Decommissioning the Razer Kraken headset very soon, thanks to an upgrade to a Blue Yeti desktop microphone. Just need a good pair of headphones for gaming, light video editing and also be comfortable enough/compact to be used for music on the mobile when I'm out and about.
I have it narrowed down to the Grado sr60i and the Bose ae2.
Out of those two I would probably go for the Grado's just for sheer build quality, clarity, and for the openness of the soundstage. However I would also consider the Audio Technica ATM-M50's, Sennheiser 558's, Sony MDR7506's, or the V-MODA Crossfade LP's in that price range. Just my 2 cents...
Hmmm the V-MODA Crossfade LP look interesting, thanks :D
I just purchased and am currently pleasantly wearing the Beyerdynamic dt880 premiums. I love them. Owned the 990s previously and i i prefer them for the bass but the 880's are fine. When I bought the 990s they were cheaper which is odd.
Now that blue yeti. Do you like it? does it pick up a lot of sound, I have blue key switches? I currently have a soundblaster sound card that comes with a microphone that is noise cancelling. Would the blue yeti be an upgrade? I am close to buying o ne because I don't like the keyswitch to chat and would prefer a mute button which the yeti has
Well, the 990s are cheaper due to materials used and they are not an analytical headphone at all. I don't hate them, but I would never use them for anything... ever. The 880's have a much cleaner sound that is more true to the source. If you need more of a HiFi sound and you want boomy bass, the 990s are better. If you want more precise sound with tighter bass the 880's are better.
On the the Grado... The ichyness gets better as the pads get some use and break in. They are more rigid at first. Also, the larger pads really help. Grado makes some, and these are OK too: http://amzn.to/1irSM0u
So its narrowed down to the V-MODA and the Grado, both seem like great pieces of equipment. Now to discuss which would serve me the best for what I need.
Gaming, music, light video editing, and to use on my phone for music when out and about :D
Well for music, both headphones are ok.......ish.
For gaming, neither. I would buy another razer headset before I use either of those headphones. The vmodas have 0 sound stage and the grados have a very odd sound stage. Neither of them do really well for positional audio what so ever, and both are fairly uncomfortable after about 2 hours of use.
Light video editing? If you are editing any sound on the video. Neither. Both options are just terrible for editing.
For music while you are out on your phone. Vmoda would be your best bet. They are very rugged and closed back, so your music will be private and your headphones should last a fair amount of time to boot.
Here is the reality. There is not a single headphones that can do everything you want to do well. It just does not exist.
For gaming, music, and video editing, you are going to want open headphones. Open headphones are going to have a greater chance of proving you with a big open sound stage as opposed to closed back headphones.
For editing in particular, you will want something that is fairly natural/accurate sounding. The Vmodas have a lot of bass and treble, but the mids are slightly recessed, and the grados are treble cannons.
I think the sennheiser 558s would be a much better choice for your computer because they do have a good sound stage for gaming, and they are way more accurate for video editing. Plus, there are video guides that show you how to turn the 558s into 598s.
The draw back is that they leak a bunch of noise, so they are not great for portable use.
For portable use with your phone, closed back headphones are indeed the way to go. I would suggest you figure out something else for portable use such as a cheap pair of decent IEMs like the klipisch image 4s that you can find on sale from time to time.
Hmmm ok, so I'm just going to get a separate pair for music on the go lol.
Just need a pair now for gaming and video editing :)
If you look around enough, you can probably find a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50's for around $100. I own them myself and I have the say, they're the best pair of headphones you can get at the $100 price range.
Though those are nice cans, they aren't really the best for their price or for what hes looking for. I've used the m50s and sr80i/sr225i and strongly believe that grados are the way to go if you aren't looking for strictly analytic/super flat.
Loving my sr225is, glad I jumped the gun on the sr80is instead of getting some cheap sonys for $30 again.
Still none the wiser on the headphone front lol.
Considering the "Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro" atm, just for video editing and gaming, any thoughts?
Find an audio shop and listen to them, only way know.
Sadly no where round my neck of the woods sells anything even slightly resembling a decent pair of headphones lol.
Krackens make my ears bleed. Not a Razer hater, but there are MUCH better options. Check out the audio Technica AD700x or AD900x. I've tried them in store and they sounded excellent even from my phone. IMO, they sound better than the m50s
I've also owned the grado sr225i and they were just too uncomfortable for me. The on ear design hurt me ears and I couldn't use them for more than 2 hours.