TranceFan
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2010
- Posts
- 18
- Likes
- 10
Hello, all!
I'm a novice in these forums as well as the headphone world, so I greatly appreciate any and all advice to my following query!
Some background: I'm a huge fan of electronica and trance music. I've owned a pair of Labtec Note-502 headphones for more than 5 years now (yep, a cheap, all-purpose pair that's served me surprisingly well for so long). It's reaching the end of its life cycle now, and I'm quite interested in investing in a REAL set of cans.
I do listen to a range of music, but primarily trance and electronica. I use the built-in equalizer in Winamp to get a better bass and treble response out of my laptop, but quite frankly, I desire a pair of headphones that'll give me a more enriching musical experience.
Some of the things I'm looking for:
1) Enhancement in quality: given that I've never owned a *real* set of headphones, this is virtually guaranteed. On the same note, since any new pair will be a vast improvement to what I have, I'm not sure if there's a real need to purchase an expensive set of headphones, since I've never truly experienced a good quality pair. I'd hope to spend under $50, but if you guys recommend otherwise, I *might* be persuaded to go up to $100
2) Open vs. closed: I'm leaning towards a closed, circumaural set of headphones. There's an average amount of background noise in/around my apartment, and a concert pianist lives next door.. it'd be nice to just listen to music without having to destroy my hearing by cranking up the volume. I'm not interested in noise-canceling phones either.
3) Usage: it's very likely I'm keeping these strictly at home - little to no traveling at all. If I need a traveling pair, I'll search for something more portable, like an IEM or supra-aural set.
So far, I've been mostly looking at Sennheiser cans. Initially, I was thinking about the Sennheiser HD280, but they come with a fairly steep price tag. Also, I figured since I'm not a true audiophile (yet!) I could probably get by with a more economic pair, leading me towards the Sennheiser HD202 and HD201. I've read extensive reviews on all of these - there's a wide range of opinion as to their comfort, 'tinnyness,' 'muddied bass levels,' and more. However, most of the opinions are for folks who listen to other genres of music.
I'm planning to borrow a friend's pair of Sennheiser HD555's just to assess my comfort level for circumaural headphones. Also, I'd say I have an average head size and ear size (~2.5" in vertical length).
My apologies for the long post, but I wanted to give as much background detail as possible. As such, what do you guys think? Again, thanks in advance for your help and guidance!
I'm a novice in these forums as well as the headphone world, so I greatly appreciate any and all advice to my following query!
Some background: I'm a huge fan of electronica and trance music. I've owned a pair of Labtec Note-502 headphones for more than 5 years now (yep, a cheap, all-purpose pair that's served me surprisingly well for so long). It's reaching the end of its life cycle now, and I'm quite interested in investing in a REAL set of cans.
I do listen to a range of music, but primarily trance and electronica. I use the built-in equalizer in Winamp to get a better bass and treble response out of my laptop, but quite frankly, I desire a pair of headphones that'll give me a more enriching musical experience.
Some of the things I'm looking for:
1) Enhancement in quality: given that I've never owned a *real* set of headphones, this is virtually guaranteed. On the same note, since any new pair will be a vast improvement to what I have, I'm not sure if there's a real need to purchase an expensive set of headphones, since I've never truly experienced a good quality pair. I'd hope to spend under $50, but if you guys recommend otherwise, I *might* be persuaded to go up to $100
2) Open vs. closed: I'm leaning towards a closed, circumaural set of headphones. There's an average amount of background noise in/around my apartment, and a concert pianist lives next door.. it'd be nice to just listen to music without having to destroy my hearing by cranking up the volume. I'm not interested in noise-canceling phones either.
3) Usage: it's very likely I'm keeping these strictly at home - little to no traveling at all. If I need a traveling pair, I'll search for something more portable, like an IEM or supra-aural set.
So far, I've been mostly looking at Sennheiser cans. Initially, I was thinking about the Sennheiser HD280, but they come with a fairly steep price tag. Also, I figured since I'm not a true audiophile (yet!) I could probably get by with a more economic pair, leading me towards the Sennheiser HD202 and HD201. I've read extensive reviews on all of these - there's a wide range of opinion as to their comfort, 'tinnyness,' 'muddied bass levels,' and more. However, most of the opinions are for folks who listen to other genres of music.
I'm planning to borrow a friend's pair of Sennheiser HD555's just to assess my comfort level for circumaural headphones. Also, I'd say I have an average head size and ear size (~2.5" in vertical length).
My apologies for the long post, but I wanted to give as much background detail as possible. As such, what do you guys think? Again, thanks in advance for your help and guidance!