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Looking for great headphones (yet again)

Oyeve

Oyeve

Lifer
I am always looking for a great pair of heaphones. I own several dozen various headphones/earbuds but am always looking for something better. My main use for them would be for my PC that is connected to a 7.1 1000watt receiver and for my ipod. I need bass and closed-ear as I crank my tunes, they also need to be able to sound great for my ipod (please, no ipod slamming). I particularly love my porta pros and PX-100 cuz the bass is great but Not to connect to my receiver. I have my eye in the SENNHEISER HD 465. Anyone have these? what are your experiences? Please reccommend some fantastic headphones. I was looking at the Shure E3 buds but cant find a place to let me try them (then again, do I really want to try earbuds other people have tried?)
 
I like the Koss Portapros for <50$ headphones they are the "best"

For "great" headphones Beyer Dynamic makes some nice ones. I've only tried the older 990s and they were comfy and phenominal sounding ($199)
 
Post your question at head-fi.org. The residents will be more than happy to steer you towards several excellent headphones well out of your budget range, and they will do their best to make you addicted to headphone collecting.

As an actual answer to your question, I have more questions (sorry):

1. What's your budget?
2. Are full-size circumaural headphones acceptable?
3. Do you want isolation (noise blocking)?
 
He stated he wanted closed cans.
Click to expand...
Oops. Thanks, I didn't read thoroughly enough 😱

In that case, I still have questions 1 and 2, but I can make some general recommendations..

Audio-Technica ATH-A500 - $100
Circumaural, enormous. Bassy, mids a bit recessed, but reasonably well-balanced. If you don't mind the size, a good all-around choice.

Audio-Technica ATH-A700 - $150
Circumaural, enormous. The A500, but somewhat better across the board.

Audio-Technica ATH-A900 - $200
Circumaural, enormous. The A700, but slightly better.

Beyerdynamic DT250-250 - $180
Circumaural, barely-- about as portable as supra-aural headphones get. Velour pads. Fairly bassy, high-end is a little recessed.

Etymotic ER-6i - $100
Canalphones. Etymotics are typically less bassy and more treble-y than Shures, but the ER-6i's frequency response is adjusted to give it more bass response (presumably because mos iPod's bass roll-off)

Etymotic ER-4P - $200
Canalphones. For all intents and purposes, a better ER-6i.

Sennheiser HD25-1 - $200
Supra-aural. Probably not the best option unless you're after durability and portability above all else.

Shure E2/c - $80
Canalphones. Bassy, seriously recessed top-end. Great isolation at a low price, though. If you own the PortaPro and PX100, you'll probably think these suck in comparison.

Shure E3/c - $170
Canalphones. Bassy, recessed top-end. Very difficult to recommend these when the E4/c's so near, but the E4 does pair very poorly with the iPod (low impedance, and not a very bassy canalphone to begin with-- sounds tinny with it, imho)

Long list, right? And it's probably not complete. Try everything you can before you buy. It's probably not possible (and disgusting if it is) with canalphones, but if you try out a lot of full-size headphones you should be able to get an idea of what sound signatures you like and don't like.
 
Originally posted by: svi
As an actual answer to your question, I have more questions (sorry):

1. What's your budget?
2. Are full-size circumaural headphones acceptable?
3. Do you want isolation (noise blocking)?
Click to expand...


1. Up to 400 bucks
2. Closed prefereably
3. Not into isolation


I should probably list all my headphones so there are no recommedations of stuff I already have.

1. Sennheiser PX-100
2. Sennheiser PX-200
3. Koss Porta-pro
4. Sony MDR V6 (Originals from 15 years ago)
5. Sony MDR V700DJ
6. Sony MDR V300 (newer model)
7. Sony MDR V200 (Original from 13 years ago)
8. Denon HD-750
7. Azden 7 (20 year old "Digital" headphones)
8. Sony MDR-EX71SL
9. Koss Sparkplug
10. Ipod buds
11. Bose Tri-ports (should be renamed as "WHY-ports" as in "why did I buy this crap?)
12. A bunch of other stuff I can't remeber now.

I prefer over the head phones as i wer glasses and hate clip on crap.

Anyone have the HD 465 ? Gonna try em at J and R this weekend.
 
