[stephenbou]

I attended a concert last night (I sat in the 5th row at the Chicago Symphony) and I was thinking of how the experience of the live soundstage differed from headphones I've listened to. Are there headphones that come a little closer to the soundstage you'd get in a live performance? (Keep in mind that I'm not at all a headphone expert).
 
Stephen B

 

[Cheezerme]

Hello, welcome to head-fi by the way. Now, while i cannot recomend you any pairs at the moment(my ownership is kinda limited atm) Everyone who can would appreciate some details. First of all, give a price range, if you don't they are going to assume anything, and give you some very expensive phones, which if you don't know yet can go well above 1,000$. Secondly, knowing if there is any genres other than classical you would like your headphones to be good with. Also, whether or not you are willing to buy an amp is important. And finally, Sorry for your wallet.

 

[stephenbou]

Thanks for the reply. My collection is 70% classical, but the rest is very diverse (jazz, indie, folk, rock). I'm thinking $200-$700 for a price range, and I have a total bithead amplifier.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 For that sort of dosh you'd be looking at the AKG K702 or K701 - Q701 Quincy Jones is good too.
 
 Other contenders would be above the $1200+ mark.

 

[Han Bao Quan]

The AKG Q701 should be a really good choice.
Sennheiser HD 598 is another option.

 

[Crenshaw]

personally i feel the a2000x from audio technica and edition 8 are pretty good in this regard

 

[stephenbou]

Thanks for the suggestions. Would the AKG Q701 sound as though the orchestra were out in front of you? I'm trying to stay away from headphones that place the musicians in the middle of your head.

 

[stacker45]

I'd say Grado GS-1000

 

[Graphicism]

No headphone will give you that experience, look more towards the SmythSVS Realiser or plugins like this one.

 

[powerpopper]

Quote:

No headphone will give you that experience, look more towards the SmythSVS Realiser or plugins like this one.

When I bought my GS1000i, I thought for sure they would give that experience and while they got me part of the way there, in the end...no joy.
 
For one, even headphones with great soundstage are limited by what was recorded. Perhaps this type of recording occurs with more frequency in the Classical genre (which I do not listen to regularly) but in the Rock, Classic Rock, Americana genres...sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
 
But the GS1000i will give it a shot and hopefully you will like all the other things it does...
 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

When I bought my GS1000i, I thought for sure they would give that experience and while they got me part of the way there, in the end...no joy.
 
For one, even headphones with great soundstage are limited by what was recorded. Perhaps this type of recording occurs with more frequency in the Classical genre (which I do not listen to regularly) but in the Rock, Classic Rock, Americana genres...sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
 
But the GS1000i will give it a shot and hopefully you will like all the other things it does...

Yeah it comes down to the recorded. A Binaural audio file will sound more life like on a cheap pair of ear phones than a regular stereophonic recording will on even the best headphones.

 

[PurpleAngel]

If you want headphones that will sound like your in a movie theater (with lots of bass & treble), Beyerdynamic DT990.
You really need to get a decent headphone amplifier to go with it.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

No headphone will give you that experience, look more towards the SmythSVS Realiser or plugins like this one.

 
+1, try ToneBoosters Isone with something like a K70X or K501.

 

[PhenomenalSound]

Quote:

If you want headphones that will sound like your in a movie theater (with lots of bass & treble), Beyerdynamic DT990.
You really need to get a decent headphone amplifier to go with it.

I recommend this.
 
 

 

[yifu]

AKG701/DT990/HD800/HE-6/LCD2 will probably replicate that experience. However you really need a recording that is recorded binaurally and not in stereoscopic format. And a good amp, then it will almost totally replicate that feeling, maybe not as good as speakers though.