[drandall]

hey everyone,

i'm new to the site and have been reading lots of threads trying to educate myself about which cans might be best for me. unfortunately, it seems the more i read, the more confused and indecisive i get....so i'm hoping you folks can offer some recommendations from your experience.

i'm looking for some headphones for the den. they won't have to be driven by a portable music player, although i will use them with my home computer and definitely intend to amplify them...with a low-cost cmoy if nothing else. i'm also considering a DAC amp like the maverick D1.

i'm looking for smooth, balanced sound. no hyper-bass or unnatural highs. i'd like good staging with perhaps a bit of mellow warmth. comfort is important, but i won't be using them all day, so 1-3 hours at a stretch is fine. could be closed or open...as long as the sound wouldn't disturb my wife through the wall at night.

my musical tastes are varied with no particular emphasis. i listen to pop, classic and vocal jazz, hard rock and some classical. my digital music collection is largely encoded with AAC at 192k, so i need a headphone that is forgiving and is not going to reveal every flaw.

with around $300 to spend i've gathered that some likely candidates include the senn 595/600, denon d2000, grado 125/225 and perhaps an AKG or beyer...but i'm open to just about anything.

thanks in advance for your expertise.

 

[catscratch]

HD600 sounds like a plan, but unfortunately it is a very detailed headphone and you will probably want to move onto lossless music soon. This, incidentally, is going to be the case for just about anything that you choose to get, so you will have to get used to the idea. HD600 does need a stationary amp to sound its best; it's more forgiving of weak sources than the HD650 or K702, but at 300 ohms it's still too much for an mp3 player, soundcard, or even many portable amps.

To make a quirky and off-the-wall suggestion - check out a used Stax SR-005a system or the SR-001 system. It may not look like much, but the 005a will blow away just about anything that you can get in the price range sonically, though you may have to hunt around for a bit before you find one in the price range. It's pretty much what you want sonically, smooth, warmish but still well balanced, very detailed without being harsh, lush fluid mids, strong but well controlled bass, and it will play seriously loud without any distortion whatsoever. Sounstage is smallish but imaging is razor sharp. Amp is already included in the purchase price so you don't have to worry about that. However you will probably want a good source for this one eventually, it's seriously revealing. Comfort is fine for a few hours if you get a good fit, it's a bit like an IEM in that it needs a good fit to sound its best. The 005a needs an AC outlet but the 001 will run on battery power.

P.S. Is it evil to start people with 1 post on the 'stat path right away?

I suppose I can't help it since the 001 was the first seriously good headphone I've had, and the system that got me into this whole mess in the first place.

The ESP950 and Stax 2050 systems go for a bit more than $300 used ($400ish for a used ESP950, not sure about 2050) but they also include an amp in the asking price so you kill two birds with one stone, and doom yourself to electrostatic financial ruin in the long run at the same time

 

[drandall]

that's a very interesting suggestion. i hadn't even considered a stax system. i guess i thought they'd be far too expensive.

thanks for the idea! will investigate.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I think the HD600 is a good safe bet for you if the research on electrostats doesn't prove promising.

 

[charliex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif The ESP950 and Stax 2050 systems go for a bit more than $300 used ($400ish for a used ESP950, not sure about 2050) but they also include an amp in the asking price so you kill two birds with one stone, and doom yourself to electrostatic financial ruin in the long run at the same time

Oh, but what a way to go...

 

[userlander]

What's your amp budget? Based on your criteria I would get HD600, but you'll need something a step up from a cmoy.

 

[sizwej]

another option is the Shure SRH840.While not as polished as the Hd600, it can provide a good 95% of what the 600 has to offer. it's easier to drive and is about half the cost.

 

[drandall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by userlander /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's your amp budget? Based on your criteria I would get HD600, but you'll need something a step up from a cmoy.

i've read good things about the nuforce uDAC...so maybe something like that?

