Headphone suggestions...

pearsall001

I never owned a set before & with a budget of $400 max what brands & models should I give a listen to. I've heard all the names before but don't really know which brands are better than others. Suggestions please.

TNRabbit

I have listened to the top 5 popular models (roughly) & preferred the AKG-701/702. The Sennheiser 650 is excellent as well. I didn't care as much for the Grado R-1.

You can find the AKGs on amazon/ebay for around $275.00. They are not a "crank it" type of can, though. They get really stringent when pushed hard.

Bobsama

AKG K701/K702's can need a good bit of power to get loud. A little CMOY amp won't work well, though a low-end desk amp would be OK.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Open-Back-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278863702&sr=8-1

Something like a Pro-Ject Head Amp Mk.II would be OK (but not great) though something like a Little Dot I+ Hybrid should be a good entry-level amp for them, though I've not yet heard that amp.

eeagle

My two favorites are the Sennheiser HD580's and the Grado SR60. I find myself listening to the Grado's more often than the Sennheiser's and they were a lot less money...like less than $100.

kawizx9r

Out of all these, Sennheiser HD650's are a no brainer.

Personally liked them over the 701's, better soundstage and to me they sounded more dynamic.

-Freddy

zingo

The K702s are fantastic headphones, especially at this discounted price.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/akg-k-702-black.php

nduitch

I like the sound of the Grado sr60 but they are very uncomfortable. After 5 minutes your ears will start hurting, its only a $70 headphone, but most Grado headphones have the same basic design. AKG are a great sounding comfortable headphone.

Zitro

kawizx9r wrote: »

Out of all these, Sennheiser HD650's are a no brainer.

Personally liked them over the 701's, better soundstage and to me they sounded more dynamic.

-Freddy

Agreed in every respect, this is my favorite pair of cans to date. SQ is outstanding and they are INCREDIBLY comfortable, as most Sennheiser circumaural cans are.

WOW, and they are only $337 shipped on amazon right now. No brainer!

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Open-Air-Dynamic-Audiophile-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278914943&sr=8-1

EDIT: Man, at that price I'm really wishing I had the money to upgrade to these guys....anyone have $340 I can borrow?

madmax

I like the Senn 600's pretty well.
madmax

ozzy21236

Need some info before any rec can be made . Still any rec is just one persons opinion .
A: Do you need closed back cans or are open backed ok? What kind of environment do you intend to use them mostly ? Lot of background noise like refrigerators , air conditioners , office or home?
B: What will you be driving the phones with?
C:Are you willing or able to spring for a headphone amp?
D:What kind of music do you prefer?

Answer these questions and you'll get better recommendations within and above your stated budget

Personally , I have owned Sennheiser HD580 (open backed) and Audio Technica ATH-A900 (closed back). I previously had Grado SR225 (open backed).

All three are nice headphones. I traded the Grados for the ATs with no regrets. To me the grados are uncomfortable and the build quality is meh .

Also you need to take into account pad materials . The cushiony velvet covered foam of the Senns is very comfy . The foam of the Grados was like sandpaper on my ears . I find the pleather covered foam on the ATs to be comfy but can get hot in the summer time and the adjustable "wings" on the ATs make for a good fit but can fly off your head if you like to headbang.

So , as you can see , there are many things involved to recommending a headphone.

BTW , I prefer the Senns to any others I own(ed). Sennheiser HD580 HD600 and HD650 are of the same "family". Each was TOTL at some point. HD595 are voiced differently than the aforementioned Sennheisers .Many will say you need a headphone amp with Sennheisers. That has not been my experience but an amp will drive them with more control. YMMV.

Good luck with what ever you chose.

Russ

Zitro

ozzy21236 wrote: »

.Many will say you need a headphone amp with Sennheisers. That has not been my experience but an amp will drive them with more control. YMMV.

I run my Senn HD-515's off of the the internal headphone amp of my NAD integrated, and it drives them just fine. I got to borrow HD-650's for a week, and I listened to them from my NAD, a Creek headphone amp and a Musical Fidelity X-Can (an excellent can amp). Granted, the phones sounded their best on the X-cans, but they still sounded great through my cheap NAD output. In my experience, Senn's don't need high amplification as much as others, like AKG.

KrazyMofo24

The senn's HD580, HD600, HD650 from what I read will benefit from a good amp/source. I know the Grado's are more efficient.

If you enjoy a brighter sound go with Grado's, if you like warmer, laid back sound choose Sennheiser. From what I read at head-fi the AKG's are suppose to be more balanced/neutral.

zingo

KrazyMofo24 wrote: »

From what I read at head-fi the AKG's are suppose to be more balanced/neutral.

Correct. The K702s are greatly neutral as they were designed for the recording studio. I really enjoy them for this reason even though they weren't designed to "make music sound good". I have not listened to them on a low current source, but all my headphone amps allow them to sing, even the cheap ones.

The other pair of cans I really like is the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700. My father-in-law likes them better than the K702s, and I think they are a little more comfortable. The price for them can be unbeatable if you want open-back, circumaural cans. Plus their suspension system in pretty cool.

Mike Kozak

I have a pair of Pioneer Studio Monitor 10s. Got them new in 1979 I think it was. They sound great. Classic set of cans.

billbillw

I'll throw another recommendation in for the Senn HD580/600/650 series. I was lucky enough to get my HD580 for only $100 when they were being discontinued. I did a few mods to them, all of which were inexpensive, and it pretty much brought them up to the performance of the HD600. BTW, that price through amazon on the HD650 is very good, but its actually cheaper to go straight to ZipZoomFly (only $320)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=386025&ps=weekly_386025

Don't kid yourself though, these Sennheiser do need good quality amplification to sound good, whether that comes from a good preamp/receiver, or from a dedicated headphone amp.

Mine sound like absolute garbage if I try to use them with my HT receiver, but they sound pretty good with most of the 2-ch receivers that I've tried (because most just feed off the main speaker output but with added resistors to bring down the wattage/current).

zingo

Bobsama wrote: »

AKG K701/K702's can need a good bit of power to get loud. A little CMOY amp won't work well, though a low-end desk amp would be OK.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Open-Back-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278863702&sr=8-1

Something like a Pro-Ject Head Amp Mk.II would be OK (but not great) though something like a Little Dot I+ Hybrid should be a good entry-level amp for them, though I've not yet heard that amp.

Agreed. There are plenty of little headphone amps on the market that will power headphones very well. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get good headphone results.

SivaNevets

senhe hd600/650 is the very best headphones for classical/intrumental headphone despect the money. but they fail at vocal, sound lifeless to me.
grado is the best vocal ive heard, i own grado RS-2 (at home) and SR60 (outside) and these are my favorite becauset he kind of music im listening too.
Japanese headphones r the runner up for me. Audio-tech make excellent and well-rounded headphones, ive heard many, and they r also very very good. Denon/sony also makes good headphone. Althought Sony CD3000 was dicontinued long time ago.
Ive audited several AKGs, included K702, they are good as well.
beware HD600/650 are high impendence, requires good head amp. Grados are much easier to push

Bobsama

zingo wrote: »

Agreed. There are plenty of little headphone amps on the market that will power headphones very well. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get good headphone results.

I actually ran out of control on the volume knob when listening to a Peter Gabriel concert DVD. That was more an issue with the DVD being recorded at low levels than the amp not having enough power; it was that Pro-Ject amp.