Looking at upgrading from el cheapos (finally) and need help.

[sml1226]

Quote:

Quote:

I'm looking for something to listen to with my iPod. I'm definitely getting an amp if I get any decent phones, almost definitely LOD as well. All of my music is either 320Kbps MP3 or in the process of being re-ripped/re-downloaded. Actually it's all being done as FLAC and then converted in iTunes until Apple supports FLAC or figures out a better compression of ALAC (my entire FLAC library doesn't take up nearly as much as what the ALAC one was starting to become).
 
Anyway, I'm not particularly good at differentiating between good and great (I can tell that the $300 phones destroy the $60 ones, but not the more subtle differences) but I can pick out bad fairly well. So I'm looking for something to get me to "good" phones.
 
I usually listen to anything from soft-rock through thrash metal. I'm currently using some slightly-above-garbage level closed back Sony's (I'll look up the model number later if anybody cares) but they are bass heavy for me. I am in no way a basshead. Some of my songs are just too bass heavy, I understand that, but I would still classify these phones as overly bassy, I have seen that as Sony's target audience lately, for it's mainstream stuff anyway.
 
So can anybody recommend any phones for me?
 
So far, I've looked (reviews, specs, photos, no listening yet) at AKG K240S and Sennheiser HD555 phones. As you can see I'm looking at semi-open and open circumaural phones. If anybody thinks I should go closed, or supra-aural with the stuff I've said, let me know, I'm just not sure where to start for this. Most of my stuff is relatively low-end (or really low mid-level) equipment, but I figure I'm better off starting my upgrades to higher-end equipment with phones rather than speakers as that gets a lot more expensive, a lot quicker.
 
Btw, I'm planning on building a CMoy regardless of where I go with the phones. (Any specific Op-Amp recommendations are welcome) and I'm at least going to be using my official Apple dock for home listening, but will likely have a LOD with the new phones.
 
If the two phones I've listed don't show it already, I'm looking for phones that don't run much higher than $100. The AKGs are actually sub-$80 from some places now, and the Senns are staying around $120 at a few places I've seen.

Based on your music preferences, strict 'just the recording, please' phones may bore you at first compared to some of the 'fun' cans - but I'd still recommend going that way.
 
I like the HD 650 with either E7/E9 or HRT MSII+/E9....
 
But then, I'm like a crazy Doctor whose prescription pad will only allow me to write 'HD 650' - so take it with a couple grains of NaCL.

HD650 is a little out of my price range... but I'm going to check out the HD 595 if possible when I go to look at the Grados. That's still out of the price range straight from Senn, but I've seen plenty more affordable prices floating around if I do like those.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I'm looking for something to listen to with my iPod. I'm definitely getting an amp if I get any decent phones, almost definitely LOD as well. All of my music is either 320Kbps MP3 or in the process of being re-ripped/re-downloaded. Actually it's all being done as FLAC and then converted in iTunes until Apple supports FLAC or figures out a better compression of ALAC (my entire FLAC library doesn't take up nearly as much as what the ALAC one was starting to become).
 
Anyway, I'm not particularly good at differentiating between good and great (I can tell that the $300 phones destroy the $60 ones, but not the more subtle differences) but I can pick out bad fairly well. So I'm looking for something to get me to "good" phones.
 
I usually listen to anything from soft-rock through thrash metal. I'm currently using some slightly-above-garbage level closed back Sony's (I'll look up the model number later if anybody cares) but they are bass heavy for me. I am in no way a basshead. Some of my songs are just too bass heavy, I understand that, but I would still classify these phones as overly bassy, I have seen that as Sony's target audience lately, for it's mainstream stuff anyway.
 
So can anybody recommend any phones for me?
 
So far, I've looked (reviews, specs, photos, no listening yet) at AKG K240S and Sennheiser HD555 phones. As you can see I'm looking at semi-open and open circumaural phones. If anybody thinks I should go closed, or supra-aural with the stuff I've said, let me know, I'm just not sure where to start for this. Most of my stuff is relatively low-end (or really low mid-level) equipment, but I figure I'm better off starting my upgrades to higher-end equipment with phones rather than speakers as that gets a lot more expensive, a lot quicker.
 
