[Special K]

I was looking to spend ~$100 or so for a good pair of closed headphones. I mainly listen to rock music and will also be using these when I practice guitar (also rock). I'll also probably use them to watch movies. I say closed because I don't want to bother my roommate late at night, but how much sound do the open phones leak? The wall between our rooms isn't very thick so unless the opens don't leak much, I think I must go with closed phones.

I have done some searching on this and another board, and have seen similar $100 threads and have seen the following models recommended:

Senn HD280

I heard these were made for people with small heads and can be uncomfortable to wear if yours happens to be too big for the design. I also heard the band connecting them isn't very strong either.

Sony MDR-V6

Some people said these were great, others said stay away from Sony when shopping for good phones.

Audio Technica A500 (or something)

I haven't read anything particularly negative about these, except that they are large, which makes me worry that they might not sit well on my head. Otherwise I have read that they sound great.

So what do you guys recommend? Considering right now I am using some $15 aiwa's I got at BB about 4 years ago, I figure I can't go wrong with one of those, but too small/large complaints have me worried.

If the Grado SR-80s don't leak too much sound, then I have read good things about them, but if they leak a lot then that's out.

thanks

 

[Vinny77]

Audio Technica A500
Audio Technica A500
Audio Technica A500
Audio Technica A500

 

[SunByrne]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

Yes, the Grado SR-80 leaks sound. A lot. Imagine strapping small speakers to your head, aimed OUTWARD. Really.

The HD280s isolate better than either of the other two (that is, they block out more outside sound and leak sound the least). Some find them uncomfortable, some don't have a problem. I don't think they're too bad but they're certainly not as comfortable as the other two. I think concern about the headband are slightly overblown; they're pretty well-built. These are not as "exciting" as the other two cans.

The V6s are bassy and bright. So are the ATH's, but not as much so. Both are very easy to drive. The ATH's are big, but they're not especially heavy and they sit fine. The ATH's have dramatically better soundstage than the other two and are less fatiguing than the V6s.

It might depend a little on what kind of music you listen to, as well. If you're pure classical I'd go with the HD280s, actually. If you're not, and especially if you're gaming, then I'd go with the A500s.

[Disclaimer: I've not heard the ATH-A500s, just the ATH-A700s; I assume the A500s are about the same but overall a little worse.]

 

[Vinny77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunByrne Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet. Yes, the Grado SR-80 leaks sound. A lot. Imagine strapping small speakers to your head, aimed OUTWARD. Really. The HD280s isolate better than either of the other two (that is, they block out more outside sound and leak sound the least). Some find them uncomfortable, some don't have a problem. I don't think they're too bad but they're certainly not as comfortable as the other two. I think concern about the headband are slightly overblown; they're pretty well-built. These are not as "exciting" as the other two cans. The V6s are bassy and bright. So are the ATH's, but not as much so. Both are very easy to drive. The ATH's are big, but they're not especially heavy and they sit fine. The ATH's have dramatically better soundstage than the other two and are less fatiguing than the V6s. It might depend a little on what kind of music you listen to, as well. If you're pure classical I'd go with the HD280s, actually. If you're not, and especially if you're gaming, then I'd go with the A500s. [Disclaimer: I've not heard the ATH-A500s, just the ATH-A700s; I assume the A500s are about the same but overall a little worse.]

The ATH-A500's are great for Metal, Punk, Emo and Hardcore/scremo and Gaming. Gaming is rather good. For gaming i take the connect A500's over the HD600 big time.

I recommend the Ath-500


Pics of what to expect from the ATH-a500

http://www.m-manage.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=7

The Grados will be like speakers. They are very loud but great for your purpose.

 

[Borat]

Sennheiser HD201 + $80 amp is another option. I think the HD201 can beat other $100 closed cans when amped properly.

 

[Capital R]

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Sony MDR-D66 Eggo

BOth are great for the cash. +1 vote for the MDR-V6's you mentioned above. Very accurate sound for the price, which may be good or bad depending on your music tastes.

 

[Special K]

Wow, more choices than I expected. I was not aware that people used amplifiers for headphones until I started searching around this and other sites looking for recommendations. Having said that, I have a question: do headphones have any form of amplification inside of them, or are they driven entirely by whatever they are connected to? Wouldn't they have to have at least a small amplifiying circuit inside, as I thought the signals produced by a soundcard or cd player were in the mV range? Surely those devices can't source enough current on their own to power a speaker?

