[rodman]

hey guys,

ive been browsing headfi for, wow probably a year now. and guess wat? i havent shelled out a cent! well thats if u dont count the mylarone x3 i bought my gf (which i dont coz theyre not for my ears!). the truth is i dont listen to much music on headphones. i mostly cycle or drive so headphones arent really suitable. i also live in australia which makes it an expensive habit. but im just itching to buy a pair, coz they are just such pretty things and i wanna experience the difference of great sounding phones.

ill be going to hong kong and japan soon and i thought this would be the opportunity to start my account. im looking for something under $100. im not looking to spend my budget because of the limited use, but im open to it if the difference is mind blowing. so im looking for something with good bang for buck. i listen predominantly to jazz, eg lee morgan, keith jarrett, ella fitzgerald, pat metheny, a bit of every jazz genre.

ive considered three types: iem, noise cancelling and closed headphones. iem and noise cancelling seem to be cheaper online so im concentrating on closed headphones. im looking for sound obviously, comfort, build, looks and isolation.

stuff thatve interested me so far in my search are:

panasonic htx7
ath es7
denon d1000

any other recommendations? id be interested in something japanese and little heard of outside of japan. any pointers to where to get them would also be appreciated. thanks for listening to my long drawn story!

 

[spronkey]

Do these need to be portable?

AKG K81DJs get a good rap but I'm not so sure on them + jazz.

There's always the Senn 280 Pro, but they aren't *particularly* comfortable to some, and can sound a little cold.

 

[obobskivich]

senn 280 sounds very sterile to me, and i hate wearing them, but the sound isn't what i'd call "bad" (i dont like the sennheiser/akg sound that much to begin with though, i.e: the Hd-595's sound flat and washed out to me, i prefer grado/denon etc)) but my buddy loves his 280's to death

AKG's K141's aren't bad, open though, and not what i'd call comfy

Grado SR-80's and SR-125's are a good choice, same for Denon AH-D1000 and 1001

Audio-Technica ATH-A500 are a favorite among a lot of people i know (for gaming/movies)

M-Audio's Studiophile Q40 (ok hold on before you get the tar and feathers) are not a particularly bad sounding headphone, if you have a small-ish head, and can get them under list (list is like $179.95, which is totally over the top for those, ~$120 and i'd say they're amazing (imagine Hd 280's with a little less OOMPH and a bit warmer, more forward sound, the only downside is they aren't what i'd call super comfy (i'm comparing comfy relative to Denon/Sennheiser))

so yeah, my suggestions would probably be:

AKG K141
M-Audio Q40
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Sennheiser HD 505 (worth a look)
Denon AH-D1000/1

 

[rodman]

yes i stumbled on both. k81dj did seem to get a mixed reception especially with its suitability to jazz. but hd280 i would consider! i must admit that the htx7 look a lot purdier!

 

[rodman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif senn 280 sounds very sterile to me, and i hate wearing them, but the sound isn't what i'd call "bad" (i dont like the sennheiser/akg sound that much to begin with though, i.e: the Hd-595's sound flat and washed out to me, i prefer grado/denon etc)) but my buddy loves his 280's to death AKG's K141's aren't bad, open though, and not what i'd call comfy Grado SR-80's and SR-125's are a good choice, same for Denon AH-D1000 and 1001 Audio-Technica ATH-A500 are a favorite among a lot of people i know (for gaming/movies) M-Audio's Studiophile Q40 (ok hold on before you get the tar and feathers) are not a particularly bad sounding headphone, if you have a small-ish head, and can get them under list (list is like $179.95, which is totally over the top for those, ~$120 and i'd say they're amazing (imagine Hd 280's with a little less OOMPH and a bit warmer, more forward sound, the only downside is they aren't what i'd call super comfy (i'm comparing comfy relative to Denon/Sennheiser)) so yeah, my suggestions would probably be: AKG K141 M-Audio Q40 Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Sennheiser HD 505 (worth a look) Denon AH-D1000/1

it seems grados hav also been questioned for their suitability to jazz so ive been doubtful about them. but ur missing the point! aim low! aim low! im looking for gems along the vein of ksc75

 