Btw, I'm planning on building a CMoy regardless of where I go with the phones. (Any specific Op-Amp recommendations are welcome) and I'm at least going to be using my official Apple dock for home listening, but will likely have a LOD with the new phones.
 
If the two phones I've listed don't show it already, I'm looking for phones that don't run much higher than $100. The AKGs are actually sub-$80 from some places now, and the Senns are staying around $120 at a few places I've seen.

Based on your music preferences, strict 'just the recording, please' phones may bore you at first compared to some of the 'fun' cans - but I'd still recommend going that way.
 
I like the HD 650 with either E7/E9 or HRT MSII+/E9....
 
But then, I'm like a crazy Doctor whose prescription pad will only allow me to write 'HD 650' - so take it with a couple grains of NaCL.

HD650 is a little out of my price range... but I'm going to check out the HD 595 if possible when I go to look at the Grados. That's still out of the price range straight from Senn, but I've seen plenty more affordable prices floating around if I do like those.

Look for used/burned-in or try eBay?

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Well since I can try the Senns and Grados at the same place, I'll check them out just to see how it is with my music. I'm disappointed that nobody carries AKG or AT around me to try those out though.
 
Btw, how's that Fiio E5? I'm thinking I might just do that for a portable amp if they are any good (Especially interested in how it helps the K240S you have). Otherwise it's a (much larger, non-rechargable, non-USB) CMoy setup for a portable amp.

I mentioned the K240S to be a great bang for the buck, that's AKG isn't it?
Rhythmdevils mentioned the M50's in post2, those are AT.
 
Nothing is holding you back to try those too. At the end, you have to chose for yourself and best thing is to let your ears decide in stead of us, if you have possibilities of trying different cans.
 
A cMoy's amping abilities are usually better than E5, although the FiiO is always a fantastic bang for the buck and is nice and small. K240S benefit.
 

By that I meant nobody around me carries AKG or AT to try. I'd have to buy it to test it. There's no try-before-you-buy option here for those brands. I'd have to order them from somewhere since the one place that sells nice stuff is mostly speakers with a small-ish selection of higher end headphones. That's all. Otherwise I'd go test out Grado, AKG, AT, Sennheiser, etc. to find out what I liked best. Right now, the only try-before-you-buy option for me is Grado and Sennheiser. But from what I'm hearing, AKG has the warmer sound I'm looking for so I might just go ahead and buy those if the Grados or Senns don't amaze me when I get to try those out.
 
That's the only reason for the Fiio for me, size and good bang-for-the-buck. I'd kinda like something small, but for nearly the same price and "usually better" performance I think I'll go ahead and build my cMoy anyway.

sorry, didn't read it correcly, my mistake.
 
I would get AKG 240S over Senns 595. 

 

[sml1226]

Gonna check out what I can, but I'm still thinking K240S. Cheapest HD 650 I can find is still $200+
 
I'm gonna order my cMoy parts and try taking that in with me to test out what I can.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Gonna check out what I can, but I'm still thinking K240S. Cheapest HD 650 I can find is still $200+
 
I'm gonna order my cMoy parts and try taking that in with me to test out what I can.

Oh, my bad...I didn't realize you were trying to get under $200.  I guess I recommend the HD 650s because they were my first and current 'revelatory' headphone that made me understand what the quest for better sound was all about.  It doesn't mean it's the only option out there, obviously.
 

 

[sml1226]

Quote:

Quote:

Gonna check out what I can, but I'm still thinking K240S. Cheapest HD 650 I can find is still $200+
 
I'm gonna order my cMoy parts and try taking that in with me to test out what I can.

Oh, my bad...I didn't realize you were trying to get under $200.  I guess I recommend the HD 650s because they were my first and current 'revelatory' headphone that made me understand what the quest for better sound was all about.  It doesn't mean it's the only option out there, obviously.
 

You're just trying to break me aren't you? 

