[kjpmkjp]

Wait. Don't groan and say "Not another one of these" just yet.

The question is literally that: What are the "best" sounding headphones straight out of a portable source, sans amplification. There is no price limit, and no "Well, they sound *better* with an amp". That is besides the point. Would a HD600 sound better than the K601 from an iPod?

I'm planning to pick up a pair of "Higher" end phones to go along with forthcoming purchase of a tube amp, and I want a pair of phones that I could theoretically plug into my iPod, and not whine and moan about the sound quality. Granted, it'll probably be *better* from my home setup, but I know some are ill-suited to be run from just a source. For example, I'm sure the K701s and HD650s will sound awful from just an iPod, but I don't actually know.

tl;dr: Best "High-End" phones that'll function well enough with no amplification.

 

[plaidplatypus]

audio-technicas don't need an amp and sound great. The Sennheiser HD595 is alright sounding. Grados will be fine too.

 

[Rednamalas1]

*scratches head

L3000?

My AD2000 doesn't sound bad from my X5L. I remember RS1 not being bad as well.

I've never tried Sony's R10 but why would you use them unamped?

 

[aaron313]

From word of mouth here, RS1. Same for other Grados in my experience.

 

[Currawong]

K701's don't sound awful from an iPod, just that you wont get any serious volume, sound stage, or, for that matter, battery life from using them that way.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif K701's don't sound awful from an iPod, just that you wont get any serious volume, sound stage, or, for that matter, battery life from using them that way.

They sound all right from my X5L, but that's because iAudio has ridiculously high output volume for some reason. As for SQ, They sound thin and boring out from portable players IMO.

 

[spronkey]

HD600s sound a lot better from an iPod than HD595s do from a Denon integrated amp. You lose a lot of the bass impact from the HD600 from an iPod vs. more powerful amplification but the overall signature is still there.

You just have to crank the volume up to 80-90% to get any kind of decent listening volume!

 

[fraseyboy]

HD580's sound pretty good unamped. Don't let the mob fool you. They don't need an amp at all.

AD700's also sound great unamped plus they're hella comfortable.

 

[glac1er]

HD580 sounds slow and recessed to me out of Ipod. K701 loses quite a bit of what makes it really great. The HD595, HD650, DT880 do better in this regard though still not optimal.

Many people have different opinions on this though...

 

[malldian]

The 595's sound good unamped relative to how they sound amped - not that great IMO.

 

[lweijs]

How about the HD555's? Any opinions on that from an ipod?

 

[Uncle Erik]

The K-701, HD-600 and HD-650 all sound flat and lifeless out of an iPod. I've tried them and was disappointed in the sound. All three were lacking the power and control I'm used to hearing. Bear in mind that I'm a tube fiend and love amps.

There are a couple of ways you can go here. One is to pick up the RS-1 or other efficient can. The RS-1 benefits from a good amp, but is surprisingly good from an iPod. If you like the Grado sound, this is a great way to go.

Another way to go is to get the headphones of your choice to go with your home amp and pick up a pair of SR-60s or an iGrado to kick around with your iPod. The SR-60 isn't a RS-1, but it's an excellent headphones. You'll enjoy it a lot, and since it's relatively cheap, you won't have to worry about it too much.

There's nothing wrong with owning more than one pair of headphones, either.

 

[Navyblue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's nothing wrong with owning more than one pair of headphones, either.

Don't let this poisonous doctrine infect your mind. To the average crowd out there we are out of our mind even to be willing to pay the price of a mid range headphone. To have many of those headphones? That's simply unthinkable.

 

[hawk]

Sennheiser HD485'S are quite good umamped imho.

 

[Akabeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't let this poisonous doctrine infect your mind. To the average crowd out there we are out of our mind even to be willing to pay the price of a mid range headphone. To have many of those headphones? That's simply unthinkable.

I was one of those people who thought $50 was a lot for a pair of headphones

Now I.... can't think that way even in the slightest bit