[Andy2108]

Looking to grab some headphones for my father.  His ancient AKG's have finally given up.  He doesn't amp his headphones, so I want to get him something that will still sound decent if he's listening to his ipod directly.  Thats the main reason I'm making a thread, I've found it somewhat difficult to research the massive amount of information and different models without spending the next week doing research

 
He'll mainly use them to listen to movies or classic rock. (think Pink Floyd-The Dark Side of the Moon, he loves that record). 
 
An open back is perfectly acceptable.  I want to get him something comfortable that will have good sound quality.  He's not exactly picky like you guys are, so the tiny differences in sound quality between models isn't extremely important to me at the moment.  Main thing I can say is I don't want a basshead headphone like the Sony MDR-XB500, haha.  He probably wont even do much equalizing, so something that sounds good out of the box would be great.
 
Price range is a bit open.  Anything more than $300 would probably be a waste without proper source, DAC, amp, and knowledge... so lets not get too crazy.  Like I said, main points I'm looking for is comfort, quality, and the ability to sound good without an amp.
 
Thanks alot guys. 

 

[Andy2108]

Opinions on these?
 
Fischer-Audio FA-003
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fischer-audio-fa-003
 
Actually, I think I like the 32 ohm version of the Beyer Dynamic DT 990 a little more.
 
http://www.amazon.com/product/dp/B0024NK344

 

 

[Alghazanth]

For Classic/Prog Rock the DT990 definitely isn't the way to go. Dunno about the FA-003.

 

[cuad]

what? why not!

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

what? why not!

Recessed midrange and excessive treble is definitely not good for prog rock, nor is huge bass quantity. For movies, they'd be pretty "meh" because the midrange would rob speech of a lot of emphasis and emotion. It works well enough with some genres but certainly not these.

 

[Andy2108]

I kind of factored in what I know my fathers tastes are like.  He likes "scooped" response.  Heavy bass and treble.  Neither of us are proper audiophiles but we do enjoy quality sound, the way we like it anyway. 
 
I doubt they'll be so scooped that they will be a nuisance to watch movies on. In that case I'll just help him adjust the EQ on the source that he'll be using.  Its very simple. 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

I kind of factored in what I know my fathers tastes are like.  He likes "scooped" response.  Heavy bass and treble.  Neither of us are proper audiophiles but we do enjoy quality sound, the way we like it anyway. 
 
I doubt they'll be so scooped that they will be a nuisance to watch movies on. In that case I'll just help him adjust the EQ on the source that he'll be using.  Its very simple. 

I can tell you unamped the DT990's mids will be very recessed, having experienced it myself. Certainly not what I would take for movies or that genre, but go with whatever makes you happy.
 

 

[cuad]

Ultrasone PRO 750 seem to be right up your alley.

 

[Arnotts]

DT990 is a waste of money if you aren't going to use an amp.
 
Look at a pair of Alessandro MS1's imo. Very efficient (so they don't benefit that much from an amp), open backed and sound great with classic rock.
 
You're right that spending a lot of money on headphones without a proper source (and amp if they benefit a lot from amping) is just a waste. The Alessandro's are excellent value for money at around $100.
 
Audio Technica ATH-ES7's are also very good straight out of a DAP and are a lot more portable. The only thing is that they're supra-aural and closed. Tbh, headphones that are meant to be used straight out of an MP3 player are usually closed. The Alessandro's/Grado's are just very efficient that they can be used with pretty much anything, though.
 

 

[Clownzor]

Audio-technica AD900. Great all rounder, doesn't need amping, open back with big soundstage. It isn't big on bass though (it has bass, but it is tight and fast and not prominent)

 

[Arnotts]

Quote:

Audio-technica AD900. Great all rounder, doesn't need amping, open back with big soundstage. It isn't big on bass though (it has bass, but it is tight and fast and not prominent)

This is also a great recommendation imo - except I think the difference between the AD700's and the AD900 would be lost without a decent DAC. Even the AD700's don't sound much better than my old $20 headphones out of on-board sound.

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Audio-technica AD900. Great all rounder, doesn't need amping, open back with big soundstage. It isn't big on bass though (it has bass, but it is tight and fast and not prominent)

Wonderful can for lighter genres like classical, but an all rounder? No sir, the bass is anemic.

 

[Arnotts]

Quote:

Wonderful can for lighter genres like classical, but an all rounder? No sir, the bass is anemic.

It's not at all. It has excellent quality bass. Quantity is a little less than most other headphones, but the quality more than makes up for it.
 
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

It's not at all. It has excellent quality bass. Quantity is a little less than most other headphones, but the quality more than makes up for it.
 
 
 

The AD900, according to a few members I talked to, has the same or very slightly more bass than the AD700. The AD700, burned in, is bass anemic, and absolutely not suitable for Metal, Rock, Electronic, Rock, Techno, etc. It's amazing for the price for light rock, classical, etc. But an all-rounder it is not. Bass quality is of course important, but they have to pass a threshold of quantity too to be all-rounders.