Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
his second M50x review: If you're looking for gaming headphones, he has a breakdown of good options.
Here is his review of a similar and comparatively priced headphone from Shure: And here is his review of the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones, which I currently own and recommend for their much lower price if you don't mind open back.
And here is his review of Audio Technica's open back option in this price range, the AD 900x:
I hope this helps people further refine their decision, and keep in mind, there are hundreds of headphones out there. Don't get a pair because everyone tells you they are the best. Get a pair because they will do what you want them to do to your music, games, or movies. Never be afraid to do more research. EDIT: Oh! And I forgot to mention, in this price range, Fostex offers an excellent lineup of planar magnetic headphones. Just jeep in mind you will definitely need a proper amp for these.
He's also exposed many, including myself, to a lot of different gear and my desk is starting to look a bit like his, lol! Going to have to start to start reviewing gear to justify all this gear I have and as an excuse for the gear I want.
Headphone: 1. HiFiMan HE-500 2. Sennheiser HD598SE 3. Monolith M1060 4. Sony MDR-1000X (Bluetooth) 5. Fostex T50PR MKIII (modded) 6. Fostex T50PR MKIII (modded) 7. Mod House Audio Argon (T50RP MK II mod) 8. Massdrop T-X0 (T50RP MK II mod) *and a handful I had to sell earlier this year (HE-400, HE-400i, HD600, DT 770 80- ohms and more)
DAC/AMP: 1. SoundBlaster E5 2. NFB-11 3. Garage 1217 Project Polaris AMP 4. iFi iDSD Micro Black Lable 5. SMSL AD18 *Sold my JDS Labs C5D protable DAC/AMP it was a nice little unite though.
DAP: 1. Shanling M1 2. Shanling M2s 3. ZTE Axon 7 (OK it's Smartphone but make a nice DAP that can stream Spotify) 4. LG V20 (Also a Smartphone that make a nice streaming DAP)
I think there is something wrong with me! :-/
I've got the v20, and I love it as a portable DAP. Shame you can't get too much into speakers, dude. I honestly prefer them more, even if it doesn't sound as good. I like having the sound out of my head, and into the room.
The NFB-11 will have a cleaner sound, but can be a bit analytical. If your headphone are bright the NFB-11 can bring that out and highs can be a bit harsh (if the headphones are already harsh and bright). It will also have good dynamics and punch at the right times.
Most importantly the NFB-11 has massively more power than the AD18. The AD18 put out 53mW at 32 ohms, while the NFB-11 is probably somewhere north of 2+W (2000+mW). The AD18 is ok with most IEMs and easy to drive headphones, but anything demanding goes downhill real fast, it just doesn't have the power for that.
My desktop AV40 do a decent jobs as Desktop speakers/monitors and I have some nice Pioneer home theater surround speakers, but unless no one home I don't listen to music on them. Besides honestly my headphone are probably better than my speakers
Oh I forgot my collection of IEMs. Sold my two real expensive IEMs (Shure SE846 and Jerry Harvey Roxanne), but have a bunch of $15 to $350 IEMs. My main IEMs currently being the Audeze iSine 10.
Surely they really don't want to take a studio monitor headphone as a portable option?!?
When I got my Beyerdynamic DT 770 80ohms version I thought they sounded much better at a similar price range while still having a fun v-shape response. But it is a larger, uglier headphone with non-removable cables and I see why general consumers don't even consider it. The DT1350 is a fantastic portable that delivers BIG sound out of small on ears, but it becomes uncomfortable after 45 to an hours of wear. So the M50x does have some appeal over those option, just not in sound (comfort and aesthetics).
I'm going to keep an eye out on eBay for a DT1350, as from time to time they can be had for $99. Eventually I'll upgrade the ear pads to one of the slightly larger pads for greater comfort.
My most recent purchase for a steal on Black Friday (no thanks to the 'drop the 3.5mm jack' trend in cell phones) was the VModa Crossfade 2 Wireless in rose gold, which supports aptX since my Pixel 2 XL supports all the BT codecs. Was hesitant to jump onto the wireless train but the CF2W really is a fantastic wireless headphone. While I love bass and mids, sensitive to treble, I was expecting to be underwhelmed by BT headphones. VModa got the wireless headphone exactly right, and it happens to be just as great in wired mode. AptX is definitely worth it.