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Best Jazz cans - unamped

post #1 of 23
5/1/08 at 7:16am
Thread Starter 
Hi!
Can you enlighten me what unamped cans are the best for Jazzish music.
It doesn´t matter if they are closed or open. I´m looking for some cans that deliver a neutral sound no emphasis on bass, treble or whatever. Just as natural as possible. I´m gonna use an iPod nano for these ones, and that unamped.

(I don´t care how I look in them , I want a splendid sound, thats all)

I have taken several looks at Grado SR60-125´s, Audio-Techninca ATH-ES7, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Sennheiser HD 595, Denon D10001 ....

I have Sennheiser PX100 already, the new ones must be sure on top of them.

But there must be several Iv'e missed, so I want you to help me decide!
(no buds, please)

Thanks!
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post #2 of 23
5/1/08 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Anyone?
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post #3 of 23
5/1/08 at 11:05am
AD900 and HD595 come to mind.

I haven't heard the Denon D1000, but they get good press and might be worth checking out as well.
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post #4 of 23
5/1/08 at 11:05am
I haven't heard the ATs or Denons, but depending on the type of Jazz, the MS1s, HD595s, A900s/AD900 (or even Etymotics) would be good choices (and as you know an be driven easily by the iPod). None are exactly neutral, but that's difficult at this price range. If you want to play it safe get the Senns (and it will be a step up!), but at least consider the MS1 for weight, ATs for articulation and Etys as poor mans Stax.
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post #5 of 23
5/1/08 at 4:22pm
HD595.

Also, if you like bass and want a closed headphone, you may be able to live with a DT770. It makes the bass lines and drums come alive and come to the fore in the mix, which can be both a good thing and a very bad thing.
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post #6 of 23
5/1/08 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys!

Yeah, I´m leaning towards the HD595´s. But are they surely fine to drive without amp? Sorry, but must be sure.
HeadRoom says the following about HD595:
"The low 50-ohm impedance rating of the HD595 make it a pretty usable choice for most portable audio players and computer-based listening applications but keep in mind it's overall audio performance will definitely improve very significantly when mated with any dedicated headphone amp."
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post #7 of 23
5/1/08 at 5:12pm
What is your budget and do you anticipate using this combo outdoors? The RS-1's do well enough unamped and are often considered the best headphones for jazz.
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post #8 of 23
5/1/08 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zanth View Post
What is your budget and do you anticipate using this combo outdoors? The RS-1's do well enough unamped and are often considered the best headphones for jazz.
I have never heard the RS-1, but I was going to suggest the SR-60. They may not be the more neutral unamped cans around, but when I had them they performed really well with Jazz. Given the price difference, I guess the RS-1 are much better...
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post #9 of 23
5/1/08 at 5:31pm
It surprised me that I like my grado 325i's much better for jazz than my akg k601's.
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post #10 of 23
5/1/08 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zanth View Post
What is your budget and do you anticipate using this combo outdoors? The RS-1's do well enough unamped and are often considered the best headphones for jazz.
My budget is round 300$, so the RS-1´s are a bit outo' range
And yes, I´m gonna use them outdoors.

A lot of Grados seems to pop up now

Thanks again!
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post #11 of 23
5/1/08 at 10:03pm
The ATH-AD900s are really nice. They're definitely not bass-heavy, and they sound really good unamped. I've listened to some jazz on these headphones and they're fantastic IMO, although I'm not that big on jazz. I love these though and would recommend them for anything.
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post #12 of 23
5/2/08 at 11:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Tch View Post
The ATH-AD900s are really nice. They're definitely not bass-heavy, and they sound really good unamped. I've listened to some jazz on these headphones and they're fantastic IMO, although I'm not that big on jazz. I love these though and would recommend them for anything.
Thanks Chris!

After a lot of surfing around, I´ve stumbled over Audio-Technica´s at a very frequent rate. They appear to be involved in serious natural SQ´s. AD900s, AD700s and even ES7s are being meantioned a bit here and there.

Any more reflections on these phones? (with an iPod, unamped)
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post #13 of 23
5/2/08 at 12:20pm
I would recommend the Grado SR225's for Jazz.
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post #14 of 23
5/2/08 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AudioDwebe View Post
I would recommend the Grado SR225's for Jazz.

I love the SR225, but not for jazz. Some pieces and west coast jazz sounds pretty good on them. But not in general. They would be my last choice after the K501, SE530, HD580 (in that order) for Art Blakely, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Diana Krall and etc.

If you're willing to consider IEMs I think the Shure SE530 is close to your budget right now and would put a smile on your face. No need for amplification to enjoy their sweet sound.
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post #15 of 23
5/2/08 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aimless1 View Post
I love the SR225, but not for jazz. Some pieces and west coast jazz sounds pretty good on them. But not in general. They would be my last choice after the K501, SE530, HD580 (in that order) for Art Blakely, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Diana Krall and etc.

If you're willing to consider IEMs I think the Shure SE530 is close to your budget right now and would put a smile on your face. No need for amplification to enjoy their sweet sound.
Agree that the 501's sound nice with jazz, as does the Shures. I've not heard the 580's so I can't comment on that; however, the 650 are good, also.

But the reason for the 225 recommendation is due to two things: One, the recommendation was for a headphone, and two, it was for a headphone unamped.

I feel the 501's require mucho power, as I'm sure the 580's do, also.
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