[WiredCon]

I need some advice from seasoned head-fiers on headphones. This is going to be my first "major" purchase on headphones and would like to get some recommendations on where I can start my search for "my" perfect cans.


Until now, I only listened to music through hi-fi system through floorstanders and would love to give it a try on headphones (recently, I tried couple of highly regarded IEMs, but I couldnt get proper seal and didn't like the sensation from my ears).


I'd like to stay more or less around $500 mark. And I enjoy female vocals mostly. So, mid-range is the utmost important thing for me.

Vocals/Jazz-70%
Classicals- 20% (string instruments)
Alternative Rock 10% (something like "Live")

Also, I plan to add an amp to compliment the headphones later on. Until then, I would either use it on my home system, or with iphone, if it's possible without too much of complication (no, I wont go walk around the sreet).

I don't mind gears previsouly "loved" by others. Any recommendations on what headphones that I should consider as candidates would be greatly appreciated within my budget (new or used).


Thanks in advance.
Ryan

 

[Rednamalas1]

K501 + Good amp (Milliet hybrid MAX works well)

 

[WiredCon]

Thanks for your suggestion Red! But it seems like k501 has been discounted and I wonder if 601 and 701 share the same traits? Good for classical music?

Any input would be great!


Thanks again
Ryan

 

[anubis404]

I think some JVC marshmallows or JVC Air Cushions would do well. I have the marshmallows and have been very happen with them so far.

At the high end of the scale, I would go for some Shure E5s.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiredCon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your suggestion Red! But it seems like k501 has been discounted and I wonder if 601 and 701 share the same traits? Good for classical music? Any input would be great! Thanks again Ryan

You can still search for K501s ( there's one that went off for sale earlier today - at 135$ shipped) and it's not very hard to find a pair.
I haven't tried K601s yet, but K701s should be more than adaquate for your music listening needs - although I recommend coupling them with a good amp still.

 

[zanimation]

If it's midrange and vocals you're looking for, I would definitely say go with an Audio technica ad2000.

 

[Mortalcoil]

Unamped, works great with vocals, jazz,strictly home use ........ Grado RS-2.

 

[milezone]

I also like the AD2000 but perhaps out of your price range. Other possibilities include HD650, Grado RS2 or if you're lucky cheap used RS1 (great midrange), and finally the d5000. Those are your best bets.

 

[WiredCon]

While I was waiting for the replies, I found some deals on those recommened phones as it seems like they are quite popular among other head-fiers.

1. W5000-$550 (used)
2. AD2000-$450 (used)
3. D5000- $430 (new)
4. RS1- No deal found
5. RS2- No deal found

I was wondering if all those other headphones require an amp except RS from Grado to sound great? How do they perform without an am on a laptop? Let's say on a macbook pro?

I really appreciate your replies all!
Ryan

 

[Mortalcoil]

AD2000 has a good rep for sounding good unamped. From my own experience the RS-2 is (was) great unamped.

 

[Exediron]

You can listen to a D5000 straight out of a laptop out (Using a Macbook pro and listening to D5000s while I write this) and it will sound decent, but it does sound better with an amp. They sound a little too bright and there isn't much bass impact when listened to straight from a laptop.

 

[WiredCon]

Yesterday, I found a great deal on Shure E500PTH from authorized local dealer, and couldnt resist the temptation. So, I purchased it and spent couple of hours. My first impression is that even though I can tell it is much better than my previous experience on IEMs (SF5 Pro, E4), I'm not getting the sound I wanted. I tested on my iphone and couple of laptops (XPS and MBP). I could tell the big difference between lossy codec and lossless but the sound didn't give me much of soundstage that I was hoping for.

I know it's an IEM but I was wondering if I add a decent USB Amp/Dac combo on my laptops, can I expect bigger and spacious sounds coming out of these IEMs? Or, should I give up on IEM and better off to buy another set of Headphones, such as AD2000 or K701?

Also, I would like to know if I'm gonna expereince how much of quality difference between Headroom Total Bit-Head portable and Emmeline Hornet (if I use it with Shure E500/530 on a laptop).

Is there any other better choices available that combines Dac/Amp in similar price range?

Thanks in advance.

Ryan






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