[obobskivich]

make sure you audition these in person, especially those HD-280's, my buddy things they're as comfortable as a glove, i think its like having a brick strapped to my ear, the sound vs my D2000's (realize he hasn't burned them all that much (maybe 20 hours)) is VERY straight and VERY cold, i dont have the D1000's to compare with, but from what i've heard the 1000's aren't miles distant from the 2000 (they're another animal, but they're still somewhat related, so i'm guessing a relationship kind of like SR-80 to SR-325, similar dynamics and presentation, just not quite "there")

and idk about panasonic headphones, honestly i've never demo'd or had panasonic phones, and never heard anything about them before your mention of them, i'd demo them out before signing up for them lol

and check those Q40's out if you've got a small ish head, and if you can find them local for ~$100-$120 US

edit::
Quote:

Originally Posted by rodman it seems grados hav also been questioned for their suitability to jazz so ive been doubtful about them. but ur missing the point! aim low! aim low! im looking for gems along the vein of ksc75

lol when you say $100 i'm thinking $75-$125 to be quite honest, and i'm looking at nothing but sound quality, if you're still buying just for looks or "whip appeal" dont even worry about the soundstage, just go down to circuit city/futureshop/etc and grab whatever looks neat on the shelf

as far as grados and jazz, i didn't particularly dislike the SR-325i's but i prefer the isolation + sound of closed cans, all i can really tell you is to go audition these, bring along what you listen to, and try it out with SR-60's, SR-80's, SR-125's, Q40's, K141's, K81DJ's, D1000's, etc

 

[bjarnetv]

i personally like the htx7 a lot, and they are very comfortable; the only problem is that the highs can be a bit harsh.
i cant remember how they did with jazz, and i havent got them with me right now to try it out; but for $40 its a steal.
the biggest question is; do you want a closed or open phone?

 

[rodman]

thanks for your suggestions! im looking for a good sound, thats why im asking on headfi. i just wont pick one i think is ugly unless the sound is well above anything else in the price range

 

[rodman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjarnetv /img/forum/go_quote.gif i personally like the htx7 a lot, and they are very comfortable; the only problem is that the highs can be a bit harsh. i cant remember how they did with jazz, and i havent got them with me right now to try it out; but for $40 its a steal. the biggest question is; do you want a closed or open phone?

im looking for a closed phone that will hopefully give a bit of isolation. $40 for great looking phones that sound good and are comfortable is indeed tempting!

 

[crimzin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodman /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for your suggestions! im looking for a good sound, thats why im asking on headfi. i just wont pick one i think is ugly unless the sound is well above anything else in the price range

if you want something that looks nice and is noise canceling go for the PXC250

they have pretty nice sound quality. With noise canceling turned on, they sound very natural. I can only compare them to the KSC75 from koss, which are EXCELLENT open headphones (if u wanted to go for open headphones, i'd recommend them - they're great!).

The sound quality difference between pxc250 and the KSC75(which is MUCH cheaper) is that the sennheisers pxc250 have a more balanced sound, they don't exaggerate treble as much and they have nice tight bass. They are less 'in your face' than the KSC75s. The KSC75 have evident sibilance which mean that they have a slight hissing sound - it's hard to notice this but yeah I think they do have it. BUT! i think the KSC75 sound AMAZING for the price, they are a pleasure to listen to even with the slight sibilance.

anyways! if you can go for open phones, get the KSC75 from koss but if you need closed ones with noise cancelling, the PXC250 is a good choice.

 

[Agnostic]

ATH- ES7 Are great for jazz and even better for vocal jazz. They have slightly forward mids and a very pleasant warm textured sound. They make vocals sound very good. I would say they sound a bit tubey so if you like tube amps you will definitely like them.
AKG K81DJ doesn't even come close to the ATH-ES7 imo.
The Panas and Denon I haven't heard, but since I got the ATH-ES7 my upgraditis with regard to portable headphones has completely vanished.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

I have the ES7, and I've heard the K81DJ. All I can say is skip the K81DJ unless muddy crappy boomy bass is what you're after. It was horrible!
If you wanna know what the ES7 sounds like, its like a more refined version of the Crossroads X3i. Less bloated bass and more details in comparison. But same sound sig. Very fun. I LOVE my ES7.

 

[gritzcolin]

I did research on closed phones for my buddy and he ended up getting the ATH- ES7's it truly is a great sounding headphone and it looks awesome asthetically.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Yes the Es7 are awesome! They need a really long burn in time though, so some people never give them a chance and immediately say they are teh suck. If given the chance, they turn out to be very enjoyable indeed.

Agnostic and me are trying to find full sized equivalent... No luck so far.

 

[rodman]

es7 seems to hav a big fanbase on headfi, it definitely is an attractive option. are there any more "budget" options? around the $50 mark?