[luckybaer]

OK. Here's what I currently have and what I use them for:

DT 770/80 Pro - Used to listen to my iPod when I'm walking around the house doing stuff. Also used to play Battlefield 2 and watch DVDs on my PC. Sometimes I listen to music out of my PC on these things.

Shure E4c - I use these when I'm walking around in public or when I'm listening to music in my bed or when I'm lying down. Mostly when I'm lying down or trying to fall asleep in my bed. They are so isolating, that sometimes I feel "vulnerable" in public. I do use them at my son's baseball practice, though. I don't think baseball moms and dads out in West St. Louis County will try to mug me.

Koss KSC-75 - I use these when I'm listening at work or whenever I don't want to have the isolation that the Shures provide.

I really like all three headphones - they're really awesome in the roles that I've got them in. I'd really like one more set of cans that will kinda be the ones that I use with a portable amp and my iPod when I'm at my house. Right now, that would probably fall to the DT 770 unless I was lying down, but I'm lazy, and I want to keep that one plugged into the PC for movies and gaming and music.

So, what set of cans will be a step up from the DT 770? I want to keep all of the things I love about the DT 770 - bass, soundstage, comfort, durability - and find something that improves on the "weaknesses" - maybe better quality mids, tighter, yet still upfront bass, something that LOOKS a little less "1970s." LOL.

Any ideas? I don't mind spending up to $400.

I've got an unusual sense of brand loyalty - I really like the DT 770s, so if something from Beyer would fit my needs, I'd likely go there. I'm not so set in my ways that I wouldn't try anything else, but I would PROBABLY have reservations. LOL. I'm such an old fart for someone that hasn't reached 40 yet...

Also, I will be buying an amp (like a Headroom Micro, or something along those lines), so if the phone will improve a lot with the amp, that's cool. Preferably, I'd still like something that is serviceable WITHOUT an amp - meaning it still sounds good, but it really, REALLY gets better with an amp.

 

[sgrossklass]

Well, you may want to try the current revised 'model 2006' DT990s (dunno if anyone here has actually heard them at all and if so, whether they are any different from the old ones given their much higher price tag), but the usual suspects given your budget would be, say, HD650 or K701 and such.

 

[jagorev]

I don't think you can go wrong with the HD650 out of the Headroom Micro. It has great bass and comfort, and should be a significant improvement in mids and soundstage. It's open, but that shouldn't be a problem for home use.

 

[luckybaer]

I read the description of the K701 on Headroom, and it sounds like something I'd definitely be interested in. I will search here to see what else I can learn.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Yup yup, I spent about two-three months wondering what heaphones I should buy, and eventually went with the AKG K701 because it's supposedly the most 'neutral' can of them all, while sounding good

Also, my parents won't get too mad at me for buying them after I show it to them, because they always said they needed another toilet in the house

I kid, I kid...

 

[Alex M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer Any ideas? I don't mind spending up to $400. Also, I will be buying an amp (like a Headroom Micro, or something along those lines), so if the phone will improve a lot with the amp, that's cool. Preferably, I'd still like something that is serviceable WITHOUT an amp - meaning it still sounds good, but it really, REALLY gets better with an amp.

I think you may want to check out Sennheiser HD650, Sony SA5000, and AKG K701 in addition to new Beyer models. You may find that variety feels better than brand loyalty.

And even if you do not, you would get a better appreciation of your current favorite brand.

 

[luckybaer]

I wish there were somewhere I could demo these darn things!

 

[luckybaer]

LOL. I e-mailed Ray Samuels with a bunch of totally n00bish questions regarding the Hornet amp. I think all my questions will be answered satisfactorily and that I'll spring for the Hornet within the next couple of weeks.

So, I've heard that HD650, AKG K701, and SA5000 are phones I should be looking at. I'd like to know if there are other candidates, and I also wanted to list types of music that I listen to:

Alternative Stuff: Weezer, Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fighters, NIN, RHCP, etc.
Rock/Classic Rock Stuff: Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Steve Miller Band, Def Leppard, GnR, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rush, etc.
Dance Stuff: Earth, Wind, and Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, Gap Band, etc.
Hip-Hop Stuff: Ice-T, Public Enemy, Run-DMC
Pop and Softer Stuff: Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, REM, B-52s, Talking Heads, Squeeze, English Beat, General Public, Abba (!), etc.
Easy Listening Stuff: Sinatra, Patsy Cline, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, etc.

My sources will be an iPod Nano, Audigy2 ZS, or X-Fi Xtreme Music.

With that additional information (source, potential amp, musical genres), any decent cans out there that fit my tastes and my set-up?

I'd really like to hear the impressions you guys have of some nice cans that you've used with similar set-ups and with similar music. Of course, in the end, I'll synthesize all the available info and hopefully make a good choice! But if I don't, or curiosity continues to consume me, I can always make more purchases, right?

 

[Meyvn]

With all that rock, you should DEFINITELY at least try a pair of Grados. Maybe since you're used to the Beyerdynamic comfort, you could get ones with Headphile pads. The MS-2i and the SR-325i are right in your price range. However, I listen to a lot of the kinds of music you do, and I'll say despite what everyone else says about them being bad for rock, and more of an "all-around phone," I LOVE my K701s with it.

 

[luckybaer]

I wish I had DarkNinja's bottomless pit wallet!!!

I am really curious about the Grados. Maybe I "need" to get a pair of Grados and another "more well-rounded" can. ****... my bank account shrinks by the minute.

But you know what? For me, the $$ spent is worth it. Getting back into music after a long absence has really made me happier as I go about my daily tasks. Before, I'd have to lug around a bunch of cassette tapes for a walkman or a bunch of CDs for a discman (or whatever). Now, I carry my iPod Nano and a set of KSC-75s to work! Not a load at all!

Since listening to my tunes makes me enjoy life so much more, I don't mind spending some jack to increase or vary my enjoyment!

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer I wish I had DarkNinja's bottomless pit wallet!!!

Be careful what you wish for. Bottomless as in the money falling through it, not as an endless supply of cash. I find myself staring at a headphone induced diet.

How about some Sony SA5000s? They may be my next set of cans.

 

[BRBJackson]

Another vote for Grados, given your music mix and current headphone inventory. Of the readily available models, the SR-225's are often noted as the 'sweet spot' in the Grado line. As a bonus, you can significantly alter the way they sound simply by changing earpads (bowls, flats, Senn 414's, Headphile C-Pads).

 

[luckybaer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkninja67 Be careful what you wish for. Bottomless as in the money falling through it, not as an endless supply of cash. I find myself staring at a headphone induced diet.

Holy cow! That's not what I want!!

This is horrible! I'm already going to paypal some $$ over to Ray Samuels to get a Hornet...

Hopefully that will keep me happy for a while... like a couple of months.

Then, I'll start looking at the Grado and DT 880 acquisition... Sigh...

 

[Mercuttio]

Beware of SA5000 dissapointment at first. When I first heard them (and I'm not alone in this) I hated the sound. I warmed up to them QUITE a bit recently, but they can be kinda strange sounding the first time you hear them.

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio Beware of SA5000 dissapointment at first. When I first heard them (and I'm not alone in this) I hated the sound. I warmed up to them QUITE a bit recently, but they can be kinda strange sounding the first time you hear them.

Your thread made me place the Sony at the top of my "Must Have" List.