[The Fire Snake]

Hi everybody! This is my first post on this site. What a great site this is. I didn't even know there was a site like this and so many people into were into headphones. The only headphones I ever knew about were all $20 and less

I have been more involved in car audio products than Home/headphones.

Anyways, I have been doing search after search on this site and reading anything and everything that looked interesting and trying to understand things. I am really confused on what to do and needed some suggestions.

I need a nice can for work so i was looking into the Grados as I had heard great things about them. The thing is they are open cans which would really be terrible at work, I think. The environment I work in is usually pin drop silence most of the day, so I am thinking an open can would be horrible. So I started to look into closed cans for work and from what I have read on this site open cans are in general better than closed cans of the same price/level. I was looking at closed cans in the $300 range but then I thought to myself, what is the point of paying so much for a closed can and not getting the same great sound quality of a open can in the same price range like the HD600/HD650 or 325is?

So this is where I am confused. Right now I am thinking that I will buy a cheap but decent closed can for work and a really higher end open can for home use(and then get an amp/dac/ better sound card etc slowly and try to build a nice system for home use). The big problem is that I can't get to listen to almost any cans where I live. I have called a lot of audio stores around here but nobody has much over $50 sonys in stock and almost none have an listening stations etc. Here is some information about what I am looking for etc...

1. I don't need portability as I will use what every headphone(s) either at home or work, but not in the street etc.

1. I listen mostly to electronic music specifically progressive house(~90%). I listen to artists like John Digweed, DJ Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, etc. I do listen to some hip hip as well, but not as much. I also listen to a little bit of heavy metal once in a while such as Metallica's older stuff.

1. My sources are going to be my Ipod 5th gen classic with some form of lossless or VBR 256bit music at work. At home my source is going to be my desktop computer with CDs/lossless.

Any advice would be great. Thanks for your help.

 

[David.M]

Sennheiser Hd280 pro

around 70 or 80 bucks. decent closed can.

or Sennheiser HD 448(nice for portable)

both are entry level phones that won't get much SQ boost from an amp/dac. You prolly want to save up and get something higher quality like a beyerdynamic or sth

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Fire Snake /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi everybody! This is my first post on this site. What a great site this is. I didn't even know there was a site like this and so many people into were into headphones. The only headphones I ever knew about were all $20 and less I have been more involved in car audio products than Home/headphones. Anyways, I have been doing search after search on this site and reading anything and everything that looked interesting and trying to understand things. I am really confused on what to do and needed some suggestions. I need a nice can for work so i was looking into the Grados as I had heard great things about them. The thing is they are open cans which would really be terrible at work, I think. The environment I work in is usually pin drop silence most of the day, so I am thinking an open can would be horrible. So I started to look into closed cans for work and from what I have read on this site open cans are in general better than closed cans of the same price/level. I was looking at closed cans in the $300 range but then I thought to myself, what is the point of paying so much for a closed can and not getting the same great sound quality of a open can in the same price range like the HD600/HD650 or 325is? So this is where I am confused. Right now I am thinking that I will buy a cheap but decent closed can for work and a really higher end open can for home use(and then get an amp/dac/ better sound card etc slowly and try to build a nice system for home use). The big problem is that I can't get to listen to almost any cans where I live. I have called a lot of audio stores around here but nobody has much over $50 sonys in stock and almost none have an listening stations etc. Here is some information about what I am looking for etc... I don't need portability as I will use what every headphone(s) either at home or work, but not in the street etc. I listen mostly to electronic music specifically progressive house(~90%). I listen to artists like John Digweed, DJ Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, etc. I do listen to some hip hip as well, but not as much. I also listen to a little bit of heavy metal once in a while such as Metallica's older stuff. My sources are going to be my Ipod 5th gen classic with some form of lossless or VBR 256bit music at work. At home my source is going to be my desktop computer with CDs/lossless. Any advice would be great. Thanks for your help.

Things do get confusing here hahaha...

Be aware opinions here are not facts, but they are indeed helpful.

An open headphone being better is merely a rule of thumb. It is not a fact. The sony MDR-10, considered to be the finest dynamic headphone, was closed.

Dropping a lot of money into a closed phone, would not be a waste if you found the right one. A HD 600/650 also needs a beefy amp, and good source to sound good.

Unfortunatly the options for closed headphones, in the audiophile range -still in production are pretty limited. Especially if you want to keep things below 500$

The fact that you have no amp means you are limited, and needing a closed one, even more so.

However, YOU ARE IN LUCK!

The Ultrasone Pro 750 are closed, comfy, and sound extremely good.

