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-- Which is the best (and worst) pair of headphones?
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While everyone is on the topic of headphones...
Im looking for headphones:
1.use for DJing in a club
2.plugin into a high end mixer
3.something i can beat match with easily
3.hopefully under 100 USD
thanks!!! 
Phanta, you're in luck. The ones I have been preaching about for a month do all of that and more. And, since you are going to be pluging them into a high-end mixer, you are going to need something a little more versatile than just a set of headphones that can only really be used in a club. You need headphones that are good at EVERYTHING.
Therefore, for reasons I have talked about all over this thread and others, I'm gonna have to, once more, suggest the Sony MDR-V6's.
Check out Yahoo shopping for info on the cheapest place to order them, with shipping costs included. They should be well under 100 USD.
I swear. I sound like a broken record...but that's okay.
But, anyways, here's why they are good for each use:
1. DJing in a club: They block out a lot of outside noise, and have a very clear, accurate sound, so you know exactly what you are getting. Also, they can be plugged into questionable equipment and still sound great, without distorting at any volumes. What's more, the bass is deep, impacting, and very clear, so you will always know exactly when it is. Finally, they grip your head tightly, so they won't fall off, and the earcups rotate for one-ear monitoring.
2. Use with a high end mixer: In this instance, you would most likely be creating music, editing it, and you need to know EXACTLY what the recording sounds like, so that it will sound good on any equipment. These give you the clarity, accuracy, and detail for this; these are what the recording industry uses, and trusts.
3. Something to beat match with easily: For this, you need bass that you can both hear and feel, and you always know it is there, even with outside noise or if one earcup is off or at low volumes. Perhaps the V6's greatest strength is it's bass; you always get the physical impact, you always hear it, and the bass is VERY tight and accurate. For beatmatching, you are using the bass as basically a clock, and the V6's do not distort the time, like some headphones. Also, if you ever want to decide to give character to your bass, make it sound more than a thump, make it a wham or sound like an instrument (by adding sound in the frequencies 2 khz to 5 kz to the beat, for example), the V6's will let you do this, unlike SOME headphones that are VERY depressed in those frequencies. Plus, since they are so clear, you can always hear the bass, even at low volumes (something that many think you need boomy bass to do; this is not true).
4. You can pick up a set of Sony MDR-V6's online for $75 plus shipping. Lower if you buy them used, or off of ebay (or you can steal them from your local radio station or TV station, which no doubt uses them. Just kidding, don't steal em, but they probably DO use them.) Look for them in professional music shops, and audio stores, as well; you probably won't find them at Best Buy, because they are Sony's little secret.
Gluegun, you can call me "Da Mole" if you wish... 
With that dual-personality syndrome that I'm now suffering from (sometimes I like that "audiophile" sound more, sometimes i like that extremely boomy bass more), you (Gluegun) can call me "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde", also! 
I am now telling myself:
"Et tu, Brute? Then fall ShadySlim!"
OMG, what have I done so many years ago? That fucking bad-sound habit has gotten to me!!!
Shadyslim, now you just kinda sound overtired. Anyways, Phanta, does that big post answer your question?
Sony MDRV-700 not that good!!
Though I have to disagree with some of those so-called "audiophiles" that the Sony MDRV-700's have "boomy, sloppy bass", the bass on the ones I heard is, if anything, much too tight for their own good. In fact, the bass is so tight that it begins to fuck up the frequencies close to the ones that the MDRV-700's focus all too well on - and that's because of their somewhat resonant earpieces. (Maybe that prior sentence is the reason why "audiophiles" thought the bass was boomy and muddy.) The upper mids are somewhat emphasized, as well; the rest of the mids and highs are okay, but not spectacular. If you're going to spend the $150 list price on them, then don't. Instead, I'd recommend spending an extra $50 on a pair of Sennheiser HD-25's - at least they're more accurate than the mediocre-sounding MDRV-700's.
(Copy of other post)
Shadyslim, I think you have trouble communicating.
From what *I* have heard, what you should be saying is "the midbass is boosted and boomy, the area of the midrange that gives character to the bass is extremely depressed, and the deep bass is extremely depressed." So, like, instead of saying that the deep bass is tight, you should be saying it's nonexistant. Bass that isn't there and bass that is well-defined are two different things, and, while you seem to know what you hear, you have trouble communicating it.
Just a thought....do you think I'm right?
Personally, I would rather have something that has both exaggerated midbass and exaggerated bass (UR-20), rather than just exaggerated midbass and no bass (V700).
