[Priyajeet]

Summary:

1] Want recommendation on sub-500 bucks headphones primarily for electronic/dance music which could also work well for movies. Currently considering SA5000 based on a few older threads on this forum. Any better/newer recommendations.

2] Any recommendations on icon HDP and similar products to use in conjunction with computer sound card.

______

I am particularly interested in headphones for that genre, but loosely interested in other genres, movies etc.

I generally watch blu ray movies on my computer and though to get full experience one would expect to have speakers with multi channel sound, but annoying neighbors complain too much about the bass. So I wanted something that would work great for music, and then hopefully decent enough for movies.

Searching this forum I did notice a few older threads about this particular genre, and there wasn't any too specific recommendations. So wondering if now people have some new recommendations.

Right now, based on those threads I am inclined towards the SA5000s. I currently own Denon D2000 but I am using them for work since they are quieter for the people around. At home I can use open air headphones easily.

I recently tried and liked the ATH AD2000, unfortunately they hurt my ears a bit due to the driver touching my ear and they become uncomfortable after a bit. I don't intend on wearing headphones for that long though, but still these headphones touch my ears too much.

I also tried the HD650, but somehow I liked my denon's more than these for the kind of music I intend on listening to, electronic/dance mostly.

Budget for headphones is a few hundred bucks, though I am not that big an audiophile to get something as expensive as HD800. I think something below 500 bucks should suffice. Source audio is mostly AAC, but I am recently getting a lot of lossless FLACs now too. Though they still 44.1/16. I only have very few 96/24 tracks.

My source for the headphones will be my computer auzentech home theatre HD, which I believe has a dedicated headphone out with amp. I also managed to get free samples of LME49720HA opamps that I will try to put on that sound card as soon as they arrive. However a friend recommended me to look into getting something like the icon HDP, and connect it via the toslink optical cable so as to eliminate some sounds that people can hear due to grounding issues or mouse movements in a computer. Any alternative recommendations if I do decide to get an external dac/amp like this one in conjunction to my sound card?

my music preference is quite similar to tracks listed here
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/M...&s=143441&wm=1
and stuff from anjunabeats, popular djs etc.

Thanks much!

 

[TheWuss]

electronica and dance?
search threads for ultrasone.

 

[NapalmK]

I can definitely recommend Ultrasones. Denons are also a good choice. I have heard that the SA5000 does a good job too. What's your budget?

 

[Priyajeet]

500 bucks

 

[Acix]

Try to get a used Ultrasone Pro 900, and if the bass will be too much for you, you'll be able to sell them again. A good start with the Ultrasone models will be the Pro-550/580 or DJ1 Pro, here more info : http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ult...arison-401879/

 

[ScuderiaHeadFi]

Ultrasone and Denon are the way to go for those genres, as well as to provide you some dynamic slam when it comes to action movies (they still work great, of course, even if you're not really into action movies). Since you have Denons already, you should be able to tell for yourself if you would like to stay with them or try something else.

Is your total budget $500? Or just for headphones? If total budget is $500, you can get Ultrasone HFI-780 and then something like the Carat-Emerald DAC (currently $209 at Cryo-Parts). The HFI-780's are really amenable to recabling later on down the road, too, if you decide to invest a little more. If your headphone budget alone is $500, I'd start with Ultrasone PRO-750 or maybe try to find some used 900's. I have PRO-2500's (the open version of the 750) which I always wish had slightly warmer mids. The 750's and 900's should help bring those frequencies forward, from what I read.

Last, a cheap headphone that sounds amazing (IMO better than the above Ultrasones, even though they are completely different sounds) are the Senn HD280 Pro's. However, they have a really bad reputation for the headband breaking all the time, and the ones I borrowed from my friend were also broken, so I am pretty uneasy with recommending them. While they don't have Ultrasone bass, they have better mids and highs, as well as a much wider soundstage.

Ps. Definitely get that audio signal out of your computer. It mucks up the sound in ways you'll only appreciate once they are gone.

 

[Priyajeet]

500 was just headphones, I am still deciding on anything other than headphones for the time being. But for immediate need, just headphones with a ~500 bucks budget. Quick google search put new ultrasone 900s at about 550ish. And I read that I need a minimum of 300 hrs on them.

I do like my denons but unfortunately I have nothing to compare against, so can't comment on others.
I 'briefly' tried the AD2000, SA5000, HD650 and I liked them in that order, but like I said before AD2000 is off the table due to comfort issues.

Now I need to find a store that caries ultrasones. Anyone know of any in the south SF bay area?

 

[NapalmK]

Not sure what models they carry but here is a list of dealers from the Ultrasone website. Ultrasone

 

[Priyajeet]

just checked that headphone.com/headroom has a 30 day trial return policy as long as i dont **** anything up. So i can just get it from them too.

 

[Priyajeet]

so any other recommendations besides the ultrasones?

 

[joomongj]

If you liked Denon I don't see why you wouldn't wanna try d7k which can be had for $600 off J&R. $500 + $100 but it's totally worth the money as I own and listen to both d2k & d7k, 7k does almost everything better. My d2k has instinctively become ornamental due to that reason.

 

[Priyajeet]

where do you see them for that price? cuz I only saw them at 1000 bucks.
Denon AHD-7000 Ultra Reference Over-Ear Headphones in Corded Headphones at JR.com amazon and headphone.com is also 1000 bucks

 

[joomongj]

Call them up, talk to a representative. Many including myself have gotten at that price. I will disclose the info of the salesman I talked to via pm if you find yourself unsuccessful w/ your initial attempt. Might have to do some haggling depending on who you talk to.

 

[Priyajeet]

I will look into it if I choose to go this route, thanks. Still researching around before I shell money.

I never really considered the d7000 initially due to well the price ofc, and also I read somewhere that they sounded 90% same as the d2000 but at a 3x the price. So that was a bit of a turn off. Though that was just one review and maybe that extra 10% was worth the money.

I also like my d2000, however like I said above I haven't had anything else for a while to compare it against. Last I remember, I did like the audio technica AH20000 better than them in my very brief exposure to them. But that could very well have been the type of track I choose at the time.

So I cant really say I like my d2000 better than X or Y positively. Lame example - Its like driving a car which you really like only because, well, you haven't driven a better car yet.


my music preference is quite similar to tracks listed here
iTunes Store

Stuff like from anjunabeats

 

[joomongj]

Good luck mate. Feel free to post some after-purchase thoughts whichever you decide on. I enjoy readin' those.