[BavariaBarbarian]

Hi Folks!

I'm looking for my first "serious" headphones. They would be used with my pc and the ipod (so: no amp) for listening to lots and lots of rock/altrock with a sprinkling of metal, classic and pop stuff like Tori Amos or Sting.

Unfortunately I'm on a bit tight budget (Euro ~80 / ~$90) and Grados are out of the race since here in good old germany they cost a generous 200% of the US msrp if you can find any at all...

Too bad actually, because of what i've read here i might well be a grado person - the often mentioned "toe-tapping factor" and the way they (supposedly) sound with guitar/vocals seem to be right down my road.

I'm really not looking for the most refined headphone out there, just something that will sound fun and grooving with my sort of music (and sources).

Some portability would be a bonus for use on train rides or carrying 'round the campus, but I would use them primarily at home so non-portability won't be a dealbreaker.


Anyway,i've narrowed my actual options to the following:


- the beyerdynamic dt 440 which i can get for around euro 70 (shipped)

I like the descriptions but haven't heard it for real yet.

- the porta pro, euro 50 dito

Like the sound and it's being touted "high-end" or the like in some magazines i read.
I can't actually believe that and suspect there should be something better.. yet nice price.

- the alessandro ms-1

Somewhat reluctantly since I can't find any alessandros/grados to audition here. So it would be quite some leap of faith as well as budget-wise. 99$ shipped would work out, but just so and you never know what customs will charge. But like i said above they might just be what i look for...

- Well, that is enough babble from my side, i think...

I'm really confused, any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance!

 

[lini]

DT440 should be worth a try - or if you want to spend even less, check the Creative HQ-1300.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[BrokenEnglish]

welcome bavariabarbarian!

i think lini, another bavarian nosebuds barbarian, soon will shine up to give you his advice... and you know what i mean: dt440. i purchased recently my pair of dt440 mainly for use with pop/electronics, sometimes rock. at first i was disappointed because they seemed to suffer from seriously recessed highs. but... they're getting better day by day (or am i getting used to them?) and i'm enjoying them a lot right now.

one problem remains: my ears stick out just the crucial mm too far, so that they rub on the inner foam of these beyers (not so with the dt880).. it hurts. but even that is a minor problem compared to the ache i felt with the normal grado-line: they are supraaural, therefore pressing their (soft!) earcussions directly on your ears. you'll definitely need to audit them first! every audiophile hifi-studio in bavaria offers grados for stellar prices - go there and give them a try...

dt440: we're living in the consumer-nirvana (as cosmopragma said lately) in germany and can test every mail-ordered gear full 14 days... why not try them?

/edit: hehe... lini was even faster...

 

[BavariaBarbarian]

That was fast

Cheers!
Yeah, i may give the DT440 a shot...

BTW: reading your sig, my nick doesn't seem all that original anymore

 

[BavariaBarbarian]

You guys are too fast for me

Thanks for the welcome!

Ear-shape may indeed be an issue for me. I had a similar problem when trying out the philips hp-890...

consumer-nirvana i like that... you're giving me ideas.

 

[BrokenEnglish]

eh.. wait a few hours... some of our international friends will point you the strength of the alessandros/grados as rock-phones and give you some recommendations like bending the head-band and switching to different ear-cushions...

but be aware: alternative ear-cushions need to be ordered separately and there are some chances that you have to pay full 16% "umsatzeinfuhrsteuer" for alessandros...

 

[taymat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokenEnglish eh.. wait a few hours... some of our international friends will point you the strength of the alessandros/grados as rock-phones and give you some recommendations like bending the head-band and switching to different ear-cushions... but be aware: alternative ear-cushions need to be ordered separately and there are some chances that you have to pay full 16% "umsatzeinfuhrsteuer" for alessandros...

You don't have to buy flat pads you can just reverse the standard bowls that come with alessandro/grado headphones. It changes the sound from tonally bright to tonally alright for me.

 

[BavariaBarbarian]

After reading up some more, i've now ordered the Porta Pro and the DT440.

