[Nabster]

Here's a bit of background information: I'm currently a college student, in the fall I'll be moving to attend watchmaking school. I'm not planning to take my current audio setup because I just won't have room. The music I listen to is mostly classic rock, classic dance/disco (the kind with full orchestration, not so much the synthesizer, guitar and drum variety, think Thelma Houston, some Donna Summer), some 50's/60's lounge music, and a bit of classic piano.

My current system is a Luxman P-102 turntable hooked through an Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver and a surround set of lower-mid range generic Sony speakers. Most of the music I listen to is from vinyl, I have maybe 20 CDs I'll listen to from time to time. I also listen to music from my computer, mostly lossless, it's played through a SoundBlaster X-Fi extreme music card. I also have a B&O Beosound 6 and their headphones for my portable music. I do like to just sit and listen to music, eyes closed and relaxing, so the quality and clearness of the music matters to me.

Now, on to what I'm looking for advice on; I'm probably looking for a set of closed back headphones, maximum cost of about $200. Down a line a bit I'll probably want a headphone amp as well, again in about the $200 range if possible. Clear and crisp mids and highs are most important for the music I listen to most, bass needs to be there as well, but I don't want it to sound like I've strapped a subwoofer to my head. I want them to be comfortable for long sessions as well, though I imagine most models will be.

Hopefully I've given enough information for a start, I'll be back later tonight after work to check in. Thank you all for any help!

 

[Nabster]

Bumping this up, still hoping for a bit of advice. If I've got the wrong forum, please feel free to move it to a more appropriate place.

 

[Dustin The Wind]

Hey Nabster,

You say you want closed back headphones; is this for the isolation, or do you prefer the sound signature? There are plenty of great advantages to both, but if we knew just what you were looking for from a closed headphone, it'd be useful for a recommendation.

That said, I have a pair of Shure SRH-840's which I payed $150 for. The isolation is spectacular and they are very comfortable for me, albeit a bit heavy. These headphones have some of the best soundstage I've heard from closed headphones, but my experience is limited. These headphones definitely benefit from an amp (mostly by tightening up the bass) but they sound great unamped as well. Honestly though, if you're looking for "clear and crisp highs" I'd say definitely look into Grado headphones. I have a pair of sr80i's and although my SRH840's are better all around, the Grados have a clarity that is unmatched by anything I've heard. They lack bass, but with $200 to spend you could get a pair of 225i's which should definitely help with that. Grado's are also great unamped but definitely "open up" with a good amp behind them.

Hope this helps.

 

[deviationer]

If you like bass and great isolation than id recommend the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80ohm. You can also get clear/white or black gel pads for them to replace the stock velour ones.

 

[spartan123]

save up and get a set of Denon AH-D2000's

 

[sinner6]

When faced with the same question for myself, with about the same budget I ended up choosing a set of Denon D2000's and an amp/DAC combo unit in the form of an Audio-gd Compass. Total for the two was $500. Since you won't likely need a DAC, you could shave some off and get an amp only unit.

The Denon's are known to have an open sound in a closed package, if you will. They have a clear sound that has lot's of detail and extension, there is a slight dip in the upper mid's, but it's in the best place to reduce fatigue and is at about 3khz. Also they do have bass, not stupid, crazy, uncontrolled bass, but an extended, present bass. I've let lot's of folks listen to them and I don't think anyone has failed to express amazement at how easy it is to pick out each individual detail. Clarity to the point that there feels like there is more room in the music and it's easier for everyone to breathe.

If you hadn't specified closed, I might be inclined to mention that Amazon has the AKG 701's on sale for $260. These are renowned for accuracy and clarity BUT are not closed.

I know I blew your budget, but really you are right at the cusp of where things significantly improve for just a little more. Save a little longer if need be, the really good stuff (IMHO!) hovers around $300ish.

I didn't mean to sound like a preachy salesman, but there you have it.

Edit: in the 40 minutes I spent typing that out, Spartan 123 got to the point, lol

 

[tru\head]

Quote:

You say you want closed back headphones; is this for the isolation, or do you prefer the sound signature? There are plenty of great advantages to both, but if we knew just what you were looking for from a closed headphone, it'd be useful for a recommendation.

Yeah i'd sorta want to know that too, because Grados are superb at classic rock but i guess that is ruled out since he wants a closed can. I remember listening to Pink Floyd's "Money" on them when I first got them and hearing all the distinct instrumentation, percussion and the sounds of the coins. Guitars/strings are amazing on grados. The downside of grados is they aren't nearly as comfortable as a closed can, i believe there are mods for the pads that make them easier to wear for a longer time.

I have dt770s and although they are comfortable I don't think they shine at anything that isn't bass intensive. It's sort of like, if the emphasis of the music is on the mids and highs, they will just present it in a bland way, but if bass is involved they will come alive. I pretty much only listen to trance or hip-hop on them. So I would say consider an open or semi/open headphone if possible. I think sinner6 nailed some good points too.

 

[Nabster]

Reading back I suppose I wasn't clear enough. I don't need or prefer a set of closed back cans, I had assumed from some brief reading those would be more appropriate for what I wanted. As it stands now, I have no experience with closed vs open backed, so I'm impartial on that matter. From what I gather from the replies here though, open backed may be more appropriate for me. That's perfectly fine. The important thing to me is going to be sound clarity throughout the genres of music I listen to.

Now, as far as the budget is concerned, I'd prefer to keep it to about $200, but if there's a noticeable difference for a bit more money I'm certainly open to that- I have no problems paying for quality (as evidenced by my not insignificant collection of fountain pens, some of which I've payed many hundreds of dollars for).

I do appreciate the advice so far, I will look into the models mentioned and do wait for further suggestions.

 

[beamthegreat]

Sennheiser HD 595. Its an open headphone, which means there will be some sound leak.

 

[nobleacuff]

I'd second the Shure SRH840 recommendation. I just got mine and they're fantastic. They're available at the $200 price point, they're closed, they don't have to be amp'ed to sound good, and the isolation is great. I'm certainly no expert but it sounds like it might be a good fit.

 

[Hsiu]

paying 200USD for srh840 is paying the full retail price. you can get it for ~150 at J&R, eBay and many other places for even less. 200USD can give you srh840 and left enough money to re-cable them. but they are good headphone although I don't never feel like bring them out (a bit bulky to walk around, I am IEM guy) check the thread for srh840 and D2000 to see how people think of them. of course the best is try to find someone who has them and listening to it with your gear to see if they match your rig.

SR840, it pretty faithful to the source so it will sound bright if your source is bright and warm if the source is warm. your desire sound signature will depend mostly if not completely on your source. so, choose your source wisely.