[odalanizi]

Hiya folks,

What do you think are the best headphones in the 300$ range for casual at-home listening.

I listen mostly to Blues, Jazz and Classical.
(I also enjoy long walks across the beach)

I have had a pair of SR60's but the cord got loose and now the right ear won't work. I called Grado and couldn't understand the Brooklyn Accent.

Anyway, please recommend some headphones for the above genre in the above price-range. I look forward to reading your interesting responses.

 

[maruzen]

i would suggest the beyerdynamic dt 880 600 ohms. comfort is good for those long stretches of listening to music, detail retrieval is good, bass is sufficient but will not get in the way of the other instruments, the imaging is wide with good instrument separation for classical music...

but its gonna require an amp to sound good. it's not going to be feasible taking it to the beach... perfect for casual at-home listening though

 

[homeros8000]

Senn HD600

 

[NapalmK]

Do you have an amp? The two listed above should be good. I'll also throw in an AKG K701/702 as I've heard good things about them in regards to the genres you listed.

 

[homeros8000]

The AKG K701/2 are ruthless with bad quality recording, Senn HD600 is more forgiving

 

[shane55]

I don't listen much to Blues, but I listen mostly to Classical and Jazz.

I think for the person who is not critically listening for every last detail in every recording, the HD600 is a great recommendation.
It will produce great rich, textured tones and have enough punch in the lower mids and bass to really give the bass drum or upright bass a serious presence.

I found that they slightly pull back on the extreme highs.

If your listening tends more towards the neurotic extreme detail cravings (like mine), you'll want the DT880 / 600 ohm. It doesn't have the beautiful, luscious, resonant warmth of the HD600, but it is as clear, clean open as anything I've heard. It's a very neutral (some might say cold) HP, with amazingly brilliant highs and mids.

They both will benefit from a good amp, but it really depends on your tastes and more so what you want to hear in (or out of) the recordings.

On another note... (pun intended). If you listen to compressed tracks (MP3's at 128k, let's say), you'll be better off with the HD600 as it will smooth out the rough edges. The DT880 will reveal everything (pretty and ugly) about the compression (as homeros8000 said about the 701's).

shane

 

[stang]

I must say, I have been listening to some jazz with my DT880 and wow, they are amazing! Very good details and they are my preferred cans over HF-2 and AD700

The only reason I listen to jazz is because it sounds so good with the DT880, other times I listen to metal hehe.

 

[fatal_crest]

hellow i'm new here..

i wanna know how the bass compare between dt880, hd600 and ad700 (because i have the ad900, which sound signature not far from ad700, but better on all freq i think)
i think the ad900 is light bass..i want to know if i go to dt880 it will give me some new experience..

 

[jjinh]

I use my W5000 and various Stax when listening to jazz. The W5000 are only a bit over your budget when purchased used.

 

[forbigger]

If you patience enough, wait fr used esp950. or 2050 combo (both stats) and will probably exceed your budget around 100-200 ish.

Or else, upgrade to higher grado if possible 325i

 

[JeckyllAndHyde]

None of the three (dt880, Hd600, k701) is really suitable for portable use, even w portable amp. For home listening of jazz I'd recommend k701 - You'll be able to hear all the details of the recording w nice instrument separation. But - as mentioned above - theyre not forgiving for lq records.

 

[Valens7]

I think the HD600 would be a great choice, not just for jazz, but for any kind of music.  If you really want to try something more genre specific, give the K501 a whirl.

 

[krmathis]

I say a used Stax Lambda of some sort. Either a vintage SR-Lambda (Pro) or a newer SR-202/303/404.
Hard to beat for blues & jazz around that price point.

 

[kool bubba ice]

k501/k701/2/DT48/DT880/600/AD700.

 

[earerror]

For jazz music? The Grado GS-1000's and the AKG K701 are awesome.