 I'm not really looking for "amazing!" yet though, just considerably better than what I have. And from what I'm hearing about every singe set I'm looking at, they will blow these away, whether I like the sound of all of them even close to equally is another story, but I'm in desperate need of some clarity that I'm missing without going to my big old speakers.
 

 

[burnliff]

Gotta quickly mention something here. Your $30 Sony's may disappoint you, but don't let a low pricetag scare you away. The Koss KSC75 and PortaPro are cheap headphones, but their sound quality is astounding for the price. If you like the sound of these headphones, you'll experience severe diminishing returns even with the 'next step up' of value cans (SR60i, CAL, etc)
 

Quote:

Every head-fier should at least try something in the $15-30 range first. Diminishing return kicks in quickly, and everyone's hearing is different. You may decide that anything over $100 simply isn't worth it.
 
I'd recommend a pair of KSC75 or PortaPros first, then you can decide if you want to go higher.

My current Sony's are probably $30 phones and they're just not cutting it for me anymore. I can listen to them when I want better sound than my junk earbuds, but they usually get ignored because my speakers are somewhat better for at home listening than the Sony's. I'm definitely looking for more than what I have. And the $100 phones will probably be dragging me from my speakers a lot more often than the Sony's ever have. And like I said, I can tell a lot of the higher end phones sound  considerably better than my Sony's as it is.
 

 

[sml1226]

Quote:

Gotta quickly mention something here. Your $30 Sony's may disappoint you, but don't let a low pricetag scare you away. The Koss KSC75 and PortaPro are cheap headphones, but their sound quality is astounding for the price. If you like the sound of these headphones, you'll experience severe diminishing returns even with the 'next step up' of value cans (SR60i, CAL, etc)
 

Quote:

Every head-fier should at least try something in the $15-30 range first. Diminishing return kicks in quickly, and everyone's hearing is different. You may decide that anything over $100 simply isn't worth it.
 
I'd recommend a pair of KSC75 or PortaPros first, then you can decide if you want to go higher.

My current Sony's are probably $30 phones and they're just not cutting it for me anymore. I can listen to them when I want better sound than my junk earbuds, but they usually get ignored because my speakers are somewhat better for at home listening than the Sony's. I'm definitely looking for more than what I have. And the $100 phones will probably be dragging me from my speakers a lot more often than the Sony's ever have. And like I said, I can tell a lot of the higher end phones sound  considerably better than my Sony's as it is.
 

The only problem I have with the Koss phones is that I really want some "full-size" phones, and the on ear KSC75, and the goofy design of the PortaPro doesn't really appeal to me, even if the sound is better than mine, I can get better sound out of a can that actually meets that (slightly picky) criteria as well. The PortaPro may be worth trying, but I've never have had clip on phones that didn't fit badly and sound worse than they should.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Quote:

Gotta quickly mention something here. Your $30 Sony's may disappoint you, but don't let a low pricetag scare you away. The Koss KSC75 and PortaPro are cheap headphones, but their sound quality is astounding for the price. If you like the sound of these headphones, you'll experience severe diminishing returns even with the 'next step up' of value cans (SR60i, CAL, etc)
 

Quote:

Every head-fier should at least try something in the $15-30 range first. Diminishing return kicks in quickly, and everyone's hearing is different. You may decide that anything over $100 simply isn't worth it.
 
I'd recommend a pair of KSC75 or PortaPros first, then you can decide if you want to go higher.

My current Sony's are probably $30 phones and they're just not cutting it for me anymore. I can listen to them when I want better sound than my junk earbuds, but they usually get ignored because my speakers are somewhat better for at home listening than the Sony's. I'm definitely looking for more than what I have. And the $100 phones will probably be dragging me from my speakers a lot more often than the Sony's ever have. And like I said, I can tell a lot of the higher end phones sound  considerably better than my Sony's as it is.
 

The only problem I have with the Koss phones is that I really want some "full-size" phones, and the on ear KSC75, and the goofy design of the PortaPro doesn't really appeal to me, even if the sound is better than mine, I can get better sound out of a can that actually meets that (slightly picky) criteria as well. The PortaPro may be worth trying, but I've never have had clip on phones that didn't fit badly and sound worse than they should.

