[Steven121]

Hi guys this is my first time ever buying audiophile grade headphones and I'm very overwhelmed by all the factors to take into consideration when buying good audiophile headphones.

So lets start by saying what type of headphones I want; open ear, One that will fit around my ear and must be comfortable. They can't hurt my head/ears. I don't want headphones that have high clamp force. Just a pair that I can wear on my head all day without any pain.

That being said; I do want good sound quality headphones. What could it cost me for good headphones? How much would I have to spend for awesome headphones? What's a good price range? What can I get for $600 that is my budget. But if I should go any higher on a awesome pair of headphones I may spend up to $800. I don't want to overpay if I can find awesome headphones for less than $1000 that would be great!

To explain what genres of music I listen to on a daily basis, it's always changing. It's safe to say I like all types of music. Lately I've been listening to a lot of electronic music. That being said, I want a pair of headphones that is good for electronic music. I want them to be able to do all types of genres of music very well. Examples of music I listen to; Dubstep, Trance, Techno, Electro, Pop, House, Classical, Orchestral, Piano, Hip-hop, Ambiance, Rock, Metal, Rap & Vocals. Electronic music is my favorite.


I'm looking at brands of headphones like Sennheiser I heard they are good. I've done a little bit of research on the high end Sennheiser products, HD598, HD600, HD650, HD700, HD800. But since I'm new to picking out audiophile headphones I'm just looking at headphones that I heard are good. I'm open to other brands. I just want a really good quality sounding head phones.

I will be listening to music off my PC. I won't be using them outside the house. Just sitting down at my PC listening to music while I play some video games.

Since I'm going to be listening to music on my PC the guys at my local PC part store told me to get this sound card called:  Xonar Essence STX link to the soundcard is here http://www.asus.com/Essence_HiFi_Audio/Xonar_Essence_STX/   I do not know if this is a good sound card or not they just said it's the best bang for your buck soundcard for audiophile headphones.

Any suggestions on what I should pair with these headphones to make them sound good is a big help!

If you could help me with picking out a good pair of audiophile headphones and also what I need to drive the headphones; a good amp or soundcard. I'm very new to all this so please bare with me Any help is much appreciated thank you for taking the time to read and help me!

I do live in Canada so prices on headphones are a little more expensive thought i would add that as well.

1.  

 

[KG Jag]

You should probably start here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_LCD3
 
The top 4 of the 5 cans you listed are discussed in detail.
 
Headphone comfort is a very individual thing.  Everyone has a different head size and shape, as well as different sensitivities and levels of sensitivity.  We can point you to headphones that are generally considered to be comfortable and mention others that have garnered complaints for being uncomfortable.  However, the only way to know for sure is to wear them yourself for a time equivalent to your longest listening session.
 
There is an entire sub-section of this forum dedicated to Computer Audio.  My suggestion is to pick out your can and then select the upgrade to you computer that works best with both it and your budget.

 

[Steven121]

OK so it has come down to either buying the Sennheiser HD 600's or the Sennheiser HD 650's and i am stuck on what pair to buy


If i could get somebody's opinion on what pair to buy somebody that has some experience with both headphones it would be greatly appreciated!

I can buy both for roughly the same price the hd600's on amazon.ca are CDN$ 490.16$ and the HD650s are CDN$ 515.62$ 

 

[barid]

I prefer the hd600. I think theyre the best bang for your buck out there. If you dont mind buying used there is usually sone on the for sale forums here for under $300.

The hd650 is nice too, but i feel the bass is too loose. The hd600 sound more neutral to me.

Its all preference. Both are solid phones.

 

[Steven121]

ya i heard everyone likes the hd600's better so i am kind of swaying toward the hd600's but for almost the same price as the 650's i was wondering if they were worth buying since i am from Canada everything here costs more lol.

