[galbenush]

           I am trying to buy a pair of headphones within a 200$ budget. I do not have the opportunity to listen to them before i buy them....
 
           From the reviews i found on the internet i came to the conclusion that the AKG 272 HD would be right for me. But before i buy them, i wanted to ask your opinion on whether are they truly the best buy...
 
          -I will run them on my PC, hooked to an audio receiver. (i will upgrade my soundcard and maybe buy an amp, but later on)
          -The budget is maximum 200$
         - I am looking for a clear sound, without too much "colouring"
         - i listen to every genre of music
         - I want them to be closed headphones.
 
          Do you think that the AKG 272 is the right choice for me or are they any other candidates, more suitable ? TY.
 

 

[electropop]

I like them a lot. Excellent clarity and comfort. Many don't like them for their lack of bass, but's it's easy to follow. I wouldn't mind more bass, it's just that many that have that tend to make some of the notes indistinguishable from each other. One that I liked was the KRK KNS8400. Bit more colored maybe, but even more clear, from what I could tell off a short listening session. Will probably get mine this week for more listening...
 
Other suggestions: KNS6400, HD 25-1 II (best portability), K171/172HD (long time since I heard them, but was quite impressed). Some that I haven't tried personally that you should probably look into: Fischer Audio FA-003, ... can't come up with anything else right now that's praised for neutrality/clarity. Maybe Fostex T50RP (only tried from a portable amp, and was quite let down) that are used for vocal monitoring in studios. 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
The K272 HD is a great headphone, comfortable and closed with a good sound, very clear and detailed. It's very bass shy though which makes it difficult to enjoy for certain music that has a lot of use of bass (electronic music, etc).
 
I will throw in another vote for a Fischer Audio FA-003 (both leather & velour pads). It's a great neutral headphone that isn't shy on bass, but isn't overly colored either. And if you want more sound stage, open-back, check out the FA-002.
 
The BeyerDynamic DT880 PRO is another good one for you (PRO version runs around ~$200 new) it's neutral, good sound stage, great detail and comfortable.
 
Very best,

 

[Adda]

In my opinion K271mkII and K272HD are the best phones in AKG's current lineup (unless the K550 will surprise) and they seem to fit your preferences to the letter.

 

[galbenush]

Everywhere i look for reviews on the Akg 272 users seem to note the lack of bass. Is it a real problem ? I listen to Rap, RnB, Deep House, Tech music among other genres that don't require alot of bass, and would like to enjoy them all...
 
 
Also, my hobby is creating music (mostly bassy stuff), and would like to be able to use them for mixing and mastering...and i need all frequencies to be balanced...but not overboosted. Dunno how to explain...wanna hear the details on the low end so that i can tweak it, but don't want it to be too amplyfied or nerfed, so that i can master it (witch can sometimes be very hard)...
 
Gonna' check the Fischer Audio FA-003 now...
 
Too bad i can't test them :|
 
Ty all for the help, further suggestions are welcomed.

 

[electropop]

I would guess balancing bass could be quite tricky, since they drop off quite rapidly. I listen to something completely different, so can't comment on the enjoyment level for those genres. With multi track modal music, however, they shine. 

 

[Adda]

I think their bass is well balanced, it does lack extension but they make up for it with very good mids, this is where most of the sound is after all.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Everywhere i look for reviews on the Akg 272 users seem to note the lack of bass. Is it a real problem ? I listen to Rap, RnB, Deep House, Tech music among other genres that don't require alot of bass, and would like to enjoy them all...
 
 
Also, my hobby is creating music (mostly bassy stuff), and would like to be able to use them for mixing and mastering...and i need all frequencies to be balanced...but not overboosted. Dunno how to explain...wanna hear the details on the low end so that i can tweak it, but don't want it to be too amplyfied or nerfed, so that i can master it (witch can sometimes be very hard)...
 
Gonna' check the Fischer Audio FA-003 now...
 
Too bad i can't test them :|
 
Ty all for the help, further suggestions are welcomed.

Heya,
 
Referring to the K272HD: The bass drops off steeply, they're quite shy on bass. They're good for monitoring, but as a reference headphone for creation, I'd get something that has a flat response from top to bottom, not something that is basically all mids and treble with some very shy bass. You won't know just how impactful your music is without listening on something else basically.
 
Very best,
 

 

[galbenush]

OK, i now literally have no idea what to buy. The more i look into headphones, the less i know what to get...Fischer Audio FA-003  seemed to be suited for my needs, but can't find a shop in my country that sales them... But buying the AKG-272hd would probably be a mistake because i need good balance and clear sound.

 

[Adda]

Quote:

Heya,
 
Referring to the K272HD: The bass drops off steeply, they're quite shy on bass. They're good for monitoring, but as a reference headphone for creation, I'd get something that has a flat response from top to bottom, not something that is basically all mids and treble with some very shy bass. You won't know just how impactful your music is without listening on something else basically.
 
Very best,
 

You may be right, I have not used the K271mkII or K272HD for studio work, but have given them a good listen.
K240DF's are almost perfectly balanced, they have just as much bass as they need to, yet they have a bit less bass then K271mkII's, but it is more extended.
DF's can have impact if the music calls for it, K272HD's will as well, the bass just lacks a bit of fullness (out of an LD DAC_I + mkV combo).
Shy sub bass is in my opinion a small price to pay for a headphone with a tonal balance that is so similar to DF's yet are closed and so easy to drive.

 

[electropop]

I wouldn't say very shy. It's there, most are just used to exaggerated impact and can't hear it. I think the K272 have discerning the musical information more in mind, rather than a generally desired presentation in sound. 
 
Still, as a creator, it wouldn't hurt to own a pair of these. I have a friend who's into creating electronic music and has sworn on the K271 for 7 years and counting. In the end, it's actually more about how you perceive and understand your equipment in relation to the audience, rather than its absolute performance.

 

[Adda]

Yea there are many answers, it's all about finding a system that fits your needs, that you know and trust.
It will most likely take a few tries, a lot of training and listening time to get there.

 

[galbenush]

i know...i never use only one set of headphones/speakers to listen to my final mixes...but would be nice to finally have something better than my 20$ Panasonic's . And if I will spend a large sum on cans, i would like to be satisfied with my purchase...(200$ is allot of money for me)...
 
     Fischer Audio FA-003 seem to be more suited for my needs. But i can't find a shop that has them in my country... If u know other cans that sound similar to them and fit in my 200$ budget please let me know...
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[galbenush]

Quote:

Yea there are many answers, it's all about finding a system that fits your needs, that you know and trust.
It will most likely take a few tries, a lot of training and listening time to get there.

It would be very helpful for me to get the chance to listen to more Headphones before making my decision. It's hard to explain sound in words.. especially when you don't have anything to compare with...:|

 

[electropop]

Quote:

It would be very helpful for me to get the chance to listen to more Headphones before making my decision. It's hard to explain sound in words.. especially when you don't have anything to compare with...:|

Very true. Experience gives you reference and through that it's a lot easier to get a view on a headphone's performance from amid all this hi-fi phoolery
 
Is it a possibility for you to just grab something used to diminish loss?