thrand1
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2009
- Posts
- 110
- Likes
- 17
Hi everyone,
I've tried to narrow my headphone criteria to be as specific as possible, and your thoughts/advice are very welcome...
Budget: ~$200 (see notes below on amped vs. unamped)
Uses (% of the time): Workstation listening with portable player/laptop soundcard (90%), some portable on-the-go usage while traveling (10%).
Type of headphone: Closed, preferably circumaural. I already have earbuds.
Headphone features: Great leakage prevention so work neighbors don't hear me. Isolation/noise cancellation is not super important.
Sound signature: "Neutral" is the first word that comes to mind. I want it to be close to my home theater speakers, here are some frequency graphs for reference. Bass quality and speed over quantity. I don't mind more detail/treble as long as it's not too overbearing.
My music tastes: Rock & metal (311, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Megadeth, Alice In Chains); Occasional jazz, classical, folk music.
Sources: 320kbps MP3 files.
Amped versus non-amped: Since I am using a portable player, I would prefer headphones that don't need an amp so I don't have to carry anything with me. However, might add something like a HeadRoom Total BitHead in the future for use at work with USB port. So budget would be $250-300 overall. I am bebating between $150-200 for headphone now + BitHead later or $250-300 now for just headphones that meet my criteria.
Should I buy more expensive headphones like the AKG K271/Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 ($275-300) with no amp, or do I look at something like the Shure SRH840/Audio-Technica M50 with the Bithead?
In summary, here are my questions:
1. Would you go for a more expensive headphone at $200-300, or a less expensive headphone at $150-200 with something like the Total BitHead?
2. Recommendations for my requirements presented above?
Let me know if I left out anything or if you need more information. I look forward to reading your recommendations. Thanks again!
I've tried to narrow my headphone criteria to be as specific as possible, and your thoughts/advice are very welcome...
Budget: ~$200 (see notes below on amped vs. unamped)
Uses (% of the time): Workstation listening with portable player/laptop soundcard (90%), some portable on-the-go usage while traveling (10%).
Type of headphone: Closed, preferably circumaural. I already have earbuds.
Headphone features: Great leakage prevention so work neighbors don't hear me. Isolation/noise cancellation is not super important.
Sound signature: "Neutral" is the first word that comes to mind. I want it to be close to my home theater speakers, here are some frequency graphs for reference. Bass quality and speed over quantity. I don't mind more detail/treble as long as it's not too overbearing.
My music tastes: Rock & metal (311, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Megadeth, Alice In Chains); Occasional jazz, classical, folk music.
Sources: 320kbps MP3 files.
Amped versus non-amped: Since I am using a portable player, I would prefer headphones that don't need an amp so I don't have to carry anything with me. However, might add something like a HeadRoom Total BitHead in the future for use at work with USB port. So budget would be $250-300 overall. I am bebating between $150-200 for headphone now + BitHead later or $250-300 now for just headphones that meet my criteria.
Should I buy more expensive headphones like the AKG K271/Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 ($275-300) with no amp, or do I look at something like the Shure SRH840/Audio-Technica M50 with the Bithead?
In summary, here are my questions:
1. Would you go for a more expensive headphone at $200-300, or a less expensive headphone at $150-200 with something like the Total BitHead?
2. Recommendations for my requirements presented above?
Let me know if I left out anything or if you need more information. I look forward to reading your recommendations. Thanks again!
