[ramosa]

what are good closed headphones for jazz (to be played without amp)?

thanks

 

[1Time]

What is your budget for these headphones?

 

[scytheavatar]

You need to tell us too what type of jazz you listen to, cause Jazz is a diverse genre and you have the big bands, the small bands, the piano-based jazz, the saxophone-based jazz, the fast and pratty jazz, the slow and groovy jazz. There's just too many combinations.

 

[wavoman]

My wife likes mellow jazz, and she swears by Denon -- D1001 (inexpensive) and D2000. Both closed, contain well, but do not isolate.

She listens directly to the D1001 from her MP3, without an amp.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

Hi ramosa, I've posted a reply in the other "jazz headphones" thread. I hope it helps.

 

[ramosa]

thanks all!

per scytheavatar's question, let met clarify. in terms of jazz, i listen to bebop (including cool and hard "eras") ... such as davis, baker, coltrane, etc. (thus, small band, led by trumpet/sax.)

1Time: my budget range is from $100 to, say, $250 (no more).

wavoman: i had pondered the denon models, but (as you note) am concerned about the sound leakage ... for the d2000, does your wife find that it leaks out sound? or lets in sound? or both?

i am also thinking about the akg k271 and dt250-80, as well as the HD-25-1-II (per some excellent input from cool_torpedo). i may be overlooking some other great options, too.

great thanks for your continued help. this website--and all the help--are great.

 

[sidewind]

Some ATHs may do well,but those i listened to have stopped production long ago

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramosa /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks all! per scytheavatar's question, let met clarify. in terms of jazz, i listen to bebop (including cool and hard "eras") ... such as davis, baker, coltrane, etc. (thus, small band, led by trumpet/sax.) 1Time: my budget range is from $100 to, say, $250 (no more). wavoman: i had pondered the denon models, but (as you note) am concerned about the sound leakage ... for the d2000, does your wife find that it leaks out sound? or lets in sound? or both? i am also thinking about the akg k271 and dt250-80, as well as the HD-25-1-II (per some excellent input from cool_torpedo). i may be overlooking some other great options, too. great thanks for your continued help. this website--and all the help--are great.

If you try out the DT250, I'd suggest buying both the 80 ohm and 250 ohm models - both can be driven by things like an ipod, and if the 250 ohm model is satisfactory, you can return the other (in my experience, the 250 ohm model has a bit better bass and treble extension). The HD-25-1 is super easy to drive, but my be uncomfortable for long listening sessions.

 

[wavoman]

The stock D2000 does not leak any sound out, but it does let sound in.

This is perfect for some applications.

 

[oldson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewind /img/forum/go_quote.gif Some ATHs may do well,but those i listened to have stopped production long ago

x2
ath-a900 would be well suited!

 

[holland]

I wouldn't use the K271 without an amp, but it depends on the source device and how loud you listen. They are more difficult (less sensitive) than the DT250 250ohm. In fact, they are one of the more demanding headphones.

 

[ramosa]

thanks again all. i'm gradually moving ahead in learning ... and still pondering which set i should get. i hear some mixed things (e.g., denon d2000s leak vs. don't leak; K271s are fine without an amp vs. not good, etc.). this is to be expected--as we have different perspectives. any other input on these two things--1) d2000s and leakage; and 2) K271s unamped?

also now pondering ath-a900.

thanks.

 

[holland]

I don't own d2000 (need isolation and prefer open for fun headphones), but I do own K271s.

K271s is 91dB/mW (spec on AKG site is db/V and is thus higher converting to mW is 91dB). To hit 100dB peaks you need 15mA/channel. You could potentially hit 100dB (transient peaks) with an average listening level of about 80dB. That's not hard and can be supplied by some opamps (CMoy amp) and players like the Cowon D2 can drive that level of power, but may be demanding for low level sources to begin with and weaker sources. My Asus EEE PC can't drive them well. If your looking to hit higher dB than 100, the requirements are exponential. Example, to hit 120dB peaks, you would need about 800mW/channel which is about 121mA/channel for the K271s. I don't ever need this, but 100dB transient peaks are reasonable to me.

It's all relative and starts with what your source is and how much power it can output. There is no standard there and it can vary widely.

The ATH-A900 is very easy to drive, as is the D2000 (106dB/mW).

 

[ramosa]

holland: great thanks for your learned input on dBs and cans!

 

[ramosa]

hollland: i will be running the headphones mostly with a computer or ipod (and less often with a traditional stereo receiver).