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Sujet: Need New Headphones- Opinions? - Page: 1

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Hey all.
So my trusty Technics 1200 headphones finally bit the dust after over 4 years of service last night.

I need a new pair and I have narrowed it down to two choices at opposite ends of the economic scale. Money is actually a bit tight for me but I always make every effort to have the best I can get in terms of quality equipment.

1) Numark Red waves (66-99 dollars). These look like clones of my old Technics basically with a bit more metal in the head band and more flashy colours. The reviews all seem very positive.

At the other end:
2) Allen and Heath Xone XD-53 (170 dollars) Everything I've read is super positive and say they have great sound quality. Are they worth the extra money though?

Just looking for first hand accounts of anyone who owns these for durability etc... I'm going to look at them first hand tomorrow. I like the senhieser SD 25s as well but I don't think I will be able to get a reasonable price on these. I'm not paying in excess of 200 dollars.

Thx.
 
Posté Mon 17 Sep 12 @ 1:53 am
been using the same sony v700's for years. everyone knocks them for not having quality build but mine have lasted forever cause i take good care of them and to me they sound better than those over-priced beats headphones. better frequency response too.
prices vary but have found online for as little as $65-70
 
I considered the v700s if they were on sale at under 100 but I can only seem to find them at regular price of 129 here. Also I read an awful lot about their fragility at the swivel points.
 
Oh damn...
Here we go again.

I had an opportunity to do a SIDE BY SIDE BY SIDE DIRECT COMPARISON of the Sennheiser HD 25's against the Pioneer HDJ 2000's vs beats By Dre Pro's and AIAIAI TMA-1's. Here is my in depth summary of the cans...

Sennheiser HD 25.....
Excellent isolation and excellent sound. They press on the ears rather tightly but not uncomfortably so. I was quite impressed with the sound quality. Very impressed is more like it. They really sound amazing especially for such a small can.
I was not impressed with the build or the design. I'm not talking about sex appeal but the actual design of the headphone. I did not like that the cable is run through a groove in the headband. Too easy to be pulled out. I did not like the exposed cable around the can itself. Again, too easy to be pulled or to get caught in something. I see the weak spot in their design. The can itself has a little swivel room and thats a good thing but it can snap the arm or the bracket holding the can to the arm. I also found them to be kinds flimsy feeling. Too many things moving around between the swing of the arm, the swing of the headbands and the exposed cable.


Pioneer HDJ 2000's...
The worst sounding of the bunch. By themselves they sound good but in comparison, they do not even come close to the Sennheiser's, the AIAIAI TMA-1's or the Beats By Dre Pro's.
The design is very good though. Isolation is good but not as good as the other headphones. As far as durability, they seem durable enough but the headband is made of plastic and prone to breakage. The swivel has the very nice touch of snapping back into position but it's the actual swivel that concerns me. Although it is made of alloy, it still has many parts held together with screws. screws do come loose after a time and I can see test headphones going the same was as the 1000's. They are more durable than most headphones out there but not as durable as pioneer would have you believe.


Beats By Dre Pro's...
Best isolation of the headphones tested. I was VERY surprised to find the Beat's Pro's to have the best sound of the bunch as well (To MY ear). They are very bass heavy though and I can see some people not liking that amount of bass. When I tried the Beats Pro's in a club atmosphere, I was unimpressed at that time. I later found out that the mixers headphone output had "issues". I did not do a side by side comparison that night but today's testing has changed my mind on the Beats Pro's.
My opinion about the construction remains the same. BUILT LIKE A TANK!!!!! I don't think the Beats Pro's will ever break. They could get run over by a car and survive.
I do not like that the can itself does not swivel left to right in place. They are fixed in place. The swinging arms are just o.k. not great, not bad, just o.k. They are useful but the downside of them is that the can itself has no side to side wiggle so swinging the arm up takes the other can slightly off the ear. There really is no "cueing out one side from your shoulder with the Beats Pros again due to the lack of side to side wiggle.

AIAIAI TMA-1's
I own them as well as the Beats by Dre Pro's.
The AIAIAI TMA-1's are a direct competition to the Sennheiser HD 25's. The design is quite similar with small but totally worth it differences. The AIAIAI's do not swing like the Senn's but they are flexable so they don't need to. The headband is a one piece design and the cable is not exposed like it is on the Senn's.
The AIAIAI TMA-1's....Great headphones!!! Better isolation than the Sennheiser HD 25's, more bass than the Sennheiser HD 25's, louder than the Sennheiser HD 25's. One piece design. Virtually unbreakable.


The Sennsheiser's, the AIAIAI's and the Beats were somewhat close in sound quality but for my ear and style of music, The beats by Dre Pro's edge out over the Sennheiser HD 25's and the AIAIAI TMA-1's.


Well, thats my direct comparison of the three headphones. I was able to use and test all three headphones. I was able to test them on various mixers and with various music all with the same results.



