Help a newbie!

[JiggaD369]

hey everyone. I know I'll be blasted for creating this thread but need you guys to help me out. Ive been listening to music through some crappy Sony ear plugs for the past year or so. Recently i got a Archos Gmini and suddenly found this site. Im in need of a new headphone and my budget is $250. What would be your best recommendations? I listen to all kinds of music, but detail, sound quality, depth and clarity is important. And the phones need to be comfortable if possible. Please help me out guys. Thankx.

 

[skudmunky]

Sennheiser HD 580 or 595 and a decent headphone amp, maybe?

Or, one of the higher Grado or Alessandro series offerings.

 

[JiggaD369]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skudmunky Sennheiser HD 580 or 595 and a decent headphone amp, maybe? Or, one of the higher Grado or Alessandro series offerings.

I have basic knowdledge for electronics, but would making my own amp be difficult?

 

[ATAT]

What kinds of music mainly? It really depends on what stuff you like.. drop some favorite tracks.. we can go from there but the $250 range is really sweet

if used you can probably pick up something around a 650..
or a new 580 + amp .. or a grado 125 + amp .. Or just a 880 plain

If this is mainly portable, you could always grab a IEM =)

oh and no one's going to blast you.. (i think.)

 

[JiggaD369]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATAT What kinds of music mainly? It really depends on what stuff you like.. drop some favorite tracks.. we can go from there but the $250 range is really sweet if used you can probably pick up something around a 650.. or a new 580 + amp .. or a grado 125 + amp .. Or just a 880 plain If this is mainly portable, you could always grab a IEM =) oh and no one's going to blast you.. (i think.)

LOL. i just got into this whole headphone thing. i listen to mainly acoustic type music such as Queen, Journey, Clapton but i also enjoy some good fast tracks (some techno), etc.

 

[Inkmo]

Get Koss KSC35s, and RUN from this place! Don't look back, and your wallet will thank you.

But really, I kid. Welcome to Headfi. Sorry about your wallet.

I'm going to go with my obvious bias and say go for Audio Technicas! A900 or AD900 if you don't mind swinging about 30 USD extra

. With your budget, pretty much anything you choose is going to be well detailed and comfortable. It's more about picking the house sound and presentation that you prefer most. Extra points for Audio Technica: they shine just fine without a dedicated amp in my opinion (meaning you can put all of that into heaphones now, as opposed to having to go with something in the 100-150 USD price point and also budgetting for an amp). Also, AD900 is super comy with its velour pads. Mmm, velour.

Let respective Grado, Senn, AKG, Beyer etc. lovers detail the strong points of their choice cans until you get an idea of the sound you wanna go with.

I'd say my AD900 has a pretty balanced presentation, maybe a little dry. Mids and treble are both forward. Bass is a little reticent, punch shy, but is not lacking in extension or detail. I'm not a professional listener by any means, so just consider mine a user review... I've been kind of thinking about picking up an AKG K240s or K240m to compliment it. Kinda get the reverse of what the AD900 is doing.

I read over the thread again: Discount what I said if you're talking portable. A900 and AD900 are far from portable.

If you have some decent electronics knowledge: Have you heard about the Cmoy mint amps? Do some searches here on headfi and you'll definitely find pictures. Maybe go over to portable audio and check out the 'post pictures of your portable rig' thread, and you'll see a good share of mints. The parts list and instructions are floating around on the internt somewhere. Is it Tangentsoft? Tangent Audio? Another cheap DIY amp that has been getting some attention is something called a T amp. I know nothing about it aside from that...

Sorry I wrote so much.. I hope I was helpful

 

