[Duroh]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking on these forums for a while and decided to register now. I need help deciding which headphones to get.
 
I'm looking for over-ear headphones for use at home. I thought spending around 100 €. Possibly more but honestly, I haven't really had any proper headphones before and I'm not sure how much it's worth spending on them. I need them mostly for a digital piano and listening to music(mostly classical, ragtime, some jazz perhaps) but also for watching videos and playing video games.
 
I've looked at these so far, they seem to have gotten mostly positive reviews:
 

1. AKG K242 HD, 99€
2. AKG K272 HD, ~115€
3. Audio-Technica ATH-M50, ~105€
4. Sennheiser HD 518, ~80€
5. Nokia BH-905i, ~80€

(I live in Finland, these prices are from Finnish web stores.)
 
Couldn't find any proper discussion / reviews on the Nokia headphones. I could get an unused pair for ~80€ from someone I know. They aren't what I'm looking for exactly but if the sound quality is good, whatever.
 
Is it worth spending a lot on headphones if you don't have a proper sound card, though? I have an integrated sound card at the moment and haven't planned to get a separate one.
 
Thanks!

 

[KG Jag]

From your list you appear to be OK with open headphones--they leak sound and isolate poorly.  If so, see if the HD 558 and AKG ATH-AD900 or 900X are within your budget.
 
A sound card (or a good external USB DAC) will be a plus.  However it's not required.
 
Stay away from cans that require an amp, unless you have on or plan to get one (perhaps built into a sound card).

 

[Duroh]

  From your list you appear to be OK with open headphones--they leak sound and isolate poorly.  If so, see if the HD 558 and AKG ATH-AD900 or 900X are within your budget.
 
A sound card (or a good external USB DAC) will be a plus.  However it's not required.
 
Stay away from cans that require an amp, unless you have on or plan to get one (perhaps built into a sound card).

 
Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I'm fine with sound leaking. I don't plan to use the headphones in public.
 
I couldn't find any stores that sell ATH-AD900 here. 900X on the other hand, yes, but the price is quite high: 279€. I don't think I'm ready to spend that much.
 
Sennheiser HD 558 would be around 144€. That's reasonable. How different(better?) are they from the headphones on the list? For example comparing to Sennheiser HD 518, do you think it would be worth it the extra ~60€?

 

[KG Jag]

 

  From your list you appear to be OK with open headphones--they leak sound and isolate poorly.  If so, see if the HD 558 and AKG ATH-AD900 or 900X are within your budget.
 
A sound card (or a good external USB DAC) will be a plus.  However it's not required.
 
Stay away from cans that require an amp, unless you have on or plan to get one (perhaps built into a sound card).

 
Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I'm fine with sound leaking. I don't plan to use the headphones in public.
 
I couldn't find any stores that sell ATH-AD900 here. 900X on the other hand, yes, but the price is quite high: 279€. I don't think I'm ready to spend that much.
 
Sennheiser HD 558 would be around 144€. That's reasonable. How different(better?) are they from the headphones on the list? For example comparing to Sennheiser HD 518, do you think it would be worth it the extra ~60€?

The HD 518 is dark.  The HD 558 is more balanced; has a larger sound stage; is a bit better designed for comfort; and overall is just a bit more refined.  In addition there is a simple tape removal mod you can do easily that brings in very close to the HD 598 in terms of sound .
 
To me they are worth the extra money, but that call has a very large subjective component and your mileage way vary.

 

[Duroh]

 
The HD 518 is dark.  The HD 558 is more balanced; has a larger sound stage; is a bit better designed for comfort; and overall is just a bit more refined.  In addition there is a simple tape removal mod you can do easily that brings in very close to the HD 598 in terms of sound .
 
To me they are worth the extra money, but that call has a very large subjective component and your mileage way vary.

 
I decided to compare prices between where I live and the US. I suppose I'm willing to spend a little more because I'm assuming that the headphones won't break for a couple of years at least.
 
HD558 is quite overpriced here. I could get 598 for around 20 € more. I've heard quite a bit of positive feedback about them so I might get them instead. I'm still wondering if I can justify the price, though.
 
I also have a question about durability. How durable are Sennheiser headphones generally? I couldn't find discussions about them breaking easily at least.
 
Thanks again.

 

[Youth]

So what's your bugdet now? You said you decided to spend some more.

 

[Duroh]

  So what's your bugdet now? You said you decided to spend some more.

 
I'm still not sure(I find it hard to justify) but I think I could spend around 150 €. Preferably less.
 
I've been looking at used headphones also. Some pretty good(in my opinion) deals: AKG K551 90€, Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250 ohm(would need an amp, though) 100€, DT-880 ~150€, Sennheiser Momentum 100€. Any thoughts?

 

[Youth]

   
I'm still not sure(I find it hard to justify) but I think I could spend around 150 €. Preferably less.
 
I've been looking at used headphones also. Some pretty good(in my opinion) deals: AKG K551 90€, Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250 ohm(would need an amp, though) 100€, DT-880 ~150€, Sennheiser Momentum 100€. Any thoughts?

 
I think the DT880 would be better for your purpose out of those 3. But you need 32 ohm version if you dont use amp.

