[JT Vanguard]

Background: Just spent 3-4 hours searching for new pair of cans and i have narrowed it down to 3 headphones but i want to be sure

Oh and please keep in mind i am a complete noob!

So any help will be great! i realize different people have different taste in sound etc.. soo the more people respond - a better decision can be made is my hope.

K ill get right to it then

What am i looking for?

budget > 100-50 (obviously cheaper the better)

Usage> I use my laptop alot! and the Nokia N95 are my primary sources of music playback .

Music> House/Dance | R&B/Hip Hop | Indie/rock | pop - is what i primarily listen to in order of left (Most often) to right ( Not as often)

Cans style> I do not mind if it is a ear bud - fully enclosed - open - behind the neck - over the head w.e -> i have no specific preference here. I will say this i do use my cans primarily at home - but also when i travel etc.. So i do need to hear if anyone calls my name at home or if the door bells rings etc.. Likewise when at the airport and at the subway i need to be aware of my surroundings. But that being said it should have the ability to drown out the sounds incase i have a bad day lol

Taste/preference in sound> I like to hear my music as its supposed to sound- although i have bass tendencies with my R&b/house music - I need to hear the vocals - mids and high are just as important. I would like a headphone that will respond well to changes in EQ - so i can play with different settings for different types of music.


Headphones I have looked at seriously --

Koss portapro 25th anniv edition - 80$ -- 40-50 for regular version
- Im 25 years old so right there its pretty cool to buy headphones as old as you lol - plus the black and the package is pretty cool atleast i love the look
- People have raved about it all over the web been hearing about it for 5-8 years now.

Sennheiser px100 20-30 ebay
- Lots of people pick it over the koss by a hair line
- I have had Sennheiser products before and they have been great!

Grado sr60 pricing 80
- Everyone is raving about the Grado 60 series
- G60> I have read in places ipods/mp3 players dont feed the cans enough juice??
- And i heard the bass is not there?? or is that in part to not enough power from mp3 players??
--- The Grado cost more than the 2 listed above, and everyone says it sounds amazing. Now as much as i am willing to fork it out to buy those babys, I want to be sure it will play on my mp3 and laptop as its supposed to sound. Instead of having to hook an amp to either one.

Shure SE-110 On sale for 40-50 (im guessing clearance?)
- heard good things about it
- mainly price point and quality as a shure product


Those are the 4 major ones ive seen all over and read about- if there are any other headphones i should be looking at please let me know! Also if you need anymore info i will be refreshing this page many times a day lol.

Again as i said im looking for a good pair of cans that will last for a while but more importantly allow me to enjoy music and hear it well. Obviously i am a budget minded customer so please keep that in mind.

And no i have never owned a pair of excellent headphones in my life - Its about time i bought something decent

-- I appreciate everyone's response and input - please state what kind of music you listen to so i can gain another perspective thank you for all the help!!

p.s- I live in Canada so everything costs more here

-- Thanks for the correction wavoman- i was checking the px100

 

[wavoman]

The Senn PX-100 is the open version of the PX-200. The PX-100 sounds much better. You can't go wrong with a PX-100. You can go wrong with a PX-200.

 

[ljokerl]

The PortaPros, PX100s, and especially the SR60s are open cans. They will be completely useless on the subway, never mind the fact that they will bother the people sitting next to you. The SR60s do not need an amp FYI. If you want to read more about the sound signatures of the three check the review in my sig - the SR60 uses the same drivers as the iGrados.

Anyway, for portable cans I would look at the AKG K81dj if I were you. They will at least keep you music to yourself and provide some isolation. As for IEMs, take a look at the Soundmagic PL50, Maximo Im-590s, Nuforce Ne-6, and Meelec Ai-M6 over the Shure SE110 - all are far superior imo and should cost about the same.

 

[mark2410]

PL-50 or im-590, people near you will like you more

 

[zmd]

For smooth-with-some-bassy-tendencies sound you can't go wrong with the Senn HD238. I think they might just be out of your price range in Canada, though. They're around 60$ over here.

 

[JT Vanguard]

Thank you for the great advice! I will look into the other headphones mentioned here

also quick question are the Grado sr60 that great? it would make me buy 2 sets

Home use- Grado sr60
subway - some form of IEM ??

is that the way to go?? or will the IEM like the pl-50 be good enough to not warrant a second set at home??



(ps- as for pricing i might just buy US and have a buddy in seattle ship it to Canada or bring it up here when he travels back on vacation

)

 

[ljokerl]

Like many head-fiers, I have two sets of headphones - full-size cans that I use only at home and portable cans/earbuds/IEMs for use outside. However, I very often find myself reaching for IEMs even at home as there is nothing wrong with the way they sound.

Getting separate sets of cans can be a solution, but many people prefer spending more on one set of headphones rather than spending less on each of two. My eartime is split about 70/30 in favor of on-the-go listening and I'm usually doing several things at once whem I'm home, so I am usually satisfied with the $15 Phillips SHP8500 for 90% of my home use and nicer IEMs for use outside.

 

[JT Vanguard]

Thank you for your opinion

Im convinced the 2 headset strategy would work better for me. 1 IEM for outside where its noisy and 1 headset inside where its quiet. Besides incase the IEM gives me troubles or my ears dont want anything in them that day i have a decent back up



IEM:
I have been looking at the Ne6 seriously for the price i cant help but gravitate towards it as it would free up cash for the headset.
Would u say the Ne 6 is comparable or better than the pl-50 ??

