Getting j3, not sure about headphones yet

[elmejor06]

Hi guys,

I am getting the j3 next month and already know that I want to buy some High end headphones to go with it. I had the s9 in the past with some Sure scl2, but I lost the earbuds and the s9 was washed with my pants, which is ok, because now i have a real reason to get the j3 ;).
So the Sure where really good and i miss having such a great sound experience.

Here are my requirements for the new headphones:

max. pricing: 200$
I dont want them to let too much noise in, as im going to use them mostly on the go with my j3.
They should preferably have a 3.5mm jack, so I dont need to have any adapters.
I want them to be so high end, that I can enjoy the players full sound quality.
I like well balanced sound and most importantly clear sound.
Also I would like them to be over ear.

I listen to electronic music and sometimes rock or pop.

right now i cant think of anything else. I already have some phones in mind, but I want more suggestions from you before trying to choose.

[zimbuzki]

Well, Etymotics ER-4 Or 6i might suit you'r needs, there are some forums that talk about in ear phones, you could look them up, there realy is no BEST for the J3, it's all about what you pref. Oh and if you liked Shures SCL2 then why not get a pair of thos :3 `?

[elmejor06]

I am not getting the sures again, because I think the sound quality will be better on others because you cant put much of a speaker in in ears. I dont want in ears because of that reason.

[trefork]

Just got a pair of Future Sonics M5. Unbelievable. I'm comparing to my Shure and Ultimate Ears. These are the most well rounded with plenty of bass.

[elmejor06]

I actually want around the ear headphones. I am not looking for in ear solutions.

I was thinking about either getting the
Audio Technica ATH-M50 or the AKG K240 MKII what do you guys think?

any other suggestions?

[rubicon]

Grado sr225

[RaonCRm]

Sennheiser HD25-1 II

[sunset754]

Second that. Very good at isolating as well.[yes]

[zimbuzki]

Well i have Sennheiser HD25-1(the first model) but you will need an Amp for them, that might be a bit over your budget but it's worth it. Awesome isolation! and Awesome sound!

[zimbuzki]

Grado sr225

He wanted them to be isolated, not open air ones.

[elmejor06]

yeah, they need to be closed to isolate sound. Are the hd25-1 over ear all the way or do they lay on the ear?
What do you think of the Sennheiser HD 280 pro? Would I need an amp for that?
What is the best amp for its price under 100$?

[LWKING]

yeah, they need to be closed to isolate sound. Are the hd25-1 over ear all the way or do they lay on the ear?
What do you think of the Sennheiser HD 280 pro? Would I need an amp for that?
What is the best amp for its price under 100$?

I'm more of an earbud person but I've tested the HD 280 pro. For your budget, I think you can do better. As far as an amp I don't remember how much it improved. Now I last heard these about a year ago so take my words with a little grain of salt :P.

Check out www.head-fi.org. You'll all the information you need with a little digging. Oh and dont sleep on earbuds! TM5 ftw :jamming:

[mastodon]

I actually want around the ear headphones. I am not looking for in ear solutions.

I was thinking about either getting the
Audio Technica ATH-M50 or the AKG K240 MKII what do you guys think?

any other suggestions?

Audio Technica is probably the best quality for your dollar. While I use their in-ear headphones, I used a friend's ATH-M50 for a weekend not long ago and they were very good.

[DAPmagic]

Re: Sennheiser HD25-1 II are they so closed that it feels like you're wearing a stethoscope? I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 281 headphones. I don't wear them outdoors because it feels like I can hear my heart beating. [wacko]

[elmejor06]

I forgot to mention that I listen to electronic music mainly although I am not a basshead. I like some bass, but if it gets too much I get a headache. I like listening to the melodies, so mids and highs should be very clear.

I searched on the headfi forum and am now in between the Audio Technica ATH-M50 and the Ultrasone pro 650/550.

What would you suggest?

[zimbuzki]

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 are a bit big for my taste, and that 180 turning thing is a huge turnoff for me, i dont trust that kind of gimics, and that cord is not so mobile, hard to put under a shirt and will be in your way if not under the shirt, they are more for a Dj/Studio stuff(apearently) -12dB isolation, wich is good

Ultrasone pro 650/550 are a bit expensive and the isolation is -10dB wich normal, also the gimicy fold in thing is just meh.

Both of them are big cans, wich a a big disconfort if it's hot outside, or if you need them to just hang on your neck, it's a hard pick, wich i wont make [no]

if i were you i would be looking in to earpads and not full sized cans.

[elmejor06]

Ok, I made a decision. Im going with the ultrasone.

Thanks for all the input, it helped me a lot!

[zimbuzki]

Ok, I made a decision. Im going with the ultrasone.

Thanks for all the input, it helped me a lot!

Well good luck, get Amp for them thou, will help ALOT with sound, the 550's have 64 Impedance and the 660's have 75, Aka: they are ment for studio/mixing stuff, so they should be plugged in to a high output source.

[sygoomei]

I've always been happy with my AKG K171/271's. They're quite flat in response and a little... technical? sounding, but with the right effects they overcome these issues. The 171/271 are built AMAZINGLY sturdy. I think of no other headphones I've stepped on, slept in and rolled on, etc and are still around. Heck, skateboarding down a hill with them on and having them fall off, dragging behind me for at least 20 feet at probably 20km/h. Good build quality with no hinges to break. Great sound and closed back, so they isolate about 10db. The 171's isolate much better, but the bass response isn't so great.

