Recommedations Please

[early]

Hello all ,

I need some help , I'm looking for some recommendations for headphones ,
I've just bought ( second hand ) a earmax " flintstone " amp and I'm now
looking for some headphones .

I'd like something thats nice and comfy and offers a good 3D soundstage with a
fairly neutral tone ( I only like to hear bass when it's supposed to be there )

I've quite broad musical tastes , rock / jazz / classical , not sure if this makes a difference with headphones ( I know it does with speakers )

I've been led to belive I need quite sensitive 'phones , is that right or wrong ?
I don't know

.

Anyone help ?

 

[Blackmore]

Thinking about AKG K501 or AKG K701 for JAZZ & CLASSICS + Grado SR225 for ROCK

Quote:

Originally Posted by early /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello all , I need some help , I'm looking for some recommendations for headphones , I've just bought ( second hand ) a earmax " flintstone " amp and I'm now looking for some headphones . I'd like something thats nice and comfy and offers a good 3D soundstage with a fairly neutral tone ( I only like to hear bass when it's supposed to be there ) I've quite broad musical tastes , rock / jazz / classical , not sure if this makes a difference with headphones ( I know it does with speakers ) I've been led to belive I need quite sensitive 'phones , is that right or wrong ? I don't know . Anyone help ?

 

[rockbottom]

Senn + Grado!

 

[early]

I might be wrong ( I'm new to this ) , but from what I've read you need
the earmax pro to drive grados .

Anymore suggestions , I hope to go shopping at weekend

 

[rb67]

You dont necessarily need an amp to drive Grados. They will sound OK and have sufficient from a source headphone-out. However, they do lend well to amplification as they require a good amount of current to sound great. From what I've experience, the greatest improvement is in bass response. I personally have never heard the earmax pro driving Grados, but as I'm sure you've read, many members enjoy the sound the earmax pro + Grado combination gives.

However, you may want to shy away from Grados. You stated that you are looking for good 3d soundstage and a neutral tone, both of which do not come to mind when describing a Grado. The Grado soundstage is very close to you, and I find that music that is heavily dependent on soundstage such as classical music and some larger jazz ensembles don't work too well with my Grados. In terms of neutrality, Grados are one of the brightest headphones and are well known for that. The mids and highs are emphasized while the low end is not quite as strong as other headphones. (The detail on the low end is still there though). For rock, however, I find they are the most enjoyable headphones available.

If you are looking for neutral headphones with soundstage I would look more towards AKG K701, Sennheiser HD600 or Sennheiser HD650. Personally, I would prefer either of the Sennheisers as I found the K701's pretty boring, but I've only heard them a few times.

What is your budget? We can help you out from there.

 

[Joshatdot]

AKG K701, Senn HD595, Beyer DT880

 

[edisonwu]

HD600 rocks with Earmax!

 

[early]

Thanks for the replys .

I need the headphone amp as my intergrated has no headphone socket ,
and headphones may just avoid a divorce

As for budget , I'm looking at about £ 150'ish ( Sterling , as I've noticed quite a lot of the replys have come from overseas , isn't the web fantastic )

So is it a toss up between AKG and Senn's ? .

 

[rb67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by early /img/forum/go_quote.gif So is it a toss up between AKG and Senn's ? .

It should be a toss up between the AKG, Senn, and Beyer's.

I can't personally comment on the DT880's, but from my various reading on the forum they should definitely be in the running.