[Marcel]

Hi all! this is my first time posting to this forum so please bear with me

I'm looking for (probably) closed headphones, for connecting to my Arcam A85 amp. Closed (I think) for lesser sound incoming and outgoing. Preferably dynamic, detailed, 'honest' sounding, kind of like Dynaudio speakers on my head, but hopefully a bit more comfortable

.
Grado, Sennheiser, Byer, AKG all seem to be available in my area (The Netherlands).

Thanks a lot!

cheers,
-Marcel

 

[Marcel]

Oops..forgot price indication..around $100/$150 depending on your views..

thanks again

-Marcel

 

[dhwilkin]

Hi Marcel, welcome to Head-fi! My first reaction is to recommend the Sony V6, since it definitely meets all your requirements. Of course, I don't know if you could easily get them in the Netherlands, though others might know. So my other suggestions are the Senn 495 (if you don't mind a slightly laidback presentation) or the Beyer 250. If you're willing to try a few open headphones, check out the Grado 125 and Senn 580. Grado would be very upfront, Senn would be fairly laidback. Try to audition them first, if you can... umm, no pun intended...

 

[coolvij]

dhwilkin: the 495 are open....

 

[Neruda]

check out the beyer DT770 if you can. They need a bit more power but can be successfully driven out of a portable cd player, so your amp should be plenty. I've listenened to them before and thought they were very good, especially for closed phones. They're somewhat uncomfortable though. If you don't mind an open headphone then be sure to check out the AKG K401/501. the K401 is warmer sounding than the K501, whereas the K501 sounds very clear. Both have a very airy soundstage and are wonderful to listen to. They're also very comfy.

Out of curiosity, what sort of music do you listen to? it helps us to know...

 

[Marcel]

Thanks! I think the Sony should be available around here. Do you think it would sound good connected to an (integrated ) amp ie would a dedicated amp make a difference in this price-range?

 

[dhwilkin]

Oops, yeah thanks for the correction, coolvij.

 

[Marcel]

Thanks Neruda! That airy soundstage is exactly what I'm looking for! hmm..maybe an open after all?

 

[coolvij]

no prob, dhwilkin....

tho, i can't bring myself to use a "smiley smiley" considering the circumstances.....

 

[dhwilkin]

Yeah, I hear ya, coolvij.

Marcel, it would really help you out to audition as many as you can, because if you do end up liking that airy sound, you will probably be dissatisfied w/ any low-cost, closed headphones, including the V6. As for the amp requirement, a headphone amp would help the V6, but it's not necessary.

 

[Neruda]

if you want an airy soundstage then yes, an AKG might be just the ticket. The K501 is very good for classical, whereas the K401 is better for harder music like rock (this is my opinion, I didn't get that from the AKG website). If you aren't out for a lot of bass then the K501 can sound perfectly good with rock as well. If I remember correctly though, the DT770 has more bass impact and a livelier sound which is even better for rock. the soundstage isn't half bad, either. So check those phones out!

 

[Marcel]

thanks, I will try to audition as many as possible dhwilkin! I'm trying to make some kind of shortlist so I can audition the individual headphones longer with all the options that seem to be important (open vs closed, dedicated amp vs supposedly adequete Arcam amp).
I should note that I'm a total newbie on the subject of headphones..

cheers
-Marcel

 

[lini]

Marcel: And try the brand new Philips HP890 - it's also open, and I find it even better than the K501 - and it's a little cheaper, too. Plays fairly well from an integrated amp, and also works from portables. And as you are in Philips homeland, it should be easy to find.

Greetings from SF!

Manfred / Lini