Best...
Beats By Dre Pro's

Second best...
AIAIAI TMA-1's

Third best...
Sennheiser HD 25's

Last place...
Pioneer HDJ 2000's


Don't get the redwaves. They are not that good or durable. (!st hand experience)

For your budget, get the AIAIAI's. Best by FAR in the price range.
 
Someone said that the Reloops were good, Maybe check those out as well.
 
You didn't mention that the beats are powered, and that this is good for those using un powered midi controllers with weak headphone volume output. Such as the RMX!!!!
 
Charlie Wilson wrote :
You didn't mention that the beats are powered, and that this is good for those using un powered midi controllers with weak headphone volume output. Such as the RMX!!!!


I own the Beats Pro's Not the powered studios.
The studios are GARBAGE.
 
I have had the HDJ-2000 since they came out and no issues with build quality at all, they are pretty solid.

I agree the Sennheisers do sound a bit better, but in a club there's little noticeable difference and the Sennheisers are rubbish build now they're being made in China!

Keith
 
I actually just upgraded from Redwaves to the Xone XD2-53s.

I really liked my Redwaves, They are very light and comfortable, and sounded great, but the audio started cutting out and they stopped working after a year. :(
The Xones sound slightly better, with deeper bass, and feel more well-built. They're a bit heavier, but fit better around your neck (the redwave ear-cups are HUGE!).

IMHO the Xones are definitely a step up from the Numarks, and I recommend them.
 
V-Moda's or Reloop headphones, check them out.
 
Well I won't go into huge detail but I listened to like 7 different brands today and decided to go for the Newmark Redwaves. I was really surprised at how good these sound for their price point. I'm not a huge fan of the looks of them but they function fine, seem well built and like I said, they sound great.

Of all the models I listened to, some of which were more than double the price, only the Denon 1000 really stood out as sounding appreciably better and they actually look like they have more chance of breaking than the Newmarks do.

Then I thought carefully about the environment in which I will be using these and it is certainly not a perfectly quiet environment where musical subtleties will be appreciated.

So, In the end common sense prevailed and I got the Redwaves for a good for Canada 85bux tax in.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. In the end I couldn't justify the additional cost of the Allen & Heaths or Senns or Aiaiaiaiaias.
 
I own the numark redwaves, the sony mdr- v700s and the beats by dre pro. I recomend for your budget a pair of v700s only if you really, really.. really/really, really take care of your stuff, they sound great, great flexibility but fragile, the numark redwave are cheap and well made but I dont like the sound personally I think they have to much bass or lack of highs eigher way and they are bulky and uncomfortable for cuein n once on your head they look huge. My personal favorite are the beats by dre pros, the are very well made, sound perfect, very comfortable and they look good on your head just like the technics and the sony v700s.
 
I personally have the redwaves purchased for $50.00, a little bulky but great for the price.
 
for 90 dollars, Just get a Pair of Reloop RHP-10 headphones.. At first by holding them, They feel cheap because they are very light but, They are very flexible. The Sony Mdrs sound slighty better with detail but the Reloops sound good and have more bass. They actually sound like the Beats Pro. Alot of headphones use the Same material and its ussually the right side that breaks.

The reloops have a more rubbery type plastic that can take more pressure on the bending parts. Aerial 7 headphones are also built well but the Sound quality is horrible. If only campanies can builld the frame like that, it would nice. Beats Pro look nice but, They are stiff and the cup part is plastic. You can see how the part where you screw in the cable looks alittle flimsy. When companies design headphones, It seems like they dont consider the part when you place one side of the cups above your ear and this is why they break. Its the pressure you apply to making the headphones bend alittle more. Both cups L&R on your ears is not alot of pressure on the bending parts.. One ear Left & Right side away from your ear to monitor the crowd speakers is and thats why headphones break.
 
Yup, I monitor with my left ear so that's what broke on my old ones after more than 4 years mind you.

As stated above I already went with the Numarks. They were cheap and actually sound quite good.
 
I used to have a pair of Numark Headphones. I didnt like the way they sounded.
 
Sony MDR 7506. I have had mine going on 15 years. I've replaced the earmuffs twice. I figure if they are the studio standard they must be good.
 
I've been DJing/mixing for close to 30 years. I can say, in all that time, unequivalently, these are the best headphones I've ever heard/owned/used http://v-moda.com/over-ear/
 
@Caliente. You know what's funny? The packaging for the redwaves is absolutely identical to the reloops. They have the same sheet of plastic overlaid inside the box. They have the exact same accessory inner box. They even look extremely similar. Guaranteed they are from exactly the same factory. The only difference being paint / colors and the inclusion of additional pads and the cord. They probably even sound the same, but the reloops "sound better" because they cost more. :)
 
TearEmUp wrote :
I've been DJing/mixing for close to 30 years. I can say, in all that time, unequivalently, these are the best headphones I've ever heard/owned/used http://v-moda.com/over-ear/



Those are freaking awesome. I bought them about five months ago, and I super love them.
 
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