[hardbop]

I'm in search of a great headphone solution.

I only have the SR-60's and classic Airhead amp. Great stuff for rock music. Unfortunately, the headphones are out of commission (they have been for awhile) and I can't get them fixed for another month.

I'm in need of a headphone that excels with classical, jazz and acoustic guitar. The whole setup needs to be portable, because I will be using them at home and work. Since I work alone, leakage isn't a real concern.

I've been researching this for the past few months, but I'm still unsure which can or amp will best fit the bill. Since I don't have access to any high-end phones locally, I'll probably end up trying them out one by one via Headroom. There aren't any stores in Houston that cater to audiophiles, are there?

On my list to try is:
Sennheiser HD-595 and HD-600
Etymotic Research ER-4S
Beyerdynamic DT880
AKG K 501

As for amps, I'd like to try the new Supermacro or the SR-71. I'm also leaning toward the Total Bithead, particularly for the convenience of a USB connection, which would allow me to enjoy music on my home computer and save batteries while at work.

I'll need a headphone bag, too. The Headcase from Headroom looks like it would work well.

So what I need from you guys is input on which setup might fit my listening tastes, especially for classical, and how best to go about finding the best match. My budget is about 500-600 bucks max and my musical source will by my iPod and my computer. I'm looking foward to the education and experience in hi-fi headphones.

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

OK, all of the products you mentioned are heavily used/well known on this forum. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of those headphones or amps. Search the forums or just google for reviews and comparisons, all the info you want is already out there. Look around on headphone.com if you haven't already.

 

[catscratch]

You don't have to go to 500-600 bucks. For $239 you can get the Stax SR-001 Mk II from Audiocubes, which will do very nicely as a transportable system. They should be quite comparable to the headphones that you mentioned, but in a more transportable package. You'll need to spend another $100 or so on peripherals - interconnect between the amp and your player (a good one is a must, no Rat Shack cheapies!), an AC adapter (the Stax one is the only one that works I think) and a step-down transformer for Japanese-voltage models. You'll have a system that can be used trasportably under AC power or portably under battery power, sounds very good (warm sound with great bass, amazing electrostatic mids, though a somewhat recessed treble, less so under AC power). Audiocubes has a return policy (double-check however to see if it applies to the 001 - they're very quick in responding to emails and feedback), so if you don't like the system, you'll be out the shipping costs to Japan at most.

An interesting suggestion, if you're feel adventurous, is to try the Koss ESP-950. Very little is known about these headphones, aside from some glowing reviews on some less reliable sites. They are an electrostatic headphone with an amp that can run under either AC or battery power, which makes it pretty useful as a transportable system (other than the SR-001, I don't know of any electrostatic systems that can be used portably, unless you build your own battery pack). Once again, get them from somewhere with a return policy. You should find them for under $600, maybe even under $500 if you're lucky. I wouldn't recommend a little-known system normally, but it would be interesting to hear your impressions, and the system does seem to be what you're looking for.

As far as the dynamic recommendations, the SR-71 with the Senn HD595 if you like a warm sound, or the Beyer DT880 if you like a bright(er) sound will fit the bill very nicely.

 

[Natsuiro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardbop I'm in search of a great headphone solution. I only have the SR-60's and classic Airhead amp. Great stuff for rock music. Unfortunately, the headphones are out of commission (they have been for awhile) and I can't get them fixed for another month. I'm in need of a headphone that excels with classical, jazz and acoustic guitar. The whole setup needs to be portable, because I will be using them at home and work. Since I work alone, leakage isn't a real concern. I've been researching this for the past few months, but I'm still unsure which can or amp will best fit the bill. Since I don't have access to any high-end phones locally, I'll probably end up trying them out one by one via Headroom. There aren't any stores in Houston that cater to audiophiles, are there? On my list to try is: Sennheiser HD-595 and HD-600 Etymotic Research ER-4S Beyerdynamic DT880 AKG K 501 As for amps, I'd like to try the new Supermacro or the SR-71. I'm also leaning toward the Total Bithead, particularly for the convenience of a USB connection, which would allow me to enjoy music on my home computer and save batteries while at work. I'll need a headphone bag, too. The Headcase from Headroom looks like it would work well. So what I need from you guys is input on which setup might fit my listening tastes, especially for classical, and how best to go about finding the best match. My budget is about 500-600 bucks max and my musical source will by my iPod and my computer. I'm looking foward to the education and experience in hi-fi headphones.

I would suggest the er4s or K501s for classical, acoustic guitar, and jazz. The er4s are more portable, but you might miss phone calls or whatever so the K501s might be more practical.

 

[hardbop]

Thanks for the tip on the Stax headphones. I had no idea that electostatics came with anything less than an exhorbitant pricetag.

I went ahead and started with the ER-4P's. They'll be here next week.

I still don't know what I'm going to do for an amplifier, which is why I started with the 4P's. I can still get the P-S adapter later.