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Nervous first-time buyer... I fear this may be an expensive post.

post #1 of 28
8/30/11 at 10:07am
Thread Starter 

Hi there,

 

I'm currently rocking the stock iPod headphones (haha) but tried the B&W P5s yesterday and thought they were pretty decent. Obviously, having read around this forum a bit I'm realising that the SQ doesn't quite match the build quality and have been looking for a suitable alternative in a similar price range (circa £250).

 

I've so far come across the Hifiman HE-300s, Grado SR325is, Beyerdynamic DT880, and AKG 702s, which all seem very decent but I was wondering whether one would be better than the others for my tastes/use or whether there are others out there that I haven't yet discovered.

 

For the record, I listen to a lot of Tom Waits, The National, and Josh Ritter, as well as a little rap, electronica and pop. I guess I'd want the headphones to be fairly versatile, but perhaps slightly weighted towards the style of the first three. I'd be listening to the music on my MacBook Pro and iPod/iPhone for now (although I may upgrade in time). Also, I'd be using them on longer journeys and around the house, and may therefore also invest in a slightly more portable, in-ear set of headphones (any suggestions?).

 

Thanks a lot for taking the time to help, it's very much appreciated.

 

Ed.

 

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post #2 of 28
8/30/11 at 10:49am

Hi Ed, welcome to head-fi. 

 

You can check the Beyerdynamic T50p. They are nice portables in your price range, easy to drive and they look great...

 

 

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post #3 of 28
8/30/11 at 10:59am

Jecklin floats are pretty portable. (sarcasm)

 

On a serious note, why don't you get one expensive headphone for around the house and one cheap one for portable (KSC-75 or Monoprice maybe?)

 

 

 

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post #4 of 28
8/30/11 at 7:59pm
How about an Alessandro MS-2i? They're made by Grado and have the same price the world over - I imagine they'd cost less than buying a new SR-325i outside the US. More neutral than the 325i, but an excellent headphone that isn't recommended here as often as it used to. Dig back and you'll find plenty of reviews and impressions. They should suit your music and run fine from an iPod.
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post #5 of 28
8/30/11 at 8:08pm

Heya,

 

Bunch of open headphones, but you said "portable." Might want to consider that a little more.

 

DT880 or HE-300 would be my suggested starting point for the use you described. But they're not very portable, due to open-air. Like all the headphones you listed. Both are very comfy.

 

Very best,

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post #6 of 28
8/30/11 at 8:49pm

Lol, nice thread title. Welcome to Head-Fi. Sorry about your wallet/sanity. wink.gif

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post #7 of 28
8/31/11 at 1:49am
Thread Starter 

Thanks a lot for your replies, guys. Very much appreciated.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

How about an Alessandro MS-2i? They're made by Grado and have the same price the world over - I imagine they'd cost less than buying a new SR-325i outside the US. More neutral than the 325i, but an excellent headphone that isn't recommended here as often as it used to. Dig back and you'll find plenty of reviews and impressions. They should suit your music and run fine from an iPod.


Awesome, I'll go dig through some reviews. How do you think they compare to the HE-300s or DT880s? Cheers.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalVeauX View Post

Heya,

 

Bunch of open headphones, but you said "portable." Might want to consider that a little more.

 

DT880 or HE-300 would be my suggested starting point for the use you described. But they're not very portable, due to open-air. Like all the headphones you listed. Both are very comfy.

 

Very best,


I think you've made me realise that I want to get a cheap portable pair (perhaps the Koss KSC75s, as recommended by SkinnyPuppy?) and one proper pair for at-home listening. Both the DT880s and HE-300s look awesome... is there anything I'd need to know about either that would be a game-changer in choosing one? Have you left out the Grado SR-325is because of their brightness? If so, what do you make of the Alessandro MS-2i? Do they compare to the two you recommended?

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by olor1n View Post

Lol, nice thread title. Welcome to Head-Fi. Sorry about your wallet/sanity. wink.gif


Haha. Thanks, man.

