Quality headphones with MBP?

A

ATW

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 27, 2003
Messages
476
Is there any point in pairing a quality set of headphones with the sound card of a MBP, or are they mainly reserved for the superior cards of desktops? I'm looking at the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro set as they seem well-built and have a shorter coiled cord for laptop use, but would the output be any better than a cheaper set?
 
Ehhh... Laptops in general don't have very good soundcard. Get a portable DAC or DAC/Amp like the Total Bithead or Go-Vibe DAC/Amp. Then again the 280 isn't good enough to warrant a $100-$200 DAC/Amp purchase, IMHO.
 
Better headphones with the aforementioned DAC/Amps. There are others, though.

Go to Head-Fi. They are the experts.

If you want to have continued input here, you're gonna need to include budget and type of sound you want and any other requirements.
 
Not an audiophile...just looking for circamaural phones that sound good (movies/music), built to last, with a somewhat short cord. Looking to spend $100 or less.
 
There is nothing brilliant about the MBP's audio output. It works with a surprising amount of power, but there's plenty of computer noise. Go visit the "which headphones" thread.
I personally have the ha-rx700s and am very pleased.
 
Headphones don't just "sound good". They all have specific sounds, comfort levels, bass, highs, and colorations for specific ears and headshapes. Therefore, it is tough for others to recommend headphones. However, what we CAN do is venture guesses depending on the information that you provide.

Here are a couple that may fit your list:
OPEN
Grado SR80
AD700

CLOSED
Sony MDR V6
Equation RP20/21/22
AKG 270S

These might benefit more from a DAC upgrade, imho. But again, headphone choices are fairly personal/subjective. I don't like anything Sennheieser below HD600 for full sized and I don't like Senn at all for IEM. Lol.

EDIT: Btw, why are you looking to upgrade DAC or Headphones if you're not an audiophile. As a warning, once you start this path, you may never come out again. Your wallet will surely never recover. Lol.
 
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