Easy-to-power, comfy, <=$150
Nov 25, 2009 at 1:05 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 21

swartzy.baby

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Another one of *those* threads I'm afraid. But you all love talking about headphones, so I hope you don't mind.

A brief description of what I'm looking for:
I'm looking for either a full-size or on-ear headphone to use mostly via direct hookup to my Asus Xonar DX sound card, but will also be used straight from the iPhone and/or laptop, and occasionally out of the A/V receiver. I am not interested in spending more than, say, $150 total, for the foreseeable future, so a requirement is that they sound fantastic straight out of the least of these sources. As a reference point, I tried the HD 595 a while back, and they did not sound good enough straight out of the computer, or portable player. The bass was thin, the sound unexciting. They were a total different animal when powered by my A/V receiver. They also leaked too much sound. No matter the volume, my wife could hear what I was listening to. I suppose that leads me to another guideline - sound leakage must be reasonable.

The phones I've had for the past 6 years, and come back to no matter what else I've tried so far, are the Sennheiser HD 497. They have a super smooth, warm, rich flavor that I love. If I could change two things, it would be to add a bit of midrange and treble detail, and to make them not hurt my ears after an hour or so.

I have tried, and owned for various lengths of time, the likes of Denon AH-D1001, Ultrasone HFI 550, Sennheiser HD 448, HD 595, HD 555, and 485. Of these, the Denons were probably my favorite. Super easy to power, great sound, very comfy. The 485's my least favorite, way too much bass. The 448's are the most recent try-and-return phones. They had a lovely midrange and treble, and extremely detailed bass, but there just wasn't enough bass presence for my liking. The Ultrasones were also great, but there was just something about the sound overall that I couldn't get used to. They sounded fantastic on acoustic material, but less so on rock (which I tend to gravitate towards). And my ears got sweaty wearing them.

So, here we are now. I'm semi-interested in trying out the Grado SR60i, or Alessandro MS1, but have heard reports of discomfort, which is a huge deal. They also look a little..well, hardcore, I guess. Not bad per se, but definitely not everybody's cup o' tea, and I don't think mine. I'm also thinking about re-trying the Denon AH-D1001, and since Amazon's return policy is amazing I might do that regardless.

I looked into the Audio Technica AD700, but reports of thin bass scared me away.

I've also been looking/trying out IEM's, but have had zero luck there. I've gone through Denon AH-C351,551,751. Can see myself trying out the 710, any impressions on those compared to the others? I remember liking the 551 more than I did the 751. The 751 sounded significantly more muffled or something in the midrange to me, which I wasn't expecting. I've also tried out Sennheiser's IE7, which are probably the best of the bunch, but I couldn't get a consistently good fit, and with the varying fits the sound changed pretty drastically.

If I had to describe the sound I'm looking for, I'd say I enjoy a warmer than neutral sound, with a slight emphasis on the midrange, and powerful, deep (but not disgusting, a la 485, or Bose In-Ear Triports) bass. I think the bass of the Denon AH-D1001 is just about right. If only I could add in the midrange and treble of the 448.

So, to wrap things up. I'm looking at the AH-D1001 again, as well as skeptically looking at the SR60i and MS1. Any others I should read up on, given the short novel I wrote above?
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 1:17 PM Post #2 of 21
The headphones you've tried are all mediocre in my opinion. IEM's are a valid path, but personally I don't think anything beats a good pair of full-size headphones around the house just because you don't have to remove and re-insert them every time you leave your computer. I hate to recommend Grado since I'm a Grado user, but I think the SR-60i's are precisely what you're looking for. The pads on those are extremely soft and comfortable, but to make Grados truly comfortable, you have to bend the headband outwards to fit your head, which most everyone here does anyway (and there are instructions in the box to do this), I believe. I've gotten many compliments on how comfortable my headphones are just because I've bent the headband so that the earcups don't apply any force on your ear and just lightly rest on your head. But yeah, avoid the SR-80i's, because they don't sound good with the stock comfy pads, and avoid the MS-1's because they come with bowls. Bowls can and will cause some significant pain after wearing them for a few hours.

