[burnhamd]

Later this year I plan to move into a dorm at Mississippi State University ,having finally completed high school. What advice can you guys give me on picking a proper pair of headphones for this environment. My current headphones are as follows: ER6i, Shure Ec, AKG k26p, and Sennheiser eh2200. My musical tastes are alternative rock such as Shiny Toy Guns, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Dave Matthews etc.. and some instrumental stuff has recently been growing on me. My price range is up to $200 for now. Ive looked at a pair of Sennheiser 595 and liked them but also Ive been eyeing a pair of Audio Technicas. They will be driven from a vintage sansui amplifier most of the time and occasionally from my macbook. So basically I'm undecided and would welcome any direction from those of you who have more knowledge and experience in this area.

Also I like the idea of wireless headphones but realize that these tend to be lower in quality so I have shied away from them. Is that a justified presumption?

 

[ph0rk]

What do you like/dislike about the headphones you have?

 

[feh1325]

see how your roommate (if you have one) responds to open cans
also, see if you'll want the slight isolation of a closed can

so hold onto your money for a while, move in and experiment
then buy

 

[kevg73]

i would say just go with the closed cans. i almost guarantee your roommate would appreciate it. and i bet you dont want the people running down the hall screaming at midnight to bother you too much.

some audiotechnica ath-A700 would probably be good for you

Audio Technica ATH-A700 Headphones - 10295

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by burnhamd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Later this year I plan to move into a dorm at Mississippi State University ,having finally completed high school. What advice can you guys give me on picking a proper pair of headphones for this environment. My current headphones are as follows: ER6i, Shure Ec, AKG k26p, and Sennheiser eh2200. My musical tastes are alternative rock such as Shiny Toy Guns, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Dave Matthews etc.. and some instrumental stuff has recently been growing on me. My price range is up to $200 for now. Ive looked at a pair of Sennheiser 595 and liked them but also Ive been eyeing a pair of Audio Technicas. They will be driven from a vintage sansui amplifier most of the time and occasionally from my macbook. So basically I'm undecided and would welcome any direction from those of you who have more knowledge and experience in this area. Also I like the idea of wireless headphones but realize that these tend to be lower in quality so I have shied away from them. Is that a justified presumption?

Ah, you pulled me in with "vintage Sansui," which is how I used to listen to some of my headphones. A vintage Sansui amp (as long as you're talking pre-1983 or so) will drive almost any headphone fine, with a very full sound but not necessarily the best detail resolution, so you don't need to limit yourself to stuff like those Senns or ATs if you're willing to stay away from your macbook's headphone out, or just run it on a mini-to-rca cable through the Sansui. For your music, I'd look for a vintage headphone, maybe an AKG K340 or K240 Sextett.

People might also say Grado or Goldring for your stuff, but they likely wouldn't mate as well with the Sansui (too low impedance and too sensitive), which would leave you effectively ampless-- and either of these AKGs out of my old Sansui easily beat even an SR-225 straight out of my laptop.

And yes, stay away from wireless, it would be a huge step down in SQ and leave you stranded for future upgrades.

 

[burnhamd]

I like the er6i for for a little more clarity and isolation. The AKGs have good bass but are somewhat bloated. I love the comfort of the senns but the sound is a bit lackluster with muddy bass and harsh highs at times(not as noticeable coming from amp). I would say that closed is a must. Also another factor that I think might be important in a college setting is durability. Sexiness is also a plus but much lower on my list of importance.

 

[burnhamd]

Ive searched around a bit and im trying to decide between a few:

The Sennheiser HD 25, ath a900, and a pair of darthbeyers whose model slips my mind at the minute (880 I think)

What do you guys think about these choices?
The headphones need to be able to be heard out of my macbook too. Thats my reasoning from shying away from the vintage cans.

 

[facelvega]

If you're thinking of using them, say, in the library too (which I imagine might be your reason for insisting on the macbook), then the HD25 is by far the best choice from among the options mentioned so far. Get the 1 or II, not the SP, though, for best SQ.

 

[burnhamd]

I dont need them to be portable. My AKG's are fine for that. Isolation and comfort are very big deals as well. I found a pair of Darthbeyer dt770 80ohm for a good price and also the a700 around the same. The hd280 are also tempting at thier low price point. Out of these three which do you guys think.

I will be using these for most anything at my desk while my roomate is in. Meaning movies, music, and gaming (Although the EH2200 fit the gaming profile quite well).

 

[facelvega]

Among those three, I'd go for the Beyers first, then the ATs, and wouldn't take the HD280 for free if it meant I had to listen to them.

 

[ph0rk]

the hd25 is so many thousands of times better than the hd280 it isn't even funny.

As is the DT770 - I haven't heard the a700, but the hd280 really is annoying.

 

[afg34]

DT770