[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD /img/forum/go_quote.gif I look for tragedy and drive in music.

buy antony and the johnsons "the crying light"

for HP's;

sen hd600
grado 325i (needs 500+ hours)

 

[AmanGeorge]

My recommendation is go K701 or K601. Forgive me if I'm wrong guys, but it doesn't sound to me like the OP isn't planning on buying an amp, just that he is going to buy headphones then figure out which amp matches them best, so I don't think unamped performance is a huge concern.

The AKGs are both excellent with acoustic music. The K601 is slightly warmer/fuller and the K701 is slightly brighter, more transparent, with a more open and larger soundstage. I'd say I prefer the 701 with classical, the 601 with rock/pop, and it's a wash for jazz, blues, acoustic stuff (you get slightly different flavors of sound but both headphones are good for these genres). Both these headphones do a stunning job capturing timbre/texture in good acoustic recordings.

 

[pataburd]

An emphatic "x4" on the K501 recommendation. The best open offering for classical, jazz, acoustic, vocals that I've heard to date. The UP-OCC recable steps up their openness, cohesion, clarity and tonal purity another whole notch. With the Bada PH-12, I even reach for the K501 when listening to classic R&R, if you can believe that! : )

I, too, like the DT880/2003. The HD600 are great open headphones, too, but IMHO they simply cannot convey the grand "orchestral scale" of symphonic pieces quite as well as the K501 or DT880/2003.

 

[BobbyChicken]

I really like woody grados for classical music, though I haven't read if others agree with this or not. I have a pair of woodied SR-60's and they surpass most things I've listened to for classical music. The plastic grado's I dislike for classical but the wooden cups do wonders.

 

[AudioCats]

You might be able to find a used (of course) Stax Lambda with a transformer box for that much, then drive the box with a vintage reciever amp (there are many many for $20 in thrift stores). Upgrade the speaker amp later or move to a bigger stax headphone-amp.

 

[JohnD]

A brief update.

I prepared a CD of 17 tracks: Ray Charles, Mozart - Symphony No. 40 I and III. , Count Basie at Newport - Evenin', Jessye Norman, Aretha Franklin, Cecilia Bartoli, Jose Carreras, Betty Carter, Tina Turner, Jodie Holland, and Mussorgsky - Night On Bald Mountain.

Went to NYC, where I had possibility to listen only Grado SR-60, SR-80, SR-325i, Sennheiser HD600 and HD650.

I definitely did not like SR-60 and SR-80, left absolutely unexcited by HD600 and HD650 (but found HD650 better), and liked SR-325i.

So completely puzzled I decided to drive to Atlanta, GA to the head-fi meet (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f45/at...essure-421512/) where I tried Grado RS-1 and HF-1, AKG501 and AKG701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 (and ES7 – need something for my workplace too), Alessandro MS-2 (Thank you again, everyone who helped me).

For all headphones above I tried about all 17 tracks.

I absolutely love AD2000, both sound and ergonomics. MS-2 is #2, but AD2000… Night On Bald Mountain O-o-o-o-o !!!!!

 

[boomana]

ATH-AD2000 are wonderful headphones, but quite a bit out of your original stated budget. Such is head-fi. Glad you could make it to a meet. It's always the best way to learn about gear and find what suits your own individual tastes.

 

[flatmap]

Ah, the beauty of attending a head-fi meet!

 

[kool bubba ice]

48/501/600

 

[JayB18]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD /img/forum/go_quote.gif A brief update. I prepared a CD of 17 tracks: Ray Charles, Mozart - Symphony No. 40 I and III. , Count Basie at Newport - Evenin', Jessye Norman, Aretha Franklin, Cecilia Bartoli, Jose Carreras, Betty Carter, Tina Turner, Jodie Holland, and Mussorgsky - Night On Bald Mountain. Went to NYC, where I had possibility to listen only Grado SR-60, SR-80, SR-325i, Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. I definitely did not like SR-60 and SR-80, left absolutely unexcited by HD600 and HD650 (but found HD650 better), and liked SR-325i. So completely puzzled I decided to drive to Atlanta, GA to the head-fi meet (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f45/at...essure-421512/) where I tried Grado RS-1 and HF-1, AKG501 and AKG701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 (and ES7 – need something for my workplace too), Alessandro MS-2 (Thank you again, everyone who helped me). For all headphones above I tried about all 17 tracks. I absolutely love AD2000, both sound and ergonomics. MS-2 is #2, but AD2000… Night On Bald Mountain O-o-o-o-o !!!!!

Maybe the AD900 would work for you. They do have a different sound signature than the AD2000 though. They are more laid back and airy sounding. They also have a larger soundstage than the AD2000. You could also just get the AD2000 and not worry about an amp too (snice they don't need one as much some other phones).

 

[Dodger1]

Right now I've got Neil Young's Harvest Moon cranked up on my AD2000s and I've got this silly **** eating grin on my face.

Great cans but as Jay said, you might want to sample the AD900s; which I also own.

IMO, the 2000s are worth the extra $360 over the 900s but you might come to a different conclusion.

 

[kenshin21]

Like a few others here have suggested, I to recommend the senn hd600

 

[Donald North]

From your selection in music, the AKG K601 would be my first recommendation. From my experience, it has the biggest, most spacious soundstage of any circumaural headphone I've heard to date, bettering the beyer DT880 in this regard.

 

[REB]

So did you get the ad2000s? Once you've had them, there is no turning back

.

 

[JohnD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REB /img/forum/go_quote.gif So did you get the ad2000s? Once you've had them, there is no turning back .

No, I did not

.
I need to prepare myself (and after that my wife) to that expenses - you know I expected to spend $300 on headphones.

Then I need to understand what to insert between my current computer with lossless files (Bernstein audio module - Realtek ALC885 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks - Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks - 2 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-in/out jacks - 1 optical S/PDIF connector - 1 CD-in connector - 1 front audio connector
DAC SNR/ADC SNR of 106dB/101dB) and my future AD2000 and how much it costs - actually I understand in DACs and amplifiers even less than in headphones

And then ... credit card on!