*TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread*

[Cja123]

I've narrowed it down to two headphones, the Skullcandy PLYR1 and the SONY MA900. The latter seems to be pretty hard to find for sale at the price advertised in the head-fi review. I mentioned I wanted the isolating feature but after reading those detailed reviews, I think I'd be happier prioritizing comfort and sound quality. If any member who personally owns or has owned either of these headphones would like to chime in a personal opinion, I'll listen (no pun intended).

 

[Cja123]

What did you catch?

I caught a couple of large mouth bass in the 3-4lb range. The more impressive catch came earlier this week. My brother and I pulled in 5 fish in about 2 hours at a high mountain lake close to our home town. I pulled in a 4lb trout and a couple of kokanee salmon. He managed a kokanee and a brown trout.

 

[MT Alex]

Kokanee are right up there with perch and brookies as being my favorite eaters.

The QPAD QH-90 are worth checking out in that price range, I usually see them listed between $200-$250 but they are harder to find stateside. I haven't listened to them, but I have observed Frederik S. recommend them in several threads, and he wrote a rather glowing review on them. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/QPAD/QH-90/4.html

Ah, here's a pair for sub $200: http://www.qpad.com/shop/en/headset/1-qh-90-black.html

 

[Cja123]

Kokanee are right up there with perch and brookies as being my favorite eaters.

The QPAD QH-90 are worth checking out in that price range, I usually see them listed between $200-$250 but they are harder to find stateside. I haven't listened to them, but I have observed Frederik S. recommend them in several threads, and he wrote a rather glowing review on them. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/QPAD/QH-90/4.html

Ah, here's a pair for sub $200: http://www.qpad.com/shop/en/headset/1-qh-90-black.html

Thanks for the recommendation, I will give them a hard look.

Brookies are definitely some tasty fish. Now I want to go fishing again today

 

[Kursah]

I need something in the sub $200 price-range to replace my D2000's sadly. I've been using my modded JVC HARX 700's and they're good but not D2000 great. Something that's good for bass heads, but has decent clarity and great comfort...I know impossible right? Well I got those D2000's for around that price...used...but still! Been amazing headphones and I may have to find a way to rig them back up. I do like to go with loud volumes at times...other times low volume...the D2000's have been an amazing performer. They will be greatly missed even when I rig them it won't be right.

I've been inquiring on head-fi..but I figure TPU is showing more people getting into the HP arena since I started this thread in '09. So now I come to this thread and ask for suggestions...gotta keep it sub-$200 and heck I may not be able to do anything before x-mas but I'm gonna try!

 

[johnspack]

Friggin love my AKG 701s for now... classic headphones, I'm glad I bought them. I will of course have to move to better ones like the Beyers eventually. I think having studio reference cans is a good learning experience for me to start. I need to learn where FLAT is, I never could do that before. These things just reproduce everything as it sounds, so I either flat eq or under eq slightly some settings. I think the Beyers color the bass a bit, so it sounds more punchy, but I can use bass boost to get an idea of what that sounds like. I think I can get close, so I may need to go to an even higher set next time. AKG 712 next time......

 

[BumbleBee]

I need something in the sub $200 price-range to replace my D2000's sadly. I've been using my modded JVC HARX 700's and they're good but not D2000 great. Something that's good for bass heads, but has decent clarity and great comfort...I know impossible right? Well I got those D2000's for around that price...used...but still! Been amazing headphones and I may have to find a way to rig them back up. I do like to go with loud volumes at times...other times low volume...the D2000's have been an amazing performer. They will be greatly missed even when I rig them it won't be right.

I've been inquiring on head-fi..but I figure TPU is showing more people getting into the HP arena since I started this thread in '09. So now I come to this thread and ask for suggestions...gotta keep it sub-$200 and heck I may not be able to do anything before x-mas but I'm gonna try!

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm are about $180. The Beyers won't have the resolving power and will probably sound a little more recessed but the Denons cost a lot more.

 

[BumbleBee]

one more thing. if you want your Denon D2000 fixed or modified or both

http://www.lawtonaudio.com/

 

[Frederik S]

In the US it might be impossible to find QH-90s at a decent price you could go for a set of Jaycar which are made by the same company that did the MP4Nation brainwavz HM5s: http://www.jaycar.us/productView.asp?ID=AA2065&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=1015#4

You might be able to find the model which the QH-90s are based on it is called the Takstar PRO 80 and is sometimes available through ebay.

