[bigtommystyle]

Hello:
 
Please help....I am in desperate need of assistance.  After countless hours reading this forum, I am in a worse place than where I started from and just need to end the madness.  
 
My journey started when I wanted to buy a better headphone.  I did my research and decided on the sennheiser 558's.  Ive had them almost three years now and absolutely love them.  I use them straight from my iphone and really enjoy the sound & comfort.  Love, love, love my 558's.  Problem is that I just started a new job where I really should probably have a closed can.
 
Again, I did my research and decided that the Beyerdynamic DT-770 80's seemed like a good fit.  Found out that the local guitar center had them in stock so I went to check them out.  When I gave them a listen, I was shocked at how little sound I was getting out of them.  Not what I expected after reading all reviews boasting about the bass, etc. Maybe the 770 80's need proper amplification to bring them to life, but definitely not for me straight from the phone.  Granted this could be the lack of burn in too, but regardless...
 
The Guitar Center also had a pair of Shure 840's to try.  I liked these way better than the 770 80's, straight from my phone, but I started to wonder if I might like the beyer's better with amplification.  I left and decided to think about it.  
 
After some thought, I kind of came to the concussion that I should probably just get the 840's.  I liked the way they sounded without amplification, they were reasonably priced and readily available.  Then I saw the for sale forum here on head-fi and noticed that I could get the 940's for cheaper than the 840's.  More for less is better right?  But then I read all the reports about the 940's breaking at the arm.  This is a concern of mine as I really dont want to spend $175 on something that is going to break in an year.  My search went on....
 
I noticed that I could get the Shure 1540's for less than $400.  Could this be the right fit?  Then I read that the 1540's need amplification and they are extremely bass heavy to the point of annoyance. Furthermore, I read that the 1540 leak sound almost as bad as my open 558's.  This is a real problem because if that's the case, I just spent $400 for nothing.  Ugh, why cant this be easy??
 
Here's where im at.  I would much rather spend more to get what I am looking for as I don't want to keep trading up .  I do plan on adding an amp in the future, but I need to get the headphones first.
 
How bad do the 1540's leak sound?  Will I get close to the same sound out of them as my 558's without amplification?  How bad is the bass issue?  
 
Am I wrong to be concerned about the 940's design flaw?  Should I just settle for them?  Should I just grab the 840's and be done with it?    
 
Is there a better headphone for me?  Alpha dogs?  Denon?  Can I find a closed can that I find as enjoyable as the 558's (with and without amplification)?     
 
All in all, I guess I am willing to spend up to $500.  What should I do?  Must be closed, over the ear.  Please help.  
 
Thanks,
 
Tom

 

[kiikasi]

I'm. It sure where you got the misinformation from, but the SRH1540s don't really leak sound at all from my experience (At least very minimally. Less that beats.), the general consensus is that that the SRH1540 is wonderfully balanced with a bit of a bass kick to the , but the bass isn't heavy at all. In fact, the treble is very present and bell-like. The review that you read could have been talking about a defective model? I've owned so many high-end headphones, including HE-500, TH-900, and the T5ps, but nothing touches these in terms of comfort and sound quality.

I've only ever used these straight out of my HTC One using Neutron Player and they are lovely portable headphones! they don't collapse, but the cord is short enough to never get in the way.

Yet again, I'm surprised that anyone would say anything bad about the SRH1540s because they are REALLY GOOD. And that soundstage is the biggest I've ever heard (Although I've never heard the HD800s. I have heard the SR-009s, though)

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Please help....I am in desperate need of assistance.  After countless hours reading this forum, I am in a worse place than where I started from and just need to end the madness.  
----
Again, I did my research and decided that the Beyerdynamic DT-770 80's seemed like a good fit.  Found out that the local guitar center had them in stock so I went to check them out.  When I gave them a listen, I was shocked at how little sound I was getting out of them.  Not what I expected after reading all reviews boasting about the bass, etc. Maybe the 770 80's need proper amplification to bring them to life, but definitely not for me straight from the phone.  Granted this could be the lack of burn in too, but regardless...

 
Breaking in headphone drivers isn't going to make their efficiency any higher. You are driving an 80ohm, 96dB efficiency headphone with a smartphone audio chip that probably makes around 5mW at 32ohms; it likely makes a lot less power than that and probably with more distortion at 80ohms. You need a more powerful amplifier or a much more efficient headphone with low impedance.
 
For what it's worth though it may just have been noisy there - my HD600 can get loud enough on a Samsung S3  (assuming a quiet room) and the quality isn't completely effed up either. That's a 300ohm open headphone with a 97dB efficiency.
 
 

 
All in all, I guess I am willing to spend up to $500.  What should I do?  Must be closed, over the ear.  Please help.  

