[TomVZ]

[Most of what I searched turned up people with a range of genres at a specific price range, and everyone has specific needs, so I hope this is deserving a thread..]

The music I am buying headphones for is (the ever general genre) post-rock. Favourites include Mono, Sigur Ros, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor..

The qualities I find in this music are
- high dynamic ranges
- wide range of instruments, including both traditional 'rock' instruments, and full orchestras (along with some more obscure instruments)

Now whenever anyone mentioned post-rock, they mentioned a bunch of other genres, like regular rock, progressive, metal, screamo, hardcore, etc..

Usually the recommendation was Grado ('heard someone say they're the best for rock), but with such a wide range of instruments (including acoustic, and orchestra) and complicated loud, climactic parts with all the instruments going at once, are "rock" headphones what I'm really looking for?

I also like alternative, indie, ambient, and the like.





^ TOO LONG:
Are "rock" headphones, like Grado, what I'm really looking for with post-rock that tends to lean to orchestra/classical instruments and wide dynamic range?


ALSO; hello to everyone on the forums, hope I'm not a huge pain

 

[TomVZ]

I also hear a lot of people say sennheisers are NOT ROCK headphones; they'll put you to sleep.

That is kind of off-putting, but I try to remember that post-rock isn't rock. BUT, it's not the furthest thing away, so I'm worried the same thing will apply.

..and if they "put you to sleep" will musical "climaxes" lose their effect?

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomVZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also hear a lot of people say sennheisers are NOT ROCK headphones; they'll put you to sleep. That is kind of off-putting, but I try to remember that post-rock isn't rock. BUT, it's not the furthest thing away, so I'm worried the same thing will apply. ..and if they "put you to sleep" will musical "climaxes" lose their effect?

My advice is to treat each headphone as a different entity from the last, and not get too caught up in the hyperbole that we like to throw around on Head-Fi. The higher end headphones from each manufacturer are very different creations to the entry-level headphones they churn out in their millions. I'm still working a lot of it out for myself, but its more than just 'buy a pair of headphones and magic happens'. Just as you wouldnt buy a good pair of speakers and hook them up to any old amp in the hope of getting a good result, it all has to work together.

If you give Head-Fiers your budget, tell them you want cans for rock, chances are that most won't recommend a pair of Senns - that isnt to say that there arent people out there enjoying rock from their Sennheisers as I type this. The 'put you to sleep' hoopla is laughable even at the level of the HD228, very modest cans indeed but I enjoy using them with my portable player at work. I also like the MS1 and the Ultrasones with rock, but liking one 'sound signature' doesnt automatically relegate everything else to the cupboard.

Good luck.

 

[nickchen]

A MS1000 might suit perfectly here (link in my sig).

 

[REB]

I'd recommend the audio technica ad2000 or surprisingly perhaps the akg k500 (even the akg k701), which do fine with my Japanese postrock. The sennheiser hd600 didn't do bad either.

 

[TomVZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif My advice is to treat each headphone as a different entity from the last...

Definitely good point, I only asked because there is sometimes a grain of truth behind every generalization, and I'm trying to get ready for a huge (expensive) step into audiophile territory..

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you give Head-Fiers your budget, tell them you want cans for rock, chances are that most won't recommend a pair of Senns - that isnt to say that there arent people out there enjoying rock from their Sennheisers as I type this. The 'put you to sleep' hoopla is laughable even at the level of the HD228, very modest cans indeed but I enjoy using them with my portable player at work. I also like the MS1 and the Ultrasones with rock, but liking one 'sound signature' doesnt automatically relegate everything else to the cupboard.

Yea I was thinking the 'put you to sleep' thing must be a huge exaggeration are an extremely picky listener

..

The one thing, again, is I may not be recommended Sennheisers for rock [true], but I'm not exactly looking for rock, you know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen /img/forum/go_quote.gif A MS1000 might suit perfectly here (link in my sig).

I wish I had the ability and know-how.. I read that earlier, and its sounds pretty awesome, but the DIY tag (+electronics and relatively expensive materials - Alessandro MS1) scare the heck out of me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by REB /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd recommend the audio technica ad2000 or surprisingly perhaps the akg k500 (even the akg k701), which do fine with my Japanese postrock. The sennheiser hd600 didn't do bad either.

Cool; noted!



Thank you kindly for the responses everyone.

 

[TomVZ]

Also, I've dabbled in kind of expensive headphones before (for non-audiophiles! ~ one/two hundred and such), but now I'm looking for headphones in the $400-500 range..

It seems though, that I won't find open headphones in that range without at least a few hundred tacked on for a solid amp to go along with the headphones..

So really, I have to drop my price back down to $200ish to also afford to get an amp in my price range.. But (argh) when you drop to that price range, I see a good bunch of headphones that don't need an amp!

Not quite sure what to do heh.. I'm thinking I have to just save up the extra few hundred for an amp

 

[koven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomVZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also hear a lot of people say sennheisers are NOT ROCK headphones; they'll put you to sleep.

whoever says that are not properly amping the hd600/650

both of mine sounds amazing for rock

although grados are known for rock and can be driven much more easily

 

[TomVZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koven /img/forum/go_quote.gif whoever says that are not properly amping the hd600/650 both of mine sounds amazing for rock although grados are known for rock and can be driven much more easily

I'm really liking the idea of the hd600/650, which IS in my budget, but not with an amp.. Which would probably not make them worth (or the best for) buying! What a cruel and expensive world..

 

[atothex]

Don't worry about people associating certain brands with certain genres. Go to a meet and listen for yourself. I know people who listen to rock and hate Grados.

 

[TomVZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atothex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Go to a meet and listen for yourself.

I am in a place where I'm pretty unlikely to find any, unfortunately.

Any chance Sennheiser HD 600 with a ~200-300 amp could be the one for me?


Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd /img/forum/go_quote.gif These guys [HD 600] don't do anything particularly great in any one department but they do everything quite well in all departments which is what I like about them.

Not the MOST endearing comment, but I'd like to think of it more as versatility than not being particularly great

- and I like the sound of that.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomVZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am in a place where I'm pretty unlikely to find any, unfortunately. Any chance Sennheiser HD 600 with a ~200-300 amp could be the one for me?

This is the amp that was recommended to me in my own thread on the 600s:

Head-Direct.com | YUIN

There are several reviews of the EF1 in the Amps section, and most Head-Fiers who own one seem very taken with their purchase. It was initially 399 USD, but the Head-Direct site has it at 299 : would seem tailor-made for your budget.

 

[MadMan007]

Here's my opinion even though it will differ from many people (read: gear junkies

) on Head-fi. Go for the sound signature you like taking in to account set requirements like isolation, portable or not etc and use it for everything. I understand people like different phones for different music types or maybe just to get different impressions and surely there are strengths and weaknesses to anything but aside from some extreme examples if something sounds good to you for one music type it ought to sound good for most or all types.

After all with speaker setups people try them with most every genre and decide whether they'll work for them or not they don't go looking for speakers for every genre even if they have the space. Honestly a lot of the time I just think people like collecting headphones because they can do so easily.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomVZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quote: These guys [HD 600] don't do anything particularly great in any one department but they do everything quite well in all departments which is what I like about them. Not the MOST endearing comment, but I'd like to think of it more as versatility than not being particularly great - and I like the sound of that.

Pink's evaluation is correct IMO, apart from my modded Alessandros, the HD600 has the best genre bandwidth I have experienced until now. However, its sound has a tendence towards irrelevance & boredom, and that can't be cured completely, no matter how many big balls amps and cables you throw onto them.