I haven't listened to a lot of phones but I do own the Sennheiser HD-595's and I can definately recommend them! Suberb sound!

 
1. Up to 400 bucks
2. Closed prefereably
3. Not into isolation
Click to expand...
Err.. I'm sorry, what do you mean by closed but not needing isolation? The whole point of buying closed headphones is to get some sort of isolation, as open-air headphones typically sound better (much less resonance to worry about). By closed, do you mean circumaural, or what?


I prefer over the head phones as i wer glasses and hate clip on crap.

Anyone have the HD 465 ? Gonna try em at J and R this weekend.
Click to expand...
Not personally, but they're supposed to be all right. If your budget's up to $400, though, why not aim higher?
 
Originally posted by: svi
1. Up to 400 bucks
2. Closed prefereably
3. Not into isolation
Click to expand...
Err.. I'm sorry, what do you mean by closed but not needing isolation? The whole point of buying closed headphones is to get some sort of isolation, as open-air headphones typically sound better (much less resonance to worry about). By closed, do you mean circumaural, or what?


I prefer over the head phones as i wer glasses and hate clip on crap.

Anyone have the HD 465 ? Gonna try em at J and R this weekend.
Click to expand...
Not personally, but they're supposed to be all right. If your budget's up to $400, though, why not aim higher?
Click to expand...

What I mean about no isolation is no buds I have to stick deep in my ear canal or headphones that have noise reduction gadgetry.

Also, my limit is 400 but I dont want some HUGE things on my head as I want to be able to use em for my ipod or other portable stuff.
 
The only high-end headphones that aren't big ear-cans that I know of are the in-ear etymotics.

There is no such thing as high-end earbud or earpad headphones because they are just poor designs to begin with. All the high-end phones are either cans or in-ear, as far as I know. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I don't know what source the OP has, but aren't the mid-range headphones the best that he could do? The high-end headphones probably need more expensive equipment to bring out all their advantages.
 
With a $400 budget, I'd definitely try to fit an amplifier in there. I know you said no ipod bashing, and I'm not bashing it - but its headphone jack is one of the worst among the portable players. On the other hand, its line out (which you'd use with an amp) is one of the best. Sound is only as good as the weakest component in the chain, and multi-hundred dollar headphones are overkill for an ipod's headphone out. Further, most high-end headphones have larger power requirements than any portable player can provide. Portable amps are small and unobtrusive, check head-fi.org's amplifier section for the pics thread.

You also seem kind of unsure what you want... you want portability but not canalphones? What then, $400 earbuds? 😕 There's no such thing, and if there was it would be a ripoff. Anyway the problem with closed cans in that price range is that there aren't many choices; you're looking at an audiophile-grade price range in which most cans are open since they tend to produce better sound.
 
What I mean about no isolation is no buds I have to stick deep in my ear canal or headphones that have noise reduction gadgetry.
Click to expand...
Err... but you still want isolation, if you're after closed headphones. Well, anyway, I get the idea. You want headphones that block out some noise, but you don't want huge headphones, you don't want noise-cancelling headphones, and you don't want canalphones.

What do you think about some of the headphones that you own in terms of sound quality and size? For example, what's your opinion on your MDR-V6's sound quality?



With a $400 budget, I'd definitely try to fit an amplifier in there. I know you said no ipod bashing, and I'm not bashing it - but its headphone jack is one of the worst among the portable players. On the other hand, its line out (which you'd use with an amp) is one of the best. Sound is only as good as the weakest component in the chain, and multi-hundred dollar headphones are overkill for an ipod's headphone out. Further, most high-end headphones have larger power requirements than any portable player can provide. Portable amps are small and unobtrusive, check head-fi.org's amplifier section for the pics thread.
Click to expand...
Seconded wholeheartedly.
 
Originally posted by: svi
What I mean about no isolation is no buds I have to stick deep in my ear canal or headphones that have noise reduction gadgetry.
Click to expand...
Err... but you still want isolation, if you're after closed headphones. Well, anyway, I get the idea. You want headphones that block out some noise, but you don't want huge headphones, you don't want noise-cancelling headphones, and you don't want canalphones.

What do you think about some of the headphones that you own in terms of sound quality and size? For example, what's your opinion on your MDR-V6's sound quality?