Gluegun, have you really heard them? I prefer to have absolutely NO mids, NO bass and NO highs whatsoever!!!
And I call ANYTHING that has ANY bass extension whatsoever (below 150Hz) EXTREMELY BOOMY!!! And I call anything that extends the highs above 5kHz waaaaaay too bright!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My musical tastes now REQUIRE severely overboosted mid-bass and severely depressed everything else! And all that at an extremely high price! 
Gluegun, based on the above paragraph, could it be that I prefer extremely boomy headphones, or that all of the music recordings that I listen to are so crappily made?
*Talking a la DBZ, with much melodrama*
GRRRRR!!!! HIS SARCASM IS INCREDIBLE!!! I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT!!!
(anyways, let's keep this discussion on this thread, mkay?)
Gluegun: On that last "sarcastic" post(s) of mine, I had been suffering from a head allergy, which clouded my judgment. 
As for the V700's, they may have sounded "boomy" and "sloppy" to you, I think of them as an analogy to a cheap screw that's way over-tightened so that some of the screw's threads have already stripped. And when you have a pair of headphones whose mid-bass is way too tight, the rest of the sound of that pair of headphones will have lost much of their control (i.e. portions of the V700's mids and their high treble are very recessed, and frequencies close to that mid-bass peak have already begun to resonate, as well). And I still stand by my statement that the V700's have less low-bass extension than many headphones that have smaller drivers than the V700's - they barely reproduced 20Hz, a frequency which the Sony V6's/7506's reproduced with ease.
And since too few trancEaddicts have even bothered to answer my original question(s) (or too few trancEaddicts have heard enough different headphone models to make such a judgment), I am continuing the headphone discussion on the thread regarding "my real opinion of DJ headphones".
hey guys, this is awesome, you all know so much! anyways I'm looking for headphones for my mp3 player based on the answers below:
Do you want headphones that block out sound? preferably
Do you mind big headphones that go over the ear? no. i'm also considering those headphones that go around the back of your neck
Do you mind headphones that clip on the ear? no
Do you mind earphones that go in the ear? yes, they hurt!
Do you mind headphones that leak a lot of sound? doesn't matter
Can you stretch your budget to $70 US? no, i want something that's $50 or less
and no exaggerated bass. i just like a nice full sound. i'm looking for headphones geared towards trance. thanks!
I bought some headphones from radio shack.
the brand name is optimus.
I can hear all you big DJs laughing (ha radio shack) but seriously, these headphones sound AWESOME, they are super comfortable, long cord, good for mixing with, full sound reproduction, they block out extra sounds. I'm very happy with them, and they were only $50 canadian.
He's right. The two brands that make some of the best cheap headphones -- Koss and Optimus (optimus being Radio Shack's brand), have many of the exact same headphones, mostly under different names.
However, it is easier to find the REALLY GOOD MODELS of that stuff from Koss, because you can often only find the "pretty good" models in the Optimus brand!
Hands down, from personal experience, the best sound for under $50 is the Koss KSC-35's. These are open, earclip style headphones that don't block out any outside sound. And they ROCK!
Better than the newer model of the same, the Koss KSC-50 (which I also have), and better than the best Streetstyle headphone on the planet, the Koss KSC-55, which is mostly the same as the KSC-50. All three share the same drivers. But get the KSC-35's. If you *need* something closed, or something easier to find, another headphone that is ALMOST as good as the KSC-35's (Again, this is from personal experience) is the Philips HP550. Check these out too!! You can probably get these models at any major electronics or Walmart type store: Philips HP550, Koss KSC-50, Koss KSC-55. However, if you want to look around some more for that extra quality, get the Koss KSC-35's.
Again, I would suggest you find the KSC-35's. Try ordering them from www.headphone.com --that's where I got mine!
Yeah, I had some koss ones, not sure the model number, but they were green and black, open air design, not dj cans.. but they sounded PHAT! and they folded up neatly.. too bad my sister broke them.
and as for optimus, yeah these ones sound awesome, better than my DJ friends sony MDR6s and technics ones. I use these ones for DJing and they work great, I can hear everything, not just the bass.
they had some higher end models too, with two drivers, one for bass and one for treble, those sounded REAL nice in the store, but they were a little heavy..
