[lolos]

Well, title says it all...

But two more things... budget is $250 USD

And NO AMP please. I will be using it out of my mp3 player before going to bed.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[leng jai]

HD595...doesn't need any amp, extremely comfortable and excels in the midrange (which results in very good vocal pefromance).

 

[lolos]

Isn't HD595 50 ohms too high for a portable mp3 player?

Will I be able to listen to high volumes without an amp?

Thanks!

 

[Davesrose]

I'm a HD595 owner too.....they're very sensitive, so they can be driven with a mp3 player (one of the reasons Sennheiser dropped its original 120 ohm to 50 ohm). I find my 50 ohm versions sound better with an amp, but they're not bad plugged directly into a mp3 player. They're very good for chill out/ambient type music.

 

[lolos]

Does it have full rich sound?

Also, my main category is its vocal presentation, is it the best in sub $250 class?

I won't be using any amps, will I miss a lot of its capabilities?

Any more recommendation? What about the ATH-900LTD or Beyers or AKG?

I like mellow presentation.

I know too many questions

 

[m8o]

I was gunna say DT880 but seeing "no amp please" ...

considering a budget of $250 and the phones can be had for $200, another $100 will buy you a LD II+ which drives them to perfection.

 

[Davesrose]

I just ordered the AKG 501....should be getting them on Wednesday. I hear they're brighter then the HD580s, and are more concert hall like. I would think they do better for female voice. But the main problem with them is they take a lot to drive....amp is better.

The 595s are still a pretty good bet....they're very well balanced, and are brighter then the typical Sennheiser signature (more mids to give female voices more detail). Its frequency response is pretty flat, so it carries plenty of bass, mids, and trebles. Some seem to fault it for not having enough bass response. I think it's there, just that it's not drawing any emphasis....so if the source recording has a lot of bass, it's going to have a lot of bass. This is true amped or unamped. Amped just makes it a bit warmer.

 

[Davesrose]

Though when you say "mellow"....does that mean warmer to you? If so, then maybe the HD580.....those are really discounted now. They do best with an amp, but I didn't have problems running mine on my mp3 player before I got an amp. The strength of the 580 is that it has a big soundstage and is warm. People either like or hate that it's more bass heavy....seems to draw a bigger crowd with classical, jazz, and acoustic crowd. Grado people seem to hate it most for rock music, since it doesn't draw any emphasis to mid level detail.

 

[donunus]

A900

 

[lolos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose Though when you say "mellow"....does that mean warmer to you? ...

Yes, but not too bassy to make it warm!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose ...but I didn't have problems running mine [HD580] on my mp3 player before I got an amp. The strength of the 580 is that it has a big soundstage and is warm. People either like or hate that it's more bass heavy...

Isn't the HD580 300 ohms?!!! I guess it is impractical to listen to it out of mp3 player?!

Thanks to all of the comments. I still don't want to use an amp. I can't believe there aren't any more good unamped headphones

 

[bobo_1314]

I use the Technics DH1200 as my everyday headphone. It's rugged (I toss it in my school bag when I go to class, so it's gotta be study). The sound is quite well-balanced, and the iPod nano drives it quite well. But the downside is it's a bit heavy.

 

[Davesrose]

What's your mp3 player? Yes, the 580 is much harder to drive then the 595. When I only had the 580, I would listen to my mp3 player with it. I have a Creative Zen.....seemed OK to drive it.....just had the volume up to max! If you like more laid back, it's a phone to consider. It's great for acoustic stuff because it has a large soundstage and sounds like loudspeakers. The 595s are faster and are more forward, and are easier to run. I like the 595s for general listening....they still have a slight soundstage, but are a lot more forward then the 580.

 

[mchang]

I started out looking for a replacement for my Grado SR-60s; mostly due to comfort. I didn't want an amp. I wanted the sound to be better than my Grados. I didn't want to spend more than $200.

The research I did lead me to the Senn 595s. They seemed to be the best bet for unamped high-quality sound. For the most part I found, as desired sound quality goes up, so does power(ing) requirements -- therefore needing an amp.

The more I read and researched, the more my wallet opened up and my eyes/ears got bigger. Now I've got the new Beyer DT-880s and a Go-Vibe V5 amp on order. Budget shot up to about $300 (not including battery or power supply or interconnect cable). I'm hoping to stay under $350 if at all possible. I think/hope/pray I will have made the right choice -- for sound quality, comfort and coolness.

Good luck.

 

[Davesrose]

the consensus is that the 595 is a good starting point

 

[lolos]

Well,

Lately, I tried HD650 and Grado SR-225 and several others. To me, I think headphones under $250 should be sufficient for me

.

Well, back to topic... I tried the HD201 and it was very hard to drive!!! Even though it shows low impedance! I am worried other headphones would be the same... I like to listen to high volume levels

It seems like there is no other headphones except the HD595 and a custom IEM.

Thanks