[Sancor]

Hey guys, new to this but I think I've narrowed a selection down and I'm hoping some of you can help me settle. So brief overview.

What I'm looking for

1. In the sound department I'm looking for decent soundstage. Smooth, deep bass, well defined mids and highs, great sound detail, accuracy
2. Circumaural, so basically comfort
3. Open or closed, I'm in a dorm so preferably cans that dont leak TOO much noise
4. Don't care about portability

About me

1. Large ears
2. Normal head size
3. I listen to a wide variety of music, particularly prog rock, classical, alternative rock, latin, folk, jazz. So I need versatillity for my first cans. Also if you know the band Muse, any cans that would make their music sound even better would rock my world.

So I have about 200 bucks to blow on this. Which knowing audiophilia can easily go up to 250 before I can stop myself. I don't mind buying used.

Headphones I'm considering

1. Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - These sound like a solid basic starter can, but that kind of deters me to be honest
2. Audio-Technica ATH-A700 - I'm not really sure about this... I've read good impressions but reviews on Headroom were low **but i can get it for 160 new right now which seems like a deal!
3. Audio Technica AD700 - reviews I see so far sound great! Any owners have any opinions as how they would sound with my music genres?
4. SHURE 840 - The reviews and impressions I've heard make these sound amazing - hoping to hear if you guys think it would match my music genres
5. Ultrasone HFI780 - This one has me feeling like I do for the SHURE!

Oh and my sources are laptop on-board soundcard and an iPod. I do want to get an amp though! If I can afford one after I buy the cans that is.
At this point it's really between the Shures, HFIs, and the M50.

 

[jagerj]

Audio Technica ATHA700 Audiophile Headphones ( Metallic finish ) in Corded Headphones at JR.com a700s at 119

 

[jawang]

I would eliminate the dt770s. IMO, they're terrible with rock and classical; recessed mids (weak sounding guitars) and huge bass emphasis. I've only heard the "pro 80ohm" and "pro 250ohm" models though. Supposedly the consumer 250ohm and the 600ohm models sound much better, but I would assume that they still have similar sound signatures. Those cans are more for rap/electrionic music, IMO.

AFAIK, pretty much every headphone you listed is known for their bass. I'm sure people will disagree with me, but IMO you want really good mids for the genres you listed. A lot of rock is already bass heavy so I would rather have good mids to pull the guitars out, instead of drowning out the sound with thumping bass.

If I were you, I would buy some sr-60is and save up for a huge upgrade later. The sr60s are fantastic for every genre you mentioned except classical/jazz, but they'll still do fairly well there. You can grab them for as low as $60-70 dollars too.

 

[Sancor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jawang /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would eliminate the dt770s. IMO, they're terrible with rock and classical; recessed mids (weak sounding guitars) and huge bass emphasis. I've only heard the "pro 80ohm" and "pro 250ohm" models though. Supposedly the consumer 250ohm and the 600ohm models sound much better, but I would assume that they still have similar sound signatures. Those cans are more for rap/electrionic music, IMO. AFAIK, pretty much every headphone you listed is known for their bass. I'm sure people will disagree with me, but IMO you want really good mids for the genres you listed. A lot of rock is already bass heavy so I would rather have good mids to pull the guitars out, instead of drowning out the sound with thumping bass. If I were you, I would buy some sr-60is and save up for a huge upgrade later. The sr60s are fantastic for every genre you mentioned except classical/jazz, but they'll still do fairly well there. You can grab them for as low as $60-70 dollars too.

I was looking at Grados inititally - I REALLY was into the MS1, but the fact that they're supraural is a deal breaker for me. The OE Bose I used to have are supposedly really comfortable supraurals but they always made my ears ache within minutes.

I'm a bit concerned that the you think all the cans I listed would have weak mid/highs - I thought the SHURES were supposed to be pretty good in that respect. I agree with your opinion on the Beyers now that I think of it, I'll scratch it off -thanks for the advice!

And WOW those are cheap A700s! I'm still a little nervous about the mixed reviews - can any owners tell me if they think they would sound good with my music genres?

 

[jawang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sancor /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was looking at Grados inititally - I REALLY was into the MS1, but the fact that they're supraural is a deal breaker for me. The OE Bose I used to have are supposedly really comfortable supraurals but they always made my ears ache within minutes. I'm a bit concerned that the you think all the cans I listed would have weak mid/highs - I thought the SHURES were supposed to be pretty good in that respect. I agree with your opinion on the Beyers now that I think of it, I'll scratch it off -thanks for the advice! And WOW those are cheap A700s! I'm still a little nervous about the mixed reviews - can any owners tell me if they think they would sound good with my music genres?

They don't have weak mids/highs, they just aren't cans that are known for mids/highs. For the same money, you could get cans with better mids/highs, which is probably what you want for the genres you listed.

Grados, on the other hand, are known for their mids, and they have great mids. Even on the sr60s.

