"A good pair of headphones"

Long Red

I've now read multiple threads with people saying Gigaton is even better with headphones. Assume I'm an idiot and know nothing about headphones or any other type of gear, what's a "good pair of headphones" and....this second part is kinda embarrassing, what do you plug a good pair of headphones into? Are we talking phone, stereo system (remember those) record player, fuckin walkman?

Bob Mayo on the keyboards Bob

For phone and computer, I use a dragonfly DAC. Good DAC makes a world of difference. For iphone you'll also need the camera connector. It's a crapload of dongles, but worth it.  For earbuds I use Klipsch R6i II, and I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-MSR7BK's for over-ear headphones.  I would say both are good and in the "reasonable" price range. 

elvistheking44

If a good pair of headphones is essential to hearing an album they way it was meant to be heard they should be included when I buy it. 

F Me In The Brain

Do they give you a brain when you buy a book?

Mike D88

A decent set of midrange headphones from a reputable brand should be pretty illuminating if all you're used to listening with are cheap earbuds.

I wouldn't stress about what to play back on. A phone or computer will sound fine.

elvistheking44 said:

If a good pair of headphones is essential to hearing an album they way it was meant to be heard they should be included when I buy it. 

Not at all. Really cheap stuff just chews up any details in a lot of music. You don't have to go full audiophile (in fact you probably shouldn't), but there is an appreciable difference between $10 earbuds and something decent.

mfc2006

elvistheking44 said:

If a good pair of headphones is essential to hearing an album they way it was meant to be heard they should be included when I buy it. 

No one said essential. It was merely a recommendation.

tbergs

I use Beats Studio 3 over ear. While they have Bluetooth capabilities, I use the wired connection to take advantage of the built in Quad DAC of the LG V20 phone. I was using Tidal up until last week, but now am back to playing my music through a lesser quality streaming service like Google Play or albums I have uploaded on my phone (I have not yet added Gigaton). It has sounded fantastic on my phone with headphones. Best sound so far.

My next test will be playing the CD through my Onkyo home stereo with headphones.

mdgsolo

I could give an opinion, but if you're just getting started into the headphone world, I HIGHLY recommend educating yourself about the different types, eg. closed back, open back, in ear, etc.  They all have positives and drawbacks.  This is the best place to get started:

https://www.headphones.com/

Have fun!  The journey should part of the enjoyment

Bob Mayo on the keyboards Bob

F Me In The Brain said:

Do they give you a brain when you buy a book?

wndowpayne

Sennheiser..

SomethingCreative

What’s the average forum dweller’s take on bose headphones?  They are passive on ear (I think they were $90.  I’ve had them 8 years and they’ve never done me wrong, but curious if I’m seriously missing out 

cp3iverson

I have Beats Studio 3’s over the ear.   Not the greatest but pretty good.  

Gigaton sounds unbelievable on them.  Best way to listen to it IMO

mschostok

Sounds incredible on vinyl, too - especially with some good speakers and sub. My neighbors aren’t too thrilled I’m sure. 

ForceofNature101

I am rocking a pair of Audio Technica M-50x's and find them fantastic quality.  

TJ25487

ForceofNature101 said:

I am rocking a pair of Audio Technica M-50x's and find them fantastic quality.  

Ditto on these! I don't know if you could find a better set of cans for the money. I researched for quite a while before picking out these bad boys! So good! 

KN219077

Sony wh-1000xm3 are the ones I have. Amazing how much better the album sounds. This is my favorite sounding record by pj since yield.

tdawe

I also endorse the Beats Studio 3s as far as wireless headphones go. The AirPods Pro are also great all-around earbuds for a variety of reasons that are beyond the scope of this thread, but the bottom line is they sound about as good as you’re going to get with a pair of earbuds. 

These are the cans I use at home with my turntable setup, and Gigaton was 20-25% better through them than any other format I’ve tried so far: https://drop.com/sennheiser-x-massdrop-hd-6xx/p. Once I got a pair of open-back headphones I realized I didn’t know what I was missing, but they’re really only good if you use them with a home hifi setup (they’ll do you less than no good if you’re looking for a set that you can use on your commute or on planes or whatever). 

(Full disclosure: I haven’t listened to Gigaton through the Studio 3s yet, because they’re in my office which I’ve been locked out of for going on three weeks now.)

Spartanacus

Long Red said:

this second part is kinda embarrassing, what do you plug a good pair of headphones into? Are we talking phone, stereo system (remember those) record player, fuckin walkman?

