[lwxenrique]

So my dad has been a Hi-fi enthusiast for many years. And every house that we moved to, a room has to be allocated to be his 'hi-fi' room where he sinks in the the abyss of some really sounds.
 
here are some pictures of his current setup





 
 
In the house that we're in now, the room is little small. The ceiling is in an odd shape (hard to explain). Basically, the room isnt exactly audio-friendly. Plus, we have neighbors and so he cannot turn up the volume at night.
 
So i am trying to convert him into a head-fier instead. He always had this impression that you simply cannot get the same quality of sound from a pair of headphones. Plus, headphones can be uncomfortable because you're clamping something on your head. So i have to break through his barrier of pessimism. 
 
I bought 3 headphones just to prove that headphones can sound (in fact better) just as good as a hi-fi setup:
 
A Sennheiser HD201
A grado entry level Sr60i (Burnt it for 20hours before letting him use)
A Koss Portapro 
 
As you can see, he does not have a headphone amp. So i plug it directly into his Marantz DV9600 Cd player (which by the way, have an excellent internal amplification).
 
I put in 'Jazz at Pawnshop (2SACD)' and turn on his speakers for him. Then, i turn off the speakers. And plug in the sennheiser HD201and gave it to him. He said: "wow, cushion is so soft, very nice. But come on, the sound coming out of these is rubbish".
 
So i unplugged the HD201, and i plugged in the Sr60i. And immediately, he said "WOW" and nodded his head with approval. He made some comments, but I believe what he really enjoyed from this is the amazing soundstage. Though he did comment that it is rather 'flat'.
 
Then I unplugged the SR60i and put in a cheap Koss Portapro. He put it on and immediately he said: Wow, the bass is so shiok (its a slang for "awesome")
 
He has finally witness that headphones can be:1) Comfortable 2) High clarity + great soundstage 3) Good bass quality
 
So now, its time to get a proper headphone for him. And i need suggestions. 
 
Given what i know, he doesn't like it when his music is too bright. Hence, he avoids silver cables in his hi-fi setup. 
 
I want to get him a proper headphone so that he can still enjoy his music. And maybe also an amplifier (although i really have to say that the marantz produced amazing sound even without an amp)
 
I need suggestions,
 
I was thinking getting something from sennheiser for him. May be a HD650? 
 
Please help me! budget: 1000 USD (a bit more is fine)
Can get more than 1 headphone for variety.
 
He likes jazz. And sometimes symphony. Doesn't like classical guitar sound, too bright for him.
 

 
 

 

[TMRaven]

HD650 was definitely my first guess.

 

[nikp]

Why not go for the flagship HD800? 

 

[Parall3l]

Speakers produce bass in a way headphones can't, and the soundstage on speakers also differs from headphones. Being a jazz listener the bass doesn't matter too much for him so headphones should be fine for him. Something thats almost neutral but slightly dark should be good since you mentioned classical guitar is too bright for him.

 

[lwxenrique]

Quote:

Why not go for the flagship HD800? 

I thought about that. But i have heard of so many people using HD650  or HD500 - 600. But not many using the HD800. Is there a reason for that? Price? If the SQ is better i wouldnt mind getting it for him.
 
Any thoughts of LCD-2 Audeze?
 
He saw the phones and commented that it was beautiful (aesthetically). Didnt try it on though. 
 
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Grado GS1000i, he sounds like an old school audiophile and needs a headphone to suit!
 
Make sure he stays along the lines of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop' and other reference
quality recordings since they can be bright with poor recordings.
 
He won't need an uber head amp unlike the LCD-2 or HD800 to drive them properly,
and the best part ~ they sound particularly clear and full at really low volumes.
 
They're made for audiophile jazz!
 

 
 
 

 

[rezel]

HD650 + Decent headphone amp should be covered with $1K.

 

[wilzc]

Grado's will introduce him to a word of..  grado headphones...
 
I've heard the Ultrasone Pro 2900's lately and cannot recommend them enough. Nice meaty sound. Quite hi-fi
 
Bowers & wilkins p5 are also hi-fi bookshelf sounding. With a little bass roll off
 
But some mid-range Audio Technica will also impress. Think AD900
 

 

[lwxenrique]

 
Quote:

Grado GS1000i, he sounds like an old school audiophile and needs a headphone to suit!
 
Make sure he stays along the lines of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop' and other reference
quality recordings since they can be bright with poor recordings.
 
He won't need an uber head amp unlike the LCD-2 or HD800 to drive them properly,
and the best part ~ they sound particularly clear and full at really low volumes.
 
They're made for audiophile jazz!
 

 
These are really nice headphones. But they are almost the whole of my budget. Plus, i'm a little worried grado's signature brightness is something that will put him off ,eventually.
 
So what i'm thinking: Fine, since he liked the cheap Sr60i, i'll buy the Grado's RS-2i (which is alot cheaper than Gs1000i) + a Sennheiser HD650.
 
So the total is slightly more than 1000USD.
 
Maybe a tube amp in the future too? hah
 
 

 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 


 

Smart thinking there on your behalf ~ RS2i - one of the sweetest sounding models in the Grado line-up.
 
Plenty of amps to choose from but he can start running it out of the headphone out from one
of his amps for the time being.
 
Popular 'bang for the buck' tube amp for Grado would be the Little Dot 1+ ~ $104USD + delivery to the USA
 
http://littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=819&sid=1c68af7a9d5810e9b5ca2a0bbdfe59c0
 
Let him play around with tube swaps and he'll be in heaven!

 

[magiester]

From hi-fi to head-fi? If you like classic, the HD800 is reccomanded

 

[NinjaSquirt]

HD800 is my first call but if over the budget, get DT880 and a HD650 for more flavors.

 

[lwxenrique]

I've never had experience with beyerdynamic headphones. How are they like? What's their signature? (i.e Grado has signature brightness and clarity, Sennheisers are a lil bass-heavy). What is Beyerdynamics specialty? 

 

[Hifianddrumming]

 The hd-800 are overly bright I found when I listened to them. I think the Grado's were actually a good idea, theRS2i or the GS1000i, (I would still go GS1000i). If not that, I would go LCD-2 and an amp. They're the least bright of all the flagships, but still maintaining great amounts of detail ( I haven't actually heard them, but that's the gist of it after reading MANY impressions).

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

I've never had experience with beyerdynamic headphones. How are they like? What's their signature? (i.e Grado has signature brightness and clarity, Sennheisers are a lil bass-heavy). What is Beyerdynamics specialty? 

Bright for the most part due to their revealing nature ~ certainly the DT880, DT990 and even the flagship T1 will not tolerate a bad recording.
 
The build quality though is top of the heap, general house sound is very neutral. If your old man is a typical audiophile in that he loves
neutral, flat sound then he might like them.
 
However without a serious head amp ~ most of them will under deliver big time.