RavingLunatic,
WHICH Sony model did the Optimus whoop? You mean MDR-V600 (the one where you can hear only bass, as you put it), right? Because, generally, Neither Koss nor Optimus (each has some headphones that the other doesn't) Isn't known for making great HIGH END headphones; they are just the king of cheap headphones...all of which whoop the V600, though, most of which whoop the V700 and Technics and other "DJ" headphones...
King of big CHEAP closed cans, king of little earbuds, king of streetstyle, king of vertical in the ear, king of cheap open supraaural...
Could you PLEASE find the model numbers of the ones you are talking about?
These optimus(Nova 403) sound better than ANY headphone I have ever put on my head, and I have tried some HIGH end ones, including the sony MDR-V600 which I didn't like, the technics ones (not sure the model number, but they are big DJ type ones), some stanton ones that came with my friends turntables(these were possibly the WORST I have ever heard), and many, many kinds of earbuds, street style, open air kinds. these optimus really sound WAY better than any of those.
I will try to find the model number of the koss for you, next time I go to my parents house, they are packed in a box somewhere or something..
Yea, that's 'cause V600, All Sony Streetstyles, all earbuds but, like, three models, all suck! The fact is, unless you do some SEARCHING, you will get crap. People think that sony mdr-v600 and v700dj and v900 are high end because sony is smart--they give them looks, comfort, and they have market penetration, and brand name recognition, and they know that the target audiences haven't heard good sound--which is how they like it. saves on engineering costs. The only reason sony stuff is so expensive is because of the way the japanese and us market has interacted, and because Sony realized they could get away with it (before they could get away with it, before the term "Sony Quality" was invented, in the 80's, when your average joe in Japan actually cared--and could recognize--sound quality, they made good stuff. Hence so many good models that they don't make any more--CD999, CD1700, E484, all of the good vertical-in-the-ear models they used to have, etc. etc. They even tried to get rid of the MDR-V6's, and tried to replace it with the crappy MDR-V600! Ugh. At least the engineers got all pissed and got the V6 back, so Sony couldn't COMPLETE their transformation from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde... this is true in Sony speakers as well; the only good stuff they have is old, like this one old subwoofer that they almost stopped making...)
It's not Koss and Optimus achieving "high" quality.
It's them setting MINIMUM quality, and everyone else getting below it (Like the entirety of the MDR-### line, and basically almost everything else Sony makes).
The fact is, in this country, few people see headphones as "quality" sound. They're viewed as expendible. So, 97% of the ones you will find are crap!
Koss UR-20, King of cheapo big closed headphones.
Koss KSC-55, King of Streetstyles.
Koss Sportapro (Optimus Pro 45): King of Cheap small open supraaural headphones
Koss KSC-35 King of earclips...
(if you are wondering about good earbuds, check out Sennheiser MX500 and Sony MDR-E888, and, for vertical in the ear headphones, check out these: http://www.radioshack.com/product.a...%5Fid=33%2D1133 )
However, optimus makes soooo many headphones, so many of which are hard to find and spread out among so many radio shack stores, so many of which aren't in any particular LINE of headphones, that NO ONE has any REALLY good idea how all of them sound! I mean, look at all of these!
http://www.radioshack.com/category....08%5F000&Page=1
You KNOW there is a gem in there. But no one, not me, not my friends at www.head-fi.org and the others at www.headwize.com, nor the professionals at www.headphone.com, really know which ones of those are REALLY GOOD, unless they are in some other, more organized lines...
But, if you want something quality, you should be looking for something BETTER than these; stuff from Grado, a few models from Sennheiser (HD495, HD25, HD580, HD600), The two good sony models (MDR-V6 and CD3000), Every Grado Except SR-40, Many headphones from AKG, good models from Beyerdynamic (DT250, DT770, DT831, DT931), etc. etc.
I take it you don't like sony? yeah..
I wonder if bose makes headphones? I bet they would kick ass..
I have yet to try behringer or sennheiser, I haver heard they are good..
but my optimus are great for now..
Oh? I love Sony.
The MDR-V6 is *the* single most versatile headphone on the planet, and what you all should be buying. They are *the* headphone to buy if you are doing any sort of mixing or recording, whether live, dj mixing, in a studio, on your computer, whatever. The MDR-CD3000's are *THE* best "listening to electronica" headphones on the planet, and can duke it out with the Best of Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, and Beyerdynamic. Sony's big electronics rock...great CD players, great home entertainment stuff; Sony knows how to make electronics... but, much of their stuff has started to suck a lot recently..
they've been reducing the wattage of their portable cd players and radios and mp3 playes, and reducing hte quality of their pcdp's and walkmans. Sony DID make the best portable CD player of all time (Sony D777), but now their stuff sucks. Even though sony *knows* how to make good electronics, the stuff targeted at Gen Y is starting to suck, whether or not it is speakers, headphones, or portable electronics.
