Best(somewhat decent) headphones for me(n00b)

[jinxed84]

Hello people,

ive been reading these forums for about a month or so trying to decide which headphones i want to purchase, which ones are the best for my uses/musics tastes/budget. As im sure all of you know this isnt the easiest descision, in fact it has become a little annoying for me because of the great variety in choices.

ok so i need some help deciding on which ones to get. since i havent really heard any of the headphones listed on this site i cant make a descision based on personal experience.
in my readings on this site ive looked at the different 'phones and the amp vs no amp descision and im still a bit stuck.
im willing to spend maybe $200-$250. i know what this can get me and cant get me, so in that price range what do you guys think would be the best.

i listen to primarily electronic music, trance more specifically, which yes bass is an important part, but i dont need a set of 'phones that has stupidly over exaggerated bass and sounds like crap. i need clarity throughout the whole range and a set that can really make the vocals come to life/string seem real/ and bass have a decent punch. i also listen to rock so i need some cans that can handle that with ease.


ill be using these headphones though a PCDP, and at home through a computer with mp3's 192kbs or higher. durability is a slight concern as they will probably get chucked in my bag at track meets, and dropped on the floor at home a few times, but its not like im going to drive over them with a truck.

because of the impending use on buses, im thinking i should get a set of closed headphones, cause i dont need to hear a bunch of screaming freshmen on the bus over my music.

now moving on to WHICH ones to get. in my price range there are , welll a bunch obviously....ety ER6, SR80, V6, HD280, HD 590, DT250-80, DT 831, SR 125, SR 225, AKG K 501.
id like to know what you guys think out of these, and any others, eggos, those new german ones, would be the best, keep in mind i want to spend about 200-250 so maybe some of these cans with an airhead amp, or just a set of the higher end models listed. you can base your recomendatin on whatever, personal experience, general knowledge, i just need some help cause im stuck and i cant live any long with my headphones they drive me nuts


i think thats it for now. ANY help is GREATLY appreciated in advance. thankyou very much

jinxed84


feel free to ask any questions about my music choice, i can probably provide you with samples upon request, or questions about anything else, ill be checking back often.

my AIM s/n is Thajeeneeus if youd like to talk to m there

 

[averydonovan]

The Sony MDR-V6 is a great starter headphone. It is relatively inexpensive at $70 USD online. It has a slightly bright sound, to my ears anyways, but has really, really deep bass. It is a closed set and seems to isolate pretty well for me. They work great out of a PCDP or a computer (I use mine mainly with my computer) but improve a bit with an amp (as I also found out once I built a couple of amps). They are built very well and should easily hold up to everyday use. You will undoubtedly get a more expensive set later on, but they will help give you an idea on what kind of sound you would want in a more expensive set. These were my first set of good headphones and although I am planning on purchasing a more expensive set soon, I like the V6 quite a bit and it helped me learn what I want in that next set of headphones.

Oh yeah, before I forget: Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet

Edit: Just noticed you listed electronica as one of the types of music you like. I listen to mostly EBM and industrial and the V6 are great for that

 

[Cap'n Dan]

I agree with donovansmith... while I don't know the V6s, his reasoning is solid. "...a great starter headphone..." that will let you know what you like in 'phones.

 

[psyco1]

Non-amped?
From what they say here, the Sony Eggo d66 seems like it would work well with money left over for an amp, which takes it from good to better.

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...o&pagenumber=1

 

[bangraman]

The V6/7506 has serious bass punch with a powerful source, good bass with most sources, but they can sound a bit uncouth... And they definitely sound very compressed, in that you don't get a feeling of space. Still, a great starter decent headphone, being closed, folding, reasonably practical. Go for it!
The D66 doesn't have the impact of the V6, but they sound a lot more refined, read better. But, there is next to no isolation. It really comes down to what you want, a potential slamming bass with decent isolation (V6/7506) or a better sound with a far airier feeling but with less bass impact and less isolation (D66).

 

[jinxed84]

Quote:

Originally posted by psyco1 Non-amped? From what they say here, the Sony Eggo d66 seems like it would work well with money left over for an amp, which takes it from good to better. http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...o&pagenumber=1

depending on price i might buy an amp too.

on that note should i just go with an airhead or is there something else better/more cost effective

 

[grancasa]

Don't go with the Airhead. I'd say get a META42, you can probably get one for about $150, or buy one of those boards with no case for sale right now for $85 and put it in your own case.

For closed phones, I'd say go for the V-6's. If you buy the META42 board for $85, you could probably get the V-6's and a used pair of Sennheiser HD580 and still stay close to your $250 budget. And you'd have some great phones.

 

[Xecter]

Screaming freshmen?

Cross HD590s off the list. They are EXTREMELY open. Those lil fruits will annoy the hell outta you with those on ur head.


I would start with the HD280s, with great isolation and a CMOY.


=P

 

[jinxed84]

hmm thats a cool idea 2 pairs and an amp

could you give me some info on this META42 amp? i did a quick search but couldnt find much where are they on sale for that amount?...is it fully functional just without a case?

edit: hmm cmoy havent heard of that either, reading a bit of the forums but cant find quite what i need. apparently the CMOY fits in an altoids tin. is there a place that sells a working CMOY board without a case...or even sells them with a case?

thanks for the help

oh yeah sory about the 590's i dunno why i put them on there

 

[soupy]

as much as I love my grado 225's for trance (tho my HD600 is slowly taking over) having them tossed in a backpack makes them a horrible choice (as for any grado), so i guess you can get rid of that option. So I'm gonna suggest something that I personally don't have too much experience with but feel would be a great starter setup. You seem like you would be on the go alot try some Sony D66 Eggos with fixup's supermini amp. That would be about $200 plus shipping. Gives you some room to get a nice pack to carry your equipment around. The V6 works well too, it's my library studying headphone of choice right now.

 

[jinxed84]

ok i think i might go with the V6's and maybe the beyer pad upgrade, those things look uber comfy

now to decide to get an amp or not

how much will they improve with the amp?
im thinking about buying the 'phones, letting them burn in for awhile and then deciding on whether or not i need an amp.

does anyone have a Fixup super mini amp? are they any good? i was looking at his site and they look really cool very very tiny, but i dunno how it compares to the ones you guys suggested(the META and CMOY). still dont know where to get those, do i have to build them?

 

[r3cc0s]

stick with a pair of mdr-v6

for the price/quality
they are almost unbeatable

 

[Nefarion]

I totally disagree with you all on the v6 reccomendations. I have auditioned them and thought they were very very low end sounding. I wouldnt pay $50 for them..

My suggestion would be to get a pair of sennheiser hd580's from newegg.com or something ($150).. And wait till you can find a used Antique Sound Labs MG/OTL head to pair with it. One just sold in the buy/sell forum for $200.

For $100 over your budget you can acheive truly high end sound.

Here is a link to my pics of my ASL MG/OTL amp. As well as some pics of fixups mini amp. http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290766347


To me the v6's just arent up to par as what they are hyped up to be... Of course thats just my opinion.. Many/most will disagree.

 

[pikawel]

If the ATH-A900's sound as much like the ATH-A1000's as I have read, get the ATH-A900's. I owned the ATH-A1000's and they were super sexy. I get my Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro's here in about two days so I'll let you know how that goes. They've definitely got the isolation you want.

 

[Gluegun]

DT770 Pro + Amp = Happy, closed, uber-bass, and has the clarity thing going on too!!