The thing is that the QH-90s are quite a bit cheaper in here in the EU they are €100 which is around $135. At $180 they are still good, but nowhere near the bargain they are here in the EU.

 

[Kursah]

Well for now I'm dealing with what I have...I must admit this Denon AVR-1613's HP output is quite powerful....wow. I haven't used my FiiO E9 since getting it. Probably gonna sell it if anyone's interested, I've owned it since new.

I've been listening and enjoying my JVC HA-RX700 for weeks now. That and my half bad cable Iron Buds (my favorite basshead and overall earbuds ever! Wish the owners would get their sh!t together!).

The JVC's have been good...and the Denon really brought them out...but they also needed more EQ-ing than ever for bass...I'm a bass head..I want as much deep and impact as I can get without distorting the mids/treble. I'll happily EQ what I can to make it sound good to my ears.

Well I just hooked up my liked but meh JVC HA-DX 3's which while I've always liked I've never loved...and with the Denon.............WOW! Amazing...the bass is looooow and heavy and the mids and hi's are so much crisper. It's a great mix. There's less impact but I'm getting over it. I think I found the DX'3's match after owning them for years. I wish they were a little more bass heavy still but man do they sound good regardless. They hit the low factor I wish the RX700's would. For once in recent years I can confidently say I'm happy I still own these! Though they have that sound in the low end like they should do more but they can't...that's been their biggest downfall. But this is by far the most they've been able to put out bass-wise without distortion since I've owned them.

We'll see. I have read the A900X are worth a serious look too. The Phillips X1 would be an option if I were single in my own place. I have read about the DT770/80's and they are currently my top choice.

 

[Ra97oR]

In addition to the DT770/80, you should also consider the Beyer Custom One Pro. Much like the DT770 but adjustable bass and a more modern design. Both are very rugged though.

 

[Kursah]

In addition to the DT770/80, you should also consider the Beyer Custom One Pro. Much like the DT770 but adjustable bass and a more modern design. Both are very rugged though.

Ya I've read about the Custom One Pro. The 4 settings for various bass...many say it's pretty good until you compare it directly with the 770/80. But ya I added it to the list as well because it does have a pretty good following of supporters too.

I was also made aware of another option the Soundmagic HP100. They review pretty well and are said to maintain a good clarity with good bass...but not D2000 bass. It's been a good headphone but maybe it's time for a new sound. I'll research more into the Beyers for sure. I want a comfy, good sounding and durable headphone for sure.

 

[BumbleBee]

Ya I've read about the Custom One Pro. The 4 settings for various bass...many say it's pretty good until you compare it directly with the 770/80. But ya I added it to the list as well because it does have a pretty good following of supporters too.

I was also made aware of another option the Soundmagic HP100. They review pretty well and are said to maintain a good clarity with good bass...but not D2000 bass. It's been a good headphone but maybe it's time for a new sound. I'll research more into the Beyers for sure. I want a comfy, good sounding and durable headphone for sure.

why don't you just get the Denon AH-D2000 repaired and upgraded? what's wrong with them? did the screw come out of the yoke?

you won't find a better headphone than the Denon AH-D2000 for less than $200.

edit: you know those headphones are highly coveted, right? a friend of mine sold his upgraded Denon AH-D2000 for $350. I sold my stock Denon AH-D5000 recently and got nearly full retail price.

 

[Kursah]

Ya the screw is outta the yoke...but also the RH side speaker has been buzzing for a while now...it's not always constant but enough to be annoying...I've taken that side apart a few times to see if it was something other than the driver...and I couldn't ever find a reason for it. That would be the side with the yoke that's still solid too lol.

I can fix the yoke I'm sure a simple Ace hardware run...I've considered Lawton...or just some wood cups. But I fear that I have a driver on the way out and I haven't had much luck finding a replacement...

 

[BumbleBee]

Ya the screw is outta the yoke...but also the RH side speaker has been buzzing for a while now...it's not always constant but enough to be annoying...I've taken that side apart a few times to see if it was something other than the driver...and I couldn't ever find a reason for it. That would be the side with the yoke that's still solid too lol.

I can fix the yoke I'm sure a simple Ace hardware run...I've considered Lawton...or just some wood cups. But I fear that I have a driver on the way out and I haven't had much luck finding a replacement...

send Mark an e-mail anyways. tell him what you told me. he can repair them, dampen the chambers (improve bass) and put brand new lambskin ear pads on. you don't need to get wood chambers or cable. he might even be able to sell you a brand new pair.

