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Cheapest headphone for great soundstage and imaging

post #1 of 44
8/2/06 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Just trying to get an idea of how much minimum budget I will need set aside for a headphone with great soundstage and imaging.
That doesn't mean it can perform badly in other areas. Soundstage is not the only thing I am looking for. I can't stand screechy highs, bloated/boomy/resonating bass and mid-bass and muffled mids. It should still be a very well behaved headphone. I may be able to tolerate lack of soundstage, but certainly not any of that.

Yes I will be driving them with an Amp. Not decided yet but somehow I have a feeling these headphones would probably not be 'portable' so I will end up driving them with a desktop sized amp. And at that point I might just as well wire up a tube amp
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post #2 of 44
8/2/06 at 1:47pm
I asked a question similar to yours a little while ago and a lot of people tell me that the AKG K501 have the widest soundstage for the bucks. I didn't get to heard them but i think you can thrust all those happy head-fiers who help me back then. You can find this thread here:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...dge+soundstage

But my maximum was 200$ so maybe to expensive for your taste, sorry.
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post #3 of 44
8/2/06 at 2:54pm
You sound like a great candidate for the AKG K-701's if you can swing the pricetag. Your description of what you are looking for in a headphone nicely describes how I experience the K-701 with a decent source and an amp.

I'm not sure exactly how much they cost these days but I think it's around $350'ish new from headfi sponsors like Headroom and TTVJ; shoot an e-mail to them for best price.
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post #4 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:01pm
It's kinda of funny how he said "cheapest" but the recommendations were the K501's and the K701's.
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post #5 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjong
It's kinda of funny how he said "cheapest" but the recommendations were the K501's and the K701's.

Well, if I ask for the cheapest car that goes 0-60 in less than 5 seconds stock, theres going to be fairly few suggestions that I get a Honda Civic, no? :- ]
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post #6 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:16pm
K501 ($129 @ TTVJ) + a warm amp. Biggest drawback is its lack of bass, but this is a preference thing and largely depends on the kind of music you listen too.

A250, Highs can be a little harsh depending on the amp you choose. With a warm tube amp this can SINGS!!

HD580. Pretty smooth and balanced. Not the most detail revealing phone though. Lacks the detail resolution of either the A250 or K501. Soundstage is very broad and open, but leaves center stage vacant.

Heres some cheaper cans that IMHO have some nice soundstage, but IMHO fall short of your sonic criteria in some way.

KSC75 , some find highs a bit harsh, somewhat bloated bass. At $15 you still might want to sonsider them.
portapro, gently rolled off highs, smooth mids, but muddy / bloated bass. Even more bloated than the KSC.
K240s, smooth highs, muddy bloated bass.
UR40, nice bass, but highs are a little harsh. IMHO this is the best imaging can of all the 60 ohm koss models.
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post #7 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjong
It's kinda of funny how he said "cheapest" but the recommendations were the K501's and the K701's.
I hear you. The problem is that the original poster followed "cheapest" with a description of a headphone with the "greatest" soundstage, imaging, and a bunch of other requirements. He also said he will be using them with an amp. Given his description, the "cheapest" phones that will get him where he wants to be is not a low-end phone.

That said, you have a point, and the K501 may have been a better reccomendation that the K701--depends on how many bucks he has in his pocket.
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post #8 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:29pm
A lot of the things he's looking for could be flexible, depending on his ears. I know it sounds crazy, but if you can take a listen to the Beyerdynamic DT770-80, it could do the job.

The bass it has might be to your liking, and it might not. If it does suit you, it's a real steal at the $150-$190 you can get it for at a Guitar Center.

Just throwing that out there, as an idea. It's really got a nice soundstage and decent imaging for a cheaper headphone. Be sure to try it first though.
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post #9 of 44
8/2/06 at 3:33pm
Couple questions, goodsound:what's your budget for these 'phones, and are you looking for something closed or open?
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post #10 of 44
8/2/06 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for your replies.
by cheapest I meant "best bang for the buck" in terms of soundstage or 'least expensive'. Something like the "least expensive" costly car
Whats my budget ? Well no more than I have to. Lets say $200 for now. I could try getting a used one too if the new street price is higher than that.

I will check out the K-501 and DT-770/880.

Kramer, does pairing the KSC-75 or UR40 with the right amp tame the highs ?

soundgoon, I don't want to limit my choices by construction (closed/open). If you are asking about sound leakage and isolation, that is the least of my worries right now.

How do the Senns (HD595 or 555) weigh in here ?
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post #11 of 44
8/2/06 at 10:39pm
Ok so for 200$ take the K501 and get yourself some good CD to listen to with the 75 remaining bucks
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post #12 of 44
8/2/06 at 11:21pm
I have the HD 590's which I really enjoy, and I hear that the 595's are pretty decent as well. I feel that Sennheiser does very good work in terms of soundstage. I think that if you are looking for something that is detail-orriented, the 595 might be a good way to go (the 590's are very detail-ish, which I really like as I listen to mainly acoustic (classical, jazz, etc.)). The Senn's also (in my opinion) make you feel as though you are suspended in mid-air in the middle of whatever you are listening to. So if that sounds like something to your liking, you might want to check them out.
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post #13 of 44
8/2/06 at 11:35pm
What about a K340? I think there is one in the for sale section right now.
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post #14 of 44
8/4/06 at 2:30am
As far as the KSC75 & UR40 are concerned, the right amp (ie - a nice warm amp) definitely tame the highs. So does added Resistance. Adding 75 ohms (or more) of Resistance in-line with any of the Koss 60 ohm phones tightens the bass and tames the highs.

I can also vouch for the HD590, but in all fairness, it really need an aftermarket replacement cable to sound it's best.

I will also recommend the Beyer DT831. It is a closed can with great detail and soundstage, as well as great bass. Again, however, it needs a warm amp and added resistance to really sound it's best.

You might also check out the Koss A130. It's the closed version on the Koss A250 (which is no longer available) and some seem to prefer it's sound over it's open cousin. It's also a ridiculously good deal.

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post #15 of 44
8/4/06 at 2:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodsound
thanks for your replies.
by cheapest I meant "best bang for the buck" in terms of soundstage or 'least expensive'. Something like the "least expensive" costly car
Whats my budget ? Well no more than I have to. Lets say $200 for now. I could try getting a used one too if the new street price is higher than that.

I will check out the K-501 and DT-770/880.

Kramer, does pairing the KSC-75 or UR40 with the right amp tame the highs ?
I dont know... I never tried. Ive always found the KSC75 has TOO much bass. Ive always done things to brighten them (see kramer mod thread).

I only had the UR40 for ~15 days before selling them. So I never tried it with my millet and I didn't own the earmax yet.

Garrett
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