[EternalEmpire]

It seems my Sony V6 are about to kick the bucket, the cable now has to be at a specific angle or the sound in the left ear cup cuts out so I'm in need of something new before they die on me completely.
 
I've been holding off from posting a new thread in hopes I could find an old thread that would guide me to what I wanted but unfortunately I was unable to find such a thread. I was looking for which headphones are best with metal in my price range but it seems there isn't a single thread that doesn't result in all the replies simply saying "Grado SR225", and since Grado headphones cost almost triple the price in the UK they aren't an option for me. I also doubt that Grados would be my thing, I owned a pair of Alessandro MS1is and I wasn't overly impressed with them.
 
Anyway, as previously mentioned me primary usage would be for (black/folk/ambient/progressive) metal, as well as avant-garde. They would also see some use with IDM and Acid Trance but not as often as the previously mentioned genres. They would also see some use for gaming which means an open can might be best for me given the increase in sound stage. Also, they must be circumaural, every experience I've had with supra-aural headphones has been a painful one in terms of comfort. Isolation isn't much of an issue as I'll be using them only at home, I use IEMs for my portable needs.
 
I don't currently own an amp/dac, so something which can be driven by my PC's onboard soundcard or Creative Zen X-Fi until I can afford a better source would be best for me.
 
TL;DR - I need new headphones that are:
- Good with metal
- Can be used unamped
- Circumaural
- Not Grados (too expensive here)
 
Thanks for any and all replies.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Anyone?

 

[mark2410]

senns, tend to be good value in the UK

 

[EternalEmpire]

Any particular model? I was looking at the HD 600 the other day but they apparently can't really be used without an amp so I guess they don't suit my needs very well.
 
Quote:

senns, tend to be good value in the UK

 

[EternalEmpire]

After looking through old threads some more, the Denon D2000 seem to get recommended a lot but they're quite a bit more than I'd like to pay (I'd imagine they're quite a bit cheaper in the US, everything seems to be over priced here :/ ).
 
Can anyone help me out? I'm literally at the point where I just want to get something now, it doesn't have to be perfect, so long as it's comfortable, good with metal (or just good all-rounders) and capable of doing well without an amp, I don't care anymore. I've been searching for about a month now, I just want something.

 

[ThePhoenix924S]

I'd personally recommend the Sennheiser HD600/ HD650, you can always get an Amp and DAC later on in life. More likely than not either will sound better than what you had and when you add an amp, you'll be able to be surprised how much better they can be.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Thanks for the response. Are they as heavily dependant upon an amp as I've heard or would I be able to use them unamped? While looking around online I found some K601s for £120 (which makes them £80+ cheaper than the Senns) which I've heard are pretty good for rock, though they also seem to need a good amp. Would it be best to buy the K601s as well as an amp (might be able to get a bargain from the FS forum)? That way I wouldn't have to worry about having headphones that weren't powered correctly.
 
Thanks again.
 
Quote:

I'd personally recommend the Sennheiser HD600/ HD650, you can always get an Amp and DAC later on in life. More likely than not either will sound better than what you had and when you add an amp, you'll be able to be surprised how much better they can be.

 

[ThePhoenix924S]

Well, they work from an unamped source, but as I and others have said, you won't be able to enjoy their full potential until you acquire a proper amplifier/ DAC. That being said, you'll still notice a drastic improvement over your previous headphones.
 
I can't speak of the K601's though, as I have not heard them...

 

[EternalEmpire]

Okay, thanks. It sounds like the Senns would be the best bet (or at least the safe option) if they're able to be used unamped, then when/if I get bored of them I can buy an amp and enjoy them some more. From what I've heard, the AKG line can't be used without proper amplification so with a cheap amp they'd likely be a disappointment (or at least that's the feeling I get from reading about them).
 
Thanks for your help 

 
Quote:

Well, they work from an unamped source, but as I and others have said, you won't be able to enjoy their full potential until you acquire a proper amplifier/ DAC. That being said, you'll still notice a drastic improvement over your previous headphones.
 
I can't speak of the K601's though, as I have not heard them...

 

[rancid]

You could buy used SR225i off this forum. Costs about 200$ with shipping. That is what I did and I listen to various genres of metal and play guitar also. Haven't gotten the phones yes, so can't say anything about them.

 

[EternalEmpire]

I still don't know if they'd be what I'd want. I had some Alessandro MS1s and I found them horribly uncomfortable (even painful), I would imagine my experience would be very similar with Grado models. They also apparently have a pretty narrow genre bandwidth which wouldn't be best for me.
 
Quote:

You could buy used SR225i off this forum. Costs about 200$ with shipping. That is what I did and I listen to various genres of metal and play guitar also. Haven't gotten the phones yes, so can't say anything about them.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Okay, I'm pretty much fully decided on the HD 600 now, my only question is: does anyone know where I could get them cheap?
 
The cheapest I can find them is £197, which is more than I would like to pay (even though I stated this price in my budget I'm having a hard time getting myself to spend that much >.<), does anyone know if I could get them for, say, £170 or less?
 
Also, does anyone know how the AKG K271 would be for my needs? I've read that they're bass-light but I don't listen to a lot of bassy music. They're quite a lot cheaper than the Senns and apparently aren't as reliant on an amp as the higher end AKGs.