[Pogouldiwitz]

Hi everybody,

I am not an expert, or for that matter an experienced novice, in the technical matters of headphones. I'm looking to get a good pair of headphones for listening at home. I primarily listen to classical music, chamber/solo is what I listen to a lot but I do listen to a fair share of orchestral music as well. My budget is 100ish, though I'm willing to go closer to 200 if you fine people reach a consensus that something at that price point provides a significantly better listening experience than headphones at the 100ish level. In regards to what I appreciate in sound, I'd say tonal clarity is most important. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Sincerely,

Pogouldiwitz

 

[Dutchess of York]

Sounds like you'd be interested in some HD580s, they are a discontinued model, and can be found for about 170$. Though ive never heard them, i think they (like most sennheisers) shine with classical. I also remember hearing they sound OK without an amplifier.

also, welcome to headfi, sorry about your wallet

 

[Pogouldiwitz]

My wallet? Good one. I'm still a student.

 

[Dutchess of York]

so am i, hasn't stopped me from getting hooked, 'sorry about your wallet' is sort of our disclaimer, welcome to the club

 

[fuzydice]

The Sennheiser HD580 needs some sort of amp which you probably don't have (unless you're going to use a decent receiver?).

Probably looking at some sort of Audio Technica AD series: the AD500 (<$100) or possibly the AD700 (~$125 last I checked). Maybe some Equation Audio, or the sony v6 / 7506.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Yeah, I'm a student too; I'm a headphone addcit too. We always welcome new members with:

Welcome to head-Fi, sorry about the wallet!

Now that the welcome has been extended to you, don't say we didn't warn you...

You might want to cheack out the AKG K701 too maybe? Im not too sure about its price, but IIRC, they are slightly more than 200... I could be wrong though...

 

[Pogouldiwitz]

Ahh, ok. Sorry, I tend to take myself WAAAAAAAAAYYYYY too seriously.

 

[Pogouldiwitz]

btw, would it make sense to spend 200 altogether on a headphone/bithead combo and then upgrade to a better headphone in the future? If so, what's the optimal combo at this juncture. Btw, I am currently using a run of the mill Sony Discman I bought for like 50 bucks a little while ago.

 

[ericj]

consensus? here? it would be a first.

 

[Pogouldiwitz]

Any more ideas? I sense Grado isn't a good choice.

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif consensus? here? it would be a first.

According to my rather battered copy of the Uxbridge English Dictionary.

Consensus: Brit Colloq. A record of the population of a prison or jail.

 

[Dorito123]

I would say try looking at something like the AKG 601.

 

[crewchief]

I'll throw in a vote for the HD580. It isn't exactly horrid unamped it actually sounds pretty good. Then you can upgrade your source and amping later and be wow'd. As they say the 580's really "step" well, as in they get better and better the more your setup goes up the ladder.

 

[daveDerek]

580s are good, but an amp would be helpful with 'em. another phone that might be very pleasing too you, and within your budget, is the akg k501. the 701 is a great can but will be a budget breaker, especially with a requisite amp. both cans i'd guess will run ~$120ish give or take. the 580s seem to have actually gone up a bit lately. a couple of underappreciated amps around here should be worth considering with either. an older headroom amp such as a supreme is capable of driving either can decently, as well as some of the creek amps.

 

[Dutchess of York]

Grados are great, but maybe not for your genre, AKG in general have a good reputation with classical also