[soysaucefox]

Hey guys. I'm looking to buy my first pair of high quality headphones. I will be using them with an ipod classic. I listen to classical music, so I don't need a ton of bass, and I also listen to long lectures and sometimes movies, so comfort is one of the most important things to me. I prefer around the ear, and noice cancelling would be very nice, but not a necessity. I have tried a whole bunch of headphone brands, to see which I like best comfort wise, and I definately want bose or sennheiser. I was looking into the RS 180 because the wireless would be nice, since these will mostly be for home listening, but im afraid that the sound quality will not be good enough. I am willing to pay around 200 dollars on an amp if needed, but I would prefer not to have to. Any suggestions?

 

[justie]

wrong sub-forum to post in dude XD i forwarded ur question to this thread. Gd luk
http://www.head-fi.org/t/529144/buying-headphones-seeking-guidance-don-t-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here/7440
 
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Thread moved to the Headphone Forum.

Don't buy Bose. They're awful.

If you want a Sennheiser, a used HD-600 is the one to get. Wonderful with classical and anythig else you throw at it.

The HD-600 likes amplification, but I'd buy a $20-$50 used receiver to power it. If you want a really good receiver, look at used NAD, Marantz and Adcom units on Audiogon. You'll find one under $200.

Though the ultimate bargain classical headphone is the AKG K-501. No noise cancelling and it's open, but for $100-$150 you can have fantastic sound. Well worth considering.

 

[swaffleman]

I will have to disagree about the new Bose AE2s. They aren't awful, although certainly geared towards the consumer rather than the professional. 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Compared to what?

Does the AE2 compare favorably to a HD-600 or K-501?

If so, please describe your experience.

 

[swaffleman]

I can't say as I haven't listened to those models, but even if you think it doesn't compare to those, you can't objectively say that they are bad products by their own merits. Furthermore, not having listened to those doesn't negate someone's opinion on what constitutes good sound quality. 

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Thread moved to the Headphone Forum.

Don't buy Bose. They're awful.

If you want a Sennheiser, a used HD-600 is the one to get. Wonderful with classical and anythig else you throw at it.

The HD-600 likes amplification, but I'd buy a $20-$50 used receiver to power it. If you want a really good receiver, look at used NAD, Marantz and Adcom units on Audiogon. You'll find one under $200.

Though the ultimate bargain classical headphone is the AKG K-501. No noise cancelling and it's open, but for $100-$150 you can have fantastic sound. Well worth considering.

Hey Erik, how would you compare to K501 to the K601.  I have both the K601 and K702 and enjoy both of them (the K601 is the reference one though), but curious regarding your thoughts on it.  IMO for amping I'd recommend a Mr.Slim built O2 . . . that's me though.
 
As for Bose, they always sound wonky to me.  The HD600 smokes them in balance, and I'm not even a huge Sennheiser fan.

 

[kirr45]

Yeah I'm a beginner too and one thing I noticed is Bose is more for basic consumer listening. Don't get me wrong I have the previous version of the Bose Triports and the sound was good. Lacks Bass but sound was clear. The thing about people in any audio forum is they hate Bose and Beats, not because of sound quality but because of the money you're paying. For the same amount of money you can get something at least twice as good. I'm actually in the market for new headphones myself after breaking my Triports and I can say for a fact that even though Bose are good, I won't be going back to them. And I just straight hate the Beats by Dr. Dre phones. They have a crap artificially produced bass. That's all they're good for.

 

[swaffleman]

Quote:

Yeah I'm a beginner too and one thing I noticed is Bose is more for basic consumer listening. Don't get me wrong I have the previous version of the Bose Triports and the sound was good. Lacks Bass but sound was clear. The thing about people in any audio forum is they hate Bose and Beats, not because of sound quality but because of the money you're paying. For the same amount of money you can get something at least twice as good. I'm actually in the market for new headphones myself after breaking my Triports and I can say for a fact that even though Bose are good, I won't be going back to them. And I just straight hate the Beats by Dr. Dre phones. They have a crap artificially produced bass. That's all they're good for.

Well sounds like your mind is made up. But I will say that the newer versions of the old AEs are quite a bit better. They have more bass now too. 
 
As for Sennhesier, I'd recommend the HD 25-1s, or if you want a cheaper option, get the HD 203s. The 203s are a lower level phone, but they have a LOT of glowing reviews on their sound and construction. But I will say that none of these are "at least twice as good" as the AE2s. I think they are equally good. 

 

[Cheeznuklz]

 
 
Quote:

I can't say as I haven't listened to those models, but even if you think it doesn't compare to those, you can't objectively say that they are bad products by their own merits. Furthermore, not having listened to those doesn't negate someone's opinion on what constitutes good sound quality. 

 
Your opinion is not negated but your ability to offer meaningful advice is certainly under question.  If I only drink box wine I wont be handing out any recommendations at fine dining establishments.
 
I regards to the OP:
 
I own both the Bose around ear and FA-003 (a similarly priced closed can).  The Bose loses in every regard save physical weight.  Clarity, soundstage and extension are all vastly superior on the FA-003.  There's also a fair amount of bass bloat in the Bose that muddies up the rest of the spectrum.  The FA-003 is obviously not a Senn, but multiple side by side reviews from experienced members have all suggested that the mid-tier Senns (such as the 600 recommended by Uncle) do classical more justice with a wider soundstage and more technical ability.

 

[swaffleman]

I detest that analogy. First off, I've listened to some very well regarded models and I own some as well. So saying that my level of listening is equatable to box wine is a bit inaccurate. 
 
Second, just because I enjoy some models that others might label as being inferior doesn't mean that my knowledge on the issue can be automatically called into question. 
 
Also, that bass bloat in the AE's doesn't exist. That's a problem with the OEs and the in ear monitors. The AE's are known for being a bit bass shy. At least mine were and so were the OPs. 

 

[soysaucefox]

So if I look into the Senn HD 600s, what kind of amp do you think I would need? Are those portable at all, or would I need to get another pair to take places? That is not a deal breaker, I'm just wondering.

 

[Cheeznuklz]

Quote:

I detest that analogy. First off, I've listened to some very well regarded models and I own some as well. So saying that my level of listening is equatable to box wine is a bit inaccurate. 
 
Second, just because I enjoy some models that others might label as being inferior doesn't mean that my knowledge on the issue can be automatically called into question. 
 
Also, that bass bloat in the AE's doesn't exist. That's a problem with the OEs and the in ear monitors. The AE's are known for being a bit bass shy. At least mine were and so were the OPs. 

When I listen to my AE1 I hear a massive mid-bass hump as compared to my FA-003.  The OP doesn't own AE's (at least not that he's discussed in this thread).  Of course all of this is relative; what headphones have you compared the AE sound to
 

 

[sophiesophie]

There's definatly something strange going on around here.  Head-Fi'ers hate Bose.  Hate them with a passion.  But to justify their hatred they tell stories of how "their" Bose are terrible sounding.  don't compare to their other headphones, etc.  I don't get it.  Why are there so many Bose owners here if they all hate them? 
 
I have owned Bose IE2 in-ear guys, and they are actually really nice.  I mean it.  I'm comparing the sound to Grado SR80i.  I suppose SR80i is a boxed wine to a lot of people here, but I certainly don't think so.
 
If you say you like Bose, you're not qualified to give advice. 

 

[liamstrain]

Have you considered the Sennheiser 595/598? To me those are better "all around" headphones that do not require an amplifier to get very good sound (though will benefit from one). They are very comfortable, and you'll have money left over for an amp if you wish - a Headroom Total Bithead, or FiiO of some flavor... for instance, for portable solutions.