[supermanscott]

Hi guys
 
I'm hoping some of you can nudge me in the direction of my next set of headphones.
I'm pretty amateur at this stuff, so please excuse the language and lack of knowledge.
 
I'm currently on Senn HD25s.
I listen to Trance most of the time, so am looking for equivalent or better sound quality but would like to gain a bigger sound space in my head if that makes any sense ?
 
I don't want headphones that let out a lot of sound ideally, as I often use them whilst the missus is watching tv.
 
Source tends to be a laptop more than anything, so not amped.  
An amp might be an option in the future but not right now as I work in an environment where no usb devices are permitted, and since most the little amps seem to have a USB port its out for now.  I may get one in the future for home.
 
Ideally not spending more than around $300 (£200).
 
From reading around this site for some time it looks like I should be looking at :
 
Audio-Technica ATH M50
Denon AH-D2000
Ultrasone HFI 580
Beyerdynmic DT 990 PRO 
 
Would you say this is a best choice? 
 
I doubt very much I'm gonna be able to try many, if any of these out, so any pointers would be great.
 
Scott

 

[wes008]

While the M50s and HFI580s are both solid cans, I would recommend the DT 990 Pros and the D2000s. The later two will get you more in the long run, especially amped (I know you said unamped, but they'll be fine out of your laptop and yes, you will wind up buying an amp later ). All are good choices though.

 

[supermanscott]

So both of those you recommend have bigger sound stage (is that the right term for the open in-the-head feel ?) than the Sennheiser you'd say ?
 
The DT990 are pretty much half the price of the Denon, so would you say the Denons are worth double the money ?
 
Thanks for the advice.

 

[adrianpkms]

There are much more things you can do to d2000 than to dt990 pro when your ears feel they deserve more, like getting an amp or moding it.

 

[supermanscott]

Given that I'm never going to be doing any modding, and the dt990 + amp are about the same as the d2000, would you still go d2000 initially ?

 

[adrianpkms]

If you never have an amp before, it is nice to try getting one. Because when you decide to get other headphones in the future, they are likely need one to work well. Although d2000 has only 25 ohms, this doesnt mean that it does not need an amp. So, if this is me, I would get 990 pro and an amp instead of d2000 since d2000 cost much more.

 

[supermanscott]

Thanks for the advice.
 
Have you heard both the 990 and 2000 ?  Comparable soundstage, better than the HD25 ?

 

[wes008]

Adrian's plan is sound, man. Getting the 990 Pros and an amp will give you great quality out of the gate, and having an amp on hand will be good for upgrading either headphones or amp later on. Enjoy

 

[supermanscott]

Will the 990 be ok in my normal place of work where I wont be able use the amp though ?

 

[wes008]

They'll be a little quiet and perhaps not as crisp, but still enjoyable. I'm assuming most of your pleasure-listening will be done at home though, so that's a good place for the amp.

 

[Bill-P]

If you don't want your missus to chew your head off, absolutely avoid the D2000 and DT990 like the plague because they leak a lot of sound compared to the other headphones you listed. Especially DT990 Pro. Everyone else will literally hear what you are listening to... from more than 12 feet away. They leak that much.
 
Plus both the DT990 and D2000 sound "weak" without an amp. It's not "crispness" that you are losing out on. You are losing bass impact, bass body, midrange detail, and midrange body.
 
I'd recommend that you look more at the M50 as the Ultrasone H-Fi 580 is an acquired taste. It may sound "odd", "off", or "fake" depending on the track. Between the two of them, I think the M50 is more balanced and is generally quite good for most music.
 
Or alternatively, I'd suggest that you also give the M-Audio Q40 or Brainwavz HM5 (harder to obtain last I checked) a chance. I think those 2 headphones are also quite good.

 

[Eargasmo]

Quote:

If you don't want your missus to chew your head off, absolutely avoid the D2000 and DT990 like the plague because they leak a lot of sound compared to the other headphones you listed. Especially DT990 Pro. Everyone else will literally hear what you are listening to... from more than 12 feet away. They leak that much.
 
Plus both the DT990 and D2000 sound "weak" without an amp. It's not "crispness" that you are losing out on. You are losing bass impact, bass body, midrange detail, and midrange body.
 
I'd recommend that you look more at the M50 as the Ultrasone H-Fi 580 is an acquired taste. It may sound "odd", "off", or "fake" depending on the track. Between the two of them, I think the M50 is more balanced and is generally quite good for most music.
 
Or alternatively, I'd suggest that you also give the M-Audio Q40 or Brainwavz HM5 (harder to obtain last I checked) a chance. I think those 2 headphones are also quite good.

Exactly what Bill-P said.  without amp, the DT990s will sound overly crisp without any low-end.  They will sound "hollow".  The DT990s especially needs an amp to bring the thunder.  It is always the bass that suffers from low power.
 
In addition, in a normal work place, you will not want to use DT990s or the Denon 2000s because they leak.  The advantage is if someone calls out your name, you will be able to hear them.  But others may complain about hearing your leaking cans.

 

[supermanscott]

Rats, thanks guys.  That confirms what I read last night about the 990, I feared they'd leak a lot of sound.
I was hoping the D2000 wouldn't as they were closed.
I'm at the point where I'm starting to accept a headphone amp will be necessary and will have to look for a small one without a USB port.
 
Bill - I'll take a look into those others.  Thanks for the advice mate.

 

[Eargasmo]

yeah, the DT990s leak a lot.  Not as much as some open cans, but a lot.
 
Well I'm an advocate of amps regardless of the ohm rating of your cans.  But there are still some cans that are worth considering that seal.  I personally have the AKG K550 with a 32ohm rating.  And they driver beautifully off my Cowon Plenue Z2 sans amp.  And wow do they ever seal.  They would be great in an office environment.  But people will have to tap you on the shoulder to get your attention, even at lower volumes.  And they are right in your budget range ~$300.  Some mild fluctuations on Amazon.  I've seen them dip down to the 280 range.

 

[supermanscott]

How is the bass on the K550 ?  Comparable ?