[emremusic]

Does anyone have any opinions the best heap]dhone choice for mainly jazz combo listening? My budget is $200.. I'm strongly considering Grado 225s, but very open to suggestions from a more experienced audiophile. 

 

[Acix]

Try the K-702, and take into consideration that you'll need some amp to drive them.

 

[emremusic]

Thank you for the reply. Are they more accurate in the cymbals? My ears naturally want to hear more accurate cymbals in jazz music. 
 
What kind of amp would you recommend? Portable or Tube? My budget for the amp is about 300-400$... 

 

[Digital-Pride]

Some recommendations for ya:
 
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, AD900
 
AKG K 240, K 271
 
Beyerdynamic DT 860, DT 880 32 or 250 Ohm
 
Sennheiser HD 595
 
Shure SRH 440
 
Ultrasone HFi 580, HFi 680

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Thank you for the reply. Are they more accurate in the cymbals? My ears naturally want to hear more accurate cymbals in jazz music. 
 
What kind of amp would you recommend? Portable or Tube? My budget for the amp is about 300-400$... 

You can get a use solid state amp, like the Matrix, or the Headfive for around $200 on FS forum.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Thank you for the reply. Are they more accurate in the cymbals? My ears naturally want to hear more accurate cymbals in jazz music. 
 
What kind of amp would you recommend? Portable or Tube? My budget for the amp is about 300-400$... 

Yes, they are very accurate in the cymbals, they are studio hps, BTW, you can get the K-702 for used too.

 

[emremusic]

Quote:

Some recommendations for ya:
 
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, AD900
 
AKG K 240, K 271
 
Beyerdynamic DT 860, DT 880 32 or 250 Ohm
 
Sennheiser HD 595
 
Shure SRH 440
 
Ultrasone HFi 580, HFi 680

Thank you, I'm looking at the Beyerdynamic 880, do you know what will suit my need better? 32, 250 or 600 ohm? Is there an affordable tube amp I can check out for the 32 amp version?

 

[Deep Funk]

If you want to stay low budget the HD428 can sound surprisingly good for Jazz and delicate percussion sounds. 

 

[Digital-Pride]

Quote:

Thank you, I'm looking at the Beyerdynamic 880, do you know what will suit my need better? 32, 250 or 600 ohm? Is there an affordable tube amp I can check out for the 32 amp version?

I think you'll be fine with either the 32 or the 250 Ohm versions as they are much eiser to drive than the 600 Ohm version.  An affordable tube amp would be either the Little Dot line or the Schiit Asgard.

 

[Don Quichotte]

Extend your budget a bit and try to find a used Stax 2050 combo. My 3030 sound great with jazz (I prefer it with jazz more than any other kind of music) and the cymbals are way way better than on my AKG K501 - which would otherwise be another excellent choice for jazz in your price range (used as well, they are discontinued as you perhaps already know).

 

[xaval]

Quote:

Extend your budget a bit and try to find a used Stax 2050 combo. My 3030 sound great with jazz (I prefer it with jazz more than any other kind of music) and the cymbals are way way better than on my AKG K501 - which would otherwise be another excellent choice for jazz in your price range (used as well, they are discontinued as you perhaps already know).

Stax sound amazing with anything

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Wait, you've got a $200 headphone budget and $300-$400 amp budget?!?  Sounds like you've got it backwards there.  Get the best headphones you can afford and an amp that is adequate to power them.
 
Hmm, what would I do with that much, getting the best for jazz and cymbals...  Probably a used HE-5 for $400-ish, and the remainder on an amp.
 
Something exactly like... this.  You don't even have to pay for separate shipping that way...
 
But honestly, for $600, you'd get a better rig for jazz and cymbals by getting a pair of speakers with planar magnetic or ribbon drivers.  Along the lines of Magnepans, Infinities, Apogee, Carver, or the like.  Set aside $100 for an amp and spend the rest on the used speakers (off Craigslist) that suit your fancy.  Alternatively, save up for new Magnepan MMGs ($600) and an old NAD integrated amp ($100-ish) or Adcom power amp ($150-ish).
 
But that's my speaker bias shining through.  You may not find them practical given your situation (right now for me, all but a pair of bookshelf speakers are in storage), but I certainly find them to sound far better.  Done properly, you'll get that "in the club" feeling.
 
That said, my HD 600s and uDAC sound great with jazz (John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Louis Prima, etc.).

 

[Aimless1]

The Beyerdynamic DT-880/250 would be a perfect choice assuming you have a head amp to drive them.  If you like cymbals you'll really like the 880s. My favorite can in your budget would be a used AKG K501 which I like better than the current offerings from AKG.

 

[Don Quichotte]

Ooops, I've missed the $400 amp part. In this case, definitely try some used Stax! Worst case, you don't like the sound and sell them at practically no loss. Should ad that mine are reproducing cymbals way better than the Senns HD600 too. IMO and all that.

 

[emremusic]

Thanks everybody,
 
So far everybody is recommending the same few headphones: Beyerdynamic DT-880/250, HD 600, and AKG 501 k501- (which is no good because its discontinued) and AKG k701-702s.
 
I will probably choose something from the above this weekend.
 
 
Would anyone recommend Schiit Valhalla and the AKG 701 combination for my needs? That is within my budget...