 

[drandall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sizwej /img/forum/go_quote.gif another option is the Shure SRH840.While not as polished as the Hd600, it can provide a good 95% of what the 600 has to offer. it's easier to drive and is about half the cost.

i read through the 90 page thread on these yesterday and they sound like an excellent balance of price and performance. from what i've read, the 840's can be driven by just about anything, the HD600 require some push.

so, if i go senn i'll need to find a good DAC amp as well. i've been a headfi member for 2 days but it's clear that i have not only a lot to learn but probably a lot to spend as well..

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drandall /img/forum/go_quote.gif hey everyone, i'm new to the site and have been reading lots of threads trying to educate myself about which cans might be best for me. unfortunately, it seems the more i read, the more confused and indecisive i get....so i'm hoping you folks can offer some recommendations from your experience. i'm looking for some headphones for the den. they won't have to be driven by a portable music player, although i will use them with my home computer and definitely intend to amplify them...with a low-cost cmoy if nothing else. i'm also considering a DAC amp like the maverick D1. i'm looking for smooth, balanced sound. no hyper-bass or unnatural highs. i'd like good staging with perhaps a bit of mellow warmth. comfort is important, but i won't be using them all day, so 1-3 hours at a stretch is fine. could be closed or open...as long as the sound wouldn't disturb my wife through the wall at night. my musical tastes are varied with no particular emphasis. i listen to pop, classic and vocal jazz, hard rock and some classical. my digital music collection is largely encoded with AAC at 192k, so i need a headphone that is forgiving and is not going to reveal every flaw. with around $300 to spend i've gathered that some likely candidates include the senn 595/600, denon d2000, grado 125/225 and perhaps an AKG or beyer...but i'm open to just about anything. thanks in advance for your expertise.

Among those cans you mentioned, I'd personally recommend the HD595 as your initial step. 192Kbps encoding will likely not be adequate once you venture into this level of headphone'ing. You'll begin to detect, with variable severity, the sharp, edgy sound with exaggerated reverb'ing that comes with the compression.

I'd encode at 320Kbps or lossless from now on. You'll likely feel the desire to re-encode the stuff that you can on a need to listen basis until the lot is done. Before starting out, most of my music was 256kbps encoded. After hearing how some cd's can be significantly affected by compression, I have never really trusted lossy compression formats and have since been using lossless compression. Mind you, there are many CD's where I really don't detect any meaningful differences between lossless and 256kbps. But for peace of mind and confidence that what I'm hearing isn't tainted, I've gone lossless all the way.

Happy Head-fi'ing and as the saying goes around here: "Sorry 'bout da wallet'

 

[baka1969]

Before you decide on a headphone you're going to have to get a better quality of music. Switching to a lossless format is a large upgrade. Storage today is cheap and there is no excuse to have poorly encoded music. Purchasing a Stax (or similar) system is a waste with compressed lossy formats. Crap in/crap out. You can't polish a turd no matter what Mythbusters says. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear... You get the idea. Change your format.

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drandall /img/forum/go_quote.gif i read through the 90 page thread on these yesterday and they sound like an excellent balance of price and performance. from what i've read, the 840's can be driven by just about anything, the HD600 require some push. so, if i go senn i'll need to find a good DAC amp as well. i've been a headfi member for 2 days but it's clear that i have not only a lot to learn but probably a lot to spend as well..

I have the 701 and the 840. The 840 would be a fantastic start for you and can be driven without a amp. Headroom has a link to the professional review Chris Martens did. They are detailed comfortable and well balanced with great bass. A cant miss recommendation.

 

[subtle]

Based on your sound preferences, I'd suggest starting with the HD600.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd also recommend picking up the Sennheiser HD-600. They're one of the best all-around headphones on the market.

If you want an affordable amp, check out the threads on buying a used receiver. Many people use them to power their headphones.

 

[drandall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Based on your sound preferences, I'd suggest starting with the HD600.

i go back and forth.....

part of me says get the 840's and pair it with a nuforce Udac for an affordable rig that at least according to reviews can punch above its weight and makes a nice starter kit

the other part says invest more upfront in the HD600 and combo it with the hifiman EF2 tube amp/DAC or something similar to put together the beginnings of a killer setup.

i'm still trying to figure out which way to go.