[JeffL]

Alright, I am new here, and so far pretty impressed at what I see.

At this point I can't admit to not being a true audiophile, and I don't have the money anyway. But I am looking for a pair of good headphones. Right now I have both Koss UR15 and UR29 headphones. They are both fine, but the 15s have no treble, and the 29s have little bass and wwwwaaaayyyy too much treble, in the 800hz-2khz range. Its almost like a resonation. I can fix it with an EQ, but then it sounds like something is just missing.

Anywho, I mostly listen to MP3s and OGGs. I am looking at also building a headbanger amp now that winter break is a week away

Music genres usually hover around rock, pop, and a bit of techno. I like a lot of bass, but clean tight bass, and not muddy. My UR15s have great bass, but you can't hear anything about 700hz or so.

I've been looking around, and from what I gather the Senheiser 220s are good closed phones. Or the 580s.

I want something that will be good all around, and work well with low output sources such as CD players, etc. I am a sound tech for church and do other DJ type work on the side, so that is something I want to keep in mind.

Any help is much appreciated!

BTW, I have a chance to test out some Senns in about a week or so, from a friend. She's had them for 8 years now so I'm assuming they're well broken in, not sure of the model though. I keep reading about "soundstages". I know what one is, but what are you looking for in a good pair of headphones? Is there any way to describe it?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

How much of your cash do you want us to spend?

 

[JeffL]

Oh yah, probably around $50 or so, maybe more if I can get some extra cash soon.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally posted by JeffL I like a lot of bass, but clean tight bass, and not muddy. -snip- I am a sound tech for church and do other DJ type work on the side, so that is something I want to keep in mind.

Used Sennheiser HD-280 PRO is within your price range for an un-amped headphone. It has the clean tight bass that you are looking for. The HD-280 has great isolation that is needed for when you are Deejaying. This is my best recommendation for a starter headphone. Although, take caution with this headphone. Sennheiser HD-280 PRO really is a "gateway" headphone that leads to use of costly and far more addictive headphones, new research contends. A study in the Jan. 22 Journal of the American Medical Association offers powerful new evidence that using Sennheiser HD-280 PRO as a teen-ager increases your risk of using costlier headphones and becoming an headphone addict later in life, the researchers say.


Quote:

Originally posted by JeffL I keep reading about "soundstages". I know what one is, but what are you looking for in a good pair of headphones? Is there any way to describe it?

Listen to the Sennheiser HD-280. "Soundstage" is exactly the opposite of what you will hear out of this headphone. You will probably have to buy another headphone to attain decent soundstage. Perhaps a good candidate is the Sony MDR-CD780. However adding the MDR-CD780 to your purchases may exceed your current budget. Hanging around here much longer and your headphone budget is likely to increase. (Well, unless of course you have super human powers.)

 

[JeffL]

LOL, I don't care if they are gateway phones, so long as they sound good. eBay has .01c listing days today and tomorrow so I'm gonna throw my koss crap on eBay and try to get some extra money for the hd 280s.

Thanks for the help, these forums are perfect!

 

[kugino]

i just ordered brand new hd280s at amazon for $69.99 w/free shipping and no tax. $10 mail-in rebate takes it down to $60. $10 over your budget, but not bad for brand new hd280s.

used ones on ebay typically go for more than $60, in my previous research...

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally posted by kugino i just ordered brand new hd280s at amazon for $69.99 w/free shipping and no tax. $10 mail-in rebate takes it down to $60

That's a pretty farkin good deal!

 

[sporky]

One thing to keep in mind when you get your HD 280's is that they need significant "burn-in" time. The general consensus seems to be that the HD 280 takes quite a long time to burn in (some people say as much as 100 hours). I've had my HD 280's for several months, and I must say that they sound very different now than they did straight out of the box.

A word of caution: Although you've probably seen many reviewers give the HD 280's a thumbs-up for their comfort, I'd have to disagree. For me, the pressure applied by the head band and earcups (part of the secret of its great isolation) is less than ideal. Despite this, I've been able to wear them for over 5 hours at a time, but it was always very apparent that I had a big, bulky set of headphones clamped around my ears.

As much as I've enjoyed my HD 280's, I'm beginning to itch for a headphone with better soundstage, warmth and comfort. I'll probably end up selling mine soon and getting something like the Audio Technica A900 (~$190).

I think the HD 280 will meet you needs for now though.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally posted by sporky the HD 280 takes quite a long time to burn in

That is for certain!

Quote:

Originally posted by sporky A word of caution: Although you've probably seen many reviewers give the HD 280's a thumbs-up for their comfort, I'd have to disagree.

True.
The Sennheiser HD-280 has always been comfortable for me except for last night. I tried watching a movie with it on and the clamping bothered me for the first time. I had to switch to my Beyerdynamic headphone. This was the only time that the HD-280 has ever bothered me before and I have owned the HD-280 for a year. I have even used it for five hours of strait computer gaming before without a problem. It really does a great job when paired with my computer.

 

[JeffL]

They clamp down, eh? That is one thing about the Koss phones, they seem almost too loose, and the UR29s are a bit heavy, but they are comfortable.