Clip ons?
 
Are we talking about PortaPros?
 

 

 

[sml1226]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Gotta quickly mention something here. Your $30 Sony's may disappoint you, but don't let a low pricetag scare you away. The Koss KSC75 and PortaPro are cheap headphones, but their sound quality is astounding for the price. If you like the sound of these headphones, you'll experience severe diminishing returns even with the 'next step up' of value cans (SR60i, CAL, etc)
 

Quote:

Every head-fier should at least try something in the $15-30 range first. Diminishing return kicks in quickly, and everyone's hearing is different. You may decide that anything over $100 simply isn't worth it.
 
I'd recommend a pair of KSC75 or PortaPros first, then you can decide if you want to go higher.

My current Sony's are probably $30 phones and they're just not cutting it for me anymore. I can listen to them when I want better sound than my junk earbuds, but they usually get ignored because my speakers are somewhat better for at home listening than the Sony's. I'm definitely looking for more than what I have. And the $100 phones will probably be dragging me from my speakers a lot more often than the Sony's ever have. And like I said, I can tell a lot of the higher end phones sound  considerably better than my Sony's as it is.
 

The only problem I have with the Koss phones is that I really want some "full-size" phones, and the on ear KSC75, and the goofy design of the PortaPro doesn't really appeal to me, even if the sound is better than mine, I can get better sound out of a can that actually meets that (slightly picky) criteria as well. The PortaPro may be worth trying, but I've never have had clip on phones that didn't fit badly and sound worse than they should.

Clip ons?
 
Are we talking about PortaPros?
 

 

No, I know those are the PortaPros, I meant the KSC75

I can deal with the PortaPros style, but the clip-on on-ear thing the KSC75 is doing is like some older ones I had and they never did fit right.

 

[burnliff]

The clip on the KSC75 is just a thin wire wrapped in some softer plastic, easily bent to suit your ear. I used to have a similar looking cheapo Phillips pair of clip-ons that never made good contact with my ear and couldn't be adjusted, the KSC75 isn't like most other clip-ons. I was just throwing the possibility out there, anyway. I also succumbed to the draw of full size cans! Hope you enjoy whatever product you end up going with.

 

[sml1226]

Quote:

The clip on the KSC75 is just a thin wire wrapped in some softer plastic, easily bent to suit your ear. I used to have a similar looking cheapo Phillips pair of clip-ons that never made good contact with my ear and couldn't be adjusted, the KSC75 isn't like most other clip-ons. I was just throwing the possibility out there, anyway. I also succumbed to the draw of full size cans! Hope you enjoy whatever product you end up going with.

So you do know what I'm going through! Good. I'm finally going to be able to test out some Grados and Senns tomorrow. Lets see if I like that Grado sound thats supposedly great for metal.
 
Gotta load some FLAC on that Jailbroken iPod and head out.

 

[dweaver]

A nice semi open headphone is the Superlux HD668B, they can be modified fairly easily and have a great starting point price wise. I liked my pair but the siren call of the Denon AH-D7000 was to strong so sold them but they are an excellent midfi headphone to get started on bigger headphones. They look a lot like the K240S and can even use the velour pads from the K240 but I don't think they are just a rip off of them as they are meant to sound different.

 

[sml1226]

Couldn't get the FLAC working on the iPod... VLC is broken for some reason. But I did try out the SR80i and they're pretty nice. Didn't like the HD515, HD555, HD595 (sound on the 515, and fit on all three of them). The SR125i are noticeably better, and they had no SR60i, but I'm not sure if I care enough for the better mids (upper-mids I guess, but they were clearer nonetheless) to get the SR125i.
 
At $75 (show model), I'm really considering the 80s as they're nearly new. But those AKGs are really making me wonder if I'm missing something by not trying them. Senn is out of the picture for me though. 

 

[burnliff]

$75 is really good for SR80is, go for it!