I had a pair of Sennheiser HD485s that I bought last year with recommendations from Massassi. They've worked great, until today. I was playing TF2 and had the volume up kind of loud, but not brain shatteringly loud. The action gets busy and all of a sudden the right can dies. I think I blew the can, cause no amount of jiggling the cord brought any sound back.

So I ordered a pair of Grado S-60s. Discuss my awesome decision, or talk about the headphones you own.

Totally awesome. Thread over. If the thread continues, I will post funny headphone pictures.

I would have dialed up Sennheiser.

Like any good audio company, they probably would have fixed them for the cost of shipping.

So you could have had essentially new headphones four $8-16. But you're a bonehead. Go you.

Yes, and it's probably something fixable by switching the cable to a better one.

in many instances i've heard the Audio Technica ATH-A*00 series being the best for gaming use

personally i wouldn't know i don't use headphones for games

Grado is very overrated. They suck for gaming. The SR-60s are good but anything past that is worthless.


Okay.

Beyerdynamic DT 880, one of the best dynamic headphones in existence. They are flat and neutral, and respond very well to equalization, with little distortion (because I love bass).


I haven't used them in a long time, though, because between the velour and my thick, luscious hair, they itch.

I started using these instead, the Etymotic ER-4P. They are in-ear-monitors that provide and unbelievable level of clarity. They're also flat and neutral, and respond well to equalization.



Lately, for convenience, I have been using these UFOs, the Koss KSC75s. Easily the best headphones under $80 at around $15.

Actually, according to Sennheisers repair policy, there is a minimum $35 charge for evaluation, which can be applied towards repair if I choose to repair them. I just decided it was a better deal to get a new pair of headphones altogether. Plus, I didn't really like how flimsy the headband and the can connections to the headband are.

But you're so great at at knowing exactly what I did and didn't look up before deciding, and knowing all the factors that go in everybody's decision making process. Go you.



I tried another cable. Unless it's an issue with the internal cabling of the headphones, it wasn't a cable issue. Plus, I've had cables go bad in the past on cheap headphones, and there is usually some crackling and static before a can goes out. This time, the sound just quit.

Yes. If you do it through their website, there's a price estimation process, except it'll almost always come out free. They repaired my HD600s for free.

Were you driving your headphones directly from your soundcard? If so, what soundcard? Speakers don't blow from too much power, they blow from the amplifier clipping and sending DC into the them. When a speaker is ruined from too much power, either the surround will tear or the coil will melt. It's very difficult to make that happen, especially with headphones, where you would go deaf before tearing the diaphragm.

I ask because, if there is a problem with your soundcard, it may very well happen again on a new set of headphones. It's also likely that it was just part failure.

The best dynamic headphones for videogames are either Beyerdynamic 770/or higher, and the Senn 555's or higher. I hear a lot of people like the Senn 595's a lot also for games, and as Emon said, the Darth Beyer DT 880's are awesome as well.

or Audio Technicas (awesome for metals too!)

While it is true those are all fine for gaming, most headphones are. Grados are the only ones that I know of that are bad, since they tend to collapse the stereo image somehow. Also, this is sounding an awful lot like advice from Head-Fi. Head-Fi is a horrible horrible site filled with many idiots. It's like the Slashdot of the audio community. There are a few smart, even very smart people, but they get drowned out by the idiots. The for sale forums are the best part.

Ars Technica has a great all around community with an A/V forum populated by many smart folk. Hydrogen Audio is another good one, and is pretty much the exact opposite. It's in their forum rules that you can't make subjective claims without blind testing results. Well, you can, you just get lambasted for it.

Also stop posting that Jecklin Float picture, srsly.

Thanks for referring me to those sites. I do need to learn more about headphones, and head-fi is just "Which headphones are best lol?"

Currently I'm using Beyer DT990's post 2005 edition. They're alright. Somewhere in the pile.

"That depends, what kind of music do you listen to?"


It's not that you can't find useful information on Head-Fi, it's that it's a trap for the ignorant. Unless you're already knowledgeable, it will be difficult to separate the facts from the crap. In general, people that describe the sound with other, unrelated adjectives are idiots. Things like "light, glowing highs and deep, textured bass only complemented the delicate and smooth midrange."

Anyone who is a "subjectivist" is an idiot and should be ignored. These are basically people that reject scientific evidence so they can further their stupid audiofool hobby. People that buy aftermarket cables, people who think different jacks and plugs sound different, people who think different capacitors and resistors sound different. Beyond the measurable electrical characteristics, that is. Audio grade caps are legit, ones from say, Panasonic and other reputable manufacturers. But capacitors made from silk, beeswax and paper? What the hell? :downs:

Oh, power cords, that's a good one too. People that buy or make their own custom power cords because they think it reduces the noise that comes into the amp. So I suppose the like, dozens of miles of aluminum and copper wire connecting them to the power plant doesn't matter? Electrons just fly out of the socket! :downs:

and as for my headphones

Sennheiser HD580 (hooked up to my computer)

Sennheiser EH2200 (lately these are used mainly for late night rocking on my guitar)

Sony MDR-E888 (stay in better than the rebranded sennheiser buds that came with my mp3 player and sound a hell of alot better than the rebranded buds and the Sony EX-71s i had and lost)

Etymotic ER-6 (would love some ER-4p like what emon has but these fit my budget better.. used with my somewhat portable CD setup)

i also have rebranded sennheiser buds which came with my mp3 player but they have been packed away ever since i got my E888s and i have some EX-71s somewhere... i just can't seem to find them

and i agree with emon on many points... i only visit head-fi to post on the "last thing you bought" thread and laugh when someone posts a $8397689576748967837 6" mini-mini cable (i also recently participated in the destroy your ibuds contest by blowing the crap out of a pair of cheapo koss buds)

Emon, after reading your comments, I have cancelled my order. I'll call Sennheiser tomorrow and see what they say. I may decide to get a headset w/ microphone instead.

I had the pre-2005 990s. I thought they were kind of...bad. They have a weird boomy, almost echo sound do them. If I covered the grilles with my hands, it went away. The 770 is just like the 990 but closed, which leads me to think the 770 doesn't suffer from this problem. I'd say best to worst is 880 > 770 > 990. I really don't know why Beyerdynamic promited the 990 to flagship product again.

If you live in the US, go here:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/mat_dev/eclipse/open-new.asp

Ive got some cheap, yet quality, ten$ headphones i got at walmart.
Came with a good mic too.

i recently bought a cheap pair of IEMs from the drugstore and was suprised by the comfort i get from them. more comfortable than any headphone i've ever used, except for large ear cans. (obviously i have no idea what i'm talking about, prolly a better term for them.)

only problem is, i've had them for like 2 weeks and have already killed one of the things...the part you put in your ear...whatever. came with two spares but because they're cheap drugstore things cant get more if i break 2 more.

what are some good general purpose ones with durable ear plugger upper thingies? budget...i dunno under 50$ would be nice.

Ford, Sharp MD-33. Check audiocubes.com. They are similar to many Sony models people recommend. There are a lot of rebranded versions of various phones of this class.

I love that awesome set of phones in that pic.

I'm listening to music through HD485s right now. I've had mine for over a year and they're still rock solid. Only issue I've had is that there's some tiny pieces of loose plastic or something that occasionally rattle around in the cans.

i have a pair of HD515s i use all the time. they rock \m/