Looking for new Headphones

[Laney327]

I am looking to pick up a new pair of headphones somewhere in the 50-150 dollar range, though within this price range the price really isn't an issue. I expect to keep the headphones for a while and being a college student the headphones need to take a fair amount of abuse. I will be using the headphones primarily with my computer and routed through my reciever. I would appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

 

[HappymaN]

Are you sharing the room with others? Do you need isolation from external sounds, or do your roommates need isolation from your music?

What I am asking is, do you need open or closed headphones?

 

[JiPi]

HD280-Pro's look like indestructable phones. And for having seen
them myself and hold them they feel pretty well built. They will
block out a huge load of outside noise so if you're in a noisy
environment then you'll be fine with these

They sound pretty
good too, unless you're looking for something very refined or
whatever.

 

[Laney327]

I am looking for full ear headphones...not sure what they are called...someone had suggested the Sennheisers HD 580's...are there better headphones for the price?

 

[wallijonn]

Laney,

What's the output impedance of the receiver (if any)?

in the $50 to $150 new or used range there's the Grado SR80, SR125, SR225, Sennheiser HD280, HD497, HD580, HD590, Beyer DT250-80, DT531, DT770, DT831, Philips HP890, HP910, Sony D66, CD1700, V6, F1, AKG 240DF, K340, K401, K501, Audio Technica A55, A500, ...

Have you been auditioning any headphones? and have you been keeping an eye on the for sale section in Head-Fi? You should definitly visit as many shops as you can (open your yellow pages phonebook) and try to make a few Head-Fi mini-Meets or Meets.

"...are there better headphones for the price?" yes and no. You must decide for yourself.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Do not buy the Senn HD-580/600 unless you plan on upgrading to a dedicated headphone amplifier, and a component CD player. I say save some money, and go for the Sony V-6.

 

[Laney327]

Do you really think that I would need a dedicated headphone amplifier to run the 580s? I am going to get headphones to last so I don't mind the extra $. On a side note, what is the difference between the 580s and 590s? I can't seem to find a major difference between the two.

 

[was ist los?]

does any one have comments on the ultrasone hfi-650s?

 

[halcyon]

Ultrasone HFI-650 vs Sennheiser HD-600 quick characterisations.

- tighter clamp around head
- smaller ear pads - not all ears fit inside the pads comfortably
- deeper and stronger bass with a mid bass emphasis
- brighter, livelier (mid-frequency presence region) and aggressive sound
- superior isolation from and to outside noises
- cheaper
- uglier
- microphonic cord, i.e. the headphone cord brushes against the left headphone cup and makes a sound
- easier to drive (i.e. amplify) with portables, soundcards, cd-players and receivers
- not as refined, comfortable and pleasant to listen to (physically/sonically)

That's my short summary. It'd be best if you could hear both of them. Sonically I don't think they are quite in the same league and they have very different characteristics. IMHO, Ultrasone HFI-650 is more like a monitoring headphone and Sennheiser HD600 is more a headphone for musical enjoyment. That's just my opinion though.

best regards,
Halcyon

 

[midson]

I own a pair of the HD580s and they sound pretty good even without being properly amplified. I think they would make good entry headphones if you plan on doing some upgrading later on. I just wanted to stress that even with their high impedance, they don't sound _bad_ if you drive them from poor sources.. but in comparison to what I heard when I first auditioned them, theres still much that can be done to bring them into their proper league. I did audition the HD590s for a little bit too and I thought they sounded really good too.. sonically a different headphone but worthy of praise i think.. theres a lot of heated debate in the forums about them, but at the price they are going for in the used gear forum ($110 shipped last time I checked), I think they're worth checking out too.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Laney327 Do you really think that I would need a dedicated headphone amplifier to run the 580s? I am going to get headphones to last so I don't mind the extra $. On a side note, what is the difference between the 580s and 590s? I can't seem to find a major difference between the two.

I'll just echo some of the other opinions. You don't NEED a headphone amplifier with the 580/600 but you will be driving them at far below their potential. They're also very open so unless you're in a room by yourself I would advise against them.
The V6/7506 should be a low-risk purchase, and easy to sell on here again if you choose to upgrade. They are also the most versatile full size headphones you can buy. They can be used in fixed or portable situations, amped or unamped, folds up into a smallish package and are quite tough. They have a bright sound with a boosted mid and treble, and a real low-down kick to the bass that I haven't quite heard on any other phone to date. If you don't like their very bright highs the EQ on the PC can be used to tailor the response. They aren't quite full ear wraparound for everybody, but you can buy alternative pads (some DIY skills required) which make them so.

 

[ClearYourMind]

I own the HD 590s and demoed the HD 580. I'm also a college student in a very similar situation as you. I too wanted a good pair of headphones to use with my computer and primarly my reciever.

The HD580s sound really good, but I personally found that they just needed to be a tad bit lighter for my music tastes. It's often agreed that the HD590s sound "lighter"...some people like this some don't. I personal liked the "lighter" sound.

Its not super lighter just a tad. You musical taste plays a huge role in picking the right headphones.

I listen to alot of Rap, Alternative, Techno, Electronica, bass heavy music, and even some classical. I didn't want the grados cuz they looked so ugly and the stories of them being not that comfortable. Sennhieser' was known for comfort, so I went with that brand.

I wanted a headphone that didn't need an amp, cuz as a college student, I'm always looking to save a few extra bucks. The HD 590's are easier to drive then the HD580s. Good if you decided to plug them into your CD/MP3 player directly.

Both are open, i wanted open so that if someone knocked on my door I would still be able to hear them and I felt that open air style allowed my ears to breath better.

Close cuped allow you to hear the detail better. They block out the outside noise, but in my situation that wasn't a problem. The HD 280 Pro's are good closed headphones.

Open air and Closed Cup both cover your entire ear. And with the models that I listen, none of them actually touch your ear, they go around. Making them far more comfortable.

The HD 580's would sound fine hooked up to your reciever. They can drive them fine. Headphone amps would improve the sound but I personally don't feel the need to spend the extra $150 for a decent one.

My personal recomations for you are

HD 590 if you want open air
HD 280 Pro if you want closed.

Both would do you real good I'm sure. What you need to make sure is that your reciever is a good one. Cheap recievers produce alot of background speaker noise, with the HD 590s you really hear the detail and if there is background noise, it comes out cystal clear and can be very annoying. I'm sure the HD 280 Pro would be the same way.

Keep shopping though, don't forget to demo at least one pair of high quality headphones. That way you can say, I wish they were darker or lighter, or more bass responsive, etc.

 

[HD-5000]

Quote:

I own a pair of the HD580s and they sound pretty good even without being properly amplified. I think they would make good entry headphones if you plan on doing some upgrading later on.

The HD-580's ain't no "entry-level" headphone. It's more like one of the best headphones that money can buy. I would consider entry-level to be a Koss KCS-50.

 

[wallijonn]

entry level Audiophile headphones, then? I think Midson was implying that compared to the Senn HD600, and with a mind set upon future upgrades of cables and amplifiers, between the two (HD580/HD600), the HD580 is the 'level entry' headphone to start with. not many people use an RKV, Gilmore, MGHead, et. al., with the KCS-50, whereas one could contemplate it with the HD580.

 

[HD-5000]

Ok, it may sound like I'm just praising the HD-580's just because I own them, but no. They indeed are fantastic headphones, and at some of the current prices, an even better deal. I think that the HD-580's can butt heads with the big boys'

.