With a $400 budget, I'd definitely try to fit an amplifier in there. I know you said no ipod bashing, and I'm not bashing it - but its headphone jack is one of the worst among the portable players. On the other hand, its line out (which you'd use with an amp) is one of the best. Sound is only as good as the weakest component in the chain, and multi-hundred dollar headphones are overkill for an ipod's headphone out. Further, most high-end headphones have larger power requirements than any portable player can provide. Portable amps are small and unobtrusive, check head-fi.org's amplifier section for the pics thread.
Click to expand...
Seconded wholeheartedly.
Click to expand...


The V6 I have sound great but I hate the 50 foot coil wire for portability. 🙂 Makes my pockets bulge. I am gonna test the 280 that people seem to recommend. Yeah, the ipod may not be HIFI but I use other SW to rip and make the mp3s louder to compensate for the ipods weakness. My primary use would be for my main PC which is hooked up to a Denon 7.1 receiver and pumps out over 1000watts to my speakers and when using headphones it pumps a decent amount of power. Even when I use my bigger closed-ear headphones my wife can hear my music in another room! I like to feel my music whether I use my 7.1 setup or my headphones. External portable amps sound intriguing, i'll check it out. BTW, thanks for all the info and opinions everyone, much appreciated. :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: Oyeve
The V6 I have sound great but I hate the 50 foot coil wire for portability. 🙂 Makes my pockets bulge. I am gonna test the 280 that people seem to recommend. Yeah, the ipod may not be HIFI but I use other SW to rip and make the mp3s louder to compensate for the ipods weakness. My primary use would be for my main PC which is hooked up to a Denon 7.1 receiver and pumps out over 1000watts to my speakers and when using headphones it pumps a decent amount of power. Even when I use my bigger closed-ear headphones my wife can hear my music in another room! I like to feel my music whether I use my 7.1 setup or my headphones. External portable amps sound intriguing, i'll check it out. BTW, thanks for all the info and opinions everyone, much appreciated. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

280s have a long coiled wire as well. While, like everything else, they'll make the Sonys look bad - they're nowhere near your specified budget.

Raising the base volume level of your music is a bad idea, it can lead to worse SQ and even clipping, which can damage speakers & headphone drivers.

Even the best receivers often have a headphone jack suitable for low impedence phones. Doesn't matter if it pumps out a million watts to your speakers, the headphone jack is entirely different circuitry. With most any high-end headphone, an amp is still a good idea.
 
Originally posted by: Oyeve
Originally posted by: svi
What I mean about no isolation is no buds I have to stick deep in my ear canal or headphones that have noise reduction gadgetry.
Click to expand...
Err... but you still want isolation, if you're after closed headphones. Well, anyway, I get the idea. You want headphones that block out some noise, but you don't want huge headphones, you don't want noise-cancelling headphones, and you don't want canalphones.

What do you think about some of the headphones that you own in terms of sound quality and size? For example, what's your opinion on your MDR-V6's sound quality?



With a $400 budget, I'd definitely try to fit an amplifier in there. I know you said no ipod bashing, and I'm not bashing it - but its headphone jack is one of the worst among the portable players. On the other hand, its line out (which you'd use with an amp) is one of the best. Sound is only as good as the weakest component in the chain, and multi-hundred dollar headphones are overkill for an ipod's headphone out. Further, most high-end headphones have larger power requirements than any portable player can provide. Portable amps are small and unobtrusive, check head-fi.org's amplifier section for the pics thread.
Click to expand...
Seconded wholeheartedly.
Click to expand...


The V6 I have sound great but I hate the 50 foot coil wire for portability. 🙂 Makes my pockets bulge. I am gonna test the 280 that people seem to recommend. Yeah, the ipod may not be HIFI but I use other SW to rip and make the mp3s louder to compensate for the ipods weakness. My primary use would be for my main PC which is hooked up to a Denon 7.1 receiver and pumps out over 1000watts to my speakers and when using headphones it pumps a decent amount of power. Even when I use my bigger closed-ear headphones my wife can hear my music in another room! I like to feel my music whether I use my 7.1 setup or my headphones. External portable amps sound intriguing, i'll check it out. BTW, thanks for all the info and opinions everyone, much appreciated. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Do you have a denon 5805 or something?
 
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