[bjackson]

I know you guys just love giving the same advice over and over, so I thought I would ask for a recommendation on some headphones! haha

I made my own speakers over the past few months, and they just sound increadible, but the problem is that they are in my parents house since my apartment really can't support something this large.

(They have a ribbon tweeter, vifa 4" midrange, and two 10" Dayton Reference woofers, the entire array is tri-amplified with a few hundred watts avaiable to the woofers, 100 to the mids, and 30 to the very efficent tweeter)

However, I now go back to my apartment and listen to my cheap polk speakers and they are not doing it for me, not only that I can not turn up my system very loudly because I do not want to disturb the neighbors.

I have been thinking about DIY'ing some more speakers for my apartment, however I was thinking that headphones might be the way to go and I was wondering your thoughts. I have looked at the freq response charts for some 100-200 dollar cans, and I've been unimpressed. Above 10k it seems like there are lots of breakup nodes and distortion (atleast that's what I'd call it in a loudspeaker, but headphones are the same basic design, no?), so what would be a good recommendation for me.

I'd like something 250 maximum range, preferably less, that has good deep articulate bass, a very nice fluid midrange, and a treble that is restrained but not muted. I.e. I want the perfect audio experiance!

I listen to a lot of jazz, classical and romantic music, but also enjoy some rock and pop from time to time. I am willing (and probably will) make my own headphone amplifier, for I have seen some designs on the internet.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[kramer5150]

Welcome to the forum... sorry about the wallet.

first, try not to shop for headphones by comparing spec sheets and graphs. Theyre largely useless, when you consider all the various measurement methods that manufacturers use. Add to that the fact there doesnt appear to be any regulatory compliance agency to police/audit advertised specs.

use your ears to evaluate cans wherever possible.

Some cans you might want to consider that IMHO meet some of your criteria:
DT770/880/990/250
K240s
MS2 (Ive never heard an MS1)
HD580

Hope this helps...
Garrett

 

[stranger0429]

If you didn't feel bad of canalphones,take er4 series to be one of your choices.I think er4 could be very suitable for jazz and classical listener.

 

[bjackson]

What did you mean by it was unfortunate about my wallet? I could possibly go higher... I am just trying to see my options. I guess what would be the recommendation if I could go a bit higher? I don't want to skimp out, but also I have no money right now, etc?

Thanks

 

[elliot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjackson What did you mean by it was unfortunate about my wallet? I could possibly go higher... I am just trying to see my options. I guess what would be the recommendation if I could go a bit higher? I don't want to skimp out, but also I have no money right now, etc? Thanks

the standard greeting to new people to this forum is to tell them that you're sorry about how their wallet will be emptying itself out for headphone gear.

 

[milesbeyondjazz]

In other words this headphone stuff is addicitive.Once you start their is no turning back.

 

[bjackson]

Ahh. alright, I'm sorry I didn't understand, but I would be willing to go for a bit more, even up to 350... I don't really know the curve for headphones, but in traditional speakers, 350 a pair are just starting to stop being crap, and usable.. I assume that headphones arn't the same, but what price point should I be looking for for good quality because I don't want to do what I did with my home audio:

50 dollar a pair Pioneer just to use it.
100 dollar a pair polk
200 dollar a pair polk floorstanders
1200 a pair DIY floorstanders
same thing with sources, amps, etc.

I'd rather wait and get what I want, so what price points are we looking at.

 

[jefemeister]

what speaker brands are you particularly fond of? What music do you listen to? What source are you using (format type and player brand.) This info will help us make a better recommendation.

To make things more confusing yet, you'll also want to get a dedicated headphone amp. How does that effect your budget? It seems like you're pretty comfortable with DIY though and there are many good DIY amp designs to be had.

 

[bjackson]

Actually the only speakers I really like are my own, but it could be my own pride in them

However, I've auditioned Canton LE-107's which I liked, and Ergo RC-A which I really liked, Apogee yeah liked them a lot too...

I like my towers the best though. (2 10" Dayton Reference ported to 24hz, Vifa Premium 4" midrange in a heavily damped sealed inclosure, and a Fountek ribbon tweeter)

I listen to jazz, classical, classic rock, some pop, but mostly jazz/lounge. My source will undoubtly be my laptop with an audigy 2 laptop soundcard almost always.

Open is fine, as my apartment is relativly quiet and I am the only one who lives there.

I actually want to DIY my own headphone amp, which sounds like a fun project to me, so that's not too big of a consideration.

 

[bjackson]

BTW, I do not listen to MP3s very often and when they do they are 320KBps, most everything I listen to is musepack, ape and flac, and try to keep everything sounding good (I can not ABX the difference between 320 Musepack, Ape, and Redbook, and very unreliably MP3, BTW)

 

[S_Dedalus]

I think Sennheiser HD580/600/650's would work great for you. The 580's are available for $150-200, the 600's refurbished for $190, and a used pair of 650's will be about $300. They all benefit from future cable upgrades, and a great headphone amp, but as long as you have a decent headphone out on an integrated amp, they'll sound pretty good.
EDIT
Yeah, building your own amp is a whole lot of fun, but I think that becomes an even bigger addiction than audio itself. I've pretty much modded everything I own aside from my HD25, mainly because I love it the way it is.

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

im not going to recommend a headphone, because i think others here will provide you plenty of appropriate leads.

however, i do recommend that you audition some headphones before you buy. go to a real hi-fi shop. if you dont have one close to you that has the headphones you're interested in, you may have to drive 45 minutes or something, but it's worth it.

if you can avoid it, don't just take a recommendation here and order something. there are a lot of headphone options out there for $200, not a single one is neccessarily better than the others, because each one has gives and takes, each one has it's own set of fanatics, and you need to find out which one you prefer by listening to it yourself. what others say really only tells you 15% of what you need to know, simply because you cannot fully articulate a listening experience.

 

[bjackson]

I'd be more than happy to audition somewhere, but first I'd like to narrow it down to a few suggestions so I know where I need to go audition because there is only one Hifi store around where I live, and they don't sell a whole lot of cans (I think HD580s and a grado)

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

i deifnately understand, and i think that's smart. i have hd580's and grado 325i's. both might be worth a look. i prefer one or the other depending on the recording im listening to. although the hd580's are often touted as the jazz and classical can, i actually prefer my 325i's on many jazz and classical recordings, although not all. the 325i's are punchier and more 'upfront'. the hd580's are smoother (but not as punchy) and have larger soundstage. my 325i's have been getting a lot more playtime on my head recently, but they also cost twice as much.

 

[gratefulshrink]

I would also add AKG K501 to the list.....