Long&mcquade just at these on sale for $217 from 269. I'm sooo happy I picked up a pair of the 271's. However, I've moved onto some ihome portable speakers which have been rocking my world. Just throw the speakers in both back pockets of some pants and pump music into the world! Much better for the ears and you can spread rare and bizarre music to the general populace!

[Kanojo]

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-XONE-Hi-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B000WA3DLG

I have those. I do not regret the purchase at all.

[zimbuzki]

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-XONE-Hi-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B000WA3DLG

I have those. I do not regret the purchase at all.

with a full name of:
Allen & Heath XONE:XD53 Hi-Resolution DJ Headphones

[thumbdwn]

[joe75]

Cowon D2 - Accedentally smashed it by running against a handlebar > Cowon s9 - Got washed with my pants > Cowon j3 - soon to be happy owner of



Bets are on my friends,
I bet its next J3 will be run over by a bus or fall in the fireplace :)

Just kidding, have fun with your J3

[elmejor06]

I think both run over by a bus and fall into the fireplace would be the most dramatic of them all... ;)

[zimbuzki]

I think both run over by a bus and fall into the fireplace would be the most dramatic of them all... ;)

how about you get waterproof and shockproof case for it this time, and then it will get stolen :(

[elmejor06]

Comming back to the topic one last question: Will a Fiio E5 be ok to amp the Ultrasone?

[sygoomei]

My bro's D2 literally blew up when he poked a needle into the reset button. It sparked and the back melted off with blue flames erupting from the battery (or something). It was about the most dramatic ending to an electronic device I've ever seen... It even left a huge black scar in the ground!

But seriously, why are you amping your J3? It's not as if you have a direct line out and the J3 is so loud by itself that you could do serious damage to your ears long before needing an amp! I tend to listen to my J3 with K271's at 55 impedance at 17-23 in noisy environments and 9-14 in quiet neihbourhoods. In a quiet room I can easily make out 1-5.

The J3 hurts my ears in quiet environments at 17 and on rare occasion, with all 3 highest bands on the eq to -8 to -12 and the lower two at +12 and m3b, etc all maxed out, I"ll listen to a 27 for a few seconds before turning it down.

[zimbuzki]

My bro's D2 literally blew up when he poked a needle into the reset button. It sparked and the back melted off with blue flames erupting from the battery (or something). It was about the most dramatic ending to an electronic device I've ever seen... It even left a huge black scar in the ground!

But seriously, why are you amping your J3? It's not as if you have a direct line out and the J3 is so loud by itself that you could do serious damage to your ears long before needing an amp! I tend to listen to my J3 with K271's at 55 impedance at 17-23 in noisy environments and 9-14 in quiet neihbourhoods. In a quiet room I can easily make out 1-5.

The J3 hurts my ears in quiet environments at 17 and on rare occasion, with all 3 highest bands on the eq to -8 to -12 and the lower two at +12 and m3b, etc all maxed out, I"ll listen to a 27 for a few seconds before turning it down.

Amp is not about making it louder, it's about making it better, here is a site for all of you who dont know about amp's:

http://www.battlemouth.com/2010/05/20/the-mystic-headphone-amplifier/

i could find something with more technical data if needed

Comming back to the topic one last question: Will a Fiio E5 be ok to amp the Ultrasone?

Fiio E5 is realy small and cheep amp(if you can call it that) wich will give you some hiss to the sound, i would not reccomend it for all day use, but it costs like 10$ so you might want to try it out.

a good amp is not that expensive, as the article stated out, it's about 100$ and if you have some high impedance phones, you will want to drive them with amp, MUCH better sound guality, trust me on this one.

Oh and amp helps to save the battery on your J3 to, just for a bit thou(you dont have to crank it up so high with amp)

[elmejor06]

so which amp do you recommend for my purposes?

[zimbuzki]

so which amp do you recommend for my purposes?

As the article stated, any 100$ amp(even from ebay) that has some good reviews/comments will give you alot of pleasure out of your cans, i think most online places has some kind of 100$ amp for sale, you could also look in to building your own if you are in to that kind of stuff(it's a bit hard)

Oh wait, Germany, i have the perfect thing for you :D

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Zigis-audio-lab

this guy makes good amps, and they arent that expensive.

Just pick one you like, he has 1 amp with DC input, if you want it to be portable and Desktop, then he has just the desktop amps, and 2 Portable amps without DC in, and just dif boxes, also you will need a Male-to-Male cord for it, you can get his, wich is not bad deal, he makes good cords, and it's not that expensive.

[sygoomei]

My understanding was that there was no point in amping a unit that didn't have a direct line out like an ipod or something. Does the J3 have the capability via the weird usb jack?

[zimbuzki]

My understanding was that there was no point in amping a unit that didn't have a direct line out like an ipod or something. Does the J3 have the capability via the weird usb jack?

you'r undestanding is incorrect. There is a point of amping the J3 for big cans(40-50+impedance) becos the J3 alone wont be able to make that much output by itself, it needs a bit help with them.

And no, the direct line out is not MUST for amping, you can amp just fine with the standard jack

[elmejor06]

I think I might try making a cmoy amp myself. Sounds kind of interesting. Now that ive got holiday, and I still need to wait three weeks till my j3 arrives. If i get it done I might post some pictures.

[zimbuzki]

I think I might try making a cmoy amp myself. Sounds kind of interesting. Now that ive got holiday, and I still need to wait three weeks till my j3 arrives. If i get it done I might post some pictures.

Good Luck[thumbsup]