Hi, I'm from the magic northern European country of Denmark, no mountains. After watching some of the "make your own gaming headsets" video on the tube, so I have decided to decent into the deeper end of the dwimming pool. Currently I have a Razer Tiamat 2.2, but the cult doesn't suffice anymore. So I thinking of getting me some of that audio sugar.
I have found two headset I fancy, Sennheiser Urbanite XL and the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X.
Thanks.
And if you're a timelord thanks, thanked, thank, tank, tnx. :D
I'm not set on either closed or open, ciem- what now? Brb googling. Well.. I'm not sure I can afford a Californian Institute of Electronics and Science Materials (joke-aside, I'm not sure that's avaliable in Denmark, hard import taxes, the most high end iems I could find was by Beats).
I guess I mostly listen to stuff like rock, hard-rock, metal, different genres of electronic and.. *cough* *cough* 80'es *cough* pop *cough* music.
Different shooters, Battlefield, CoD. Will be Desktop use only, mostly, primarily, might occasionally use it elsewhere with a phone. I'm in a fairly quit environment.
I'm using a soundcard, cause my MB doesn't support 5.1 surround... I can't as of now afford a DAC/Amp, but I would like to in the future.
I am pretty sure that Cosmic Ears ciems (custom in ear monitors, molded to your ears; the Ulimate Ears RM is a ciem) are made somewhere in Europe, though I don't know where, and I don't know if that helps you out any. I am unfamiliar with the way things are there in Europe for the most part. Which brings me to the next point. Do you have a link or something where I can look at the prices that you would pay for things there? I don't know the prices there off the top of my head.
For all of the genres of music that you listed, I would definitely recommend the HP100 or HP150 (sound the same, just different cables and looks). They do well with just about any genre that I through at them. They are fast enough for most metal (don't have the instrument separation that I require fro techdeath and orchestral pieces though), have the sub-bass response for electronic and pop, and have the highs necessary for rock. I would look there if I were you. Best of all, they are easy to drive. Though with you using a sound card, you might want to look into getting an extension cable. Those always make things easier.
More or less all website vendors in Denmark are linked up to this site. http://www.pricerunner.dk/
From what I can see, the price difference is roughly double of that of the Amazon, prices are cheap in non-socialist taxed Americas.
Anyway, here the price cab between the HP100 (HP150 not available) and the Sennheiser and Audio-Technica ones is about 67'ish USD.
I was looking at something at the 300 USD mark, dem Sennheiser does sure look bithcin', but those Soundmagic HP100 would possibly give me a all round better experience then the previous mentioned?
By the way, I should probably mention my not yet glorious audio setup. It's the cheap Asus Xonar card that could fit a PCI slot with 5.1 surround, connected to a Logitech Z506 and I'm using the front panel IO for the headset.
"Don't give me cross. Stop repeating "the power of Christ compells you!"
The Urbanite and the AD700x have completely different sounds. The Urbanite has bloated bass and is generally a Beats competitor. Meanwhile, the AD700x sound thin and lack bass response a lot. The AD700x is great for positional audio and a spacious sound, but will make music sound thin, like you are listening to a tin can a bit. Meanwhile, the Urbanite will have boomy bass taht is sort of all over the place, coloring the rest of the audio (though I am not as familiar with the Urbanite as I steer clear of "urban"/Beats type of audio).
The HP100 is sort of a mix of both. It has good bass impact without imposing on the mids. It has good treble response, though it doesn't have the spaciousness of the AD700x. Overall, it is a better, more balanced headphone imo than either of the others. Also, I prefer closed headphones in general since even the sound of typing is enough to get in the way of music with open headphones in my experience. So yeah, I think that is the right choice if you can swing it. You said the difference was about 67, but in which direction? Is the HP100 more expensive?
Oh yes, my mistake. The HP100's is about 67 USD cheaper then Urbanite ones.
Thank you very much for the help, now I feel a bit wiser on all this music stuff, planning on going to my local hi-fi store and get some demonstrations so I can feel and hear what all this jazz means.
Also noob question, I couldn't help, but notice on some headphones there frequency got well below and above the Hz of human hearing? I guess those two hertz bands ain't 100% related?
Headphones aren't like computer parts. There is no "best" only different (within reason). The HD650 is not what he is looking for and probably not available within his budget in his country anyway. Besides, adding a DAC and amp to that would put this way out of his budget.
Best of luck. I hope you find something that satisfies you. Remember, audio is about making you happy. If you find something you like, then that is all you really need (unless there is a cheaper alternative of course ;) ).
When going to a hifi store, I would recomend to try them tru your phone. It will be much closer sound to your mobo than when they feed it thru their hi-end amp.
Have you considered making a quick run into Germany to make the purchase, as many many audio companies are based in Germany and might be cheaper due to import tariffs and lesser taxation.
It would easily cost me another 100-150 USD if not more to travel to Germany and then if something goes wrong with the headphone it'll be a pain to send it back to the store. Of course you could argument that I could get a lot of cheap booze on my trip, but I simply don't have that kind of money for it to be worth while.
Hello again, as a follow up, I ultimately decided to go with a pair of Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ear. They cost the same as the other, but should have a more "mature" sound signature instead of being more bass oriented as the Urbanite XL ones. They sound amazing and are very stylish. I do see how my final choice is none of the mentioned above, but at least I did as master of many resolutions said and steer off Beats by Dre-alike headphones and I'm happy with it! :)