Over ears cans:
Im still debating if i should spend extra to get a grado or save me money and go for the portapro/px100 ?? Also the AKG 81dj look extremely tempting!
What would you recommend for house and R&B music??

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT Vanguard /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been looking at the Ne6 seriously for the price i cant help but gravitate towards it as it would free up cash for the headset. Would u say the Ne 6 is comparable or better than the pl-50 ??

Sure, I'd say they're in the same class. NE-6 sounds the same as an NE-7M. You can find impressions of both in ClieOS's thread here. I can see how the NE-6 may even edge out the PL50 for your music tastes, but I don't think either will disappoint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT Vanguard /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im still debating if i should spend extra to get a grado or save me money and go for the portapro/px100 ?? Also the AKG 81dj look extremely tempting! What would you recommend for house and R&B music??

I don't think the Grado house sound will work well with your music preferences. I'd pick the AKGs myself...

 

[Comfy]

I'd get a pair of Alessandro MS-1 for home/laptop use and a pair of normal Koss PortaPros for portable use. The Alessandros are amazing cans for the price - you'll be listening to all of your tracks again, with a smile on your face and your toes tapping. The PortaPro is like the younger brother of the MS-1 - not quite as detailed, but also a lot of fun; more comfortable to wear on the go and the sonics are specially forgiving of noisy surroundings and less than perfect sources, like portable players.

Get one of these or both, and come back in a month and will tell you about which portable amp you should buy. And if you return after that, kiss your wallet goodbye.

 

[RickH]

I'm using a set of MS1 with my Dell laptop without an external amp and think they are great. My biggest problem now is trying to find a portable set that won't disappoint me since the MS1s are so good. They are worth saving up if you can wait. Good luck.

 

[JT Vanguard]

.......... Have you guys ever thought of being salesmen? seriously you would take ALL my monies lol!



It seems like im set on the e-6 cause they cost like 30-40 bucks .... then again the portapro costs 25 bucks .... decisions decisions....


And now the ms-1s look extremely enticing .... and looks better than the AKG ... some people say the ms-1s are good as the Grado 125s ....hmmmm and if i get the ms-1 i will most likely get an amp for x-mas or something ....

I love house music!!! ... but then again as neutral the sound is on the ms-1 i could just EQ what i want .. hmmm ....

anything else i should be looking at guys??


(p.s- Thanks FOR ALL THE RESPONSES! you guys are awesome - at first i thought no one was gonna help- thanks wavoman and Joker for getting this thread started - OR ELSE I WOULDA BOUGHT Shure se110!!! ... anyways thank you for opening my eyes to all these cans i had noo idea!)

 

[qusp]

I do not feel the grado or alessandro house sound will suit your music at all, bass is somewhat lacking and no amount of EQ will fix that. they look cool sure, but IMO any of the grado'esque models are simply too bright for electronic music. only one I have heard so far that has reasonable bass (apart from PS-1

) is the HF-2 and they are well above your budget.

the AKG will do you pretty well, I have not heard the NE6, so cant comment there; other than the fact that they and NE-7 get good raps around this place. if I were you I would get one nice set of IEMs and if you feel you want some fullsize later, get them then. one thing that is appealing about grado is you diont really need an amp to make them sound well; just a pity they dont suit your music. if you were a rock or metal fan I would say yeah sure, but thumping bass is simply NOT their forte; not in the slightest.

all I can say is thank god you found this jopint; the SE110 would have been the hugest disaster!! zero bass or high extension, your electronic beats would have sounded like poo

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT Vanguard /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems like im set on the e-6 cause they cost like 30-40 bucks .... then again the portapro costs 25 bucks .... decisions decisions....

I personally think the NE-7M (same sound as NE-6) sounds better than a portapro and is much more practical due to not being open.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT Vanguard /img/forum/go_quote.gif And now the ms-1s look extremely enticing .... and looks better than the AKG ... some people say the ms-1s are good as the Grado 125s ....hmmmm and if i get the ms-1 i will most likely get an amp for x-mas or something ....

The MS-1s are as good as SR125's because they are SR125's. I have a pair of the latter and while I do like them a lot (I think they are the price/performance sweet spot in the lower-end grado line), I maintain that they might not be ideal house/trance cans. And also they sound fine unamped.

Edit: beaten to it by qusp

 

[Hentai11]

You like bass, but you like vocals, in phones you can EQ. Sounds to me like a flat response curve, and the sort of quality more to be found in the upper end of your price range.

Much fuss is being made of the sale on Head Direct phones. Start there while it lasts. I got a pair of RE2s at $39, and I was shocked at what I got for the price. I'll be getting the $99 RE0s immediately.Clear across the entire sound spectrum. A little light in the bass, but I'm sure phones that good can take some EQ.

Other good phones could be the Ultimate Ears super .fi 3 (good, even sound, but notoriously uncomfortable), and the Denon C551 (more comfort, more low-end, somewhat muddy)

I loved my Ety 6s, and love my 6i's. Not for R&B/House, though. Jazz/Classical/Acoustic, more like; Etys at that price point have zero low end.