[Vinc]

Hi everyone, I've just registered after browsing the forums for a bit. I've been thinking about buying my first pair of headphones for quite a while. Now that I've some money to spend, I would like to have some models that you think could suit me good.
So, some things that I think you should know :
-I have about a 250$ budget, maybe a bit more.
-I don't have an amp, and I don't plan on buying one soon, so I would like some headphones that will sound good even without an amp.
-I will use a CD player that is worth like 40$ or most likely my zune.
-I will mostly listen to Progressive Rock, and to a lesser extent, blues, classical, other rock.

I would like to have your opinion on what pair could suit me.
Thanks !

 

[1Time]

ATH-ESW9

 

[nullstring]

I'd recommend you look into Denon D2000.

A $100 amp would go far with them.
i'm not sure how well they'd do with classical though

 

[jpk70]

I have had my Grade Sr80i s now for a month, and can say that they are good for rock: bass comes nicely (important in rock) and is defined (=I can hear clearly the bass lines... so its not just some bass without clarity). And I cannot find any essential weaknesses on other areas neither. Maybe a small minus from stereo image/stage image, but not a essential problem for me. I am always feeling good when starding listen my old albums with them... So cannot go badly wrong (soundwise) by buying these.

(I am listening straight from my CD player, no extra amps.)

 

[Vinc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif ATH-ESW9

Thanks, I'll check them out. By the way, is there any chance that there is a good sennheiser headphone that I could get for my needs ?

Quote:

I have had my Grade Sr80i s now for a month, and can say that they are good for rock: bass comes nicely (important in rock) and is defined (=I can hear clearly the bass lines... so its not just some bass without clarity). And I cannot find any essential weaknesses on other areas neither. Maybe a small minus from stereo image/stage image, but not a essential problem for me. I am always feeling good when starding listen my old albums with them... So cannot go badly wrong (soundwise) by buying these. (I am listening straight from my CD player, no extra amps.)

What kind of rock do you listen too ? Because progressive rock can be really different then others.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, I'll check them out. By the way, is there any chance that there is a good sennheiser headphone that I could get for my needs ?

Do you want closed headphones for portable use, or will open headphones work just as well? Open headphones do not block external sounds and leak the sound out for others to hear. Closed headphones block some of this in and out going sound.

And would you consider buying headphones + an amp for < $250?

 

[Vinc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you want closed headphones for portable use, or will open headphones work just as well? Open headphones do not block external sounds and leak the sound out for others to hear. Closed headphones block some of this in and out going sound. And would you consider buying headphones + an amp for < $250?

I will mostly be looking to buy open headphone, because I won't really bring them out of my house, and there is really no a lot of noises in my house.

Yes, I would consider headphones + amp for ~250$.

 

[Vinc]

By the way, I've been considering HD580/595/600 without an amp.
Would this be an error, and how would it fair with progressive rock music ?
thanks

 

[charliex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinc /img/forum/go_quote.gif By the way, I've been considering HD580/595/600 without an amp. Would this be an error, and how would it fair with progressive rock music ? thanks

Only can here that doesn't necessarily require a separate amp to drive it is the 595.

 

[Vinc]

Do you think that the HD595 would be a good choice ?

 

[pwnRhasta]

If you could find a Grado SR325is for around $250, that wuld be a great option, you could find it at amazon. They have 32ohms so it will work great straight from the source. An amp will really help in SQ.

 

[fjrabon]

ATH AD900 is, in my opinion, the champ of under $250 without an amp open headphones.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif ATH AD900 is, in my opinion, the champ of under $250 without an amp open headphones.

Don't you mean under $300?

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't you mean under $300?

I've found them around $240 a few times. Although I guess that's less than common.

 

[jonathanjong]

HD595 was underwhelming. HD555 is supposed to be pretty much the same SQ-wise, and much cheaper.

Remind me what counts as post-rock again? SR325i does rock really well, but soundstage isn't its strong point. So if prog rock is anything like experimental rock (e.g., Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Silver Mt. Zion), I'd go for something else. Denon D2000 would be a good choice if you need more soundstage, except they really should be amped.

Edit: Ah yes, if you can find AD900 for less than $250, that might be a good choice.