What to buy?
- Thread starter jamesriley94
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jamesriley94
New member
770s yeh - essence no.
Going for a D2X I think instead. There's a £40 difference between the essence and the D2X. Is it really worth that?
Going for a D2X I think instead. There's a £40 difference between the essence and the D2X. Is it really worth that?
jamesriley94
New member
This is so confusing :/
Started with a budget of 180 for speakers, soundcard and headphones - up to £260 without even putting speakers on
That is like - the most expensive sound card around - do I really need it?
Started with a budget of 180 for speakers, soundcard and headphones - up to £260 without even putting speakers on
That is like - the most expensive sound card around - do I really need it?
jamesriley94
New member
What difference will I see between the DX and the essence?
Your opinion on audio seems the best there is - so if you say 'I personally wouldnt get it' I wont get it :lol:
If I bought the headphones, I'm guessing I could run them fine off my integrated audio for a few weeks before splashing out on a soundcard?
Your opinion on audio seems the best there is - so if you say 'I personally wouldnt get it' I wont get it :lol:
If I bought the headphones, I'm guessing I could run them fine off my integrated audio for a few weeks before splashing out on a soundcard?
jamesriley94
New member
Haha, I'll have to see then.
I'll have my mate on amazon prime order the headphones for monday.
We'll have to see about finances for the soundcard after that. I think I'll regret it if I dont get the essence - and hopefully I can get more from my student loan so my purchases of goodies
I'll have my mate on amazon prime order the headphones for monday.
We'll have to see about finances for the soundcard after that. I think I'll regret it if I dont get the essence - and hopefully I can get more from my student loan so my purchases of goodies
Kanped
New member
Awww... Pexon, you totally beat me to it (although I know nothing about internal sound cards).
Just a FYI, the reason those headphones are better to have is due to the fact that they have a flat frequency response. Most headphones will 'colour' the sound in some way (frequencies missing or exaggerated) but these don't, so you're hearing exactly what the audio engineer intended. I will say that you can get flat-frequency headphones for less money, though.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Techn...03ZW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346494480&sr=8-3
I've been using those for years and IMO, they're great for the money.
Best I've ever used, personally are;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K240-MK...NBAM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346494800&sr=8-3
but remember that they're semi-open and therefore don't block out noise and you can hear them pretty clearly in the room while you're wearing them. Probably not ideal for Uni.
Just a FYI, the reason those headphones are better to have is due to the fact that they have a flat frequency response. Most headphones will 'colour' the sound in some way (frequencies missing or exaggerated) but these don't, so you're hearing exactly what the audio engineer intended. I will say that you can get flat-frequency headphones for less money, though.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Techn...03ZW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346494480&sr=8-3
I've been using those for years and IMO, they're great for the money.
Best I've ever used, personally are;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K240-MK...NBAM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346494800&sr=8-3
but remember that they're semi-open and therefore don't block out noise and you can hear them pretty clearly in the room while you're wearing them. Probably not ideal for Uni.
jamesriley94
New member
So will I hear any difference between the Beyerdynamics and the Audio Technicas?
And are there any other closed, flat frequency response headphones you can recommend?
I don't really like the look of the Technica's tbh
Cheers
And are there any other closed, flat frequency response headphones you can recommend?
I don't really like the look of the Technica's tbh
Cheers
Kanped
New member
TBH, 4 years studying audio production and the name 'Beyerdynamics' never came up once, so I can't even compare for you. I will say that the info on their site is really good and going by their figures, it's really good gear. Honestly, I really don't trust Sennheiser or Shure anymore for anything other than dynamic microphones because the build quality has degraded significantly n the last decade or so. Shame. Roland aren't bad but they're made in the same factory as the Audio Technica stuff and sold at a higher price with a different logo so... yeah, pointless.
AKG really are the business, though. Everything of their's I've ever used has been outstanding. You could always go for the closed-back variant of the above model;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K171-MK...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346495793&sr=1-17
I haven't personally used the MKII but the originals were great. TBH, I wouldn't stray to far from those brands myself but by no means would I say there aren't other good brands out there. Fact is, if you want budget headphones, I think Audio Technica are the best, if you want high quality, AKG.
