[djblurr]

Hi guys,

I recently went on a hunt for a decent pair of headphones with a budget of around 150-250AUD, which is probably about 125-190USD? Something like that anyway. Also if there are any aussies out there that would be rad because I was hoping for some suggestions on stores to check out.

Anyway I went into jb-hifi which is the only place ive seen headphones that are worth more than $100. I tried a few pairs of sennheiser, I think I tried the HD 515 and HD 555. When I tried this out I was really disappointed with the quality. I mean they were really comfy, but this sound was nothing better than an average pair of small headphones, plus it seemed like i had to have the volume almost the entire way up, for "loud".

I guess Ive realised I might need to extend my budget a little, but I think 250USD would have to realistically be the limit.

What brands are best for value around this budget? Also, these headphones are purely listening to music, not djing or anything, so im after the best possible sound and frequencies.

Also has anyone tried out those sennheiser models? If so, did you think they were crap too? Anything anyone can recommend would be a huge help,


thanks,

 

[F107plus5]

A couple sets of cans within your price range which have gotten a fair amount of praise, and which I am familiar with and enjoy, are the Alessandro MS-1 or Sennheiser HD580(I have the very similar HD600).

They are often considered to be at opposite ends of the musical spectrum with the HD580/600 more for "classical" and the MS-1 more for "rock" but these are just generalities since they both go quite a ways into each others prefered territories.

They may well be worth some of your attention.

 

[djblurr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A couple sets of cans within your price range which have gotten a fair amount of praise, and which I am familiar with and enjoy, are the Alessandro MS-1 or Sennheiser HD580(I have the very similar HD600). They are often considered to be at opposite ends of the musical spectrum with the HD580/600 more for "classical" and the MS-1 more for "rock" but these are just generalities since they both go quite a ways into each others prefered territories. They may well be worth some of your attention.

Given that I thought the HD555s were pretty crap, do you think the 580s are quite a lot better? I also saw a few reviews comparing the 580s and 595s. Whats the big differences here? I mainly listen to rock, punk, hardcore, really into bass. I heard a few people say the 580s lack bass, but is this just because they are use to $4350495849 headphones?

thanks

 

[Thermofreak]

maybe try to test DT770, lot of forummer claim that it got strong bass.....

 

[ricmat]

yes, you had to have the volume always top because those HP have probably higher impedance than the other you are familiar with.

of course, all headphone will also benefit from the usage, so they will "refine" the sound as you use them

ANYWAY,


forget everything you learnt or read, get the MS-1 and enjoy!
Period

 

[djblurr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricmat /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes, you had to have the volume always top because those HP have probably higher impedance than the other you are familiar with. of course, all headphone will also benefit from the usage, so they will "refine" the sound as you use them ANYWAY, forget everything you learnt or read, get the MS-1 and enjoy! Period

can you tell me anything about portable amps? How big are these things and are they necessary for headphones? What kind of price owuld I be looking at for these?

Not sure I fully understood what you meant about the volume being lower. I was looking around and I think I can stretch my budget to get the HD600s. What do you guys think about these compared to the 580s and that MS-1 you spoke about? I read some good reviews on these puppies but are they much better? Pretty keen to get some good gear ;D

 

[ralphmoe]

shameless plug...
I have a nice little portaphile V2 for sale over on audiogon...
Cheep...($120)
Ask people here how nice they sound for less biased opinions...

<ducks....>

.....Man, 50 posts is a lot when you don't have a lot of quality things to say...

<ducks again!>

 

[ChaseD13]

the hd600 is the exact same headphone as the hd580, but has a different paintjob. same drivers etc.

use the search button and look up impedence (ohms) - how efficient your phones will be.

 

[djblurr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseD13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif the hd600 is the exact same headphone as the hd580, but has a different paintjob. same drivers etc. use the search button and look up impedence (ohms) - how efficient your phones will be.

hmmmmmmmmmm.

did a quick google on some of these figures, not sure I see the relation between impedance and power. Is a high impedance better or a low impedance? Im not sure what the figure 300 really represents.

These portable amps, are they something that you can stick in your bag or maybe even in your pocket or are they really for home use still :/

I guess I wanna know if I can actualyl get good quality through any headphones without an amp on an mp3 player - ipod/creative.

cheers!

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

A used pair of MS-2i usually go for $175 on the FS forum here. That'd be good for rock music without an amp.

 

[jclinton46]

Quote:

Originally Posted by djblurr /img/forum/go_quote.gif hmmmmmmmmmm. These portable amps, are they something that you can stick in your bag or maybe even in your pocket or are they really for home use still :/

Portable amps range from small (iPod size or smaller) up to .... and cost from about $60 up to several hundred. There are many about the size of a pack of cigarettes that will work well with most any headphone in your range. Some headphones like the HD-580 really benefit from being amplified. I would consider it essential but YMMV. Others like my PX-100 sound great unamped but they do sound slightly better with one.

Good sound is not as objective as some would like or believe. If you enjoy loud, thumping bass my guess is an amplifier is needed because most portable players come with fairly anemic built-in amps. I play my music at a pretty low volume and don't really need my head shaken any more than usual so my iPod and MuVo do fine without amplification until I plug in the 580.

Remember if you don't like the sound there is usually someone who is willing to buy your headphones when you trade up. Good luck in your search.

 

[Bigburger]

I'm in New Zealand so I can sort of identify with you about how hard it is to find retailers of proper headphones. I actually started with HD555 as well and I actually quite liked it, and for me it got a LOT better after burn in and it gets miles better when amped, so you could reconsider it and maybe trial it with a different setup. If its your first pair, skip the 595's - most people say they're not much different from 555 so not worth so much extra cash. If you are willing to spend quite a bit more then definitely go with some of the higher end options that are being recommended as it will mean you won't get the urge to upgrade quite so soon.

 

[djblurr]

ah okay, that leads me to my next question.

These little ipod sized amps, what do they run on? Just batteries? Now that you mention they are pretty cheap and small I dont mind going down this direction.

Bigburger what do you eman by "burn in". Ive seen a few people say this, is it the case that you need to work them in a bit before they are at their best or something? I had no idea about that :/

any other comments greatly apprecitaed

 

[djblurr]

also, could you point me in the direction of a few amp models that are pretty cheap/small?

 

[djblurr]

(AND DECENT)