For a really nice pair, under 200ish...wait for the V-Moda M-100s that should be out in Jan. or Feb. this year. They are the more balanced version of the V-Moda LP2s that I absolutely love (and I do all my gaming and music listening to at home, but they are slightly bass heavy). I can't wait till the M-100s come out...that's my next electronic purchase without a doubt.
Yeah full sized headphones is what I meant. When you say more balanced I take it you mean kind of flat? I like a nice range with good bass but not overpowering bass, nice mids and accurate highs when listening to Jazz.
The one thing that I find with the NuForce and VR-06 that I have is that when you push them the highs tend to distort a little. No complaints about the bass with the VR-06 though. My big thing about full size head phones is comfort.
So those two options I just gave you are good. There is also a middle ground, which is the Brainwavz HM5...they jsut came out but the positive reviews have been flowing on head-fi and mp4nation.net.
And yes, by balanced I mean trending toward flat. Obviously with a Cowon you can tweak the sound exactly how you want it...so a more neutral and flat headphone will be able to accomodate that and can be adjusted to your sound preferences. A bass heavy headphone like the LP2 I use for gaming...really can't. It's got bass and it's tough to get rid of it if you're listening to something that doesn't require it. It's badass for gaming tho! That's why I can't wait for the V-Moda M-100s...a more balanced full sized headphone that is ridiculously comfortable.
Rodster wrote:Thanks, I think i'll wait for the M-100. All the reviews posted on Amazon are all 5 stars for their products.
For a while, V-Moda was a "fashion" headphone maker...the sound was just so so. With the release of the M-80s a few months ago, they stepped up their audio game and have the guys at Head-Fi really loving their "audiophile" characteristics (neutral and flat for the most part, but still has legit bass). I had a pair for a little while, but the M-80s are ON-EAR...so they don't cover your ears completely. They sounded fantastic, but I wanted around the ear for use in gaming and movies...gives more of a surround effect. So I got the LP2s when those came out but they aren't part of the "audiophile" line...they are ridiculously comfortable but lack a bit in neutrality.
The M-100s that'll be out shortly are supposedly going to be the same as the M-80s but with the design of the LP2s. I'm definitely going to be a fan. The build quality and the accessories you get for your 200 bucks is worth every penny. They have one of the best warranties in the business and their CEO, Val Kolton is active in the headphone community. I've had 200+ PMs with him about various things I like and dislike about the M-80s and LP2s and he uses that feedback in designing his "next" big thing. Great company and I'll continue to support them if they keep putting out awesome products. Until the M-80s came out, I wasn't a fan of theirs...now I definitely am. (no I do not work for them...lol)
I've rejoined Zune for MP3 downloads to my Zune HD. Microsoft did a nice job with the service except you can only get MP3's. Are you guys using any other Music subscription services? I've read about Spotify but I can't find any info if you can use a Cowon, only iPods.
Any services you guys can recommend? I'm looking for 3 things in the service:
1) $9.99 per month as that appears to be the going rate
2) Lossless music downloads, MP3's suck.
3) I want to use my Zune and Cowon on the same account.
Anyways I thought earbud burn in was a bunch of audiophile BS but I guess there's some truth to it. I thought the NuForce earbuds I purchased 5 months ago, were good then they hit a wall sound quality wise. I thought they weren't that good but after using them for around 100 hours the sound quality has improved drastically. The range and clarity in these earbuds has also improved. I totally ignored the VR06 I recently bought because of this.
When I compare the two I have to say right now I like the NuForce much better. The V06 has a slight upper freq distortion when pushed but not so with the NuForce. What's interesting is that when I first got the V06 I thought they had much better sound than the NuForce. So now i'm using these as my default earbuds to see if I experience the same thing as I did with the NuForce.
Hey guys can't find the answer to this online so i'll ask it here. When I tag my MP3's via "MP3Tag" even when I put the songs from an album in the proper order using MP3TAG they don't show up in the correct order on my Cowon. Am I missing a step or doing something wrong?
Thanks for the tip! The cord on my Sennheiser sports earbuds -- which has odd, asymmetrical earbud cord lengths -- shorted when it caught on a doorknob or table end for about the 487th time, so I definitely need a new pair.
This is a fine deal. Dug the sound quality of my Senns before they shorted out.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
I really love these CX-200, bargain of the year. They compliment the Zune HD really well. In fact all of the earbuds DB suggested to me which are quality, sound like sh*t on the Zune HD partly because the Zune can't properly drive them. But these Sennheiser make the Zune HD shine.
