[Fenster]

Hi! Newbie here. I really love this board and had a question about closed headphones for a portable system.

I'm about to invest in a Total Airhead amp (4.5 V) and would like a good all-around (comfort, sound, isolation) closed headphone to couple it with. Preferably no more than $200 and not too terribly difficult to drive (less than 150 ohms).

I've been looking into the Beyerdynamic DT 250-80 and they seem like a good fit. Anyone know of any others that would be a good match for the TAH 4.5?

Oh, and I'll mainly be listening to rock music.

Thanks!

 

[radrd]

You might be happier and spend less with Sennheiser HD280 Pro, which seems to be better than the Beyers you mentioned. The Sennheisers can be driven well from a portable, so you wouldn't even necessarily need an amp, though I'm sure they would sound even better with the amp.

Check out this comparison:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...&threadid=8873

Welcome to Head-fi, where we're happy to spend anyone's money!

 

[blr]

Second that.
I used to have the DT 250 and currently own the HD 280.
To my ears, the senns are better.

 

[MacDEF]

With all due respect to blr, his is the only review that places the HD 280 above the DT 250-80; in fact, it's really the only good comparative review at all besides HeadRoom, who think the DT 250-80 are clearly better. No one else seems to have really had the chance to do a good comparison.

I say this not to criticize blr's point of view, but rather to point out that different people hear things differently, and until there is a larger sample of opinions, it's difficult for anyone to speculate on whether the HD 280 is better or worse, pointing to a single review as "proof." I know that I hear things much differently than blr based on his other reviews of equipment I own or have heard, so it's possible that I might come to a different conclusion once I'm able to audition the HD 280. Or not.

Because of the dearth of good comparison reviews between the two, perhaps a better indication of the relative positions of the two headphones is the ratio of good to bad reviews. While I haven't seen a single critical review of the sound of the DT 250-80, I have seen several unfavorable reviews of the HD 280. While this isn't very scientific, either, it's probably just as good of speculation, if not moreso, than speculation based on a single review

 

[Gluegun]

Etymotic ER4S....

 

[radrd]

Hey MacDEF, you should get the HD280 Pro. I would like to read your opinion of them compared to the Beyers. I have them and I think they sound quite good, but I have never heard the Beyers before.

AFAIK, the main reason why the HD280 receives bad reviews is that it takes a long time to break them in. They don't sound the way they should until around 100 hours, and generally people want to draw conclusions earlier than that. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, though, so link away.

 

[TimSchirmer]

Stax SRM-001

there is one on ebay now for about 200$. If you don't get the airhead, and just get these you will have one killer portable setup.

 

[Fenster]

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. I guess I'll just have to audition both the DT 250-80 and the HD280 pro, and hear for myself which of the two sound better.

In any event, I'm sure they're both excellent 'phones, and much better than your run-of-the-mill retail crap.

Thanks again!

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

ask KWKARTH about the beyers. he has a pair. I really like my hd280 pros tho... but i havent heard the beyers.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by radrd Hey MacDEF, you should get the HD280 Pro. I would like to read your opinion of them compared to the Beyers. I have them and I think they sound quite good, but I have never heard the Beyers before.

I definitely plan on it as soon as I have the moolah

I'm very interested in how they sound. I own the V6/7506 and the DT 250-80, so it would great to complete the triumvirate

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by radrd AFAIK, the main reason why the HD280 receives bad reviews is that it takes a long time to break them in. They don't sound the way they should until around 100 hours, and generally people want to draw conclusions earlier than that. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, though, so link away.

How about some supporting links? Here are a few: Immersion before and after, delenda est Sony before and after (comment 4). Each of them gave the 280 weak marks initially and became big fans later on. Immersion was about to return his and later posted a glowing review, delenda said the V6 was a better value and now says the 280s are easily worth the extra money. Jan's negative review was after only 24 hours of burn-in. At that point he would have probably experienced the same problem Immersion had, which may be what he meant by the 'plastic/metallic' sounds. I can vouch for that buzz that develops around the 20 hour mark. I had it too and thought I might have blown my 280s too. Certainly no problem now!

Besides the long burn-in time I think a lot of the negative comments have a lot to do with people's expectations regarding the bass. The 280's bass may be deep but it's not overly pronounced. If you're looking for subwoofer-like impact in everything you listen to then the 280 might disappoint. It's capable of it but the recording has to present it that way. I'd bet a lot of the AKG fans would love these phones.

I think the low power requirements have also been overstated somewhat. There may be portables that can drive them easily mine sure doesn't (Aiwa CD w/FM tuner). Not enough power is going to negatively impact the sound, particularly the bass. My 497 does far better on my portable and I've seen people say it still needs an amp. I bought mine to use with an Onkyo receiver and I have no problem with the power from it's headphone jack. My Soundblaster Live doesn't have a problem either but it's much better when fed through the receiver.

(HBZ)

 

[nierika]

I was one who has wished there the Senn 280 Pro upper-bass was a little more exaggerated. However, I've been having luck just turning up the bass on my mixer (which also turns up the bass on the master speakers, but that hasn't bothered me in the least

. The 280s can certainly handle additional EQ'd bass with ease.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

"You might be happier and spend less with Sennheiser HD280 Pro, which seems to be better than the Beyers you mentioned. "

Actaully I prefer the 250-80's over the senns.

beyers strengths:
-better build quality
-more comfortable
-more bass (bass you can really feel)

senns strengths
-better highs
-cheaper

I would say sound stage, detail and isolation are similar...

Biggie.

 

[mulciber]

It so happens that I'm selling a pair of Beyer DT-231's in "Gear for Sale". These headphones are in about the same price range as the 280's and the Sony V6/7506.

Beyers do, indeed, have a characteristic sound, which may be smoother and less fatiguing to some ears. As has been amply suggested, at a certain point it's a taste horse race.

In any event, I'm selling them and they may be worth your while to check out. They're hardly used - I'm selling them to treat my acute upgrade/low-fund-itis.

DGI