 

[Rix2357]

Here's what I think about the V6's.

For human voices, I think it is a bit raspy, which may be accurate to a certain degree.

However for classical music/jazz etc. Strings are a little bright. It's almost like everyone is using a bright brand new instrument, which isn't that bad sounding, but it differs from what a lot of amatuer/student musicians want their instrument to sound like. Bass extension goes really low so it makes the bass and cello lines really shine. Brass instruments such as trumpets sound "authorative and commanding". Wind instruments sound as though your sitting really close to them because you can hear the breaths that they take and the air rushing past or through the instrument.

btw, welcome from [H]ardforums

I've lurked around here for a month and have already built my first headphone amp.

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Special K Wow, more choices than I expected. I was not aware that people used amplifiers for headphones until I started searching around this and other sites looking for recommendations. Having said that, I have a question: do headphones have any form of amplification inside of them, or are they driven entirely by whatever they are connected to? Wouldn't they have to have at least a small amplifiying circuit inside, as I thought the signals produced by a soundcard or cd player were in the mV range? Surely those devices can't source enough current on their own to power a speaker?

No headphones don't have an ampliflying circuit inside. A personal CD player does. But it's often not good enough to get the best out of the headphones. But that depends a lot on the headphones. Some don't go loud enough with a PCDP, others go loud but just don't sound very good and some sound just fine out of the headphone out of a PCDP.
That's why a lot of us use an amp to get the best out of our headphones.
Of course with a home CDplayer that hasn't got an headphone out you need an amp to connect to the line-out to get (decent) sound out of your headphones. Because for starters a line out doesn't have a volume controll.

 

[sgrossklass]

1. Re: the disturbance concerns, that wall would have to be very thin and light indeed for open headphones to cause any problems. Your hearing is far more likely to suffer first. Besides, open cans are usually more problematic when it comes to being disturbed rather than vice versa.
2. I'd add the Sony MDR-XD400 to the list.
3. Somehow I doubt that cans that make guitars sound good for *listeners* would do equally well for performers. If in doubt, stick with something halfway neutral.
4. If open cans aren't a problem, I'd suggest to take a look at, say, HD485s or HD555s.

 

[tradja]

I second the XD400 and second/third/whatever the A500. I greatly enjoy my V6 (listening to them right now!) but they are not in the same league as these other two, especially in refinement and soundstage.

A500 or XD400 for all the right reasons: gaming(soundstage), rock, movies, and comfort. I find the XD400 and A500 to have a very similar sound and I find both very comfortable. Special K, if you are concerned about the huge CD-size earcups on the A500, the XD400 are much smaller, and IMHO are quite good-looking cans. At around $60, I think the XD400 is a slightly better value of these two excellent cans.

HD201 and amp is also an interesting suggestion (wow, they can hang in this price range?), but I haven't heard the HD201.

 

[Special K]

Wow, looks like I have lots of choices here:

1. Audio Technica A500
2. Senn HD280
3. Sony MDR-V6
4. Senn HD201 + amp
5. Sony MDR-XD400
6. Sony MDR-D66

7. Grado SR-80? SunByrne says they leak a lot, sgrossklass says they don't leak too much, hmmm

So far it looks like the A500s are winning, with the XD400 second, and the MDR-V6 third, I think (although it sounds like for rock/gaming either of the other 2 would be a better choice than the MDR-V6)

 

[guvnor]

you planning on taking them anywhere? they're massive.

and open headphone leak a lot of sound. if someone's in my room listening to open headphones, I can hear all the words and sing along. they don't do a good job of keeping sound out either.

 

[Special K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guvnor you planning on taking them anywhere? they're massive. and open headphone leak a lot of sound. if someone's in my room listening to open headphones, I can hear all the words and sing along. they don't do a good job of keeping sound out either.

No, these are just for listening to movies, music, and my guitar playing in my room. I don't intend to take these around anywhere else.

 

[Special K]

OK, I read some more reviews on this board and I think I will go with either the Sony xd400 or the AT A500. People's reviews (there aren't many directly comparing these two, though) seem to suggest that these two are very similar, so having said that, should I just go with the XD400 because they are cheaper and smaller?