About the supraural design, I personally think they are very comfortable. The "comfy" grado earpads (sr60 pads) are much softer than bose OEs, so you should give them a try inside a store or something before writing them off, the sound quality is probably exactly what you're looking for.

I don't know about the shures though. maybe they are great, but they're still a relatively new FOTM so I wouldn't trust every opinion yet.

 

[Sancor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jawang /img/forum/go_quote.gif They don't have weak mids/highs, they just aren't cans that are known for mids/highs. For the same money, you could get cans with better mids/highs, which is probably what you want for the genres you listed. Grados, on the other hand, are known for their mids, and they have great mids. Even on the sr60s. About the supraural design, I personally think they are very comfortable. The "comfy" grado earpads (sr60 pads) are much softer than bose OEs, so you should give them a try inside a store or something before writing them off, the sound quality is probably exactly what you're looking for. I don't know about the shures though. maybe they are great, but they're still a relatively new FOTM so I wouldn't trust every opinion yet.

Since it's the weekend I guess I could try to go to a Grado dealer somewhere.

 

[cswann1]

Yup, the Beyers can be eliminated and Grado's in your budget probably won't work either.

Another option, and more economical, would be to get a pair of JVC RX900's. I can tell you from personal experience that they are extremely good for their price range ($50-$100). They do have some resonance issues but there is a variation of the famous Markl mod for Denons that is said to eliminate these issues. I will almost certainly try this for myself soon.

Good luck!

 

[cyberidd]

I strongly recommend against buying the A700. While they are decent cans, they greatly colour the sound in what I believe to be a negative way. The good reviews you have seen are likely about the open version: the AD700. The AD700 is a much better sounding can, night and day IMO. As far as the AD700 goes, they do not leak all that much for open cans, and depending on your listening volumes it may not be a problem in a dorm.

 

[Sancor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cswann1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yup, the Beyers can be eliminated and Grado's in your budget probably won't work either. Another option, and more economical, would be to get a pair of JVC RX900's. I can tell you from personal experience that they are extremely good for their price range ($50-$100). They do have some resonance issues but there is a variation of the famous Markl mod for Denons that is said to eliminate these issues. I will almost certainly try this for myself soon. Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll start researching it now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyberidd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I strongly recommend against buying the A700. While they are decent cans, they greatly colour the sound in what I believe to be a negative way. The good reviews you have seen are likely about the open version: the AD700. The AD700 is a much better sounding can, night and day IMO. As far as the AD700 goes, they do not leak all that much for open cans, and depending on your listening volumes it may not be a problem in a dorm.

Oh okay, luckily these are still pretty cheap on headroom (170). I'll do some research on them and see where that takes me. Thank you so much

.

 

[hurryup]

It's great to see that $200 is your budget. I was swayed by all the "great" reviews on the AD700 and bought them. Honestly speaking, they are good (depending on your requirements), but not good enough (for a strict audiophile). You could get a used HD600 for ~$200.

 

[Sancor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurryup /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's great to see that $200 is your budget. I was swayed by all the "great" reviews on the AD700 and bought them. Honestly speaking, they are good (depending on your requirements), but not good enough (for a strict audiophile). You could get a used HD600 for ~$200.

HD600! That's kind of exciting. I see from reviews that I definitely need an amp, but I don't think I could splurge on a very good amp... max price range for that would probably be 100$. Would it be worth getting still?

 

[Graphicism]

Get the HFI-780s, there in another class than the listed headphones. Once you get settled with the headphone save up for an Amp/DAC!

 

[cswann1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sancor /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD600! That's kind of exciting. I see from reviews that I definitely need an amp, but I don't think I could splurge on a very good amp... max price range for that would probably be 100$. Would it be worth getting still?

The Hd600 is a damn good bargain at $200 (Hd580 is practically the same thing if you can find a pair and is even a better value if you get a good price...around $150). They do benefit from a good amp to drive them though. For $100 or less the best thing I ever heard was a Starving Student.

 

[Sancor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cswann1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Hd600 is a damn good bargain at $200 (Hd580 is practically the same thing if you can find a pair and is even a better value if you get a good price...around $150). They do benefit from a good amp to drive them though. For $100 or less the best thing I ever heard was a Starving Student.

What an appropriately named amp haha.

This weekend I'll see if I can find an audio store that isn't closed (an alarming amount seem to be going under

) to see I can hear some of these suggestions.

Still open to any advice though while that happens

 

[Drubbing]

So much advice, and most of it ignoring the research you've already done, and steering towards cans that need amps...ignore what is supposed to be an audiophile phone and go with what you need, not what will need a good dac and an amp from the get go.

The AD700 meets most if not all your needs. And I'd personally forgo the amp, and spend the money on a external sound-card or dac for your laptop, anything will be better than laptop sound.

Amping a pair of HD600 from a laptop soundcard is going to sound so ****...