[kg21]

Hey I joined this forum awhile back but I dont post since I dont think I know as much as all you experts out there. Anyway, I decided to get some new headphones for home use meaning they don't have to portable, and noise is not an issue. My budget is 250 dollars, I can maybe stretch it a little but not much.

I currently own the Sony MDR-V6s and the Etymotic ER6is. The MDR-V6 were my first headphones and while I was impressed comparing them to what I used before(random earbuds) I quickly "outgrew" them. I even bought the koss ksc-35s and thought their sound was almost as good for the v6s which was shocking considering the price. I like the sound of my ER6is, those are my portable headphones. Based on what I've read, I might like the sennheiser sound but I haven't tried any high end sennheisers in person.

The music I listen to is a lot of asian pop(some that sounds a lot like trance, some that are slow, etc.), and hip hop. I like clean bass, but I am far from a basshead and I prefer phones that emphasize mids and highs a lot more. I felt like the v6s had a lot of detail but the sound just wasn't that pleasant to listen to. I want sound that will "blow me away," headphones that I will put on and just listen to for hours without thinking.

 

[kg21]

btw I know a lot of people have different preferences/opinions but I am open to any suggestions. Ive been mainly looking at the sennheisers right now.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Were you looking at the Sennheiser HD-600? Sounds like that one would be a perfect fit for you. The HD-650 is a little heavier on the bottom end, but the HD-600 is regarded as more neutral and is also well within your price range. I've seen new ones going around $220 or so.

Another headphone you might be interested in would be the AKG K-601. I just found this:

http://www.djdeals.com/akgK601.htm

They're selling the K-601 for $239 with free shipping. Seeems a pretty fair deal to me. There are other places to shop, too, and I'm not entirely up on their prices. But at least this one fits your budget.

Still another choice is the AKG K-501. They're selling for $129 now, and I think they're the best bargain on the market. I love mine, and they really do have bass. I hear plenty of it. It's lean and clean, and I think it sounds great.

And if you spring for the $129 cans, you might be able to swing an amp, too.

Hope that helps and let us know what you decide on.

 

[Cyrilix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kg21 I want sound that will "blow me away," headphones that I will put on and just listen to for hours without thinking.

IMO, that's a highly unrealistic expectation, especially for under $250. Things just don't work that way in audio unless you're very conscious and very capable of capturing details, subtle changes, minor tonal differences, and you believe that small differences mean alot.

 

[kg21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrilix IMO, that's a highly unrealistic expectation, especially for under $250. Things just don't work that way in audio unless you're very conscious and very capable of capturing details, subtle changes, minor tonal differences, and you believe that small differences mean alot.

true, by blow me away I mean in comparison to what Ive been listening to so far. I guess a better way to put it is "marked improvement." Also when I bought the V6s I could tell they were different than anything I heard before but it was a little disappointing because I felt like some of the sounds were harsh.

Thanks for the suggestions Uncle Erik, Ill definitely look into those. Ive heard a lot of good things about the AKGs actually, just never really considered them. The senns I were looking at were the hd-595, hd-580, and the hd-600s which u mentioned.

 

[Meyvn]

I'd go for the K501 + an inexpensive amp, like a PIMETA or a PA2V2. Great soundstage, much different from anything you'll ahve heard before. K601 will probably have more bass, but will be lacking if you don't amp it. If you really ARE a basshead, the Beyerdynamic DT770-80 is known for being a bassy can, and is within that pricerange.

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik Were you looking at the Sennheiser HD-600?

I miss my HD600, but for asian pop, I can't quite recommend them. They're a little too laid back, and their sophistication, while fantaswtic, doesn't quite match the asian pop I listen to.

I wouldn't K 501 it. Not enough bass/bottom end. Overall, just a disappointing headphone.

A good DT770 though can be pretty nice. I never found it to be that bass-emphasized, but that's maybe just because I've only really spent time with Mercuttio's pair.

