[quikgp]

Ok, so I'm new here, and i'm looking to get some help on purchasing a new set of headphones.

Currently, I own a set of Bose Triport over the ear headphones. To date, these are the "best" set of headphones I've ever owned, but now that I am learning more and more about audio equipment, the less I like these headphones. The sound seems to processed to me and the bass seems over-emphasised, almost drowning out the highs, and slightly distorting the mid range. The positives of the headphones are how comfortable they are and how well they work with an ipod (intergrated amp). My father has a set of Sennhieser HD580's and they sound fantastic compared to my bose, however, they are severly limited in volume without the use of an amp. The open air design also "deters" me a bit.

I'm looking around at picking up a new set of headphones and these are my criteria:
-I'm looking to spend up to $200 (enough to buy good headphones, not enough to care about taking them outside my house)
-I would prefer (although its not necessary) sealed headphones because I would like to used these on trips and such
-I need a headphone thats "usuable/powerable" with an ipod. about 50% of their life will be hooked up to this. The other 50% will be hooked up to my denon reciever (it has a dedicated headphone amp - I know this isnt perfect, but lacking much experience with heaphones and headphone amps, I figure its as good a place to start as any)
-comfortable (obviously!)
-best sound I can get for that price range!


Musical tastes: (they vary but mainly are)
-Rock
-Alternative
-Classical
(ocassionally a bit of rap/dance music and sometimes used in my home theatre setup)



The pairs I'm kind of looking at are:
-Sennheisser HD555
-Sennheisser HD595
-Denon AH-D1001K
-Audio-Technica ATH-M50

can anyone offer any suggestions for me?



Thanks in advance!

 

[JayB18]

DT250 (closed-80 ohm version works well enough without amp but really shines with one)
AD700 (wouldn't recommend wearing these outside in public)
DT440
MS1

 

[Berlioz]

Welcome to Head-Fi!

It would help everyone if you listed your musical preferences. People here will try to find you a pair of headphones that complements your musical tastes.

Also, by "dedicated amp", do you have a headphone amp at home? Or is it a speaker amp you are referring to? Or, is it simply a plan for the future?

Oh, and sorry about your wallet!

 

[quikgp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berlioz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Welcome to Head-Fi! It would help everyone if you listed your musical preferences. People here will try to find you a pair of headphones that complements your musical tastes. Also, by "dedicated amp", do you have a headphone amp at home? Or is it a speaker amp you are referring to? Or, is it simply a plan for the future? Oh, and sorry about your wallet!

musical tastes added

amp type added

and the wallet is ok for now, havent bought anything yet! lol

 

[Benaiir]

Considered several phones? A Grado/Senn combo might be what you need.

Btw - I saw a used Senn HD595 on the FS forums recently for $100. You might want it to satisfy your classical needs. If you've been reading around, I'm sure you already know Grado's are great for rock... Maybe an Allesandro MS1?

 

[Berlioz]

I'd recommend the Denon D1001K's. There could definitely be better choices out there, so I'd wait for lots of responses before making your decision.

My reasoning is:

- It comes with a 1/8" jack standard - for your iPod.
- It's a very comfortable headphone - you mentioned comfort being important.
- It's quite sturdy and it looks good too - you will be taking it outside.
- It sounds very good with rock, and it is also good for alternative and classical music. Dance and rap should be very good on it as well, and while I've never tried it with a HT setup, I imagine it would be pretty good.

The cons I can see are:

- There are better headphones in that price range for classical and alternative music.
- Your iPod will have difficulty amping it. It can definitely be used with an iPod, but you're gonna have to crank it in order to get a "normal" sound level out of it. Depending on how loud you like your music, this may be a problem. Keep in mind that basically any full sized headphone will have this issue to some extent.

That's just my opinion. Keep an eye out for others, and also, try and demo the headphones before you buy them.

 

[ronnielee54]

X2 on the Denons. A really good value IMO.

 

[quikgp]

Auditioned the Denon A1001 and Grado SR60 and SR80's.

60's are out... too bright, not enough bass

Denon sounds fantastic to me. Sounds warm, more bass, sealed (more than open air headphones). appeared to simulate a larger room listening experience

Grado SR80's were very bright upon first listen, but they sounded fantastic as well. Musical accuracy was spot on, very natural sound. Seemed like I was sitting in front of Dave Grohl listening to him strum. I'm not sure if the brightness of the music is good or bad, but the clarity/natural sound of these headphones is fantastic. Open air design means no isolation though. normally I'm not a fan of on ear headphones, but I'd make an exception for the grados

any more opinions?

 

[ronnielee54]

Might want to try the Allessandro MS1's if you liked the SR80's but were worried about them being a little to bright. I used to own both but kept the MS1's. Felt they were a tad bit warmer IMO. I still use my Denons more though.