[Gabe Logan]

Wow your travel into Head Fi world seems to be what i went through in the start of the year.I also started with HD280's after my $15 Sony headphones had enough and i went by reviews from amazon with a budget of the time of less than $100.

I found this site and the rest is history because after that i got 595's and now im in grado land.Anyways,Senns are a good start and maybe that could be exactly what you are looking for.

 

[TheSloth]

I entered this site owning only a pair of 580's. Beause of this place, I sold them and bought all sorts of other cans before finally settling on - 650's. So I hardly went very far at all. The amplifier journey is a whole other story.

I liked the 595, but not enough to live with it. I suppose they are a bit more detailed than the more venerable senns, and have a good overall tonal balance. The SA-5000 you may love or hate. If you are going to buy one without hearing it first, I strongly recommend you buy from somewhere with a 30 day money back guarantee.

No-one has tried to corrupt her with amplifiers yet? OK, I'll start! The senn. 595 will sound decent out of your iPod and less than decent out of your laptop. I have never heard the 5000's out of anything other than a great amp, so I can't comment there. But the 595's seem to be relatively amp independent - yes, they improve with better and better sources and amplification, but I found them quite pleasing without any of that stuff. Given your budget, you may want to start with the 595, and see how you get on with the sound. If you like it, you can then start on the long amplifier road. Start with a PAV2, or a go-vibe or something relatively inexpensive like that, and go from there. Note, the headphone output on a 'hi-fi' mini system or something like that is NOT a headphone amplifier, and may be no better, or even worse than your iPod.

 

[fewtch]

In my opinion, heavy metal is a "special requirements" genre that tends to exclude a lot of headphones... there are many cans that sound good with *everything but* metal and electric-guitar-heavy rock.

Given the choices and opinions of others, the SA5000 may indeed be what you're looking for. Grados are probably also a good choice.

 

[Trogdor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MINX3030 definitely over 100 hours. i gave them ample time! and what the hell-- www.myspace.com/holdthattiger

Nice site.

My suggestion is if you can get into the city, you can try out many pairs of Senn, Grado's, and I believe the Sony SA5K (the best IMO for the $350 street price). I believe Sounds by Singer has the complete Grado line as well as some Senn's.

The other thing you can do is go to a meet in your effort to go all out geek - you missed the last NYC meet but there should be NJ one coming up as well as the National meet in the city in April. Its just a suggestion since you would be able to listen to literally every headphone known to man (or woman) and judge for yourself!

 

[virometal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MINX3030 Also, this is going to sound so dumb, but...what you plug the amp in to? I listen to music mostly on my iBook G4 or my iPod.

The SA5000 does sound like a good choice for you. However, it will be nowhere near its potential with that set-up.

If you want a hitter and quitter, I could consider a more budget choice.

 

[Inter]

Inexpensive closed headset: I use the akg k26p and it isn't that shabby. If IEM's arent your cup of tea, then you should check them out. They beat the PortaPro at least.

And oh, a girl listening to prog? I will reluctantly agree that girls might have been known to recognize the word when I mention it without them actually knowing what it is, but listening? No way. My world is shaken.

 

[wakked1]

From your preferences I really would check out some Grado's, they're based in NY so there has to be a few retailers there with demos.

 

[y0da]

Grado definatly

i feel like i never really was listening to music untill i heard a grado


<---biased

 

[rx7_fan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SayNoToPistons zOMG its a girl! pic pics pics?...j/k.. (a little spoiled from rx7club..sorry guys). ok nothing to see here move on everyone move on. btw how long have you been listening to the 280s?

you have an rx7? nice =D

 

[coolbluewater]

[size=large]GRADO[/size]

 

[SayNoToPistons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rx7_fan you have an rx7? nice =D

wow! another one!

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by y0da Grado definatly i feel like i never really was listening to music untill i heard a grado <---biased

Couldn't agree more - that was very well put!

With that said, I think the Grado SR225 would rock your world. They are easy to drive, so your current source (PC, iPOD) should suffice. Also, as mentioned earlier, do whatever you can to hear them for yourself before buying a pair. Be warned though, some people find them a bit uncomfortable (I am not one of those people). Also, they have a very 'retro' look to them which some people like (me!), and some dislike (assuming you even care what the headphones look like at all).

Although the SA5000s are indeed very detailed, they are also VERY unforgiving. If you listen to a bad recording, with a low-end source, it will sound like crapola through the SA5000s. Plus they just always seemed a little too thin in the lower frequencies for my tastes. The grados on the other hand, will provide detail you will enjoy, with great bass response, and they are forgiving of bad recordings. Not to mention they can not be beat for the type of music you enjoy (IMO).

Just remember, only you will know for sure what sounds good and what doesn't we all have different shaped/sized ears, and we all hear/perceive music and sound in different ways. So do whatever you can to hear the headphones before you make a purchase. You will find that a boatload of us 'nerds' will indeed make a bunch of suggestions for you - which is great, we are just trying to be helpful. But please use our suggestions as only a very slight nudge in the right direction. You will ultimately need to use your own ears to decide! (I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't stress this enough).

Be sure to let us know once you have made a decision, and what you think of your new headphones (whatever they may be).

Good luck.

 

[slwiser]

Enough said....

 

[spacemanspliff]

be patient. save up around 800 or so and get a K1000 and a good PPA w/ the right op amps, diamond buffers, variable bass boost and a decent PS.

that or get some senn 600 w/ upgraded cables a decent ppa and u r gtg.

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacemanspliff be patient. save up around 800 or so and get a K1000 and a good PPA w/ the right op amps, diamond buffers, variable bass boost and a decent PS. that or get some senn 600 w/ upgraded cables a decent ppa and u r gtg.

LOL!

Although I agree the k1000s are great (love mine). I couldn't ever imagine recommending a pair to a newbie.

I mean I know you are really in love with your new pair and all, but our goal is to help her out, not scare her away with a $1000 pricetag for a pair of cans and an amp even remotely capable of driving them.