[HiroshimaJoe]

I have been eagerly reading alot of threads and reviews here at Head-Fi, but if there is one thing I have learned then it is that there is no perfect headphone, but rather different headphones excel in different genres, but I am not familiar with alot of headphones, so I am unsure of which genres they excel in.

I have decided to purchase some headphones for homelistening, and also the occasional long train/plane ride.
They will be amplified through my NAD T741 Surround Reciever, and I am not planning on buying a seperate headphone amp, and I would like it if they could work with my portable CDP (or future iPod) and directly from the soundcard for the occasional LAN, but this is not crucial.

The musicgenres that I mainly listen too are:
Electronic/Triphop: (Portishead, Thievery Corporation, Air, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Massive Attack, Sqaurepusher, Röyksopp)
Rock: (Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Muse, Nine Inch Nails)
Hiphop

I already own a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-FC7 which I use when commuting, so almost on a daily basis. I enjoy them very much, and the emphasis on bass is very enjoyable, but the downside is that especially female voices sound a bit muddy. But I mainly use them when there is some noise around me, so some detail would get lost anyway. The comfort however leaves much to be desired, and they get painfull to wear far too quickly.

I hope you could get an idea of the sound I am after, but I am quite new to the headphone scene and I am not so familiar with all the terminology of describing sound.
The headphones will be the only headphones for homelistening, so it's no good if they are horrible with one of the genres of music I listen to, and they have to be very comfortable as I plan on wearing them for hours at a time.

I have (kind of) narrowed my search down to the following headphones:

<$100
$60 Beyerdynamic DTX900
$75 Philips SBC HP890
$100 Sony MDR-CD780
$100 Audio-Technica A500

<$150
$120 Sennheiser HD555
$130 Beyerdynamic DT440
$130 Philips SBC HP1000

<$200
$165 Sennhesier HD595
$175 Beyerdynamic DT660
$180 Beyerdynamic DT770Pro
$195 Audio-Technica A900
$195 Sennheiser HD580

>$200
$210 AKG K501
$240 Beyerdynamic DT860
$270 Beyerdynamic DT880

One of my friends owns the Sony CD780, so I could probably get to try them out, and Sennheisers are widely available here in Denmark, and I could listen to these in a shop too.

 

[fr4c]

since you wont be getting an portable amp to drive the headphones when you are gonna take them out, then i suggest the A900. they sound great unamped plus the 3D wing support is really comfortable. since you're already a AT owner, then you probably already know the build and quality of these phones. now with a amp or your surround receiver, these cans should ring when you listen to them

 

[chia-pet]

How about the Senn HD600? You can find them for about $245.

 

[HiroshimaJoe]

I haven't listed all the headphones available in the priceranges, and there could be loads that I have missed, so feel free to suggest some that are not on the list.

But if you recommend a headphone, please state why you recommend it, and which musicgenres it plays the best.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet How about the Senn HD600? You can find them for about $245.

He would need an amp for the 600's.

 

[1UP]

If you are going to do homelistening, why not consider an amp?
Many of the higher priced 'phones require it.

Otherwise, I don't quite see why they're on your shortlist at all. In which case, you should just try to listen to all the ones in your third tier.

 

[commando]

I would probably get 595s for home, and MD33s or Ety 6i's for plane/train.

 

[fr4c]

well the A900 sound great unamped and it really isnt that expensive. with the money he saves from buying it, he can invest in an decent amp.

 

[commando]

A900s don't need a big/expensive amp - something small will do.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion He would need an amp for the 600's.

Well he listed the hd580; i figured hd600 could be another choice befitting his own criteria.

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet Well he listed the hd580; i figured hd600 could be another choice befitting his own criteria.

yeah but he wants something that can be driven from an portable player, like an iPod. i dont think the iPod can drive the beastly HD600.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet Well he listed the hd580; i figured hd600 could be another choice befitting his own criteria.

Given he doesn't want an amp it's not a good option. Just because he's considering it we don't have to recommend it

 

[Talonz]

I'm surprised that Grados haven't been mentioned yet. Look into the SR225 or the Alessandro MS-2 used. I have the MS-1, and they are very good for rock just like everyone says. The only drawbacks are the small soundstage and the fact that they are open (people can hear them around you). Do a search on them, they might be what you're looking for.

 

[HiroshimaJoe]

The reason I have put some headphones that may improve with an amp is:

1. I will be using the "amp" in my receiver, and I have no idea how they are compared to no amplicifation (from portable), or a dedicated headphone amp.

2. I am really not sure which headphones "require" an amp.

The main reason I am not planning on buying an amp is because of the hefty pricetag, and I figured my receiver could do the job as well as a cheap headphone amp. Also TonyTripleA did a shoutout between his NAD T41 and to dedicated headphone amps and chose the NAD, so it can't be all bad.

The reason I have not included any Grados is because of comfort issues, since I plan on useing the headphones for long listening sessions I don't want a pair of phones that get uncormfortable after 1-2 hours of use.

But I would appreciate it very much if someone could fill me in on the subject of using a receiver as a headphone amp.

Also if you could comment on some of the headphones in my list, and maybe rule out some if they are not fitting for my music taste.

 

[3lusiv3]

I would go for the Hd 595. It would work well with your amp.