Headphone Suggestions

[diamondd]

well no big deal, as good as they probably sound they'd certainly have an inflated price with Dre written on the side

[Disco LT]

well no big deal, as good as they probably sound they'd certainly have an inflated price with Dre written on the side

I'm no music expert, but having only used cheap earbuds and Big W style headphones for years it was amazing to me - but not worth the $499 that Harvey Norman were asking, or the $250 I could find them for online..and then I'd be worried they were knock offs.

I spent a few hours researching when I came home looking for the same sound without the price tag and one of the more common recommendations were the Ultrasone HFI-580s, significantly cheaper from the US of course than available locally.

Of course there a lot of options, and the audiophiles on the forums mentioned lots of things I didn't understand, but the Beats by Dre are quite heavy on bass, and just sounded amazing. I can't wait until my Ultrasones arrive, and later I might look into an amp, even just a cheap one at first and then who knows?

I've never really looked into it before now, but apparently there is a lot more to music than meets the ear through a set of cheap speakers/headphones.

[diamondd]

I've never really looked into it before now, but apparently there is a lot more to music than meets the ear through a set of cheap speakers/headphones.

yeah definitely, when you start listening to things objectively you really start to notice these sorts of things. Some people might think that it would take the enjoyment out of listening to things so carefully but I find its quite the opposite.

sound is really important, my enthusiasm for it began with my guitar playing, then it slowly crosses over to how you listen to music, watch movies and play games

[mans]

I've never really looked into it before now, but apparently there is a lot more to music than meets the ear through a set of cheap speakers/headphones.

yeah definitely, when you start listening to things objectively you really start to notice these sorts of things. Some people might think that it would take the enjoyment out of listening to things so carefully but I find its quite the opposite.

sound is really important, my enthusiasm for it began with my guitar playing, then it slowly crosses over to how you listen to music, watch movies and play games

After spending a fair bit of money on a great sound setup I find myself enjoying good quality music a lot more but I cant listen to badly encoded MP3s any more without getting annoyed.

[diamondd]

After spending a fair bit of money on a great sound setup I find myself enjoying good quality music a lot more but I cant listen to badly encoded MP3s any more without getting annoyed.

yeah but I think that's worth the loss, NOBODY should be listening to <=128kbps

[Anon. E. Moose]

This thread has gotten me ridiculously keen to purchase those AD-700's someone suggested to me.

[hellbender]

If you can stretch your budget its worth going for the AD900's. If you cant, the AD700's are still good.

[diamondd]

If you can stretch your budget its worth going for the AD900's. If you cant, the AD700's are still good.

pretty big stretch... the 900's are like double lol

[Scarface.au]

This thread has gotten me ridiculously keen to purchase those AD-700's someone suggested to me.

AD700's are great value. When I got mine they were much more $$

[diamondd]

This thread has gotten me ridiculously keen to purchase those AD-700's someone suggested to me.

AD700's are great value. When I got mine they were much more $$

me too, had them for 4.5 years now, love them.

[10dollars]

I'm not sure how good the little amps are. I'm an audiophile but I don't know too much about amplifiers.
All I can say is:

The AD900 is easy to drive and does not require an amp for excellent performance, but a good amp will improve the sound even further.

Taken directly from headphones.com.au


Also, the Beats by Dre are terribly overpriced, and generally not worth it. Reading from reviews and personal experience. The money spent on other headphones would be better.

Look at http://www.headphones.com.au go on the forums, or ask the staff there for advice in your price range. They're helpful like that. Games.on.net is also a great source

Ninja edit:
If you can't afford a good sound card, why not get a DAC? It bypasses on-board sound and makes stuff sound better.

[Ninja Catfish]

Ninja edit:
If you can't afford a good sound card, why not get a DAC? It bypasses on-board sound and makes stuff sound better.

I just replaced an Essence STX sound card with an AudioEngine D1 USB DAC, love the little thing. My favourite part is that I can use it on any PC or Mac just by plugging it in, also it doesn't take up space on my motherboard.

[Epic Badger]

Try these guys, custom fitted in-ear monitors - as used by pro-DJs, musicians and F1 teams. They fill your ears with silicon to make a mould resulting in extreme comfort and highest quality sound. Got a pair of $1000+ Sennheisers that don't come close to the in-ear T3's (under $500). They easily blow away the Dr Dre things that came with a recent mobile phone purchase too.

If you want a set of Dr Dre's I'd be happy to sell on mine

http://www.acscustom.com/au/

[edit] Oh, sry, misread your budget thought it was up to $500

[Werewolph]

Lol, I take a look at the AC Custom website, and the first thing I see is a Quote from Rob Swire - The singer and main creative mind from Pendulum (My Favourite Band).

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598's, and comparing them to the AD900's they're slightly lacking in the low end frequency, but the mid to high range is dead on. Super comfortable too, and great for winter with their sueded comforters.