I'm looking to replace a pair of Sennheiser HD485 headphones I use at home with something better.
I've been looking at AKG702 and Philips Fidelio X1/00 sets, but can't quite make up my mind as to which to go for, just wondering if anyone has any insight into which might be the better pair, they are both available for around £170-£180 on Amazon at the moment.
Of course if someone suggests a different set they might think are better I'll look into those too.
Last edited by HSH28 on Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Best pair I've ever owned, sound quality is incredible. There is someone on the forum though who recommended them to me, I'm sure he'll pop up in here and get you a good pair.
AKG K701 * AKG K550 * AKG K450 or K451 * Sennheiser HD595 or HD598 Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Grado SR80i *
* indicates highly recommended
The 702s are reference headphones, if you're looking for a balanced sound (a flat frequency response. they're designed for recording and mastering engineers who require an uncoloured output) they'll do you well - especially if you do any sound work. They're still cracking headphones though. Otherwise I'd suggest the 701s, which are a classic. The Grados are the low-mid range headphones - outclasses nearly everything in the £50-£150 range. AKG are a solid bet, the ATs are a mainstay of gaming audiophiles and the Sennheisers are good all rounders.
The above list gives you the rundown of the best headphones in that price range. The only good set in the Phillips Fidello range are the M1BTs, but they're wireless so expect to pay a premium for very little reward.
Avoid: Soundmagic (outside of their portable range) Low to mid range Sennheisers Any company that also makes tellys. Buying from resellers on Amazon Buying headphones based upon how "bassy" (read: crap high frequency response, boosted bass frequencies to compensate) they sound
Do: Buy from Amazon themselves. Try the headphones for a week, if you don't like 'em, send 'em back. Listen back to music that you know well, to get an idea of what the headphones sound like
Reviews would seem to suggest that the Fidelio X1 are a really good set of headphones, the issue with them being they don't have replaceable ear pads.
Is there something wrong with them other than that, that I'm missing?
The other thing is that I'm probably going to be plugging them in at least some of the time direct to a device without any kind of external amp, would the K702's be up to that or do they definitely need an amp? I'm definitely not doing any sound work, but the idea of a balanced sound appeals and they seem to be a great price at £166 (the 701's are more).
Oh apparently they are now built in China as opposed to Austria, something to be worried about?
HSH28 » Tue May 27, 2014 7:56 am wrote:Reviews would seem to suggest that the Fidelio X1 are a really good set of headphones, the issue with them being they don't have replaceable ear pads.
Is there something wrong with them other than that, that I'm missing?
The other thing is that I'm probably going to be plugging them in at least some of the time direct to a device without any kind of external amp, would the K702's be up to that or do they definitely need an amp? I'm definitely not doing any sound work, but the idea of a balanced sound appeals and they seem to be a great price at £166 (the 701's are more).
Oh apparently they are now built in China as opposed to Austria, something to be worried about?
The X1s are fine, but I'd rather go with a more trusted brand, or more established pair of headphones. The ones I recommended will be far easier to get help with, or replacement parts, should something go wrong.
The K702s should be able to run without an amp, but would probably benefit from having one.
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
Fiio E07K
The E17 worth an extra £30?
Unless you're playing back 192kHz/24-bit stuff, no.
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
Fiio E07K
Bought. Thanks for the advice and good timing as have been looking for a week and didn't have a clue what to buy.
Arriving Thursday, better be good or may god have mercy on your soul.
This will actually increase the volume of my music from my Iphone right? (prob should have checked first)
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
Fiio E07K
The E17 worth an extra £30?
Unless you're playing back 192kHz/24-bit stuff, no.
Might end up using it on more than just my PC so I went for the E17 anyway.
E17 and K702s should be coming today, in fact they are on the delivery truck where I live as I type this.
Pretty strawberry floating awesome so far, not quite sure what the E17's are doing at the moment, but the headphones are amazing.
Question for anyone more used to having high quality headphones, what's the advice on volume? My normal inclination is to turn the volume up as high as I possibly can without hearing any distortion. With this combination that appears to be as high as it will let me, any problem with that as far as the equipment is concerned? Don't want to break anything.
HSH28 » Wed May 28, 2014 6:54 pm wrote:If I did want to buy some kind of portable headphone amp then is there anything standout that doesn't cost an awful lot that's actually worth buying?
Fiio E07K
Bought. Thanks for the advice and good timing as have been looking for a week and didn't have a clue what to buy.
Arriving Thursday, better be good or may god have mercy on your soul.
This will actually increase the volume of my music from my Iphone right? (prob should have checked first)
Yes it will. It comes with a jack-to-jack connector. They also sell a specific iPhone adapter called an L3, which gives you line out from the iPhone. The cool thing about this is that it means your iPhone does none of the amplification, just the E07K. http://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-Line-Dock- ... ds=fiio+l7