[chesebert]

None on your list.
 
The phones listed all require serious amp to drive them properly. None of them will sound any good (actually all will sound terrible) out of your current gear. If you are not willing to spend another $350 for an amp, I would suggest you try something along the lines of AD700, HF-1/2, RS1/2 or HD595 (not sure if this is any good without an amp).
 
 

 

[Currawong]

How about the Shure SRH 440? That, and the 840 passed my test for acoustic music of all kinds when used with only fairly basic equipment.

 

[Strat-Mangler]

Quote:

You can find the DT48 at B&H. I got my pairs (I've had three) off eBay between $75-$120. I'm not sure what the going rate is. Beyerdynamic sells all the replacement parts, so you can put a new cord, pads and headband on an old one reasonably. The cups are turned aluminum and the headband is steel - they do not wear out and have terrific build quality.

Thanks for directing me towards B&H, but they unfortunately don't carry these anymore, nor does eBay or any other store that I've checked online so far. If you know of a place that still might have some, please let me know.
 
Quote:

I think K701 are qiute safe choice for piano music. I've had many AKG's and in terms of details and clarity none came close. I do think sextetts are much overrated - my favorite vintage would be K240 Monitor (600 ohm version) and shortly after K240DF mentioned by Erik.

Sorry ; I don't know what you mean by sextets. Have you tried the K701s plugged straight into a receiver (i.e. without a headphone amp)? If so, what were the results?
 

 

[leng jai]

I'm not a fan of the AKG 702, but all my piano music sounded exquisite on them. 

 

[ZARIM]

Sony SA5000 are amazing cans for Classical/Piano and much more detailed than other cans in this price range but it need good AMPs help.

 

[Strat-Mangler]

We should stay on topic, but would a headphone amp like a Little Dot MK III or IV considerably expand my choices and improve the sound drastically?

 

[chesebert]

Probably, but most likely not. You may actually wonder why you spent $400 on an amp that you can't even tell if it makes any difference. DAC1, Meir Audio Symphony or a similar DAC/amp combo would be your best bet.

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

I'm not a fan of the AKG 702, but all my piano music sounded exquisite on them. 

Which music does it not work with?

 

[RexAeterna]

the recommendation for the DF's and sextetts are great choice but i seriously do not recommend them without a powerful amp. i suggest using them off of a nice powerful vintage power amps(or integrated or receivers with powerful power amp sections with high value resistors between the headphone out and power amp for optimal voltage to be dropped). lack of voltage will decrease the extensions at both ends and can make them seem thin or ''bass light'' to lot.

they both are capable of wonderful deep bass extension but won't be reaching deep without an amp and can lose it's bass impact ''presence''. the soundstage also becomes more open and life-like with proper voltage fed. they both have a wonderful and one of the best midranges known with any headphone and has very fast transient response. they don't have a sound signature either so if your use to certain signatures then you might like them cause they present music as it should sound. once you power them right tho they sound absolutely wonderful with vocals and acoustic/string/wind instruments.

 

[TakashiMiike]

+1 on the HD600
 
I would recommend against the k701 for piano music, piano's have a sort of weight and ressonance that the k701 fails to produce, it just makes it sound too thin.

 

[MulberryMadness]

Quote:

Here's my setup.
 
Fatar Numa Nero MIDI controller > PC > East/West Quantum Leaps Pianos sampler program > Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 Ultra > headphones.
 
Looking for a set of cans that'll reproduce solo piano and classical music beautifully. I also listen to solo piano and classical music a lot.
 thoughts/experiences/comments/opinions.

Thoughts only, experience is extremely limited to only the HD600's which I don't have anything proper to drive them with, so weak on bass.
 
Piano solos are not as demanding, you will likely find that criteria easier to meet. Classical is such a broad term, I don't think any other kind of music is so broad, especially when you consider a full/extended instruments orchestra. Particular kind of classical piece can be easy or difficult to render to your preferences. Organ music, the occasional 'gimmicky' loud canon sound that goes way down in the deep bass?
 
Personally, since I learned piano as a youth, I now dislike anything mostly piano sounding . But there is piano in this awesome youtube vid of the genius of Ryuichi Sakamoto, I prefer it for the strings/classical Chinese instruments...wish I could get a hi-def recording of this one.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGY0dStHuA
 
And of course, no speaker or headphone can really substitute for the audio experience of being there live...go see more live orchestras! .
 
http://www.eastwestsamples.com/details.php?cd_index=1046
 
out of the sample in the list, which are some of your favorites, might help others with recommendations?
 