 

[johnspack]

I officially love my AKGs... I'm slowly tweaking them and they just sound fng incredible.... get better and better every day

 

[Kursah]

send Mark an e-mail anyways. tell him what you told me. he can repair them, dampen the chambers (improve bass) and put brand new lambskin ear pads on. you don't need to get wood chambers or cable. he might even be able to sell you a brand new pair.

I heard back from Mark. No dice on replacement drivers. I think I'll rig these up and run them till the driver gets worse. At this point it's only certain n bass frequencies and certain sound levels that cause the rattle. Maybe I can save some money into spring and find a used pair. This pair wasn't in the best shape when I bought them...whomever owned them before trashed the cable, scuffed them up...but they were also in my price-range. I have gotten a lot of hours out of them. I dunno if I should move onto a different pair of phones or just look for a replacement pair of D2000's. A lot of people recommend looking at the D600's...which are out of my price-range for the foreseeable future. I'll be sticking with my HADX3's for now...too bad I can't mod them for more bass!

 

[johnspack]

Still learning my AKG 701s. God I love them. Just amazing sound once you learn how to tweak them. Hundreds of dollars never sounded so good!

 

[BumbleBee]

I heard back from Mark. No dice on replacement drivers. I think I'll rig these up and run them till the driver gets worse. At this point it's only certain n bass frequencies and certain sound levels that cause the rattle. Maybe I can save some money into spring and find a used pair. This pair wasn't in the best shape when I bought them...whomever owned them before trashed the cable, scuffed them up...but they were also in my price-range. I have gotten a lot of hours out of them. I dunno if I should move onto a different pair of phones or just look for a replacement pair of D2000's. A lot of people recommend looking at the D600's...which are out of my price-range for the foreseeable future. I'll be sticking with my HADX3's for now...too bad I can't mod them for more bass!

Fostex TH-600 are the next best thing which are like $800 but Fostex made some improvements to the sound and headphone design.

the Audeze LCD-2 are on sale at Musicdirect for $796. Audeze LCD-2 will FLIP YA.. FLIP YA FOR REAL

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Well picked up some cheap cans today
KRK KNS-6400
Seem fairly underrated but managed to snag a pair for $50 when they usually go for $100 so Ill give them a shot.

 

[Kursah]

I've heard good things about KRK speakers...keep us posted!

Sorry bumblebee but my budget is still around 1/4 of either of the headphones you quoted.

But seeing that I can snag a D600 for around $230-268 is tempting. Just wish my damn D2000 were good as new! Oh well...hmm. Now what direction to go...

 

[BumbleBee]

I've heard good things about KRK speakers...keep us posted!

Sorry bumblebee but my budget is still around 1/4 of either of the headphones you quoted.

But seeing that I can snag a D600 for around $230-268 is tempting. Just wish my damn D2000 were good as new! Oh well...hmm. Now what direction to go...

I forgot about the Ultrasone HFI-580

http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-HFI-580-Surround-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00101UHS8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1386815022&sr=8-4

 

[Kursah]

Ya I've looked at those before, I hear they have good bass too. And they're in my price range. The biggest complaints are lower deep bass compared to the D2000 and being substantially more uncomfortable. I suppose if they are similar to my HARX 700 I can tolerate them...but I have big ears so finding HP's that don't cause some pain...is well...a pain! lol! My HADX3's and D2000's are both the most comfortable HP's I've ever owned!

So I've read a lot of good and bad on the D600's, but you seem to have no comment on them. It seems that people that own both end up really enjoying them and some compare to the D5000...yet others hate them. Do you know anyone that's had any luck with them or should I keep looking elsewhere? I have time at this point...gotta find more money to make my budget work lol.

Edit: I am going to do some more serious research on the 580s though...that might be my best option!

 

[BumbleBee]

I don't like Ultrasone headphones but I thought I would mention them anyways. I don't like the Ultrasone house sound or fit and finish.

 

[Kursah]

What about the Denon D600 then? They don't look as nice as the D2000's but apparently are decent performers with detachable cables and a flatter curve but able to handle tons of bass...I know they're not worth $500 but what about 1/2 that or less? Used D2000's are so damn expensive now that they're so sought after and discontinued...it's frustrating. I should've bought another pair when I was making better money before school lol.

What else in my $250-ish or so price-range, closer to $200 the better would be worth my time? I appreciate your help and suggestions as always BumbleBee, your opinions are valued.