AKG really are the business, though. Everything of their's I've ever used has been outstanding. You could always go for the closed-back variant of the above model;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K171-MK...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346495793&sr=1-17
I haven't personally used the MKII but the originals were great. TBH, I wouldn't stray to far from those brands myself but by no means would I say there aren't other good brands out there. Fact is, if you want budget headphones, I think Audio Technica are the best, if you want high quality, AKG.
jamesriley94
New member
Would there be a difference between the AKGs and the Beyerdynamics?
Also - looking at the connector on the AKGs - are all of them like that?
The review on those AKGs also say that they dont fit around the ear but sit on them, which I'm not too sure if I'd want.
It would be nice to save 30 quid on them but I think I'd probably like to spend more and get the Beyers if they do fit completely around my ears?
Just need to see about the soundcard.
Thanks for all the advice so far
Also - looking at the connector on the AKGs - are all of them like that?
The review on those AKGs also say that they dont fit around the ear but sit on them, which I'm not too sure if I'd want.
It would be nice to save 30 quid on them but I think I'd probably like to spend more and get the Beyers if they do fit completely around my ears?
Just need to see about the soundcard.
Thanks for all the advice so far
Kanped
New member
I don't know what people are talking about in regard to the fit. The band running across the ear-pieces is taut so the pressure holds them to to your ear, same as any others. The AKGs are maybe smaller and rounder but IMO, this is much more comfortable; they still go over you whole ear.
OK, side-by-side comparison.
Frequency response;
BD: 5-35000 Hz
AKG: 18-26000 Hz
Frequency is (VERY) basically the pitch of the sound; higher frequency will produce a higher pitch, more more high-end in the sound, vice-versa for bass response. It seems like the BDs are way ahead but actually, your ear can only hear frequencies between 20Hz and 20000Hz (if you're lucky; I can only get 22-16000Hz. Too much rock), so both of these will cover the entire spectrum of human hearing.
Impedance:
BD; 250 Ohms
AKG: 55 Ohms
This gets a bit tricky here and depends on utility. Basically, the lower impedance will be louder overall but that isn't necessarily a good thing. If your amplifier (i.e., MoBo or sound card) has a high impedance, lower impedance headphones may cause some distortion at higher volumes, as well as some frequency loss. TBH, I doubt this will really affect you; the impedance of either the MoBo or the sound card should be fine for 55 Ohms (which isn't really low impedance, anyway). On the flip-side, I doubt very much that the BDs will be too quiet. There's a possibility that the AKGs may perform better if you opt for onboard sound but it's a pretty small factor IMO.
SPL;
BD: 96dB/mW
AKG: 94 dB/mW
Basically, how loud they are. You won't notice 2dB difference. One thing that bugged me is that while AKG specified the rating as 94dB/mW, BD had it just listed as 96dB. This bugs me because decibels are not to a scale; they are a relative measurement and need to be compared to another pressure level to be meaningful in any way, so simply stating that it's '96dB' is meaningless. They do clarify it if you mouse over but still, that's annoying.
The connector on the AKG is a removable mini-XLR connection. It locks into place and you could have it as a permanent fixture but IMO, it's great because a) You can transport the headphones ad cables separately rather than having to wrap the cable untidily, which will help it last longer and b) if it breaks, you can just get another mini-XLR to mini-jack cable rather than having to strip the wire and re-solder the connections (can be a bit of a pain in the arse but not THAT bad).
Again, I'd like to stress that I have not heard the BDs and they might be incredible but I have heard the AKGs and they're the best I've ever heard. IMO, either will be a good purchase and I doubt very much that you'll regret getting either.
OK, side-by-side comparison.
Frequency response;
BD: 5-35000 Hz
AKG: 18-26000 Hz
Frequency is (VERY) basically the pitch of the sound; higher frequency will produce a higher pitch, more more high-end in the sound, vice-versa for bass response. It seems like the BDs are way ahead but actually, your ear can only hear frequencies between 20Hz and 20000Hz (if you're lucky; I can only get 22-16000Hz. Too much rock), so both of these will cover the entire spectrum of human hearing.
Impedance:
BD; 250 Ohms
AKG: 55 Ohms
This gets a bit tricky here and depends on utility. Basically, the lower impedance will be louder overall but that isn't necessarily a good thing. If your amplifier (i.e., MoBo or sound card) has a high impedance, lower impedance headphones may cause some distortion at higher volumes, as well as some frequency loss. TBH, I doubt this will really affect you; the impedance of either the MoBo or the sound card should be fine for 55 Ohms (which isn't really low impedance, anyway). On the flip-side, I doubt very much that the BDs will be too quiet. There's a possibility that the AKGs may perform better if you opt for onboard sound but it's a pretty small factor IMO.
