!

Now, can M50 produce these sounds reasonably well? Since its a closed model (with a great sound though!) and not much recommended for spatial sounding, I wonder how this will perform with an external soundcard like Xonar U7?

Help Please!

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wow.
lotsa money!!

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btw, your 1L car system reminded me, above a certain limit, money sings. literally.

 

[anirbandd]

no idea about Asus Xonars, but a good DAC will directly affect the sound. it will improve the sound to a great great extent.

i personally dont own one, but i've had the good fortune to listen to a few at a friend's.

i will ask him the details and get back.

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and since you are spending a big amount, dont rush.

wait, read up. take auditions before you buy.

 

[siddharchris]

no idea about Asus Xonars, but a good DAC will directly affect the sound. it will improve the sound to a great great extent.

i personally dont own one, but i've had the good fortune to listen to a few at a friend's.

i will ask him the details and get back.

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and since you are spending a big amount, dont rush.

wait, read up. take auditions before you buy.

Thanks for your help! I will take my time and personally visit those dealers offering test samples. Here's a quick list of the available options,

1. Audio Technica ATH M50
2. Audio Technica AD700
3. Shure SRH840
4. Sennheiser HD 558

Have anything else to add ?

 

[anirbandd]

yeah sure..

he has the M50 and AD700.

and some DACs. i'll ask him and let you know.

 

[The Incinerator]

@ sandynator, all pioneer because the tonal balance remained the same through out,perfect. Its on the warmer side with slight forward nature which can be easily corrected with EQ,but no where as bad as Alpine which just dosnt seem to tame,just impossible. I hate bright forward sounding audio gear.All Kenwood is another neutral sounding ICE not exactly warm but can be easily EQd or voiced to your liking.Another problem was budget ofcourse,the Fortuner us substantial inside and to fill that up with hiend stuff from Morel,MTX, JL, DLS or Rainbow was turning out be very expensive. Pioneer speakers seem better to ME than even JBL ,I think its because they own TAD and technology has trickled down from TAD to Pioneer in all segment of their speaker line from HT to ICE, a ultra hi end speaker manufacturer,if you hear a TAD Evolution I believe you will be smitten for life.But I think atleast I wont be able to afford a set up that can have the Evolution1 as a speaker in this lifetime! So I have to be happy in a imitation of that sound! Bless me!!!

@ anirbandd ,all you saw was the money in that post? Did you get what I meant? Why expensive gear or money aint the solution for the best in audio,that was the point.? Or is it our typical Kolkata communist attitude?

 

[siddharchris]

yeah sure..

he has the M50 and AD700.

and some DACs. i'll ask him and let you know.

Thanks so much

 

[tkin]

Is it not worth the price ? Does the Siberia has a better VFM factor than this one ?



Thanks for dropping by ! Can you pls tell me more in detail on why I should avoid Senns and Choose ATH M50 ? Budget can be extended if the HP is worth it. Read abt Audio Technica's quality but how superior are they over Senns ?



Sounds so good ! But I dont think can afford that if I take M50 as per Incinerator's advise.

Any more suggestions pls ?

Siberia is a lot VFM than the Asus U3.

And ATH M50 is an exceptional product, its price tag is fully justified and beats higher priced headphones.

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Thanks for your help! I will take my time and personally visit those dealers offering test samples. Here's a quick list of the available options,

1. Audio Technica ATH M50
2. Audio Technica AD700
3. Shure SRH840
4. Sennheiser HD 558

Have anything else to add ?

Where are you located? Audio Technica HP's are hard to find in a shop, I had seen them selling in Hyderabad and just a bit above the online price point.

 

[siddharchris]

Siberia is a lot VFM than the Asus U3.

And ATH M50 is an exceptional product, its price tag is fully justified and beats higher priced headphones.

Thanks so much! I'll try Siberia.

Where are you located? Audio Technica HP's are hard to find in a shop, I had seen them selling in Hyderabad and just a bit above the online price point.

I'm in Chennai. Saptaswara Musicals has offered me an audition of M50. Just looking for Senn Dealers.

 

[The Incinerator]

As far as I know Saptaswara stocks Senns too.