[Krain]

Hi everyone!
 
I'm brand new here and planning on purchasing new headphones. I am quite interested in the AKG k601 although i can't decide whether to buy these or the HD598...Would anyone here have those two and be able to help me decide which woud be best ?
 
Just so you know, i mostly listen to classical and movie soundtracks (Williams, Zimmer...), some pop/rock as well.
Would also like my new hp to be quite good with movies!
I have to say that i don't have any amp, i currently own a senn pc130 running on an X-FI Xtreme Gamer, but planning on buying a Xonar STX in the near future...
 
Any other recommendation is welcome though!
 
Thanx for your help!

 

[tyoung8]

598

 

[judy1992]

According to the huge DT48 thread the DT48 is still in production..
Quote:

Ty guys for all your suggestions. I will definately check them out. Also I have been looking around and those DT48's but they seem hard to come by. I am guessing they are DC'd, anyone know where to get a pair?

 

 

[starr54]

So I'm new to this forum and to the world of high end headphones. I'm looking for a nice pair of full size cans for home listening and was looking at the Sennheiser HD 515 and the HD 555. I can get the 555 for $85 shipped so thats about my top price. I listen to mostly classic and hard rock. I'm open to other ideas for headphones. I have no money for a headphone amp so I will using an older NAD reciever for the time being to power them.  Any help deciding would be great.

 

[tyoung8]

555 and mod it to 595.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ8PzBrHXE

 

[maxamillion]

hey guys,
 
right now i have the grado sr80's and im toying with the idea of upgrading to something a little better. i tend to choose the fun/aggressive sound over the accurate/analytical one. my whole aim is to find a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience where i have trouble taking the headphones off and just want to listen to one more song. if possible id like to find a set of headphones that just wow me. budget is ballpark around 300$ but can swing either way if necessary. headphones can be open or closed. they will  be plugged into my computer so portability doesn't matter. I can buy an amp if that would sway the decision towards a certain pair. the only genres i don't listen to are country, metal, and electronic. my listening time is probably split with 40% hiphop/rap, 40% alternative and rock, and then a 10% medley of reggae, classical, and others. if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them, thanks!
 
 
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

hey guys,
 
right now i have the grado sr80's and im toying with the idea of upgrading to something a little better. i tend to choose the fun/aggressive sound over the accurate/analytical one. my whole aim is to find a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience where i have trouble taking the headphones off and just want to listen to one more song. if possible id like to find a set of headphones that just wow me. budget is ballpark around 300$ but can swing either way if necessary. headphones can be open or closed. they will  be plugged into my computer so portability doesn't matter. I can buy an amp if that would sway the decision towards a certain pair. the only genres i don't listen to are country, metal, and electronic. my listening time is probably split with 40% hiphop/rap, 40% alternative and rock, and then a 10% medley of reggae, classical, and others. if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them, thanks!
 
 
 

Well first of all, how do you feel about the SR80 that you have now? Do you want more of the same, or something brighter/darker? More punch or less?
 
 
 

 

[maxamillion]

Quote:

Well first of all, how do you feel about the SR80 that you have now? Do you want more of the same, or something brighter/darker? More punch or less?
 
 
 

i definitely like them. its hard to say what I would like differently though, being that these are my first headphones of higher quality so i don't have much to compare them to. i've had a few occasions where i consciously notice how good they sound, but i've never really been blown away by them. some people seemed to suggest that grado's were primarily oriented towards rock. maybe something more well rounded? its just tough to say. the one thing i know for sure is i definitely like that "in your face" type of style, and that i'd like to stick to the immersive 'phones rather than the analytical types. i hope this helps, and thanks for the quick reply
 

 

[Sysagent]

 
A new Hifiman EF2A owner here and new to these forums (Hola!), I have replaced the stock tubes with a pair of Mullards CV4010's of Ebay and I am just in the process of burning it all in, upto forty eight hours or so at the moment...

 

Like others reporting on the forums I am having severe gain issues with this amplifier, I am using the internal DAC of the EF2A and a pair of HifiMan RE0 headphones and I struggle to get to the nine o'clock position volume wise here

 

;-(

 

I am prepared to stick with the amplifer as even at these low volumes levels the quality of it shines through for the cost, so with this in mind I am prepared to throw some money at a new pair of headphones that are hopefully a bit more problematic to drive impedance wise so therefore I can get the maximum quality out of the Valve stage of the amp, also as an obvious benefit I will get better sound quality headphones than the RE0's.

 

My budget is around the £200 mark, with this in mind I have shortlisted from a technical and review perspective the following three headphones:-

 

Ultrasone FHI-780 (worried about the reports about these being bright as my EF2A at the moment with the RE0's is BRIGHT)

Shure SRH840

Beyer Dynamic DT770 80 ohm (or 250 ohm if better)

Denon AHD2000

Beyerdynamic DT1350 (pushing my budget at this)

 

The headphones have to be of a closed type due to me using the setup at work and my colleagues don't want to share the audio bliss I hopefully will be having with the new headphones and I listen to a variety of musical styles from House, The Beatles, Eighties, etc (no Country & Western though sorry)

 

Any help, advise or further thoughts and recommendations greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

Sys

 

p.s. I know lowering the volume of Foobar is an option but I dont want to lose the resolution,etc...

 

 

[the new kid 36]

I am new to the world of high-end audio and i was wondering if the Grado er325is are better than AKGs k271 mkII. ( by better I mean overall build quality, sound reproduction, and comfort) They will be powered by an Schiit LYR with a direct imput from my iPod with apple loss-less files. 