[JiggaD369]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkmo Get Koss KSC35s, and RUN from this place! Don't look back, and your wallet will thank you. But really, I kid. Welcome to Headfi. Sorry about your wallet. I'm going to go with my obvious bias and say go for Audio Technicas! A900 or AD900 if you don't mind swinging about 30 USD extra . With your budget, pretty much anything you choose is going to be well detailed and comfortable. It's more about picking the house sound and presentation that you prefer most. Extra points for Audio Technica: they shine just fine without a dedicated amp in my opinion (meaning you can put all of that into heaphones now, as opposed to having to go with something in the 100-150 USD price point and also budgetting for an amp). Also, AD900 is super comy with its velour pads. Mmm, velour. Let respective Grado, Senn, AKG, Beyer etc. lovers detail the strong points of their choice cans until you get an idea of the sound you wanna go with. I'd say my AD900 has a pretty balanced presentation, maybe a little dry. Mids and treble are both forward. Bass is a little reticent, punch shy, but is not lacking in extension or detail. I'm not a professional listener by any means, so just consider mine a user review... I've been kind of thinking about picking up an AKG K240s or K240m to compliment it. Kinda get the reverse of what the AD900 is doing. I read over the thread again: Discount what I said if you're talking portable. A900 and AD900 are far from portable. If you have some decent electronics knowledge: Have you heard about the Cmoy mint amps? Do some searches here on headfi and you'll definitely find pictures. Maybe go over to portable audio and check out the 'post pictures of your portable rig' thread, and you'll see a good share of mints. The parts list and instructions are floating around on the internt somewhere. Is it Tangentsoft? Tangent Audio? Another cheap DIY amp that has been getting some attention is something called a T amp. I know nothing about it aside from that... Sorry I wrote so much.. I hope I was helpful

more than helpful. thanx. would buying a HD580 with a amp sound good?

 

[Inkmo]

hmm. IMO audio technicas are good for acousticy stuff. Quite good.

I've also had a pretty good time listening to some 'electronicy' stuff on my AD900 and Senn HD201 (I swear ROVO sounded amazing on my little HD201. Drums everywhere! And so crisp, lush. you know.. all those headphone rave words one should be wary of), but I'm sure someone will be in shortly to tell me how that's technically impossible

.

Hmm, another thing you might do with 250 dollars is make a geek super sampler! Y'know. Get any number of cheaper giant killers from each company and play around till you know what you want in your sound. Then you'll have some solid references to describe what you want in a big purchase. Sorry, I'm still trying to justify to myself the number of impulse buy headphones that have accumulated in my room this semester

. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have some fun. (I think for me, thinking about buying headphones has become more fun than listening to them lately

)

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiggaD369 LOL. i just got into this whole headphone thing. i listen to mainly acoustic type music such as Queen, Journey, Clapton but i also enjoy some good fast tracks (some techno), etc.

Sounds like you need some GRADOS!

SR325i retail USD$295, but I'm sure you will be able to find a slightly used pair for your USD$250

 

[Inkmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiggaD369 more than helpful. thanx. would buying a HD580 with a amp sound good?

I'm pretty certain it would sound good. A lot of people will tell you the HD580 is nearly identical in SQ to the HD600, Sennheiser's longtime flagship. (and a lot of people won't, too. But no one will say it's a bad headphone) I've never heard one, so I can't tell you how they sound. I can just tell you they sound good as they are considered a point of reference around this forum. Also, you can almost always find a 580 going in the FS/FT forum (which is a good place to start out if you're on a budget).

Since I haven't heard the 580, and I'm not you, I don't know for sure if it will sound good to your ears. It's a good headphone for sure, and will probably be made better with an amp, but I'd wait for an owner with some real testimonials to pop in first. I think people say they are generally dark, smooth, laid back, etc. Also, Senns have a rep for having more soundstage than Grados or Audio Technicas. I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not considering buying one yet, so I haven't done my research.

 

[carlosgp]

Don't rule out the ksc35/ksc75/portapro option. They are valid headphones appreciated by many audiophiles, cheap and ideal for your gemini. You can try them and come back here if you feel the need of new, better cans

 

[JiggaD369]

Aren't Grado's uncomfortable?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiggaD369 LOL. i just got into this whole headphone thing. i listen to mainly acoustic type music such as Queen, Journey, Clapton but i also enjoy some good fast tracks (some techno), etc.

Dude, that lineup is Screaming for some Metal Grado love! Alessandro MS-2i for the classic rock all the way, check out www.alessandro-products.com But if you are mainly using your Archos portably, I would go with a used Grado HF-1 if you can find one on the sale forums here.

 

[JiggaD369]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Dude, that lineup is Screaming for some Metal Grado love! Alessandro MS-2i for the classic rock all the way, check out www.alessandro-products.com But if you are mainly using your Archos portably, I would go with a used Grado HF-1 if you can find one on the sale forums here.

I listen to music mainly on my computer. So portability is not that crucial. But Im looking for comfortability for sure. Plus Im most likely going to purchase a nice soundcard soon too. maybe something like a Audigy or something.

 

[JiggaD369]

im stuck between ATH-A900 or DT880. which one should i go with. I know you don't need an amp for the a900, but will i need one for DT880? IF i do, then my choice is clear.