It's a bit out of the original poster's pricerange, but I still stand by the Sony SA5000 as being the best headphone for JPop, and I imagine, KPop and CPop.

Hmm... 200 ~ 250. I need to think about this. Of course, given how much I love my ATH-W10VTG, I want to recommend them. But they're discontinued and hard to find. For current production models... hard to say. Maybe I'd consider the Grado SR255. And the HD600 is an awesome headphone, esp at its used prices.

But there isn't anything that comes to mind that is a solid home run for this kind of music at this price range that is currently commonly available.

Good luck!

Best,

-Jason

 

[fureshi]

i really like the dt880 v.2005. they're the newer version of this headphone. i think they'd be great for c.pop or whatever asian pop you listen to. you can find them for $225 online but the only problem is that you need an amp to properly power them and once you've paid for the headphones, you're only left with $25. maybe a grado, like the sr225 and a pa2v2 would be good.

 

[kg21]

thanks for all the suggestions. I might find a way to stretch the budget, so right now Im really looking at everything. Oh and my sources are iaudio x5L(some cbr/vbr m3, some flac) and my computer(chaintech av710 set up for kernel streaming). I plan to get an amp eventually, when my budget allows it btw, but for awhile I will be listening to it from the above sources.
Currently considering:
Sennheiser hd600,hd595,hd650(if I can afford them)
AKG K601, K701(also if I can afford them)

a couple people recommend beyers which I really know nothing about, so i will have to look into it.

 

[kg21]

okay, I found a deal on ebay for the hd-650 new 295 shipped, and a deal on the hd-595 new around 170shipped. I have narrowed it down to these two and the akg k701(pending a price quote since no one has posted it online). After some thinking I have decided that I can find a way to stretch the budget to around 300 if I have to. Ive read so many threads now about them, but basically im debating if its worth it to get the k701/hd650 if I'm only gonna get an amp that costs 150-200 or less later on.

I know the hd-595s are easily driven and have a more "upfront" presentation than the other high end senns which could be a good thing although most say they are below the 580/600/650 overall. I am also having trouble deciding if the AKGs are a decent phone being hyped, or they really are greater than or equal to the hd-650s after the AKGs are burned in a ridiculous amount. Even before i joined head-fi, I knew about sennheisers reputation(this reputation doesn't mean their headphones are necessarily good but even with the criticism I found only like 2 responses saying people preferred the AKGs directly over the hd-650s. I found many responses saying buy both, and a decent amount that say they still prefer the hd-650s). And according to a poll on one of the threads more people preferred the hd-650s over the k701s for the greatest under 500 headphones.

 

[warpdriver]

The 650 vs 701 polls shows a pretty even split overall. The 650 has the advantage some people have upgraded them with new cables, which may give it an advantage over AKG.

The K701 should be available around $299 shipped. $309 worst case.

The Beyer 880 is definitely a contender if you like a brighter airier sound. I think the AKG's forte is in the mids while giving a nice lively treble. I owned the 600 and 650 for a week but I find its treble a bit too polite.

 

[gigit]

I would tend to agree with the people that suggest the HD-600s or the SR-225s, they both seem to be good for the money (especialy if you can get a good used set)

 

[kg21]

Ive narrowed it down to basically the hd650 and k701s. I would take a look at the hd600s but I feel like the other 2 brand new for 295-300shipped is a better buy than used hd600(which i found a couple that were like 220-230)

 

[kg21]

just put in an order on the AKG k701s from Todd. Ive read so many threads about the hd650, k701 and even how they compare to the more extreme and or more expensive sa5000, grado rs-1, dt880. Ive heard so many people say they AKG k701s are the "jack of all trades" and in between sennheiser 6xx and beyer, or in between sennheiser 6xx and grado, or in between sennheiser 6xx and sa5000. I wanted a headphone that I can use for a long time with a variety of music/sources and I dont have the budget to buy all of them so this is why I went with the AKG. In terms of hype there was hype for all of them so I guess it evened out