I'll let the two fight it out and then one shall go back to the shop.
... at least that's the plan.

I've had no luck hunting for a shop that stocks grados for several weeks now, and since i don't have a car i'm literally tired of hiking the city. Also it's starting to show up on my time-budget.

So grado/alessandro phones shall remain a mysterious rumor to me. I might reconsider them when i finally run into some though...


I'll tell ya which one i kept and why.

So long, and thanks for the help!

 

[eitook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BavariaBarbarian After reading up some more, i've now ordered the Porta Pro and the DT440. I'll let the two fight it out and then one shall go back to the shop. ... at least that's the plan. I've had no luck hunting for a shop that stocks grados for several weeks now, and since i don't have a car i'm literally tired of hiking the city. Also it's starting to show up on my time-budget. So grado/alessandro phones shall remain a mysterious rumor to me. I might reconsider them when i finally run into some though... I'll tell ya which one i kept and why. So long, and thanks for the help!

Hi,
yeah please do keep us updated! I'm real interested in knowing the dt440's sonic signature/performance vs the portapro. should prove rather interesting?
catch ya later

 

[BrokenEnglish]

give those cans their time to burn in and to get used to them, at least 100h each playing loud music. make your decision after that... btw: i'm pretty shure, the dt440 will win your race...

 

[BavariaBarbarian]

I will surely burn them in! - I've been doing some reading up on the forum meanwhile

I like it pretty much btw. And i'm getting the impression, that i should'nt do any more of that... how did someone put it: it's a slippery slope...

also received shipping confirmation today... hehe

So long!

 

[BavariaBarbarian]

So, the DT440 and the PortaPro finally arrived yesterday.
I've given them a good round of listening and, what can i say, they're both a huge step up from my old faithful sony mdr55. They both put a nice big smile on my face with my favorite tracks

First Impressions:

PortaPro:

+ Extremely lightweight & comfortable
+ Pretty good detail
+ Great, strong,if a bit rumbly bass
- Too much bass makes it sound muddy/muffled on many of my tracks
- Treble sounds cut off and isn't as "present" as the mids and lows

Beyer DT440:

+ Beautiful, clear mids and treble
+ Detailed, strong, "punchy" bass
+ Great soundstage, actually had me looking over my shoulder twice.

- A bit uncomfortable. They surely are making their weight felt after an hour or two.

After all, the DT440 takes the lead straight out of the box.
Let's see if that changes with some decent break-in time.

So long!

 

[1UP]

If the DT440 is at all similar to my DTX900 in terms of fit, they will get much more comfy after a week or so (my headband stretched out and the pads now fit virtually circumaurally).

 

[BrokenEnglish]

@BavariaBarbarian
congratulations! the dt440 really could profit from those beyerdynamic velour-pads of the dt990/880/831/531-line... but gosh... they're retailing at 20€...

 

[eitook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BavariaBarbarian So, the DT440 and the PortaPro finally arrived yesterday. I've given them a good round of listening and, what can i say, they're both a huge step up from my old faithful sony mdr55. They both put a nice big smile on my face with my favorite tracks First Impressions: PortaPro: + Extremely lightweight & comfortable + Pretty good detail + Great, strong,if a bit rumbly bass - Too much bass makes it sound muddy/muffled on many of my tracks - Treble sounds cut off and isn't as "present" as the mids and lows Beyer DT440: + Beautiful, clear mids and treble + Detailed, strong, "punchy" bass + Great soundstage, actually had me looking over my shoulder twice. - A bit uncomfortable. They surely are making their weight felt after an hour or two. After all, the DT440 takes the lead straight out of the box. Let's see if that changes with some decent break-in time. So long!

Hi,
Nice feedback. Just as i have suspected, the dt440 has comfortability issues? Care to elaborate more on this? I have a Pioneer HDJ1000 which i *think* has a similar build and folding mechanism to the dt440, and these phones are a royal -PAIN- to put on after extended listening (the cups clamp too hard on my head, and they are heavy). Do the dt440s exhibit any of these symptoms? I'm real interested in picking up a pair myself pretty soon..........