Originally Posted by MS?
I have Rega Ear and I am buying NAD C521BEE CD-player. I am looking for now headphones, which are something like under €200. I will listen to music from Iron Maiden to Wagner and from Vangelis to John Coltrane. I am buying Beyerdynamics or Grados. Which model do you prefer? Options are
Beyerdynamic DT 660
Beyerdynamic DT 770
Beyerdynamic DT 990
Grado SR-60
Grado SR-80
That depends on what kind of sound you prefer. The DT660 and DT770 are both closed, which means they'll isolate you from outside noises and won't leak sound out. The DT660 is a nice, open-sounding closed headphone that's good for all-around use, but it is very bright without the 120-ohm adapter jack (which also makes it hard to drive). Its headband is also prone to cracking.
The DT770 is a very bass-heavy can (it literally sounds like you're standing next to a really good subwoofer, except you can't feel the bass) that is also very bright, which results in recessed, but very good mids. The soundstaging and detail are good as well, making it a good choice for gaming. It excels at electronica and rap, but is also good with rock and pop in the right system but is not good for most classical or jazz. It comes in several flavors: the DT770/80 Pro, DT770/80 M, DT770/250 Pro, DT770/250 non-Pro, DT770/600 Pro. The most common version is the DT770/250 Pro, which is hard to drive and is also the worst sounding flavor. The 250 non-Pro version is the same as the Pro except it has a bigger headband (to accomidate bigger heads). The 600 Pro version is older, and is hard to find. It's more balanced than the 250, but the 80 is better. The 80 ohm version (which I own) is the most balanced and most easily driven. It is also very hard to find though, with the only reliable source being the American pro-audio chain store Guitar Center. They can be found on eBay occasionally though. The 80 M is the same as the regular 80 Pro except it has an in-line volume control, pleather ear pads (I think), and better isolation. I believe the M version is intended mainly for drummers.
The DT990 is an open verion of the DT770, and is suppost to be much more balanced, though still having emphasized bass and trebel. I've never heard this but I'd think it wouldn't be quite as good as the DT770 on rap and electronica, but would be much better for rock and pop. I've never heard them though.
The Grado headphones are full of fun and impact, but can be rather bright. They are also very open and leak LOTS of sound (at moderate listening levels people standing several feet away from you in a quiet room can clearly hear what you're listening to), as well as letting almost everything in. They are very overpriced outside of the US, but you can get tweaked Grados from Alessandro for very good prices (their MS-1 model, based off the SR-125, costs US$99, the MS-2, based off the SR-325, is $299, and the MS-Pro, based off the RS-1, is $699, all with free world-wide shipping).
Hope this helps, if you want more info on any of those headphones, or any of the others that have been discussed previously on Head-Fi, do a
search for them.