 

[tyoung8]

Quote:

My budget is around the £200 mark, with this in mind I have shortlisted from a technical and review perspective the following three headphones:-

 

Ultrasone HFI-780 (worried about the reports about these being bright as my EF2A at the moment with the RE0's is BRIGHT)

Shure SRH840

Beyer Dynamic DT770 80 ohm (or 250 ohm if better)

Denon AHD2000

Beyerdynamic DT1350 (pushing my budget at this)

 

The headphones have to be of a closed type due to me using the setup at work and my colleagues don't want to share the audio bliss I hopefully will be having with the new headphones and I listen to a variety of musical styles from House, The Beatles, Eighties, etc (no Country & Western though sorry)

 

 
Ultrasone - I have Ultrasone and I don't think it is a well rounded headphone so why I am getting others.  I dunno if it is because it does absolutely amazing on electronic music so other music don't seem as good.  I can deffo say I don't like listening to the Beatles on it.
Beyerdynamic DT1350 - never a reason to push your budget.
Denon - i've read that it not the most isolating headphone so might be problem at work.
 
I would say between the Shure 840 or the DT770.  There is also the Shure 750 DJ you might want to look at since it is on discount now at HMV online for £60.

 

[tyoung8]

Quote:

I am new to the world of high-end audio and i was wondering if the Grado er325is are better than AKGs k271 mkII. ( by better I mean overall build quality, sound reproduction, and comfort) They will be powered by an Schiit LYR with a direct imput from my iPod with apple loss-less files. 

What music do you listen to?  Grado is good for rock and AKG 271 is good for classical. 
 

 

[2enty3]

Hey guys, just like to say everybody contributing to this thread has done a great job. And you've probably all helped many new Headfi'ers find nice headphones.
 
Now for my own guidance problems:
 
So far I have owned or own:
-XB500
-AKG K240
-AKG K701
-ATH A700
 
What I'm looking for:
- not an upgrade
- Different sound signatures
 
Extra info:
So it may sound like an odd request, not wanting to "upgrade", but instead i would like to explore different sound signatures that have been discussed quite often on these forums. Some headphones I picked out, as well as questions, are:
 
- Beyer DT770/880/990:   Is there a definite difference between these and is it better to go for the 990? or can the 880 be satisfactory enough for a different sound signature?
- Grado SR80i or Alessandro MS1 :  I liked the brightness of the 701 and would love to keep that a constant. I heard the MS1 is a "tamed" SR80 so would a SR80 be better? 
- AKG K601:   I read that it is very much like the 701, but with a warmer sound.
- possibly a Denon?
- Superlux 668b: supposedly sounds like DT990?
- Sennheiser 555/595: At first i read that they lacked bass, but now am hearing otherwise.
 
I have no preference on open/closed, and these will most probably be used at home. My budget? well, still very undecided but the cheaper the better. These will be powered by a audio-gd NFB-12. Not necessarily looking to buy a single HP but at least shorten my list.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Question for future reference:
Now soon enough, I would like to upgrade, so I might as well ask now. I could describe the 701 sound as bright, detailed, sharp and analytical. My biggest "fault" i can find is that there is quite a lack of mid-bass, which seems to create a smoother sound.The K240 is more laid-back, but with a little too much mid-bass, giving a more cloudy yet not quite congested sound. For this I've had my eyes on the HD600/650. I heard the 600 in-store and I thought it was wonderful but what is the difference between the 650 and 600? is the 650 more improved version?
 

 

[tyoung8]

 

1.  http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more
A lot of people seem to swear by the Beyer 880 600 Ohms.
2.  Grado 80 - I was not v impress with the MS1 and I am not an audiophile.  Supposedly there is a lot of mods that can make the 80 sound as good as the 325.  I am looking to get one myself to try out the Grado sound proper.
3.  Dunno.
4.  Yeah, go for it when you don't seem to have a quality bassy headphone.  Would be good to get one for movies.  Saw a D2000 the other day for $220 at electro expo.
5.  Superlux 668b has similar frequency response than the DT990.  Can't really go wrong with getting any of the Superlux series to try out for $50 and below.  Ditto with the Denon in buying a bassier version for movies.  Also, lots of mods to try out.
6.  Can get the 555 and mod it to 595.  I got myself a 598 just to see what the fuss is about Senn and I like the look of it.
 
Think the short version difference between the 600 vs 650 is that 650 is bassier and 600 is more like for classical.  They are considered by some to be completely different so more like brothers than 650 is the improved version of 600.  From what you are saying prob 600 would suit you better.
http://www.headfonia.com/the-sennheiser-trio-hd580-hd600-hd650/
 

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

Ultrasone FHI-780 (worried about the reports about these being bright as my EF2A at the moment with the RE0's is BRIGHT)

Shure SRH840

Beyer Dynamic DT770 80 ohm (or 250 ohm if better)

Denon AHD2000

Beyerdynamic DT1350 (pushing my budget at this)

 

I've owned D5000, SRH840 & DT770-80 and liked them in that order.  Denons have a nice sense of space for closed headphones, and let sound in but I find that at moderate volume people don't hear them more than 10 feet away.  They are fairly unbalanced spectrally and I find their mids a bit lacking - or rather their bass & treble are overdone.  SRH840 are amazing for the price, and are more controlled and balanced across the spectrum than Denons, but suffer from a slightly closed sound and small soundstage.  Stay away from 80 ohm DT770 but 600 ohm are reported to have good balance and sound.   Haven't heard the others, but am admirer of Ultrasones (Ed 8 are the best closed I've heard by a mile).