What pair of headphones would you consider better than the Logitech G35 and why?

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TheTenaciousOtaku

TheTenaciousOtaku

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May 23, 2014
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PLEASE NOTE - The selected best answer is NOT correct. My recommendation is the Beyerdynamic DT770.

I bought the Logitech G35. It's about 3 years and I believe they've had their run. They sound quiet, the bass doesn't punch like it used to and the audio cracks when the volume gets too loud.

I've never heard a pair of headphones as good as the G35's fresh out of the box. I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones, mainly for movies/games. Some music too.

I'm looking for,
- Loudness
- Bass
- Good equalizer software
- Over the ear design

I'm prepared to spend $200 USD
 
Solution
TheTenaciousOtaku
★★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★

Just an honest disclaimer to anyone reading this thread in the future, the current ‘BEST SOLUTION’ is not the best solution. I have messaged Tomshardware to change the best solution but haven’t heard anything back. I do not recommend the M50, and have instead come to a new officially finalized decision/recommendation.

Here's a quick recap on my experience with the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80ohms) headphones.
The DT770’s beat the G35 and M50 in every aspect. Audio quality wise, the G35 doesn’t stand a chance. Even the most ignorant audio noob would be able...
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1) looks like you're running a setup similar to mine then. you can see my build pics if you like but i'm also running a receiver. it sure does sound nicer than pc speakers! if you want to be technical you can plug in headphones to the 1/4 jack on the front of receivers (note: i'm talking about true receivers not any of that HTIB junk) however i've heard that you can get better sound from using a seperate dac instead. personally though for the very little i use my headphones at home, they work fine on the receiver (my m50s are for portable and travel use)

2)discussion on dacs http://www.head-fi.org/t/575103/soundcard-vs-dac and alternative discussion on it http://www.hifivision.com/dac/23731-usb-dac-soundcard.html but basically since it is external to the pc it has almost zero electrical interference from the motherboard and other onboard systems. also, since it lacks features like dolby headphone and the like it may have a better amplifier. its also portable. there are many audiophiles which swear by things such as a modi+magni ($210 dac+amp combo) for sound over things like a soundcard however in the end it comes down to a few simple choices. for you, since you already have a system to handle your sound) its only one choice: do you or do you not care about virtual surround. if you do not care then it does not matter which you pick.

3)the e11 is just a headphone amp and not a dac. if you used it with the pc it would be just using the signal from your onboard sound and amping it. i would go with either a dac+amp combo box (fiio does make some but i'd say the audioengine d1 or schiit magni-modi are better) or a decent soundcard. you can see my reasoning in the prior comment.

4)closed designs are definitey sound isolating as well as tending towards more bassy.

as far as your table is concerned.. you cannot just compare specs like that and pick out the best from a list. for instance going by driver size is not going to give you the best sounding headphones. this is why it is so hard to figure out what is good or not.... because with audio output devices you cannot go by specs to make a final call. all they do is give you some numbers to work with however tell you nothing about how they actually sound.

also, as a final note: i wouldnt drop cash on a dac+amp combo if you will be using the m50s. they do not benefit from a headphone amp. i personally own a pair so i know this. you could just use them plugged into your receiver and that should be fine for them. not to say that you cannot use them with a dac+amp just that buying something specially for them isnt price efficient.

i would also add the dt770pro-80 to your list. it hits hard like the m50s do (both them and the m50s are capable of sub-level bass... the realy deep stuff which most other headphones cannot do) but has a wider soundstage. both are excellent headphones and i think both would work for you.
 
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Thanks for your patience. I just purchased the Audio Technica ATH-M50 😀

It'll be a week or two before they arrive (shipping Down Under), but I'll try and come back to this thread and provide my own feedback and comparison to the Logitech G35 headset. Could be useful for people in a similar position as I was.
 
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I received the Audio Technica ATH-M50's the other day. As promised, I'm back to share my opinion on these audiophile quality phones (first pair) and more importantly, the side-by-side comparison with the Logitech G35 headset.