 

[KG Jag]

 

 
The HD 518 is dark.  The HD 558 is more balanced; has a larger sound stage; is a bit better designed for comfort; and overall is just a bit more refined.  In addition there is a simple tape removal mod you can do easily that brings in very close to the HD 598 in terms of sound .
 
To me they are worth the extra money, but that call has a very large subjective component and your mileage way vary.

 
I decided to compare prices between where I live and the US. I suppose I'm willing to spend a little more because I'm assuming that the headphones won't break for a couple of years at least.
 
HD558 is quite overpriced here. I could get 598 for around 20 € more. I've heard quite a bit of positive feedback about them so I might get them instead. I'm still wondering if I can justify the price, though.
 
I also have a question about durability. How durable are Sennheiser headphones generally? I couldn't find discussions about them breaking easily at least.
 
Thanks again.

 
The Senns we are discussing are designed to be used at home.  At long as you use them in the intended way and don't abuse them, they should hold up fine.  Mine have.

 

[Duroh]

Quote:

   
I think the DT880 would be better for your purpose out of those 3. But you need 32 ohm version if you dont use amp.

DT880 costs quite a lot. The one I was looking at is gone now. Out of my budget unless I find another used one.
 
I'm fine with getting headphones that "require" an amp. Though I'm not sure if I'd even need one; my ears are very sensitive and I tend to listen to things at relatively low volume anyway.
 
If I decided to get an amp, I'm not sure which I'd buy. FiiO amps(which many people here seem to recommend) aren't too expensive but I can't find any stores that sell them here in Finland. Buying from eBay / Amazon means high shipping fees. I might buy some things from thomann(thomann.de) soon, do you know if any of the cheaper amps they sell are any good?
 
Also, some more headphones in my price range:
 
Philips Fidelio X1
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250 Ohm)
AKG K551
 
Any opinions on them?

 

[Youth]

I'm not sure if DT990 are good with classical music, but if they are it seems like a good choice. They have good soundstage and are great for gaming as well. They need amp to work proberly.
 
I recommend DT880 because it would be the best choice I think. But since they are too expensive I have a perfect solution for you. Takstar HI-2050. It's been compared to a cheaper version of DT880 and it doesnt require much to run it either. It is great for gaming as well. Way better than it's price suggests. It will work better with amp/dac but it also works fine without. Since it's cheaper I guess you can afford amp/dac for it no problem.

 

[Duroh]

  I'm not sure if DT990 are good with classical music, but if they are it seems like a good choice. They have good soundstage and are great for gaming as well. They need amp to work proberly.
 
I recommend DT880 because it would be the best choice I think. But since they are too expensive I have a perfect solution for you. Takstar HI-2050. It's been compared to a cheaper version of DT880 and it doesnt require much to run it either. It is great for gaming as well. Way better than it's price suggests. It will work better with amp/dac but it also works fine without. Since it's cheaper I guess you can afford amp/dac for it no problem.

 
Thanks for the suggestion!
 
I found quite a bit of discussion about Takstar and other Asian brands. Takstars are pretty cheap on aliexpress(and free shipping!) but the shipping times are usually pretty long so I'm considering something else right now. Superlux headphones, especially HD-668B have gotten positive feedback here so I might get them instead because I'm feeling pretty impatient right now. Being the indecisive a-hole I am, I'm still not sure what I'll do.
 
Superlux headphones are sold at thomann. I feel obliged to find something else to buy because of the shipping fees - maybe that amp? Won't need it right now but maybe later. Is Behringer MA 400 any good?
 
Which model do you think I should get, Superlux HD-668B(29€), 681(19€) or 681B(19€)? Perhaps something else?

 

[Youth]

Superlux HD 681 EVO then.

 

[KG Jag]

  Quote:

   
I think the DT880 would be better for your purpose out of those 3. But you need 32 ohm version if you dont use amp.

DT880 costs quite a lot. The one I was looking at is gone now. Out of my budget unless I find another used one.
 
I'm fine with getting headphones that "require" an amp. Though I'm not sure if I'd even need one; my ears are very sensitive and I tend to listen to things at relatively low volume anyway.
 
If I decided to get an amp, I'm not sure which I'd buy. FiiO amps(which many people here seem to recommend) aren't too expensive but I can't find any stores that sell them here in Finland. Buying from eBay / Amazon means high shipping fees. I might buy some things from thomann(thomann.de) soon, do you know if any of the cheaper amps they sell are any good?
 
Also, some more headphones in my price range:
 
Philips Fidelio X1
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250 Ohm)
AKG K551
 
Any opinions on them?

 
Amps do far more than increase the volume.  By way of example, the Pro 750 is plenty loud without an amp, but it loses almost all its bass.

 

[Duroh]

I ended up spending way more than I thought I would.
 
I bought Superlux 681 EVO. Then a couple of days later I found a pretty nice deal on eBay and ended up getting myself an used pair of Sennheiser HD 600s. I've heard the HD600s sound much better with an amplifier. Which cheap amp would you recommend? I'm probably getting it used if possible. If I get an external amplifier, should I also get a DAC?
 
Should I also buy a sound card? Or perhaps a sound card with built-in amp?
 
Thanks.