Rodster wrote:I really love these CX-200, bargain of the year. They compliment the Zune HD really well. In fact all of the earbuds DB suggested to me which are quality, sound like sh*t on the Zune HD partly because the Zune can't properly drive them. But these Sennheiser make the Zune HD shine.
They're very solid for the price, but not great. I think the bass was deeper and richer on the Sennheiser CX380s that crapped out on me last week, forcing me to get the CX200s. I paid the same price for the CX380s about three years ago from Newegg.
Still, I'm grateful for the tip on the deal, Rod. Even a solid pair of Senns for $20 is better than just about any other headphone at the same price. Thanks again, man.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
There might actually be a market for a PMP not named the iPod Touch, if they use components comparable to the top smart phones and also include an unlocked data radio, so that people can use it without contract (like a mini tablet).
There are probably a lot of smart phone users who use data far more than they talk or text. Or those who may be willing to carry a cheap prepaid phone and a device with mobile data access if it means not having to sign a contract.
Rodster wrote:I really love these CX-200, bargain of the year. They compliment the Zune HD really well. In fact all of the earbuds DB suggested to me which are quality, sound like sh*t on the Zune HD partly because the Zune can't properly drive them. But these Sennheiser make the Zune HD shine.
They're very solid for the price, but not great. I think the bass was deeper and richer on the Sennheiser CX380s that crapped out on me last week, forcing me to get the CX200s. I paid the same price for the CX380s about three years ago from Newegg.
Still, I'm grateful for the tip on the deal, Rod. Even a solid pair of Senns for $20 is better than just about any other headphone at the same price. Thanks again, man.
Glad you like them. I just placed an order for the Cowon CE1 which cost $25. Some compare them to the Senn CX-400. I should get them in a few days.
wco81 wrote:There might actually be a market for a PMP not named the iPod Touch, if they use components comparable to the top smart phones and also include an unlocked data radio, so that people can use it without contract (like a mini tablet).
There are probably a lot of smart phone users who use data far more than they talk or text. Or those who may be willing to carry a cheap prepaid phone and a device with mobile data access if it means not having to sign a contract.
There will always be a niche market for PMP's other than the iPod. I'm glad I went with Cowon, the sound is superb. Although i've read that the iPod Classic 5.5G used the Wolfson DAC that's used in the Cowon's. The newer iPods don't use them. If they did i'd be all over an iPod Touch.
Well according to iaudiophile.net some were slapping rockbox and using customizable EQ's on the 5.5 iPod. Those that have that say they sound ridiculously good.
Rodster wrote:Well according to iaudiophile.net some were slapping rockbox and using customizable EQ's on the 5.5 iPod. Those that have that say they sound ridiculously good.
My statement still stands. You can do whatever you want to an iPod and it won't/can't hang with a Cowon.
Can any of you guys recommend a music service you've tried or like? Zune is nice but the MP3 quality is average. I tried Spotify and Mog and they rely on Facebook which I hate.
Rodster wrote:Can any of you guys recommend a music service you've tried or like? Zune is nice but the MP3 quality is average. I tried Spotify and Mog and they rely on Facebook which I hate.
Spotify and MOG don't "rely" on Facebook. You don't need to participate in social media to get the most out of either. I never use social playlists with my MOG account.
If you're worried about the world seeing what you're listening to on Facebook, that social share function can easily be turned off.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Rodster wrote:Can any of you guys recommend a music service you've tried or like? Zune is nice but the MP3 quality is average. I tried Spotify and Mog and they rely on Facebook which I hate.
Spotify and MOG don't "rely" on Facebook. You don't need to participate in social media to get the most out of either. I never use social playlists with my MOG account.
If you're worried about the world seeing what you're listening to on Facebook, that social share function can easily be turned off.
I couldn't login to Spotify or MOG without first logging to facebook.
Rodster wrote:Can any of you guys recommend a music service you've tried or like? Zune is nice but the MP3 quality is average. I tried Spotify and Mog and they rely on Facebook which I hate.
Spotify and MOG don't "rely" on Facebook. You don't need to participate in social media to get the most out of either. I never use social playlists with my MOG account.
If you're worried about the world seeing what you're listening to on Facebook, that social share function can easily be turned off.
You certainly did use the facebook integration at one time because all I saw was your updates about what you're listening to. I blocked that sh*t. LOL. Don't know if you've turned it off since.