I will use my 80 GB iPod Classic (with spin wheel) until the day I die or the day it dies (then I will hopefully be able to find an iPod touch for sale somewhere).  

angry_skull

wndowpayne said:

Sennheiser..

Yep. 

KV4053

Fucking Walkman!!!

Absolutely, the fucking Walkman!!

ForceofNature101

TJ25487 said:

ForceofNature101 said:

I am rocking a pair of Audio Technica M-50x's and find them fantastic quality.  

Ditto on these! I don't know if you could find a better set of cans for the money. I researched for quite a while before picking out these bad boys! So good! 

Yeah they are fantastic!  I have seen those and Sony MDR-7506's probably the most frequently whenever stepping foot into a recording studio or seeing people track things in videos online - and for their price range the Audio Technicas are great.  Nice frequency response so great for both listening for enjoyment and for mixing

alphawolf

wndowpayne said:

Sennheiser..

Yes, these!

SomethingCreative

Spartanacus said:

Long Red said:

this second part is kinda embarrassing, what do you plug a good pair of headphones into? Are we talking phone, stereo system (remember those) record player, fuckin walkman?

I will use my 80 GB iPod Classic (with spin wheel) until the day I die or the day it dies (then I will hopefully be able to find an iPod touch for sale somewhere).  

If you weren’t aware, There are a few companies out there that take the old click wheel iPods and refurbish and upgrade capacity and battery.  Apparently those older click wheel iPods had a significantly better built in DAC than later models. 

on2legs

SomethingCreative said:

Spartanacus said:

Long Red said:

this second part is kinda embarrassing, what do you plug a good pair of headphones into? Are we talking phone, stereo system (remember those) record player, fuckin walkman?

I will use my 80 GB iPod Classic (with spin wheel) until the day I die or the day it dies (then I will hopefully be able to find an iPod touch for sale somewhere).  

If you weren’t aware, There are a few companies out there that take the old click wheel iPods and refurbish and upgrade capacity and battery.  Apparently those older click wheel iPods had a significantly better built in DAC than later models. 

I have my 80gb Classic hooked up to the USB input in the car.  IT holds more music than I could ever listen to and it’s only about 2/3 full. I bought it used off eBay for around $75.  Works really well and sits out of site in the center console. 

hrd2imgn

I live my Grados SR60 and 80 models are great prices for huge step ups in sound.  Only thing is they are NOT noise cancelling, and everyone can hear it since they are open back.  Either of those.models for under a hondo is pretty damn great
  In the end we all have preferences find a place you can bring your ipod and hook it up to samples.

myoung321

Audio Technica ATH-M50s

have some red one's as well

Zod

I feel that really good albums sound good and both mediocre setups and great setups.  Brendan o' Brien's albums from the 90's (Vitalogy, vs, Purple, etc..) they sound awesome on anything.   If an album only sounds good on expensive gear, then I feel it wasn't mastered that well?

Crew

myoung321 said:

Audio Technica ATH-M50s

Seconded for ATH-M50's.. mine are paired to my Fiio X3 (below).

My headband was garbage, so I replaced it with kangaroo.  

rtwilli4

I'm not sure how widely distributed they are in the US but I've had Bowers & Wilkins P5s for years and they still blow my mind every time I listen. Especially albums like Binaural or Yield. Gigaton seems to fall into that category as well. 

marjen

I am in the market for a new pair of cans. Down to the Audio Technica ATH-M50 and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0. Tough call. Looking for wireless version of which ever i go for. 

mace1229

I was just going to add how much I love my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 and saw that was one of the ones mentioned above.

I went through this whole debate about 3 years ago. What I ended up doing is trying a bunch out. I bought about 6 pairs from Best Buy (they have a huge selection online, but limited in store) and tried a bunch on various stores. For the price and comfort those Momentum’s were my favorite. That was actually at the advice of a BB employee to buy several and return them, so I didn’t feel bad doing it.

Also, I don’t use a DAC and still love the sound. I can’t tell a difference between FLAC and mp3, so take it for what it’s worth. But my advice don’t go overboard, buy the headphones you like and try them. No need to bring some additional equipment around when you don’t need to.

But I love my Momemtums and the price has dropped. Could find them under $200 pretty easily. I had to wait for a Black Friday sale to get them for $200 a few years ago.
I actually didn’t want to like them, a lot came recommended in the $100-$125 range, I found a great deal on some other open box Bose headphones. I tried really hard not to like them, but couldn’t help it.