SPL;
BD: 96dB/mW
AKG: 94 dB/mW
Basically, how loud they are. You won't notice 2dB difference. One thing that bugged me is that while AKG specified the rating as 94dB/mW, BD had it just listed as 96dB. This bugs me because decibels are not to a scale; they are a relative measurement and need to be compared to another pressure level to be meaningful in any way, so simply stating that it's '96dB' is meaningless. They do clarify it if you mouse over but still, that's annoying.
The connector on the AKG is a removable mini-XLR connection. It locks into place and you could have it as a permanent fixture but IMO, it's great because a) You can transport the headphones ad cables separately rather than having to wrap the cable untidily, which will help it last longer and b) if it breaks, you can just get another mini-XLR to mini-jack cable rather than having to strip the wire and re-solder the connections (can be a bit of a pain in the arse but not THAT bad).
Again, I'd like to stress that I have not heard the BDs and they might be incredible but I have heard the AKGs and they're the best I've ever heard. IMO, either will be a good purchase and I doubt very much that you'll regret getting either.
PEXON
SleevingMaster
Sorry, sorry, you've been doing Audio 'engineering,' for 4 years and have never heard of Beyerdynamics? The 770's are used for tracking and mixing, by a hell of a lot of the producers of the type of music I listen too. Flat frequency is great for production but not for listening, stale, flat music isn't exciting. 240's are old now, they have been update, plus they are semi-open back and let in sound and let out sound. If you want to game late at night and listen to music, open back are not the best choice.
Look at reviews for the 770's they have better response, come in a wider variety of impedances, (go for 80) and are made better, ie. metal not plastic.
Look at reviews for the 770's they have better response, come in a wider variety of impedances, (go for 80) and are made better, ie. metal not plastic.
merrymustu
New member
Buy the corsair vengeance 1500 gaming headphones. I have them and they are superb for everything ranging from games, movies and music. They have 7.1 channel dolby pro logic II and are usb with built-in sound card. So you won't even need to buy a soundcard. I'm really happy with my purchase, check 'em out...
Kanped
New member
No, I studied audio engineering for 4 years. I've been doing audio engineering for about 10. In fairness, I got stuff I liked and stuck to it and it's a hobby, I'm not a pro. Qualified as a pro but I've never really done much work in the field (other than for my own bands).
I far prefer flat frequency for listening. If the track needed more bass, the producer would have given it more bass. You can hear everything properly rather than a wall of rumble in the low-end. I guess I'm outside of the norm on that one. I already made the point about the 240s being open-backed.
The better response is outside of the limits of human hearing, the impedances aren't going to make a huge difference and lower impedance may actually perform better without a sound card because onboard sound can sometimes be a little quiet. If I were going to have something resting on my head for hours on end, I'd take the plastic over the metal, personally.
I far prefer flat frequency for listening. If the track needed more bass, the producer would have given it more bass. You can hear everything properly rather than a wall of rumble in the low-end. I guess I'm outside of the norm on that one. I already made the point about the 240s being open-backed.
The better response is outside of the limits of human hearing, the impedances aren't going to make a huge difference and lower impedance may actually perform better without a sound card because onboard sound can sometimes be a little quiet. If I were going to have something resting on my head for hours on end, I'd take the plastic over the metal, personally.
jamesriley94
New member
I am edging more towards the Beyerdynamics because I like the name
And I do think they look really good too.
Can I ask Pexon - You say get the 80s, why do you have the 250s? Kanped has shed light on the differences, and I'm pretty sure I wont be maxing out the volumes of either tbh as I dont listen to music at insanely loud volumes. I just prefer the quality over how loud something is.
Thank you both of you for the advice and the teaching
And I do think they look really good too.
Can I ask Pexon - You say get the 80s, why do you have the 250s? Kanped has shed light on the differences, and I'm pretty sure I wont be maxing out the volumes of either tbh as I dont listen to music at insanely loud volumes. I just prefer the quality over how loud something is.
Thank you both of you for the advice and the teaching