 

I'd look into the Beyerdynamic T70P 32ohm - lower impedance, higher efficiency. Beyer explicitly states in the blurb that it was designed for most devices to drive easily, and even uses the photo below to illustrate how they think you'll enjoy them out of a Macbook. You're not supposed to take it all lock, stock and barrel, but that's still a fair bit of confidence on their part (since if they fail spectacularly at that internet reviews will point out their BS).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigtommystyle]

Thanks for the input. In reading the specs, it says that my 558's are 50ohm. I am happy with the way they sound despite being slightly under powered by my phone. The Shure 840's are 44ohm and sounded fine. I guessing that at 46ohm, the 1540's wouldn't be too bad either. Will the 1540's sound as good as my 558's without an amp?

The thing is, I do intended on getting an amp. I've been looking, and kind of decided that the JDS labs ODAC is a likely fit. Knowing that I intend to grab this in the near future, does that change which headphones I should purchase?

are you suggesting that because I like the 558's, I'm going to be happier with the beyer 770's as opposed to shure's? I want to get something that satisfies tomorrow's needs today. how do the beyer 32ohm's compare to the 558's? if I get the 770 32's, will I wish that I would have gotten the 770 80's or 1540's when I get the amp? It sucks that I can't demo the headphones with an amp.

I obviously like the price of the 770 32's. Should I just grab them and be done with it?

 

[Youth]

It depends on what music preference you have and also what sound signature you want, but here's some closed cans within your budget:
 
Soundmagic HP150
DT770 Pro 32 ohm
NAD VISO HP50
T70p

 

[cel4145]

The 1540s will have a good bit more sub bass emphasis than the 840s you listened to. You can see here that the 1540s have a lot more bass emphasis than the 558s:



Do the 1540s need amplification? I think your 558s are probably easier for your phone to drive.

 

[bigtommystyle]

It depends on what music preference you have and also what sound signature you want, but here's some closed cans within your budget:

Soundmagic HP150
DT770 Pro 32 ohm
NAD VISO HP50
T70p

Agreed, which do you suggest and why?

I can get the t70p's used for $260. Are they better than the 770 32's? Will the 70p's power off my phone the same as the 770 32's?

 

[billybob_jcv]

The ODAC is a DAC, not an amp. You would need to get the O2 or the O2+ODAC. IMHO, the O2 is a better desktop amp than a portable amp. The form-factor is a bit awkward for portable use. Something like a Fiio E12 or E11K, or iBasso D-Zero is a bit easier to carry.

Here's some advice: Stop thinking these are the *last* headphones you will ever buy. Head-fiers know that these are simply the *next* headphones you are buying.

 

[bigtommystyle]

Also, I listen to a range of music but my heart belongs to phish. They are how I listen to 60% of the time. Digging aphex twin, d'angelo, outkast, all the way down to bill Evans and Stan Getz. Pretty much everything but speed metal

 

[ProtegeManiac]

The thing is, I do intended on getting an amp. I've been looking, and kind of decided that the JDS labs ODAC is a likely fit. Knowing that I intend to grab this in the near future, does that change which headphones I should purchase?

 

ODAC is a DAC, it's not an "OAMP" - which is actually called the O2. Some manufacturers using the same design have made a one-box version that has both the ODAC and O2 in the same chassis.
 

Thanks for the input. In reading the specs, it says that my 558's are 50ohm. I am happy with the way they sound despite being slightly under powered by my phone. The Shure 840's are 44ohm and sounded fine. I guessing that at 46ohm, the 1540's wouldn't be too bad either. Will the 1540's sound as good as my 558's without an amp?
----
are you suggesting that because I like the 558's, I'm going to be happier with the beyer 770's as opposed to shure's? I want to get something that satisfies tomorrow's needs today. how do the beyer 32ohm's compare to the 558's? if I get the 770 32's, will I wish that I would have gotten the 770 80's or 1540's when I get the amp? It sucks that I can't demo the headphones with an amp.
----
I obviously like the price of the 770 32's. Should I just grab them and be done with it?

 

I won't be able to tell, you'd need to check their efficiency and if they have impedance swings far off the stated nominal impedance. Plus there's how the distortion on the phone (or any amp) interacts with certain headphones. It could sound better or worse, but ultimately just different. 

 

If however you like the sound of the T70P at least based on reviews and other feedback (in case you can't listen to one), its high efficiency means you don't push the phone into putting out more power and hence less distortion. You can still use it with an amp, you just have to find one that has a low gain setting and a decent potentiometer (to avoid channel imbalance, although this is really more with IEMs - haven't heard of any of the Teslas doing this).

 

Did you like the sound of the DT770 32ohms with your phone? Because if you didn't then you'd need to wait a while to get the amp to figure out if you really like these. If you can demo the 32ohm and 80ohm versions side by side then you can consider ordering the amplifier first then trying them out again.