[Jeff Guidry]

I've been digging around in the boards, and I can't seem to find any threads that directly discuss headphones for movie watching, so I thought I would start one.

My beloved V6's have a very narrow soundstage and so are not suited for movies.

It seems like common characteristics for ideal movie headphones would be:
(A) good comfort level
(B) wide soundstage
(C) impactful bass (for sound effects)
(D) clear sound leaning towards the bright side rather than warm and dark (for ease of picking out details)

Other characteristics would be closed (for watching movies in bed with a sleeping partner), wireless, and..........?

The standard recommendation of Beyerdynamic 770's is ok, but I didn't find them comfortable, and the bass was too boompy, distracting from the score of the films I was watching. Plus, the midrange is a bit blurred with these headphones, making listening to the score and getting a sense of the aural action tricky.

 

[devwild]

As I mentioned in my review of them, I really like my A700s for movies, particularly with Dolby Headphone effects, it sounds quite cool, with lots of bass impact, but still plenty of detail. The A900 would of course be a notch up. The A500 I haven't heard personally, but from what I've read, it's soundstage isn't as good as the other two.

They are very comfortable, easy to drive as long as you have a clean source, and look cool

 

[PrototypeX2]

XD400.

 

[brianknewbie]

SA-5000

extremely lightweight & comfortable, very detailed

 

[green84061]

i think you should look into the senn hd555/595's both are top notch phones and the 50 ohm version is very easy to drive, they dont have the best bass but i really like almost everything about them. I can wear them all day at my comp listening to music and playing games though i dont listen to movies that often im sure they would excel.

 

[PrototypeX2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianknewbie SA-5000 extremely lightweight & comfortable, very detailed

Maybe a "Little" expensive there

 

[bg4533]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianknewbie SA-5000 extremely lightweight & comfortable, very detailed

The SA5000 is a bit overkill for movies, but it does fit the requirements. Comfort seems to be very subjective with them though.

The Audio Technica line would work well, but they might be a little warmer/darker than what you are looking for.

 

[spike33]

sa1000 is great for movies, very clear sound (detailed, easy to pick out sounds, leaning towards bright), comfy, impactful bass... soundstage a bit smaller than the other phones mentioned.

 

[brianknewbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrototypeX2 Maybe a "Little" expensive there

i looked but didnt see a price range in his original post

 

[brianknewbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bg4533 The SA5000 is a bit overkill for movies, but it does fit the requirements. Comfort seems to be very subjective with them though.

to each their own -- but i can really not understand how anyone would say they are not comfortable

 

[bg4533]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianknewbie to each their own -- but i can really not understand how anyone would say they are not comfortable

I found the SA5000 to be very comfortable. I only had a short audition, but they were some of the most comfortable headphones I have worn. I know a lot of people think otherwise though.

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Guidry (D) clear sound leaning towards the bright side rather than warm and dark (for ease of picking out details)

I've had the opposite experience - movie watching with headphones can be uncomforatable - much more so than music listening at the same average volume levels. Brighter, harsher headphones seem to worsen the problem so I preferred to use cans that are warm, dark(er) and smooth. The HD650 has those qualities and it's quite detailed to boot. To date it's the best headphone I've used for movies, though admittedly I haven't used the K340 (it would be an absolute bear to drive without dynamic range compression) or K1000 (just got them recently). The K1000 has a lot of top-end energy but it might not be too irritating because of its open & natural sound.

I really don't think the HD650 (or other cans at this level) is overkill for DVDs with top-notch audio tracks. You'll still reap the benefits of better detail, tighter bass, smoother highs, and better extension - it will be an obvious improvement over lesser cans. However, bear in mind that with headphone listening you're going to lose the LFE channel from 5.1 tracks (downmixers just cut this track out if you're not using a sub), which can be quite detrimental to the overall experience. I tried using the HD650 together with a subwoofer, and you'd be surpised how these otherwise non-isolating cans can block out subtle details from the sub (assuming your sub is capable of subtle details

). The K1000 is probably the only headphone that will work well with a sub - I plan on trying that someday, but for now I'm enjoying my new HT speakers too damn much to bother

Anyways, for a budget alternative to the HD650, I can recommend the HD555 - I had it on loan and the SQ was pretty good, and it shared a somewhat similar signature with the 650.

OK, sorry to get all those random thoughts off my chest, but honestly I had a lot of trouble over the last 2 years trying to find 100% movie-watching satisfaction w/ headphones - and gave up recently with the purchase of my Polk LSi speakers (yum).

 

[das_bill]

A500s are great for movies! hmm, i think it is time to watch saving private ryans opening scene to see how great!

 

[Kram Sacul]

Any good headphones for music is good enough for movie soundtracks, even when most of the time you're listening to 5.1 downmixed to 2 channel.

 

[devwild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulveling I've had the opposite experience - movie watching with headphones can be uncomforatable - much more so than music listening at the same average volume levels.

Dolby Headphone makes movies with headphones significantly more comfortable in my opinion. It gets the actors out of your cranium (damn voices in my head!! shut up!). The biggest problem I have is that I sometimes forget that I'm wearing the headphones as I get up to go to the kitchen....