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post #8 of 28
8/31/11 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 

I guess I should add that I'm willing to go to £300 (roughly $480) for the right pair, so if there's a great pair in that region, I can stretch. I'm treating myself :-D

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post #9 of 28
8/31/11 at 3:16am

I think in that price range, you have to also at least take a cursory glance at the Sennheiser 598 for your home headphone. It should be easy enough to demo in the UK. I did so recently, and it compares very favourably against the K/Q701/702, and is much more refined than Grados are (though you might not be looking for refinement). I'm stopping short of recommending it, but it's definitely one you should add to the list of ones to read up on or audition.

 

Problem is, you'll get so many different recommendations in that price range, you'll have a lot of reading to do!

 

 

p.s. 598 prices in the UK seem to be about £160 online, or about £200 in a highstreet shop


Edited by Arleus - 8/31/11 at 3:17am
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post #10 of 28
8/31/11 at 5:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arleus View Post

I think in that price range, you have to also at least take a cursory glance at the Sennheiser 598 for your home headphone. It should be easy enough to demo in the UK. I did so recently, and it compares very favourably against the K/Q701/702, and is much more refined than Grados are (though you might not be looking for refinement). I'm stopping short of recommending it, but it's definitely one you should add to the list of ones to read up on or audition.

 

Problem is, you'll get so many different recommendations in that price range, you'll have a lot of reading to do!

 

 

p.s. 598 prices in the UK seem to be about £160 online, or about £200 in a highstreet shop


Thanks a lot. They look very decent for the money. Do you think they can compete with some of the above recommendations (DT 880/HE-300s)?

 

I'm perfectly happy to do the reading... I'm enjoying learning about all the different types of headphone.

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post #11 of 28
8/31/11 at 6:03am

Unfortunately, I've not heard a pair of DT-880s or HE300s. The latter are very new on the market, so it might be a little harder to find comparisons, but when I cast my eye over the initial impressions thread on these forums, the response seemed to be a bit mixed. I'm sure someone else will come in with their opinion and more experience soon enough though.

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post #12 of 28
8/31/11 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arleus View Post

Unfortunately, I've not heard a pair of DT-880s or HE300s. The latter are very new on the market, so it might be a little harder to find comparisons, but when I cast my eye over the initial impressions thread on these forums, the response seemed to be a bit mixed. I'm sure someone else will come in with their opinion and more experience soon enough though.



Yes, I saw that about the HE-300s, but there were a couple of stellar reviews in there, too. 

 

Other phones that have been recommended in roughly my price range are:

 

Denon AH-D5000

Ultrasone Pro-900

AT ATH-ES10

Sony MDR Z1000

Ultrasone Pro 2900

Sennheiser HD-650

 

Do any of those jump out as particular forum favourites? What I'm learning as I read more is that it's very, very difficult to pick a clear winner since the best set depends a lot upon personal preference/music tastes... but I'm still going to try if I'm going to drop this much cash!

 

Thanks again, people.

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post #13 of 28
8/31/11 at 2:18pm
Some of the headphones mentioned might need an amp. Trust me, you are not going to be happy running an HD650 out of an iPod.
You should be able to get a cheap desktop amp for less than $120, which is still a considerable amount of money given your budget.

Having said that I do think you should definitely go with a full sized can (i.e. not portable). They are miles more comfortable.
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post #14 of 28
8/31/11 at 2:24pm
So much depends on personal preference, you should definitely try before buying. A good shop with a helpful salesperson is so valuable when you're starting out.
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post #15 of 28
8/31/11 at 3:32pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by EdChap View Post





Yes, I saw that about the HE-300s, but there were a couple of stellar reviews in there, too. 

 

 


Yep, I meant mixed as in varied. Seems like these days 'mixed' means 'mediocre' on the internet! Anyhow, you will quickly run into the problem that it's very difficult to audition headphones in the UK. If you happen to be near one of the handful of stores that carries a wide range of hifi headphones, and lets you demo them, then consider yourself very lucky. Down my way, getting hold of a Sennheiser to demo is easy, but anything else is tough. The guy in Audio-T told me that Grado will let them sell headphones, but not give them any demo pairs. I had the privilege of listening to the only (!!) demo pair of RS2s in the country at the Sound and Vision show earlier this year, apparently. So I was told anyway.

 

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