[Destroyer]

hi,

i'm new here and i wanted to know if someone can recommend a good pair of headphones that work good with surround sound on Blu-rays and DVDs. Particularly Blu-ray. I'd prefer wireless but one with wires is cool too. I'm willing to spend up to a few hundred dollars max. definitely under $500. Cause i know the real good high end (Which is what i want) can cost around that. See the problem is I need to get a pair of headphones cause I am moving into a apartment sometime before the end of the year. Obviously I won't be able to use my surround sound as much or at the volume i like it at so i decided to invest in good headphones. Also, i am interested in closed headphones not open. Can anyone recommend a good brand and/or model that is good for that kind of situation? thanks in advance.

 

[iriverdude]

Sticked to wired mate, wireless don't offer good sound quality. Also $500 is actually midrange, "real good high end" are things like Sennheiser Orpheus at $30,000. That comes with a tube amp though. I'd probably look into a pair of comfy phones you can wear 2 hours in one stretch. I'd look into Senheiser HD-600/650's.

 

[Destroyer]

hey iriverdude

thanks for the fast reply. and thanks for the info. i am considering now the Senheiser HD/650. but i wanted to know if you knew if this would be good for surround sound like on blu-ray for example? also how important is it to have a headphone amp? would i need it with this Senheiser model?

btw cool avatar you have there pal.

 

[iriverdude]

Headphones are stereo, so you'll have to downmix multi-channel to stereo. Use the stereo outputs from the BD player into a headphone amp. A headphone amp with 600/650 are a must.

If you're looking for a decent BD player check out the Oppo 83, got one great player.

 

[Destroyer]

oh ok. i have a PS3 Slim as my blu-ray player.and right now i've been using a auxiliary cable from my tv to my JVC stereo system to get the big speakers for sound thru the tv and ps3. it works good even tho it's stereo and not full HD surround sound. but with that setup i have with my TV and stereo system would i still need to use stereo outputs from the BD player or is that the same? not sure.

also can you recommend a headphone amp that goes with the 650 seinheiser?

 

[iriverdude]

I'd use digital out from your PS3, into a DAC, then out to a headphone amplifier. Or a combined DAC & headphone amplifier. Don't use analogue outputs from the PS3.

 

[Destroyer]

hey there

i'm a noob to this audio stuff for hte most part but what is a DAC? heard of it tho. would a combined dac and headphone amplifier cost alot? cause like i said i can only spend a few hundred dollars max. and from what i seen at Amazon the 650 senheiser is $300 something. if need be i can invest in a dac and headphone amplifier another time. cause i recently spent most of my money i had on the PS3 Slim. this headphone investment is just for my birthday as a gift from my mom.

 

[oqvist]

A DAC is a Digital to Analogue Converter. It´s the one that translate the I/0:s on the disc to a sound signal. If you use analogue out on the PS 3 you are using it´s DAC.

But okay keep budget low check. I suspect some in the HFI-line from Ultrasone could do the trick quite well. They are after all one of the very few high fidelity headphones built with movie watching in mind. The Pro 900 is by far the most pleasant headphone I have used for movies followed by the Pro 750.

Those are not perfect recommendations since they do want an amp to shine just like the Senns. But they are significantly better then that headphone for that task.

It´s hard if not impossible to get the soundstaging of surround speakers in a well controlled room but Pro 900 is the one that got the closest for me so far. Nice thing is it does well without dolby headphone too which it seems you don´t have access to.

Cheaper alternatives German Maestro 450 Pro did very well for me for movie watching. Like 650 it´s soundstaging aren´t perfect but it´s very good with voices and really well balanced. 435S is even more efficient and don´t really require amplification. It certainly works but it´s a bit pale compared to the 900 I have to say.

Even cheaper DT 770 Pro/A900. DT 770 Pro have kind of an action sound signature whereas A900 is more dreamy japanese signature to it. A900 do work a bit better unamped but then you may like the extra bass on the DT 770s at times. Want to remember the 770 not being to shabby with voices either.

 

[Quaddy]

the sennheiser hd-555 are neat for movies. not too much expense but decent spatial qualities for that type of thing. you could always pair them up with an audioengine W1 wireless adapter for HD wireless audio with no hiss.

 

[Acix]

For movies, I found the GMP 435 S to be excellent, no amp needed and very light, good for long sessions.

 

[Destroyer]

thanks for the suggestions. 650 senheiser still sounds good tho. can anyone tell me what i would need with it to get maximum usage and bang for buck out of it? like a amp or something? remember i want to use this for listening to movies like blu-ray. any maybe some other headphone that's better suggested?

let me know. thanks guys!

 

[SalsaPodio]

Would a headphone amp be required as long as the audio is run through the receiver? A friend of mine runs PS3 audio through a receiver using an optical cable and then uses the headphone out on the receiver. I think this way you wouldn't need a headphone amp as long as the cable is long enough.

 

[.Ix]

The best I've found for movies is the Pioneer SEA-1000. The soundstage is incredibly huge. It's much larger and wider than my HD600. The sound itself is clear and crisp. The cable is extremely long (perfect for huge rooms). They can be bought for around $90 here in Manila (SRP used to be $200, dunno what happened).

I have a surround sound system but I always use the SEA1000 when I'm playing/watching BDs alone. And I just use it with RCA into a FiiO e5. It's that good. Plus it's just $90!