The best thing about the Grados is that you can plug them into almost anything and they'll still sound fantastic. Really low impedance, very easily driven... they put less of a load on an amp than the KSC-75's. Give them a shot... you should be able to grab a pair for around $60-65 shipped on the FS forums!
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 2:26 PM Post #3 of 21
How about the new Shures? I've been itching to try them myself as quite a lot of people have had favourable things to say about them considering their price.

If you weren't quite happy with the Denons, by the way, there is a thread on how to "markl" mod them, and another by someone who re-cabled them with Mogami wire. Might be worth a shot.
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 2:31 PM Post #4 of 21
The Shure SRH840 is available for 150 shipped. Its the best dynamic closed cans I have heard. Right now I am listening through my ipod touch. It does not to be used with an amp. I love these cans. Made like a tank and inredible sound. Try it
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 5:32 PM Post #5 of 21
I think the new version of the MS-1 (the MS-1i) come with comfies, not bowls, but I could be wrong. I was considering them versus the SRH840 and I ended up buying the Shures because I got a screaming deal on them.
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 7:47 PM Post #6 of 21
Hmm, I hadn't even considered Shure before. I've not been impressed with any of their IEM's that I've tried (granted I have only listened to the lower models). I believe a place near me sells them, I'll see if I can
check them out. I went over to Headroom, and the 440 looks more appealing than the 840. The 840 freq. response looks awfully similar to the Hd 485 which I did not care for due to exaggerated bass.

I am still tempted be the Grados. If nothing happens with the Shures may check them out.
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 9:47 PM Post #7 of 21
There's a huge SRH840 thread here somewhere, which is worth a read. It made me want to try them out. Burn-in seems to be key for tightening up the bass and they are classified as monitor phones so *should* have a fairly flat response. I found at open-box deal at earphone/headphonesolutions.com and got 'em for $125 shipped.
 
Nov 26, 2009 at 5:55 AM Post #8 of 21
In my experience, the grado sound wasn't for me, the bass just wouldn't cut it for me. The detail was good, but I missed the bass oomph. Be advised, the grado's are open so they'll leak a hell of a lot of sound. I was in the same shoes as you, and I'm currently trying the ath-m50. I like them quite a bit. So as for others, the denon ah d1001, the shure 440/840, and the ath-m50 would be good options.
 
Nov 26, 2009 at 8:00 AM Post #10 of 21
The sound you say you're looking for makes me think of the Equation Audio RP-21, which is in the right price range. It's large and funny-looking, but comfortable enough (and can be fitted with Beyer velours to make it more comfortable if you so desire). It's on the warm side of neutral, and bassy, without being too warm or bassy for an Etymotic fan like me. Unfortunately I can't compare it to the Shures, which seem to be the ones to beat these days.
 
Nov 26, 2009 at 12:22 PM Post #11 of 21
Interesting, I'd never heard of Equation Audio before, or paid attention if I had seen mention. I actually kinda like the look of the RP-21, and I see some great prices on it now. I may just have to try them out.
 
Dec 16, 2009 at 11:40 PM Post #12 of 21
What would people say to the thought of purchasing a set of Denon AH-D2000, given that it will get most of its use from hookup to computer? Looking at headphone.com, it appears they are suggesting these phones do not sound good without a nice amp, which I'm in no position to purchase at the moment (even less so after purchasing these headphonse). However, all signs point to the headphones being phenomenal. And their bass response (something very important to me) looks amazing. If that would suffer due to the no amp situation, I'll opt for the ah-d1001 most likely.
 
Dec 16, 2009 at 11:54 PM Post #13 of 21
Take a look at the goldrings DR150... Huge impressions thread on them if you're interested... i like mine...
 
Dec 17, 2009 at 12:06 AM Post #14 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by swartzy.baby /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What would people say to the thought of purchasing a set of Denon AH-D2000, given that it will get most of its use from hookup to computer?


JVC HA-RX700 sound better than underpowered Denons. Haven't heard anything better-rounded for under $150... Shure SRH840 might be another option if you want something classier looking.
 

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