What do you mean by the bass is too loose i dont understand that, sorry i am newb when it comes to terms for sound on headphones

 

[Amish]

The HD600's are a nice sounding headphone. Kinda on the warm side for me. Personally I don't care for them but of the senn's I've listened to I like the 600's the best.
 
 
If it were my money and I were buying for myself I'd buy some hifiman he400's or 500's or (and this is on my radar) Mr. Speakers Alpha Dog or Mad Dog cans.
 
 
But then you'll need a amp to push them. $600 could buy a nice set of cans though.

 

[Steven121]

what is better for electronic music hd 650 or hd600?

 

[KG Jag]

Hard to do it much better than this:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HD600
 
and
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HD650
 
and
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650
 
Neither is a fast headphone

 

[eedc]

To the OP, I was in the same position as you a few weeks ago and if you haven't already, I highly suggest you first go to your nearest audio store and try out the headphones you are interested, since you have up to $800 which will give you a tremendous variety. Not only that, but just test and wear any headphones that you even have a slight interest in, whether based on looks, brand, whatever, you never know what you might end up liking.
 
I was dead set on getting the AKG k712, but when I went into the store, I spend several hours and session with different headphones, Grados, the whole HD line, Audio technica, Sony, Shure, HE 560's, etc, etc. I ended up purchasing the HD700's.
 
My point is, is hard to judge what kind of comfort you are looking for and your sound preference without actually testing the headphones. I listen to mostly Hip hop and some edm and if I had just asked the forums maybe people would never mention the HD700's, but when I tested them, they had the exact sound signature and comfort that I was looking for, if you are going to be spending so much money on a pair of can, mind as well make sure it is what you are looking for right.
 
Lastly - if you have the patience, look for deals in the foroums. I purchased my HD700 new off a member here for $490 (cheapest online is like $700), I'm sure you can find deals for HD600 and 650's (pretty sure I've seen a few these past couple days for like 200-250), this way you can purchse a nice amp/dac and probably still have some change left.

 

[OrganMonster]

Thank you for being frank about how you tested the headphones. I too am going to start looking for another pair of headphones. I have the Grado 80 and 325 and the Denon AH-A100. The Grado 325 is nice but kills my ears when I wear them for longer that 1 hour. I am looking for a great soundstage and very accurate representation of each instrument. I used to compose symphonies and I listen to mostly classical and new age. I am going to search out somewhere I can listen to the HD-700's. I am thinking about getting the O2 + Odac combination package. I hope this can push the HD-700.

 

[eedc]

If you are looking for soundstage and accurate representation, I don't think you can go wrong with the HD700's, at your price range I would check out the HE560's and Bayerdynamic T1's also. I also really enjoyed the Shure SRH1440's too when I tested them. (I'm sure there are a lot of other recommendations, these are just the phones that I tested that I think you may enjoy too, but again, you really just gotta test a bunch to see what you like)
 
Check out the HD700 thread in the headphone section, I believe a few members use the o2 + odac combo to drive the HD700's. They are easy headphones to drive, I guess it just comes down to whether you feel the o2 + odac is a good combo with them or not. I personally drive my with the Aune x1 Pro right now and I really like the combo.

 

[Somphon]

Which ever headphone you decided, make sure you get a good dac/amp that compliments the quality.

 

[Steven121]

Ok so i am probably getting the sennheiser hd 600's but would a xonar essence STX sound card sound good paired with the hd600s? i will be using them to listen to music on my PC


here is a link to the sound card for more info 

http://www.asus.com/Essence_HiFi_Audio/Xonar_Essence_STX/

 

[Hokieboy01]

I'm also in the 600 v. 650 boat right now and it seems that the 650 is less neutral but more forgiving of poorer quality soundtracks. Maybe consider that. Also you might consider a cheaper sound card as a DAC and something like the Schiit Magni for the amp. 60$ sound card with the Magni > Xonar XTS in many minds.

 

[Steven121]

What amp do i need for the Sennheiser HD600's to sound good? I will be using them only inside my house on my PC listening to music while i play video games