__Design__

[M50]
These are the definition of a generic head-can design. The ear cups rotate quite a bit (useless feature for me). 7/10

[G35]
The build of these cans blow the M50 out of the water. It has really great quality polymer, steel and fantastic rubber cover on the headband. There's a lot more variety of angles to give it that top-notch aesthetic appearance. On a different note, the pleather has completely degraded after 3 years. Noise cancellation is flawless. 9/10


__Comfort__

[M50]
Can stretch quite a bit which would be suitable to a larger sized head. The pleather earpads are very squishy and comfortable. However, these headphones are advertised as over-the-ear which, from my experience is a false claim. I have average sized ears and the stock earpads do not sit over my ears. They press alongside the edges of my entire ear which becomes unbelievably annoying to someone who hates an on-ear design. I'll be looking for suitable replacements very soon. I begin to feel discomfort after 2 hours. Hopefully they will stretch over time. The difference in comparison with the G35's is so substantial that I believe they are a tighter pair in general. 6.5/10

[G35]
Have a considerably larger diameter and depth clearance than the M50's. If you're someone who doesn't want any contact with the earpads/cups then these are for you. I can wear these for 5-10 hour gaming sessions with no problem. 10/10


__Functionality__

[M50]
These are headphones, so they obviously have no additional features. N/A

[G35]
Volume rocker is very original and useful. Re programmable G keys are fantastic for media control
in-game. Mic is very clear. N/A


__Audio quality__ (direct comparison)

(TONE)
[M50] 10/10
Much warmer. Sound feels more rich, lively and balanced.

[G35] 5/10
Mids are muddy. Highs are much more defined.


(BASS)
[M50] 7/10
About 75% of the bass that the G35 produced when brand new. I'm a bass head, and I'm satisfied with the bass response.

[G35] 9/10 (brand new)
Produced bass that shakes the head. M50 does not. (The bass has completely failed after 3 years of usage. Sounds flat and almost broken).

(SOUND STAGE)
[M50] N/A
Small sound stage.

[G35] N/A
Stereo mode is Larger than the M50. Much larger when virtual 7.1 surround sound is active. (Virtual sound is great for games such as Battlefield 4, but terrible for music).

The ATH-M50 destroys the G35 with it's fantastically well balanced range of frequencies. The sound is much warmer and a pleasure to listen to. The G35 would have put up a good fight when brand new, but time has taken it's toll. The bass of the M50 is underwhelming at times, although to be fair, I'm comparing it to the brand-new G35. Considering the G35's bass response was so short-lived, I have a feeling they were built to NOT last.

__Final Verdict & results__
I'm very please with the M50, and I don't think I could willingly go back to the G35. For any sound enthusiast to wants a taste of the audiophile life, these are a great pair of intro cans.

Audio quality
Audio Technica ATH-M50 = 17/20
Logitech G35 = 14/20 (A large sum of this score was for the original bass. This score for their current quality is 8/20)

Aesthetics and comfort
Logitech G35 = 19/20
Audio Technica ATH-M50 = 13.5/20

Thank you to all forum contributors who helped me make my decision.
 
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nice review... however a few things to note in regards to your experiences..



the m50 fits over my average sized ears perfectly fine. i dont have a whole lot of extra room though but comfort has never been an issue. perhaps you have larger ears than you think or the headphone is just not meant for your ear size/shape/position. this happens and really isnt a headphone fault as if the earcups were too big then people would complain as well. sadly there sometimes isnt an easy way to find out what fits your head beforehand.

the claim of over-ear is not false... it just is not meant for you and this happens. no headphone fits everyone.

--

the m50 is capable of subbass and is generally considered rather bassy in general. while i'm not familiar with the g35 it should have definitely destroyed them for bass even vs new. likely this was due to them not covering your ears and forming a good seal. good bass requires a good seal.

--

while i do agree that the m50 is all plastic and isnt too pretty looking you would be suprised how rugged the plastic is and how well they hold up. mine are several years old and yet look almost brand new except for the pads (which wear... but this plagues most headphones).


--

you are correct... the soundstage is fairly wide for a closed back headset on the g35 however have you tested the m50s with virtual surround as well to make the test fair?






based on your feedback...

i think that the m50s just were not right for your head shape which really isnt a fault in the design.

you might like the beyerdynamics dt770 better than the m50s. they run more money however i believe they have larger earcups as well. bigger soundstage than the m50s but not as large as open headphones.

if you did not need as much sound isolation... the 880 or 990 are quite excellent as well.
 
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Is there a way to increase the bass response?
Do you know of any larger/deeper earpads which fit the M50?
How can I get virtual surround sound from the M50 anyway?
 
