rocketship
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2012
- Posts
- 6
- Likes
- 11
I recently purchased a high-end digital piano: the Kawai CA63.
So I figured it was time to splurge on some good headphones for both the digital piano and for listening to classical music.
Budget: $300-$400. Maybe up to $500, depending on amp/DAC needs.
Sound: It seems that a neutral headphone with a flat frequency response would be ideal for piano and classical music. If this is true, then this is what I'm looking for. I listen to other genres, but I mostly care about how the headphones sound with classical. My collection is about half solo piano music and half orchestrated.
Open/Closed: I don't care about isolation. These headphones will stay in my room. I have some Klipsch IEMs for portable use. So I'd prefer an open headphone, but it seems that there are a lot of good closed options (e.g. Denon) and I have no reason to rule them out.
Style: I'm vain and want something that looks nice. For example, I love the look of the Beyerdynamics; the Denon AHD2000 looks OK; and I'm not keen on the Sennheiser HD600/650.
Amp/DAC: This is perhaps where I need the most help. I know nothing about amps, but it seems that at my budget I won't find a headphone that won't need one. For what it's worth, the Kawai CA63 should be able to drive most headphones; I know that high-end stage pianos have built-in amps that are reportedly decent. But I'd also like to listen to my classical collection on my computer, so I'll need a dedicated amp. Desktop or portable would be fine. Sorry for being vague, but I figure I'd start with a headphone and figure out ideal amp (and maybe DAC) pairings later -- if that brings my budget closer to $500 that'd be OK.
Comfort: I often spend up to 3 hours straight practicing piano. So comfort is absolutely critical.
My research so far has led me to the Beyerdynamic DT880s (250Ω) and the Denon AHD2000s, both just above $300.
Any help or recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.
So I figured it was time to splurge on some good headphones for both the digital piano and for listening to classical music.
Budget: $300-$400. Maybe up to $500, depending on amp/DAC needs.
Sound: It seems that a neutral headphone with a flat frequency response would be ideal for piano and classical music. If this is true, then this is what I'm looking for. I listen to other genres, but I mostly care about how the headphones sound with classical. My collection is about half solo piano music and half orchestrated.
Open/Closed: I don't care about isolation. These headphones will stay in my room. I have some Klipsch IEMs for portable use. So I'd prefer an open headphone, but it seems that there are a lot of good closed options (e.g. Denon) and I have no reason to rule them out.
Style: I'm vain and want something that looks nice. For example, I love the look of the Beyerdynamics; the Denon AHD2000 looks OK; and I'm not keen on the Sennheiser HD600/650.
Amp/DAC: This is perhaps where I need the most help. I know nothing about amps, but it seems that at my budget I won't find a headphone that won't need one. For what it's worth, the Kawai CA63 should be able to drive most headphones; I know that high-end stage pianos have built-in amps that are reportedly decent. But I'd also like to listen to my classical collection on my computer, so I'll need a dedicated amp. Desktop or portable would be fine. Sorry for being vague, but I figure I'd start with a headphone and figure out ideal amp (and maybe DAC) pairings later -- if that brings my budget closer to $500 that'd be OK.
Comfort: I often spend up to 3 hours straight practicing piano. So comfort is absolutely critical.
My research so far has led me to the Beyerdynamic DT880s (250Ω) and the Denon AHD2000s, both just above $300.
Any help or recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.