[jerome]

i'm having severe difficulties in deciding which branch to go and i'm hoping one of you can convince me which is more suitable and suggest a good pair to buy as well, budget of under $250

are there any closed phones (beyerdynamic dt 660? denon d2000?) that are of satisfactory quality? i currently listen to music in my shure e2c's and it's definitely not satisfactory (whilst not bad i admit)

so is my only option to quench my aural thirst to go for an open pair? however, i may require usage on 6hr train ride once a month, but i guess i can just use my shures for then? are they really THAT leaky? i've heard the grados definitely are but any others?

suggestions of excellent 'cans'? sennheiser hd 595 / grado sr 125 (or 80) are the ones i've been looking at open wise, but i'm uncertain whether they are strong bass wise and suited for a varied musical taste as opposed to just rock as i've read here and there for grados...?

what about alessandro ms 1's do they hold up against the 2 other open pairs i've mentioned here?

 

[mdarnton]

I suspect everyone will tell you to get open phones and use the Shures on the train, so let me be the first. You'll get better sound in your price range with open, and the train is only once a month.

 

[jerome]

that's that settled! now just to find some good all round open phones that:
a/ are good 'overall', won't leave me lacking in any particular area; especially bass
b/ versatile in terms of genres
c/ don't require an amp
d/ under $250 (£120)

much thanks !

 

[Toby M]

Whats your source/musical preferences/etc? What don't you like about the E2C's?

I find my 555's don't have very strong lower bass. They're completely open so they leak a lot. 595's will be similar but more refined.

If you like bass D2000's are great (had mine 48 hours and love em

) but I don't think you'll find them for $250 unless you get some for a good deal secondhand. The fact they're closed shouldn't put you off at all.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby M /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you like bass D2000's are great (had mine 48 hours and love em ) but I don't think you'll find them for $250 unless you get some for a good deal secondhand. The fact they're closed shouldn't put you off at all.

x2. Denon's really hit the jackpot with their first line of hi-fi headphones.

 

[jerome]

my musical preferences ranges quite a bit from minimalist pop to harsh and convoluted punk rock ie converge, with a lot of varied in between ie hip hop as well as post rock ie godspeed, etc etc

my shures are just not good enough when it comes to minimalist music, it handles most stuff reasonably well but it lacks in detail which i need as well as handles bass poorly. (these are shure e2c's though, so pretty cheap - definitely good for its price mind)

i think i'm going to settle for a good versatile open pair and use my shures whenever i need to until i can upgrade that as well, so what's a good open phone that ticks these boxes:
a/ are good 'overall', won't leave me lacking in any particular area; especially bass
b/ versatile in terms of genres
c/ don't require an amp
d/ under $250 (£120)

much thanks once again

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif x2. Denon's really hit the jackpot with their first line of hi-fi headphones.

X3 for D2000. Especially if you want bass. The lower end Grados have great detail and upfront mids, and just enough bass for me. It's great for rock with thumping bass, but it doesn't have deep low bass.

 

[jerome]

aren't they closed? i'm looking for open under $300 now, who tick those 4 boxes i mentioned earlier


edit; here are some i've been thinking of:

grado sr 125
sennheiser hd 595
alessandro ms-1?