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bass response...
-as i said before, the m50s have pretty deep bass response. while they might not be bass-cannons they are certainly classified as bassy. likely the problem is that since the earcups do not fit over your ears they are not sealing which means you are likely getting 50% of the bass response you should be getting. boosting the eq would change the sound to be more bassy however ultimately without a good seal will not matter much and will distort your sound. since you have larger ears then supported by this headphone you likely need a different pair of headphones with larger earcups which enclose your ears.

pads...
-you may be able to mod them deeper, however i'm not sure if you can go larger. there is this mod http://www.head-fi.org/t/552552/ath-m50-ear-pad-discomfort-srh-840-and-940-replacements-ath-m50-velour-part-2 you can look at. apparently it can make the soundstage a bit wider as well. my personal recommendation would be to use something with larger earcups instead of modding but this would be a cheaper solution perhaps.

surround sound...
-any hardware with free razer virtual surround (though i've personally found this buggy)
-soundcard with dolby headphone, cmss3d or other virtual surround built in
-astro mixamp which has dolby headphone

perhaps the easiest/cheapest is to use something like the xonar dg for $30 which has dolby headphone support which would be my recommendation on a budget. the soundblaster z for $80 is also a nice choice but also not a cheap price either. since soundcards will also have more power then your onboard this could potentially increase bass response as well. technically the razer surround software should work to create virtual... and i've heard of it working... however my own experience with it was that it didnt work at all for me and was buggy. then again, my own system does not output sound via a soundcard so perhaps that has something to do with it.

 
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I guess I'm looking for cannons then.

I've listened to them for a bit more, and the comfort level is a real issue for me. I really like the warm mids and the bass isn't that bad either (for a bass head), but I can't leave them on for extended periods of time without getting severely irritated.

Now that I've heard the M50's and shared my experience, perhaps you can help direct where to go from here.

A summary of the things I like about the M50's,
- Warm mids
- No real emphasis on the highs (could be my receiver)

Things I didn't like
- Earcup/pad size
- Bass response (I believe the proper term is 'tight bass'). I prefer more emphasis on the bass

From what I've read, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (80ohms) seem like a good option. Noise isolation is important to me as I believe it ties into closed headphones and increased bass...
 
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you did not listen to what i had to say...

i think the whole reason why you are not getting much bass response out of the m50s is due to a poor seal since they do not sit over your ears and seal but instead as you described sit on them. no seal = bad bass. i dont think its an issue with the actual headphones themselves.

as far as where to go....

you want to get a pair of headphones which actually does fit over your ears. the dt770 is worth looking into but you might want to verify what the earcup size is first.

as far as actual bass cannons go... here is a list http://www.head-fi.org/a/the-best-bass-headphones-a-head-fi-wiki but keep in mind that anything listed at any level above "bassy" ie.. the level the m50s and dt770 are at often distort all sound and are only good for bass at the expense of all else. meaning highs and mids will start to get distorted usually but they will hit like grenades.
 
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http://www.head-fi.org/t/715697/the-audiophile-bass-lounge-basshead-club-part-ii

They mentioned a lot of bassy headphones/ cannons on this thread. I personally own the Pansonic RP HTF 600 and it really does provide bang for your buck. I'm even going to say more so compared to my ATH m50s. I can listen to bass boosted songs on them and actually feel the headphones vibrate, where as I could not with the ATH m50s. Slightly less detailed, but for $30 it's just a great deal.

Currently my m50s are dismantled, I'm doing a mod on them to shorten the cable to a reasonable distance for me. Can't compare them to my Panasonics atm but I remembered when I listened to them the bass just couldn't compare to them. If everything goes well they should be up and running sometime tomorrow.

TBH from what I remember they actually compared quite well sound-quality wise to the ath m50, but were just a bit less detailed. Have to listen to them again, but I can get back to you on that.
 
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Ok people, I have pretty much settled on the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO.

There is however a single factor which is halting the process. There is a massive price difference between the 80ohms version and the 250ohms version.

I've been reading around, and people are saying that the 250v sounds better than the 80v if powered properly. The thing is though, I'm not sure how much power it requires. I will never use these headphones for portable devices, only for home use via my Audio Video Receiver (AVR).

Here's a link to my AVR in-case y'all are familiar,
http://au.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx-v375_black_a/?mode=model

Do you's reckon an AVR will provide enough juice to power the 250ohms version?
 
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if you want bassy... you want the 80ohm version. the 80ohm version is much more bassy than the 250ohm version. the 250ohm version is a bit more refined and has more clarity but less bass.

generally its not suggested to use an avr to power headphones (even though i do with my m50s when i use them on my system) since you will not get as good of sound as you will going with an amp or soundcard. while an external amp is certainly better (but good ones are $100+) you could use a cheap soundcard like the xonar dg for $30 and it will power them and give you virtual surround (although going with the soundblaster z for about $80 is going to be your best buy)

not sure if you already have a soundcard... so i recommended some options.

TLDR:

i think you would be best served by the 80ohm, maybe with a xonar dg soundcard.
 
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Let's hope so.

I think the AVR will do for now, but getting some useful information never hurts 😛

Perhaps I'm getting confused between different hardware peripherals, but from what I understand external amps are battery powered. Is there an external amp which is made to be stationary i.e., plugs directly into power outlet etc..