Ah, Bose? Yea, Bose sucks. BIG TIME. Have never made anything that sounds good, whereas Sony has, and still does. I know, I own their best speakers, and my $35 Koss headphones whoop them in sound quality. I mean *whoop* them. Bose, like Bang and Olufsen (B&O's only headphones, the A8 headphones have some *huge* quality control problems, and can be either "puke quality" or just "really overpriced"; instead of paying $160 for those, pay $15 for the Sennheiser MX500 and get better sound), and like Sharper Edge, all make really flashy, really expensive, really useless, really badly made stuff.
As far as Bose headphones? The only headphone that has a WORSE value, a WORSE price/performance ratio than the Sony MDR-V600 is Bose's only headphone--the Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling headset--which sounds even worse than the V600, and doesn't really block out any noise beyond a small range of frequencies, unlike a passive noise cancelling headphone...
Basically, if it's new, and targeted at Gen Y, and it's Sony, it sucks. If it's Bose AT ALL, it sucks....
And, while, say, Sennheiser makes *the best* headphones, they also make the worst too.
And, chances are, Sennheiser stuff that you are likely to find is the worst stuff of their lines...
BUT, Sennheiser STILL has a market niche among audiophiles, so they STILL make a decent amount of good headphones. Same with Beyerdynamic. Like I said, 97% is crap.
By the way, if you think the headphone market is depressing, just try a Grado.
*grins*
The fact of it is, no matter what, there is a headphone that best suits your purpose, and that sounds good. Even if you have to look really hardly to find it, you can always find something GOOD!
Well.. you certainly are opiniated, and well versed in products and model numbers.. I agree, sony has been putting out shit lately.
but about one thing you are wrong, and don't bother trying to argue with me, because I simply know it to be true. Bose does not suck, they are widely regarded as making the best speakers in the world, bar none. maybe their headphones suck, but not there speakers..
the bose 901s blow anything comparable out of the water.
that is simply a fact, I've heard it myself, set them up, compared them to others in double blind tests, and they simply rock. any other speaker sounds like fm radio.
Oy....
I have the Bose 901's. They *suck*. Sure, they're Okay compared to overpriced consumer systems--Sony, Yamaha, Advent, Cerwin Vega, etc. etc. etc., but throw in a decent REAL set of speakers, like one from Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, or Definitive Technology that costs the same or less, and they get *whooped*.
My KSC-35's sound better than the Bose 901's that have been in our den since I was but a little child. My dad got them, for free. Which is about what they're worth!
Muddy bass, muddy midrange, A GAZILLION holes in the sound, no clarity, no really high highs, can't tell any detail of the bass, no really low lows, voices in the midrange are veiled, the soundstage is pitiful, stringed instruments sound muddy, and they *need* to be connected to Bose's proprietary equalizer (UGH! EQUALIZATOIN!) to boost the bass and treble, thereby giving the false illusion that they sound good.
Compare them with a good system, of equal or lessar price.
This is about the way of thinking. You are someone who thinks the Bose 901's or the Sony V600's are GOOD, whereas, for me, they don't even pass the most basic of criteria, and I would find something less popular, but BETTER, and certainly a better value. Remember, as far as cheap speakers go, look at Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, and Definitive Technology. Their basic systems, at the price of the 901's, will whoop the 901's so incredibly much! These ar COMPERABLE speakers, as well--they cost the same, are made for home theater of stereo use, and sound infinitely better.
Your double blind tests just show that Bose's crap is less crappy than other crap. Any home theater set of speakers costing multiple hundreds of dollars should AT LEAST sound better than my $35 earbuds.
End rant!
That's right, Gluegun. I own a pair of Grado SR-60's, and (even with the standard comfy pads with no hole cut out of them) they WHOOP all of the Senn HD4##-series headphones except for the HD495 with proper amplification. And they also whoop fully half of Sennheiser's HD5## line and almost ALL of Sony's headphones, IMHO.
Yea, shadyslim is talking about how few GOOD models of headphones there are. However, both Sony and Sennheiser make headphones comperable to his SR-60's, ya know?
Anyways, Shadyslim, aren't gonna say something concerning the Bose rant?
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Gluegun Anyways, Shadyslim, aren't gonna say something concerning the Bose rant? |
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