[Chivalry]

lo all :0) im lookin to purchase my first set of headphones!!!! yeah i know,, but i never really found a use for em b4..
anyway... my hi-fi consists of an onkyo T595 amp and also an onkyo CD player.. theres a fw others bits lik minidisc player and bits and bobs but i prolly wont be usin as much as the CD... anyway...
what to buy??? god i never knew there was so much choice b4 i started looking.... but after much lookin about i managed to find these few narrowed down on my list.....
Senn HD 580 or 590
Beyerdynamic DT 231
AKG 401 or K 270 Studio(these seem to be winning atm, got a crackin review in a mag when the price was £130.. i found em for £70)..
so? any more help or opinions are most welcome...and whats the diiference between the 2 senns?? or the 2 AKG for that matter???... im in UK so maybe some of your reccomendations arnt available here.. like the sony v6? cant find that anywhere so i assume aint sold here. :0)
Thnx alot in advance for any help.. i really am lost atm :0)

 

[Duncan]

Welcome to Head-Fi Chivalry... Sorry about your wallet

Well now, The MDR-V6 ~ they're probably the most compatible 'phones for your setup... being easy to drive, clear and punchy... but as you say, neigh on impossible to get in this country (I bought my own pair from JMT, a member here ~ from the US)

Next up, which i'm listening to now... are the BeyerDynamic DT250-80s (Thanks Bangraman

)... you can pick these up at www.askelectronics.co.uk, in the headphones section of their site, or if you ever visit London... go to their shop on Tottenham court road (although strangely they are more expensive there... web discount maybe?!) ~ approx £100...

The Senn HD580s... they might struggle to sound good out of an integrated amp ~ there has been loads of discussion here about them being driven properly... and mine, i rarely use... says a lot really (although most people rave about them)

HD590s... I wanna try these myself... maybe I will soon, You can pick these up for about £80 in London... might be worth a visit?!

As to the AKGs... sorry, i'm not familiar with them so can't say one way or the other...

Hope its of help...

 

[Duncan]

...oh, and the Beyer DT231s would be seriously outclassed by any of the others you mentioned there i'm afraid...

(don't confuse the model numbers being so close, DT231 and DT250... the DT250s are in a completely different league

)

 

[pedxing]

What are you looking for in you next pair of headphones? We cannot make recommendations with the list you gave us because it would be like comparing oranges with apples.

Do you want closed or open headphones (do you need isolation)? Do you have a budget? What type of music do you listen to and what type of sound do you want from your headphone?

 

[Chivalry]

um.. its not a "next" pair.. its a "first" pair..

and as for anythin else i dunno,, lol. um not botherd bout open or closed, and lookin to spend around £80 MAXIMUM..lol i know,, it prolly aint alot in the world of headphones but its all i could justify i think on a first set.

i listen to all sorts of music.. a real varied selection from fairground attraction to blondie, Crowded house to fatbot slim.. so i need a set that kinda does it all quite well ...
another thing? is there any other advantages to listening through headphones over usual speakers? others than the noise level and annoyin the neighbours of course?
thnx again for the help

 

[Chivalry]

aw man... i just lookin at the sony v6.. some place in USA sellin em for 60 dollars ;0(.. how the hell could i gettem over here to the UK? DOH!
also what classes as easy to drive?? how can u tell?? is it impedance? and whats classed as easy? :0)
whats the difference between a studio and a monitor set?
maybe someone take a peek here and give me an idea if th 270 studios would be easy to drive? or the 240 ones maybe?...
http://www.akg-acoustics.com/english.../proheadph.htm

sry about all the questions but im a complete noob..

and wanna try to get as much info as poss b4 i buy my first set.... last thing i want is somethin thats gonna leave me deflated and put me off :0)
thnx again!

 

[Born2bwire]

One advantage I feel with headphones is that you get more bang for you buck in that for the money, you will get better sound out of headphones then say speakers.

In regards to listening to a varied selection of music, that's generally my own tastes and I found the HD580's to be a good set. They really seem to shine on classical but they still perform with other genres. Though as you can see from Duncan, some people fall in love with them and some just don't get it.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I think the AKG K270S Studio 'phones have been severely overrated by the pro audio magazines. They cost a lot of $$$, but don't sound anywhere near as good as their high $$$ would indicate.

 

[Chivalry]

heres the review i saw for them... seems a few mags love them

but i did notice it said its got high impedance? 75 ohms i think,, would my amp be ok with this?
http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=2302

 

[kerelybonto]

75ohms is not high impedance. Almost no real cans are less than 32ohms, and some run up to over 300ohms. It depends on your jack, of course, but you shouldn't have a problem driving them.

Frankly, I'd trust the opinions you get here more than a lot of published reviews. Many writers simply don't have the experience with good headphones that a lot of Head-Fiers have.

You'd probably be happy with any of the suggestions given here. Try to get someone to tell you something abou the AKG 401. They're normally considered a good headphone, but light on the bass, just like the next one up in the line, the 501.

If you're really interested in the MDR-V6 (which, by the way, I'm using at the moment), check around the For Sale/Trade forum. A pair usually comes up about once a week or so for pretty cheap.

kerely

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Chivalry heres the review i saw for them... seems a few mags love them but i did notice it said its got high impedance? 75 ohms i think,, would my amp be ok with this? http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=2302

As a general (although not specific) rule... most integrated amps headphone sections are rated at 120ohms... so anything under that should be fine...

Might be worth a look at the instruction manual to make sure though

 

[Chivalry]

they might well do.. but seeing as i live in the UK,, it coule pose a problem

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Chivalry they might well do.. but seeing as i live in the UK,, it coule pose a problem

Maybe, depends how much you want to trust the for sale forum here... I've made a few purchases from here, with no real problem...

If that doesn't sound favourable then i'd strongly advise you auditioning the Beyer DT250s... the more I listen to them, the more they're overtaking my V6 as my 'mid-fi' 'phone of choice

Or, if you want something more exotic... another 'phone that fits into your price bracket is the Sony MDR-CD1700... you can pick them up for £80 from Ask Electronics (in person... they're not sold over the internet) in London...

These originally retailled for £200... and are damned great in my opinion... one of the 4 pairs of GOOD headphones that Sony has made of late

 

[Chivalry]

i heard that the sony 7605 is the same as the v6? maybe they are about somehwere in the uk? :0)
plus heres another set thats a possibilty,,, anyone know anythin bout it?
http://www.gak.co.uk/www-gak/797.htm

 

[Chivalry]

hmm.. seems the beyer 250`s are lookin more and more favourable :0)... just to find a cheap pair now!