I don't have a dedicated sound card. I'm using the on-board sound of my Z77 Mpower. It is THX certified but I don't see anything about Dolby etc.
http://au.msi.com/product/mb/Z77_MPOWER.html#hero-overview

(Random question) - Would a bad quality on-board sound card affect the sound reproduction of an AVR hooked up to the same PC, resulting in bad audio from headphones connected to the AVR?






 
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you are confusing "portable amps" and "external/headphone amps"

portable amps such as the fiio e6, e17, etcetera are battery powered and meant to be used with your portable devices. however, many do have ac cords which you could use at a permanent location if need be.

headphone amps such as the audioengine d1, schiit magni, etc are ac only and must be plugged in. they are also larger and more powerful then portable options.

also of note are "dac" units or digital analog converters. these are what actually turn the sound from a digital format (from your pc and games) into the analog format that speakers need. the output power is not enough to power speakers which is why an amp is used to boost it.

a soundcard is in essence a dac + amp. its possible to run an external amp off your soundcard but unless you use the line-out (unamped connector) you would be double-amping (having an amp after an amp) which would mean a bit more distortion. of course its also possible to use an external dac and amp combo as well.

your receiver will act as a dac+amp however i've heard reports that its really not as good as anything more than an average soundcard and that going with a decent onboard soundcard is superior. however, you can certainly try your headphones out. i would look up to see what the maximum output on your receiver is for the jack though.

chances are your onboard sound doesnt have virtual surround as most do not. you would need to add in a soundcard in order to get it. as i said earlier the xonar dg $30 or creative z $80 are good options worth looking into. for free and without buying a thing you could use the razer surround software however be aware that it likely will NOT work if you amp your headphones with the receiver. it did not work for me when i tried it in this manner. they would need to be hooked up to your pc via a soundcard or amp.

likely you are hooked up to your receiver via hdmi from pc. this is a digital connection and completely bypasses the onboard sound of your motherboard. the receiver does all the conversion. in fact, i dont even have my onboard audio drivers installed for my motherboard. everything is handled by my video card for output and then decoded by my receiver.

---

if you want virtual surround you need to buy either a soundcard or use the razer surround software.

if not, you can likely use your receiver to amp your headphones however an external amp or soundcard might sound better by a little bit.

 
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Thanks for the clarification. Very easy to understand. I'm sure that will come in handy when the times comes.

Also, my DT770's arrived today. I'll be sure to share a comparison to the Logitech G35. I'll make a basic comparison with the M50's too, as I don't have them anymore I won't be going into any intricate details. I'm almost literally drowning in assessments at the moment, so finding the time to write a lengthy review isn't an option. Hopefully I'll have a comparison posted next week some time.

p.s I did manage to try them on before my lecture and I gotta' say that they're super light and the earpads sit around my ears comfortably 😉
 
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★★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★

Just an honest disclaimer to anyone reading this thread in the future, the current ‘BEST SOLUTION’ is not the best solution. I have messaged Tomshardware to change the best solution but haven’t heard anything back. I do not recommend the M50, and have instead come to a new officially finalized decision/recommendation.

Here's a quick recap on my experience with the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80ohms) headphones.
The DT770’s beat the G35 and M50 in every aspect. Audio quality wise, the G35 doesn’t stand a chance. Even the most ignorant audio noob would be able to tell the difference. The M50 on the other hand shares a number of similarities.

I find the DT770 to,
- Have more bass
- Be 10x more comfortable (The M50 is uncomfortable in comparison. I still prefer the G35 comfort wise)
- Very warm mids while still producing juicy bass

One thing which confused me a little was when I plugged the DT770’s into my receiver for the first time, they had an unbearable high amount of treble. It was so high pitched in fact that I went in my receiver’s settings to alter it. My receiver’s treble setting is rated from -6 through to +6, and it was set to the maximum for some reason.

Now the thing which confuses me is that I’m not sure as to whether or not the treble was set to max when I was using the M50’s, or if the receiver settings had been altered since. If the treble has been set to max for a long time, that means that the DT770’s have WAY too much treble for my liking. I set the treble on my receiver to 0 and it’s perfect now.

So yea, all in all I’d recommend the DT770 to anyone wanting to switch from the G35’s.

★★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★ BEST SOLUTION ★★★★★
 
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Solution


Are you still using these headphone through your home receiver or did you buy a soundcard or desktop amp+dac?

have you used the DT770pro 80ohm directly from your pc? Are tehy loud enough or were they lacking?
 
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Yes I'm still using the headphones through the receiver. There's no point in me buying a DAC because my home theater receiver basically destroys amps/dacs.

I'm actually using the headphones in my front audio jack right now. They go loud enough
 
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