am I asking too much from headphones?

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haadij404

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I have Koss KSC75's and I think they are amazing. I bought the Audio Techinica ATH-AD700's thinking I would get a great improvement and I am really dissapointed to be honest. Bass is quite lacking and the high's are pretty intense. I mean I got the koss' for less then then $10 and I honestly think they sound 98% as good as the $100 AD700's. I am going to return them tomorrow because they just didn't cut it for me. I have listened to them connected to a dedicated sound card (Asus Xonar and spdif out to a DAC) and they still barely sound better then the Koss'.

Are there any headphones under $100 that are justifiably better then the KSC75's in terms of sound quality? These koss' are quite legendary for how good they sound and for much they cost. Should I just stick with them?

I want phones that have good bass response but that don't muddle the mid's and highs. I am looking at these sennheisers. The HD280's are also pretty nice looking but I read they have slightly weak bass and the highs can be to over powering.

I think I might just been spoiled by the Koss'.
 
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If you are okay with a closed circumaural design - I'd get a DT770 Pro (32 or 80 ohm)
 
PX-100 are great, the best available under $100 IMO, but the Koss really are a gem at the price they sell for. It may just be diminishing returns territory for you. Neither have really powerful bass, but the PX-100 is a clear step up from the Koss', and another gem for their price.

DT-770 Pro is great, I have them as well, but I think for this money you would probably be more satisfied with a Denon AHD-2000.
 
A few things.

One, sound is very subjective, you may prefer the sound of a different pair of headphones over another pair.
Two, if you've listened to the same pair of headphones for a while, your ears will have become used to them. Now trying on another pair of headphones, your mind will immediately notice all the differences, and will be in a little shock from the experience ;P

The AD700's are some of the best sounding headphones in the medium to low price point, yet some people just don't like them. Most people like a slight emphasis on bass (bit more boomy as well), and highs that aren't so sharp, so when they listen to a pair of AD700's it's kind of the opposite of what they were hoping for. The highs are a little sharp, and the bass a little tight and recessed, yet their response pretty damn good.

Perhaps try out the AD700's for a week, then try the KSC75's again, and see what you think of the difference after your mind has adjusted itself.
 
I had both the HD280 and the AD700s for a time and the HD280s just didn't sound nearly as clear as the AD700, so I sold off the HD280s. It did have more bass than the AD700, but still not a lot if that's what you were looking for so I wouldn't recommend them.
 
Did you try the KSC75 with a good amp? I like to eq down the treble, increase mids and bass slightly. They sound great from my receiver. KSC35's are my favorite headphones though - I prefer them to the SR60/80 (I haven't tried the 'i' versions though).
 
I went through about ten pairs before I found some that I liked enough to keep. I suggest you buy used on one of the headphone sites and resell the ones you don't like to save money.
 
The Denon D2000 cans are pretty amazing. Pretty big price drop on them at Amazon right now for $214. They are highly regarded by audiophiles and don't require a separate amp to run them ( of course, using a headphone amp will really bring out their true colors). But, out of the box, they are amazing.
 
I picked up the Denon a while back used for 200 because they were so expensive at the time. They are awesome. Tons of Bass and still remain clear. Sounded pathetic off my titanium but off the Zero they sound amazing.
 
The HD280 aren't overwhelming in the higher frequencies (albeit a bit edgy), though they are most assuredly a bit underwhelming in bass response. That being said, just a dab of EQ can get them in the ballpark. Their presentation at that point can become pretty neutral and relatively nice. Very good in gaming, especially competitively, but not that fantastic for a fair amount of music and intense action movies. They're worth the $100 -- abso-fuckin'-lutely -- but they're also cans you might want to complement with some other pair that can handle bass-demanding tasks with a little more gusto.

With some of the higher-end cans, you gain some qualities that lend themselves to music listening, like less harshness at the high end, but you don't gain a lot of what I'd call "quality". As far as the overall sound is concerned, you can get that with very low-cost cans. That part is pretty easy. Making a set of headphones that really excels in a particular area because of other qualities is tougher, and that's what really segments the market. At that point, headphones end up filling these various sonic preference niches and you have to spend some time trying to find out which cans best suit your preferences.
 
thanks for the replies fellas.

I will take a closer look at the recommendations and try to find out which will best serve me.

I read the PX100 was a little worse the PortaPros and the KSC75's has basically the same driver so I think those are out of contention lol

Anyone have personal experience with the Grado SR60?
 
haadij404 said:
I read the PX100 was a little worse the PortaPros and the KSC75's has basically the same driver so I think those are out of contention lol
?
Click to expand...

Actually there are several Koss headphones that use virtually the same drivers.

Koss PortaPro's
Koss SportaPro's
Ksc35s
Ksc75s Has Titanium coated drivers
KtxPro1s also use a Titanium coated driver
The titanium Drivers have a slightly differant sound to them, I can't remember exaclty what was differant. I have had the Portapros, KTXpro1s and the KCS75s and all of them sound amazing but I cant tell the differance between the Titanium drivers and standard drivers. I have even taken the drivers from the Portpras and put them in the KTXpro1s but have not been able to go back and forth to be able to tell the differance, All I know is all of them sound great.
I do however prefer the KtxPro1s because the band is most comfortable for me, and I currently have 3 pairs of them.
 
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Does Koss make any "Ear Muffs" that use the Portapro drivers? I know that the Smaller ones can get fairly loud to others when your rocking out in public. My old roommate use to complain about them.

Sorry, I don't know the name of the "Ear Muff" sized headphones.
 
You should have given the AD700 a chance to break in. The bass really comes through after 100+ hours.
 
MisterSparkle said:
A few things.

One, sound is very subjective, you may prefer the sound of a different pair of headphones over another pair.
Two, if you've listened to the same pair of headphones for a while, your ears will have become used to them. Now trying on another pair of headphones, your mind will immediately notice all the differences, and will be in a little shock from the experience ;P

Perhaps try out the AD700's for a week, then try the KSC75's again, and see what you think of the difference after your mind has adjusted itself.
Click to expand...

This is so very true. Kind of like people that get an SSD and aren't blown away at first, but when they use a system with a mechanical drive again they are like :eek:
 
haadij404 said:
Anyone have personal experience with the Grado SR60?
Click to expand...

Some of THE best headphones for rock music under $100. Very energetic sounding cans. For gaming though, I would prefer something with more boom in the bass department.
 
honestly my take on the SR-60's is about in-line with the thread, the SR-225's were a bit better for gaming, but honestly they cost $200 + tax and my $20 Sony POS "ultra mega super definition" crap still did better for me in L4D and TF2....not impressed (but don't even begin to compare them for music, thats really where the SR's shine)

if the AD-700's aren't your cup of tea (as most of this thread has said, audio is quite subjective), try something else, personally I've never taken much stock in "if you don't like it right out of the box, keep it for 6 months and then decide", if you don't like it, the problem isn't with you, its with the product, and you're entirely allowed to just return it as an unsatisfied customer, get something that you do like

what I remember of HD 280's (granted I never used them at home or for gaming, only at work), tons of power, tons of isolation, in a word: loud, they did sound "good", but I'm guessing they aren't gonna mesh with everyone
 
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