Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Help with chosing my first decent headphones!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Help with chosing my first decent headphones!

post #1 of 8
1/5/12 at 2:16pm
Thread Starter 

Hello Guys,

 

I'm about to buy my first decent pair of headphones for home use (what I've had before is not even worth mentioning). I would like to get 'over the ear' sealed or open cans. I've done as much research on them as I could (or was able to understand) but I'm still very confused. My maximum budget is £170 (~$260) and as I mentioned already these are for home use (I might occasionally plug them into my mp3 player but that isn't too important for me). I listen to very wide variety of music (e.g. classical, jazz, d&b, ambient, vocal, progressive, R&B etc.) and I want a clear, smooth sound. I don't need any artificially enhanced bass, perfect isolation, extremely high volume and I don't mind some sound leakage. Basically I want the best sound I can get for the price.

 

I'm currently choosing between those:

 

Audio-Technica ATH M50(s) - I've read A LOT of reviews for this pair and everybody seems to be extremely happy with those. Howerver, some reviews mentioned that these are very good for studio use but not as good for home use (whatever the hell that means).

 

Audio-Technica ATH AD700 - I've read that these are lacking mids and highs but in overall are very good too.

 

Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO 80 OHM

 

Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO 250 OHM

 

Beyerdynamic DJX-1 - This pair is in my list based on good review I found on youtube by innerfidelity (that review suggest this pair over ATH M50). However, I found that multiple people are complaining over these not being durable enough.

 

I am not limited to this list and open to suggestions. Please help me get the best I can for the price.

 

 

P.S. Please forgive me if this post is in a wrong location or there's something else I've missed - I've only discovered this web-site a couple of days ago and not yet familiar with the community :)

 

Thank You

Reply
post #2 of 8
1/5/12 at 2:33pm

DT990, great highs and bass but not super bassy like the DT770, slightly recessed mids. ATH M50 isn't really on par with it. Never heard anything else on your list.

Reply
post #3 of 8
1/5/12 at 2:47pm
Based on the genres you listed you should go with a neutral sounding headphone like the FA-003 or FA-006.
Reply
post #4 of 8
1/5/12 at 2:49pm

The DT990s are great cans.  Good and clear.  They aren't balanced, however.  They have a "v-shape" eq curve to them.  Also, the treble can sizzle on them, which some people may find uncomfortable. 

 

Since you said you wanted clear sound and didn't care too much about bass exaggeration, you might look into the Sennheiser HD600s.  I know this is a little out of your range, but they are great cans.  You could probably find some used ones for $250-260.  They are very balanced and smooth.  You can't do much better without really breaking the bank.

 

Something to consider at least.

Reply
post #5 of 8
1/6/12 at 1:24am
Thread Starter 

jc222284, I'm really struggling to find these available to check the price. Have these just came out or have already been discontinued?


Edited by mellow - 1/6/12 at 1:26am
Reply
post #6 of 8
1/6/12 at 1:29am

I have DT990 (600 ohm) and M50's

I'd say the Beyers have a wider Genre of music you can listen to.. but are you willing to buy an amp?

if running unamped M50 might be better..

Also I love my HD598.. clear crisp and has the right amount of bass...

Reply
post #7 of 8
1/6/12 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 

600 ohm goes over my budget too :( I would be willing to buy an amp but I could only afford a cheap one (~£20). Not sure what effect would cheap amp have on the sound quality..

Reply
post #8 of 8
1/6/12 at 1:39am

Fostex T50RP, modded nothing comes close, check out the threads and ardillas summary in the recent articles section.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Help with chosing my first decent headphones!