I just bought a pair of the AKG K271MKIIs to listen to music on the computer. Should I buy a soundcard or is the onboard audio generally adequate?

My mobo http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813121476

1. Plug headphones in
2. Listen at appropriate volume
3. If you like, don't buy something. If you don't like, buy something.

Make sure you understand the differences between not liking the sound of your heaphones vs. the sound of your sound card. You likely shouldn't have to buy, but you'll need your ears to determine for sure...

cool ty

I am far from an audiophile - I figured the onboard would be acceptable

Also consider a USB DAC. You'll need an amp to go with the DAC if you do that (the DAC just outputs a line out pretty much, no volume). There are DACs that have amps built-in as a combo, that is nice. USB is a good way to go because then you don't have to fuss around with all the crap in your motherboard.

Generally, USB DACs > Soundcards for audio quality (I guess there are some uber soundcards out there, but for the most part this is true).

oh yeah i forgot to mention im looking for a head set not in-ear headphones, can please post some recommendations?

Just started using new Bowers and Wilkins C5s- rated very highly in reviews, I think they`re pretty sick- only issue is cable is not kevlar lined/ removeable. Superb sound reproduction

What's your goal for listening experience? Are you looking for something with faithful reproduction, or something that hypes the crap out of certain frequencies?

oh yeah sorry i forgot to mention i will only be using them for music on pc and iphone/pod nothing to hardcore,

thanks for the reply

picked up one of the more popular ones on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Y5FRNS

What's your desired budget range?

For someone who wanted feedback on the qc15 the quality is very good imo i got a pair recently and ive been loving them

Anyone needing ampless headphones, I recommend the new HD 598s (white ones). Run out of my laptop absolutely fine and they are just wonderful.

So, these start to hurt my ears after like 4 hours of use. I think I am going to return them. I've used earbuds in the past with no issue, so maybe I should stick with that. Can anyone recommend a pair that are in the same relative price range as the MKIIs (~$150)?

Do you mean hurt your ear drums or physically they aren't comfortable anymore?

physically - they start to make the outside of my ears ache

sucks cause they sound great

Gents,

I love headphones. I've owned sennheiser's 280s, sony vdj700s, and, most recently, my beloved pair of Audiotechnia's ATH50s. I am looking for an early birthday present to myself and wanted to see what the next step up from ATH-50s will be. I suspect I will be requiring an amplifier since I can't imagine I will see much improvement given the limitation of the driver of my ipod, htc cell phone, or laptop.

I was looking at the denon ah-d2000s. Thoughts? Other suggestions? All in all, i'd like to keep this under 500 bucks if possible.

I think you should at least listen to the Shure SRH840s. I haven't heard a pair of broken in ATH-M50s, but those that have them love them. When I compared them with the Shures, out of the box, my choice was easy. The ones I bought sounded great right out of the box (though a little bright for awhile). They do not have thumping bass, but it is a nice reproduction, and the image is superb.

I've decided to buy those headphones (http://www.ultrasone.com/index.php/e...s/pro-750.html) but I have really no idea what kind of amp I need to buy. I don't know anything about amps so I need someone's help. I'll be using them with my laptop to listen mainly to electronic/trance music. Thanks!

what you really need is an external (usb) soundcard/audio interface.

i am looking to purchase my first pair of headphones. in the past i have mainly used the ipod ones or some crappy skullcandy headphones. I have decided to finally by a decent pair of phones because i will be traveling some in the next few months, in addition to playing poker. i have looked around somewhat and am still lost so i turn to 2+2. Looking to spend 70$ or less can go a lil more, have looked at a few different sennheisers (hd 201, 202, and a few other models i dont remember). does anyone have any suggestions on what to get? i mainly listen to hip hop, and house music. would be nice if they had a carrycase as well. Thanks

I'm also looking for a pair of headphones in the same pricerange as above. I mainly listen to rock/metal/punk if that matters. A shop near me has the sennheiser-hd228 for sale (http://www.vandenborre.be/hoofdtelef...hd228-black-dj). Is it good value?

I like the fact that it fits entirely over my ears and cancels out a lot of noise since I'll be living in a dorm.

which headphones should I get:

• Monster Dre Beats Solo ($199)
  
• Audio Technica ATH-AD700 ($90)
  
• Sennheiser HD598 ($175)
  
• Sennheiser HD595 ($210)
  
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ($159)
  
• Shure SRH840 ($140)
  
• Denon AHD2000 ($225)

These are the best prices I can currently find online...since I will be mostly listening to music on my iPhone while playing live poker, I want a set with good bass but still be able to hear people at my table some...I'm not going to blast the music, obviously...and I don't want to get a pair that's too good or a waste for my purposes.

I currently have the Monster Turbine Pro Copper IE buds, and they're fine, except I can't really find a good fit that will give me good bass.

question: will one of the above "open" headphones be annoying to those around me? Should I be looking at "closed", or noise-isolating headphones, instead?? If so, which are comparable?

Of the above models, the Beats, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, and the Denon AHD2000 are closed.

Dom, the SRH840 are closed. I own a pair of those, and love them. That is a fantastic price on them, as well. When I am working, I can still hear when my wife is watching TV. The bass is smooth, but not boomy. My suggestion to you is to go to your local Guitar Center (call to find out if the various headphones you are interested in are in stock). Bring a CD you like (mp3s or iTunes files are very compressed, generally, so you can't really tell how accurate headphones are without a CD), and plug the headphones directly into their floor model CD player. Test each pair you are interested in. Open headphones will bleed their sound into your neighbors, and you will not have good isolation from what's going on in your room. That's not really desirable for your purposes.

Headphones generally are a very subjective thing, and you should buy ones that sound the way you want to listen. You won't be using a headphone amp with your iPhone, I'm assuming, so if you want to do a really good "field" test, just plug the phones into your iPhone for testing, while at Guitar Center. If you don't get enough volume with a pair, through your phone, don't buy it.

If you are looking for a smooth, pretty accurate response, with a superb image, I recommend the SRH840. Guitar Center matched the lowest price I found on Amazon, so they might be willing to do the same for you. I am able to critically tweak and listen to mixes in the headphones to give you an idea of how capable I think they are. I can't just sit down and mix with them, though, but for tweaking they're great.

thx, Nun...I actually went for these:

ATH-ESW9A Portable Wooden Headphone