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Ok...I'm a wannabee "audiophile"

and have some money to spend, but I'm soooo confused where to put my money on the best headphones money can buy for under $300.

My Music of Choice
Hip-Hop (i.e. Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, Dilated Peoples, Game, Jay-Z, etc.)
Some Electronica
Jazz (mostly the old stuff - John Coltrane, Ahmad Jamal, Miles Davis, etc)
Classical
Older/Contemporary R&B and Soul stuff (i.e. Christina Aguilera, Etta James, Whitney Houston, John Legend, etc)

I love bass and I want to feel my music...And really, when I put on my headphones, I want to feel like I'm in the FRONT ROW!

I've found numerous recommendations for the Denon ah-d2000, akg 701/2, and a few others...Anymore others to consider? Should I up my limit of 300 to get something better?

Honestly, I'm leaning more toward the Denons, but I'm not entirely sold on them.

Also, what should I be looking at when evaluating headphones? the frequency range?

Anyway, I'm anticipating your recommendations...Thanks to those that answer.

Note: I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD201...They're ok for the price, but I'm looking for GENUINE sound quality!

 

[roadcykler]

In my experience as a K701 owner, you'll hear the bass but you won't feel it with these headphones. That's the way I prefer it so they are great for me. From what I've read, and to me, the bass won't be thumpin.

 

[iHelp]

Up front... so little soundstage.

Maybe a Grado. The D2000 has great bass as well.

 

[socalguy124]

if you want to feel as if you're in the front row, i'm guessing you want closed cans? those are definitely suited for isolation.

 

[Graphicism]

Ultrasone HFI-780 and a desktop amp will put your right up there with the artist, nothing comes close under $300 IMO.

 

[stang]

Front row=small soundstage

Grado's are those

 

[tintin47]

Grados.

 

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Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Front row=small soundstage Grado's are those

lol like i said, im a 'wannabee'. thanks for correcting my words. that'll help when i search for threads.

So does Grado have some bass in them (besides soundstage attributes)? Specifically, which models should I consider?

 

[Sophonax]

Agreed on the K701/702 -- if you're a bass-lover, you probably won't be very satisfied with these headphones.

The first headphones that come to mind when you mention "up-front" are Grados. For $300 you can get a pair of 325is (or Headroom actually had a pair of B-stock RS2i for $300 last I checked). In general, the bass on the Grado headphones is reasonably strong and has a lot of impact, but in my opinion it doesn't quite extend into the lowest frequencies.

The Denon AH-D2000 are great headphones for the money, with very strong and well-extended bass. However, I didn't find these to be the most "up-front" headphones...I thought the soundstage was actually somewhat wide for closed headphones.

I would say that the Ultrasone HFi 780s are a compromise between the Grados and the Denons...they are more "up-front" than the Denons, and the bass extends into the lower frequencies a little better than the Grados.

Also, if comfort is an issue for you, I would rate them as follows:
Denon > Ultrasone > Grado

 

[stang]

Well my HF-2 surely do. I used to own the SR-225 and found that there was not enough bass to suit my needs. I did the basshead mod (putting black electrical tape around bowls) and found that the bass was improved, but I was still looking for more impact. I have not tried any other Grado's, so I cannot comment on the bass. Classical NEEDS a pair of headphones with a wide soundstage. Hip hop, R&B and Electronica need a pair of cans with a lot of bass. I would be looking at Ultrasone or Denon. You will lose that front row effect though. I think asking to be in the front row is a bit silly with those genre's. Do you know what being in the front row with headphones is like? You will not be able to hear all the instruments and what is going on all that well. Picking out different instruments is going to be very difficult. Also to the people that have recommended the K701, that is the WORST recommendation you could possible make. It has very little bass, terrible for R&B, hip hop etc. It NEEDS a great source and good amp like the Heed Canamp. It also has a huge soundstage, putting you in the back row, not the front.

 

[ampedup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well my HF-2 surely do. I used to own the SR-225 and found that there was not enough bass to suit my needs. I did the basshead mod (putting black electrical tape around bowls) and found that the bass was improved, but I was still looking for more impact. I have not tried any other Grado's, so I cannot comment on the bass. Classical NEEDS a pair of headphones with a wide soundstage. Hip hop, R&B and Electronica need a pair of cans with a lot of bass. I would be looking at Ultrasone or Denon. You will lose that front row effect though. I think asking to be in the front row is a bit silly with those genre's. Do you know what being in the front row with headphones is like? You will not be able to hear all the instruments and what is going on all that well. Picking out different instruments is going to be very difficult. Also to the people that have recommended the K701, that is the WORST recommendation you could possible make. It has very little bass, terrible for R&B, hip hop etc. It NEEDS a great source and good amp like the Heed Canamp. It also has a huge soundstage, putting you in the back row, not the front.

Good point. Yeah, I guess soundstage shouldn't be a priority.

So for example, music by Whitney Houston (who has a wide vocal range)...does it matter which headphones I get?

are you saying soundstage is pretty much for instruments and not vocals?

 

[dongringo]

I never knew Grados had such an awe inspiring bass until I installed the foobar DSP plugins DTS Encoder, Channel Mixer (5.1 surround setup with subwoofer enabled, bass redirection at 70), and Dolby Headphone (in that order). Now when I want bass I go for my RS1i instead of the D5000. There's bass, then there's bass guitar that sounds like a bass guitar, big difference.

 

[stang]

Well I am not sure if this should even be said. But I guess you can say a Grado is like listening to a Stereo system and an AKG K701 a Surround sound system. Vocals aren't affected much, they just seem to be more laid back, as you can hear the instruments more clearly.

 

[acid604]

I'd like to add that it depends also on what the source of the music is.
You may want to consider budgeting wisely to get a good setup rather than just a great headphone and not have enough juice from your source to reveal their full potential.

 

[ampedup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I am not sure if this should even be said. But I guess you can say a Grado is like listening to a Stereo system and an AKG K701 a Surround sound system. Vocals aren't affected much, they just seem to be more laid back, as you can hear the instruments more clearly.

Hmmm...ok.

Sorry for bombarding you with questions

I mean, when I mentioned "I love bass," I forgot to mention the fact that I want it to be more REALSTIC than exaggerated (i.e. Xtra Bass stuff). When I'm listening to my music, the bass is always missing...and I always identify with bass as an element for "feeling" a song. However, I'd like a balance between soundstage and bass...and from what I've read in this thread so far, the Ultrasonic is probably the best of both worlds. I mean, could I get by with a Denon with my preferences (or does it matter)? - might be a stupid question to ask 'audiophiles' someone can shed some light on this..