Do you prefer great soundstage---probably want an open back as opposed to closed back design; ability to single out each individual instrument?
 
Do you want cans that have a very 'neutral' sound as opposed to those with a 'signature' sound?
 
What some have not told you is that with long playing, some of these are not so comfortable. HD600's for larger heads or just regular heads, clamp down with some pressure (have read that you can 'stretch' them out by placing on a box  for extended period, but haven't tried that myself), and you get sweaty (if you are prone to that like me) from the enclosed ears. I can't really listen to the HD600s for very long, an hour would be pushing it, when I'd like to be able to wear for hours of comfort
 

 

[Acix]

I vote for the K-702!

 

[Strat-Mangler]

Quote:

+1 on the HD600
 
I would recommend against the k701 for piano music, piano's have a sort of weight and ressonance that the k701 fails to produce, it just makes it sound too thin.

 
Maybe they weren't properly driven when you heard them? From what I read, these *crave* power!
 

 

[milosz]

You would do well to take a CD or two of piano music with you to a full service audio retailer and listen to some of these headphones.  While listening, find out what kind of gear is driving the headphones- an dedicated headphone amp, or just the headphone jack on some receiver, an iPod, etc.
 
You might have to go to more than one store to find all the ones you want to hear.  Or go to a friend's house, or a Head-Fi mini-meet.
 
Even though you are plugging your headphones into the built-in amplifier for your Klipsch speakers, this is NOT  a HEADPHONE AMP.  What you are doing is connecting the headphones to a "speaker" amp that has it's output reduced by resistors.  This will give enough power to play as loudly as you want, but it is NOT an amplifier designed specifically for headphones and will not offer the kind of bass control and overall finesse that even a modest headphone amp can provide. I would suggest you look at the Fiio amps, they offer good bang for the buck.  Also someone mentioned a Little Dot Mk III, this is a very good tube amp that might offer a sound that acoustic instruments like piano can benefit from. All amplifiers add a little bit of harmonic distortion to the sound, and the "flavor" of the harmonic signature of a tube amp is different from solid state- the tube amp's harmonic signature is friendly to acoustic instruments like piano and so on.
 
Of the 'phones you mentioned, I've had the Sennheiser 600 and the AKG 701's.  I'd say the AKG 701s would suit acoustic piano, I think the Sennheisers are a bit too dark.
 
 

 

[RexAeterna]

You would do well to take a CD or two of piano music with you to a full service audio retailer and listen to some of these headphones.  While listening, find out what kind of gear is driving the headphones- an dedicated headphone amp, or just the headphone jack on some receiver, an iPod, etc.
 
You might have to go to more than one store to find all the ones you want to hear.  Or go to a friend's house, or a Head-Fi mini-meet.
 
Even though you are plugging your headphones into the built-in amplifier for your Klipsch speakers, this is NOT  a HEADPHONE AMP.  What you are doing is connecting the headphones to a "speaker" amp that has it's output reduced by resistors.  This will give enough power to play as loudly as you want, but it is NOT an amplifier designed specifically for headphones and will not offer the kind of bass control and overall finesse that even a modest headphone amp can provide. I would suggest you look at the Fiio amps, they offer good bang for the buck.  Also someone mentioned a Little Dot Mk III, this is a very good tube amp that might offer a sound that acoustic instruments like piano can benefit from. All amplifiers add a little bit of harmonic distortion to the sound, and the "flavor" of the harmonic signature of a tube amp is different from solid state- the tube amp's harmonic signature is friendly to acoustic instruments like piano and so on.
 
Of the 'phones you mentioned, I've had the Sennheiser 600 and the AKG 701's.  I'd say the AKG 701s would suit acoustic piano, I think the Sennheisers are a bit too dark.
 
 

depending on the amplifier they will always have more then enough voltage to be dropped. also depending on age as well(cause around late 80's,early 90's 120ohm resistors became standard). lot of 70's and 80's amps used high value resistors and if anything they can be changed easily in value if you want or build a headphone box to speaker out adapter. speaker amps can be great for headphones and well suited as well. there is no such thing as ''headphone out was a second thought'' unless it was using an op-amp chip instead. to let people know all headphone amps are basically are just low powered ''power amps'' designed for just headphone use. i find speaker amps more versatile in my opinion cause you can easily build an adapter or swap the resistors used for better results while being able to drive speakers. IMO of course.