Help me decide on Headphones | AD - Beyer - Ultrasone

[AssyrianKing]

Hey guys,

OK lets start by saying I'm doing my head in trying to decide on what closed headphones to get.

My Requirements: I need something comfy, clear warm sound, good bass, closed circumaural, budget $200.00-$300.00
Uses: PC use for Music, Movies, Gaming.

I'm currently using onboard Audio and have Logitech Z-5500 system connected via Optical S/PDIF cable, Although I'm soon to be building a new PC and getting an X-Fi series Sound Card. My speakers have a digital decoder which everything plugs into and has a port for headphone jack, I think passing through my decoder the audio is fed raw and un-decoded and is all decoded via the decoder, so this might bypass my onboard encoder. But this may just apply to DTS/THX/Dolby for 5.1 and not effect head phones.

So here is a list of headphones I gathered, please all let me know what you suggest and why, please let me know any others you suggest which are not on list.

Audio Technica: ATH-A900 www.headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=143
Audio Technica: ATH-AD700 www.headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=178
Audio Technica: ATH-A700 www.headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=159
Ultrasone: HFI-700 DVD (Says this is same as 650, but specs appear diff?) www.headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=64
Ultrasone: HFI-650 Trackmaster www.headphones.com.au/psingle?prod* uctID=10
Ultrasone: HFI-500DJ1 www.headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=65
Beyerdynamic: DT440 www.headphones.com.au/ps...?productID=5#top

Also if anyone has links to real-world photos of these head phones I would appreciate it!

Thanks heaps guys!!!

 

[jaxvon]

I would suggest the Sony MDR-V6 or the Beyerdynamic DT-880.

 

[Nick250]

I am not familiar the headphone amp mentioned, but since you are a gamer the ability adjust the EQ for different situations might be useful and Behringer has had some good reports though I have never heard one.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation/behringer-live-sound-signal-processors?N=100001+304602+201184&Ns=Brand|0&g=live&page=1

The Grado line of headphones have an in your face sound that might be good for gaming. I listen to music only and use Senns HD580's. I also own the Grado's, forgot the model something, something 80 for around $80 as described above.

 

[aspaceintime]

try these...

I agree with jaxvon...the Sony MDR-V6

 

[Wafflesomd]

AKG 501's.

 

[zhimbo]

Since this seems to be a general Audio-Technica thing, it seemed appropriate to jump in here....I really like the "clip on" design for certain situations, but very few models exist, and most of them are cheap-o craptaculars. I have a pair of Koss KSC-75's which are a great buy and sound better than a <$20 pair of phones has any right to...but are still a big compromise.

Audio-Technica is perhaps the only company to make relatively "high end" clip-ons such as:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/a33c82c740bbe153/index.html


Reviews, which are not abundant, typically say they sound nice and detailed but "lack bass", which seems to be a consensus view of the A-T "sound". But "lacks bass" really means very different things to different people, and I haven't seen reviews from known trusted sources, and I haven't seen frequency response curves or specific listening comparisons to other headphones that would help me figure out what the sound (esp bass) is really like.

Not having heard or even seen an actual physical pair of A-T headphones, can anyone give a better description or point me to better information on the A-T "sound"?