Currently owning many of the mid-fi headphones and favs (check my profile), I would not recommend the HD 600 and especially not the 325i you mentioned. With metal and the highs in house, you will probably get fatigue with the grados very quickly. The senns, not being an option in the first place, simply wouldn't cut it in terms of bass, which is very important in the genres you mentioned.

The Pro 750 are easy to drive, are built sturdily, and are the only headphone I have owned that don't make me upset when I do not have access my speakers in terms of bass performance and impact. I do not have a headphone that sounds equally better in house/techno and it gives the HD 600 and many other classics a run for their money in many areas. They aren't perfect, but for the price you can get them at, they are a steal.

They sound great out of an ipod too btw, even better with an amp.

Here is an ebay link. Cheapest price I could find.

Ultrasone PRO-750 Foldable DJ Studio Headphones PRO750 on eBay.ca (item 270482826126 end time 07-Feb-10 16:08:01 EST)

Regardless of the strict requirements you have, you will enjoy these. Just because they are closed does not mean they are bad or bloated. They are very clear, articulate, detailed, and they do bass like no other (in a good way you haven't yet heard.)

Hope this helps.

 

[David.M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokolov91 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Things do get confusing here hahaha... Be aware opinions here are not facts, but they are indeed helpful. An open headphone being better is merely a rule of thumb. It is not a fact. The sony MDR-10, considered to be the finest dynamic headphone, was closed. Dropping a lot of money into a closed phone, would not be a waste if you found the right one. A HD 600/650 also needs a beefy amp, and good source to sound good. Unfortunatly the options for closed headphones, in the audiophile range -still in production are pretty limited. Especially if you want to keep things below 500$ The fact that you have no amp means you are limited, and needing a closed one, even more so. However, YOU ARE IN LUCK! The Ultrasone Pro 750 are closed, comfy, and sound extremely good. Currently owning many of the mid-fi headphones and favs (check my profile), I would not recommend the HD 600 and especially not the 325i you mentioned. With metal and the highs in house, you will probably get fatigue with the grados very quickly. The senns, not being an option in the first place, simply wouldn't cut it in terms of bass, which is very important in the genres you mentioned. The Pro 750 are easy to drive, are built sturdily, and are the only headphone I have owned that don't make me upset when I do not have access my speakers in terms of bass performance and impact. I do not have a headphone that sounds equally better in house/techno and it gives the HD 600 and many other classics a run for their money in many areas. They aren't perfect, but for the price you can get them at, they are a steal. They sound great out of an ipod too btw, even better with an amp. Here is an ebay link. Cheapest price I could find. Ultrasone PRO-750 Foldable DJ Studio Headphones PRO750 on eBay.ca (item 270482826126 end time 07-Feb-10 16:08:01 EST) Regardless of the strict requirements you have, you will enjoy these. Just because they are closed does not mean they are bad or bloated. They are very clear, articulate, detailed, and they do bass like no other (in a good way you haven't yet heard.) Hope this helps.

nice, but his budget is around 50 bucks or so... LOL

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David.M /img/forum/go_quote.gif nice, but his budget is around 50 bucks or so... LOL

Well he did mention looking at more expensive stuff, and from what I read, he did not explicitly mention 50$. He did mention not finding much stuff over 50$.

I was just pointing out there is what he wants, without adding tons of stuff tot he chain, like an amp and expensive source. He can still have a very hi fi experience without spending hi-fi bucks, in the way he described.

He listens to techno and metal primarily anyways. Techno is limited in many ways when it comes to hi-fi in the first place, so a super high end system, especially headphone wise, is a ton of money for quickly diminishing returns. Not to mention many headphones create a wall of sound when playing metal. I listen to a lot of metal and ultrasone maintain great separation and have much more impact.

They aren't the end all and of headphones, but they are a great value, and for what he wants and needs, most likely the best he could put any reasonable amount of money into :/.

 

[The Fire Snake]

Thanks for all your comments guys. I think I have decided that I will do a relatively inexpensive pair($75 or less) for work and then do a whole high end system(headphone, amp/dac, good source) for home.

For work I need something closed and will use my ipod 5th gen classic as the source. What do you guys think of the JVC HARX700? I read the whole huge thread on this site about them and read about them on other sites. They are supposed to be amazing for the price. I want the best I can get for the money. Can you give me a list of options or what you think would be best with these criteria? Since I will be using these at work I am not going to worry about the DAC/AMP and stuff like that. Just the best sounding closed can I can get in my budget listed above that can be driven well by my ipod.

For home I am seriously thinking about some high end Grados like the 325is or RS1i or possibly some highend senheisers like the HD600. Then eventually I would probably get an amp, then a dac and then sound card. Basically trying to build a high end system a piece at a time.