I need some headphones
Nov 9, 2008 at 9:41 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 33
gitarmunky

gitarmunky

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I've decided to splurge on headphones (splurge by my layman definition, not the audiophile definition), so I need some help deciding which ones to get.

I intend to use them for music. I've got a limit at $150 and I intend to wear them mostly at home. I also want one that has a circum-aural design cause I find those more comfortable. Can anybody point me to a few good models?

Thanks in advance.
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 10:09 AM Post #2 of 33
welcome to head-fi!

hmmm, at ~$150 you've got quite a lot of options available

first a few questions, what kind of music do you listen to? what do you use to listen to music? (CD player, portable device, computer, integrated amplifier, etc, and tell us which model of device you're using (for example: I use a computer with an X-Fi Prelude or a Yamaha CDV-W901))

do you need any isolation? (i.e: are the headphones going to be competing with external noises (people talking, animals, children, lots of noise in general, etc))


just to throw some things out there for you to go listen to, regardless of what you answer above (we'll narrow the list when you answer the above):

Sennheiser HD-555
Sennheiser HD-280Pro
Grado SR-125
Grado SR-60/80 (the 125 will do everything either of these can do, just "better", and all three fit your budget, so thats why I'm kind of weary to suggest these two)
JVC HA-RX700
JVC HA-RX900
M-Audio Studiophile Q40
Denon AH-D1000
Denon AH-D1001


now, you should go and listen to as many of these as you can, or any other options you find in the budget (yes, if that means you go and listen to Bose TriPorts (yes people in these parts really dislike bose) and end up loving them over anything else I've listed, that they win, however don't make them the only thing you listen to (at least get 2 or 3 pairs auditioned so you can make a decent decision))

of the above, I would probably move the SR-125, Q40, and HD-280Pro to the top of my list, in your price range, however thats because they tend to suit me quite nicely (realize, thats my personal taste, not an absolute fact)
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 10:39 AM Post #3 of 33
Haha thank you!

Where I live the stores don't have a good selection of high-quality headphones, so I have to order them to relatives in the US, and then get them during a visit. Due to this I can't test many headphones out, so I have to rely on what other people say.

I intend to listen through my laptop, and my mp3 player (right now I have an iPod but I'm thinking of getting a Zune soon, if it makes a difference).

I don't really need isolation.
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 11:31 AM Post #4 of 33
ok, what genres of music, and what are you driving out from the laptop with? (just from the headphone jack, or do you have (or intend to purchase) some sort of USB D/A or something along those lines)

honestly I'd look at the Q40's or SR-125's given that neither is terribly hard to drive, the HD 280's will be cold and "weird" without an amp (I dont know how to describe it really, I just know that listening to some of my music on HD 280's without an amp makes me not to want to listen to them anymore)

the JVC's would also be a decent look (you can also buy both of them and still have ~$60 left over, haha)
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 12:24 PM Post #5 of 33
I'd be driving whatever I get directly from my laptop. I intend to listen to a wide variety of music, from metal to jazz.

And from those two that you recommended which one is more comfortable? I've read that grados get uncomfortable cause they're supra-aural.
 
Nov 10, 2008 at 1:31 AM Post #12 of 33
I'm in a situation almost identical to yours, and I ended up deciding for the Denon D1001 (my thread is here).
I still don't have them (the guy who's gonna bring them from the US to me is really taking his time
tongue.gif
), but from all I've searched about them (and that is a lot by now), they're supposed to sound great and balanced.

They don't isolate absolutely nothing for a closed phone though.

And some people say their cable is bad (in the sense it's very thin and has a bad OFC grade thus limiting the drivers capacity a bit), and there's a thread showing how to replace them.

Despite that, they're considered great at their price range, and very easy to drive (you can use straight out from an iPod with no problems. Still, it can benefit from an amp).

Oh and people say they're veeeery comfy, one of the best ever in this aspect. I couldn't find a single person who said otherwise (and this is saying something here at Head-Fi
icon10.gif
).

Lastly, Denon D1000 and D1001 are almost the same thing, only D1000 doesn't come with the carrying pouch and extension cable.

Their MSRP is $149, but street prices go as low as $80.
 
Nov 10, 2008 at 1:43 AM Post #13 of 33
Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitor Machado /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I still don't have them (the guy who's gonna bring them from the US to me is really taking his time
tongue.gif
),


Check customs.
 
Nov 10, 2008 at 1:53 AM Post #14 of 33
Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Check customs.


He's not gonna send it, he's gonna bring it with him.
wink_face.gif
 
Nov 10, 2008 at 3:11 AM Post #15 of 33
before just forcing SR-80's on him....lol

my honest suggestion would be away from Grado's, unless you can audition them, mostly due to the comfort aspect (ntm the sound is honestly not for everyone, people who like it will suggest it endlessly, people who hate it, well, hate it, I'm really in-between on it, I have my little SR-60's and listen to them from time to time, but always end up back with the HD 580's or D2000's eventually)

I would go with the D1000/D1001, or Q40's, without being able to audition, if I had to make the call based on having heard both of them, memory is telling me Q40's win it out over the D1k's, although the D1k's are also very good headphones (they're both quite versatile tbh)
 
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