[fetus]

It would be a lie to say that I have anything near normal hearing anymore. I assume that when I did have perfect hearing it was top notch and above the normal but then I went to concerts...
Now I have an annoying case of tinnitus and I assume that I can not hear much above 17kHz in my left ear and much worse in my right. All at the tender age of 18. I guess my only hope is that in the near future there would be some stem cell treatment to fix the damage, but for now I'm ****ed now.
Thus it would be a waist for me to spend vast amounts of money on some "audiophile" cans. I am assuming that I could ask for the HD280's (when I need to block out for my birthday (in a few weeks) and I could manage to spend maybe $150 or so but remember I am a poor college student, thus the CHEAPER the BETTER)

I have been using some Sony MDR-605 for the past 5 or so years and they have treated me well, but I am assuming that there are more quality cans out there. I have noticed that the Sony's have decent sound detail for when I listen to the Avant Garde compositions and are just enjoyable to listen to, and are above all else comfortable, when I play my vinyl.
I think that I can still hear details in sound well enough to justify upgrading from what I have now, but I do not need anything that would have harsh highs or would induce fatigue from listening or wearing. I would much prefer a comfortable pair of cans over something of higher quality.
I am at a bit of a loss in this realm of audiophiles because I have a very hard time justifying spending such vasts amounts of money on something as simple as a set of cans when one could buy many albums with the same price.

summary: I need a cheap set of cans that have detailed sound, not too harsh or high pitched, comfortable, and above all else CHEAP.

thanks

edit:
My stereo is a B&O Beosound 2400 with a Technics SL-Q6 turntable and a Dennon DCD-590 cd player.
I listen to mostly obscure 60's music, some indie stuff, folk, jazz (like Sun Ra), avant garde compositions and a healthy dose of electronic and synthesized music.

 

[no1likesme]

if you really want to go cheap you can always go with a set of ksc 75's for $20
otherwise you cant go wrong with some lower end grados

yay broke ass college students!!

 

[midlife]

Grados. vinyl. sun ra. It's all good. Plus grados can be listened to at lower volumes and still get lots of detail.This helps with my tinnitus. Also electronic,microsound type stuff sounds good on grados. As does LaMonte Young/Terry Riley type drony minimalist music.

 

[superjohnny]

The HD201's are decently detailed and nicely balanced, but lack warmth. They're ugly and not terribly comfortable, but built to be durable. Best <$20 headphone IMO.
Senn PX100's are the best <$50 can IME. Detailed, crisp, clean, nicely balanced. A very nice portable headphone.
Grado SR60's are my favorite <$100 can. Better than many headphones at twice the price.
Koss porta-pro's sound alright, but I don't particularly like clip-on's.
The Sony V6's aren't bad. A friend of mine has some that are quite old and they sound pretty good. A bit boomy in the bass and they make my ears sweat like crazy, but they sound pretty good.
Shure E4c sounds great. They're detailed and clean sounding, stylish, comfortable and not fatiguing.
Ety ER4-P... the king of detailed. They're dry and lack bass, but very analytical.

 

[okay_player]

another vote for the ksc-75 here.
i just picked up a pair and am quite surprised at their sound quality for 20 bones.
they are, however, my first pair of clip ons, so i'm still adjusting to them, trying to find the right angle/bend in the clips, etc.

still, for 20$, you really can't go wrong with these phones.

if you want something with isolation, i'd go for the sony eggos.

ahhh look at me. choosing the most popular cans....

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fetus It would be a lie to say that I have anything near normal hearing anymore. I assume that when I did have perfect hearing it was top notch and above the normal but then I went to concerts... Now I have an annoying case of tinnitus and I assume that I can not hear much above 17kHz in my left ear and much worse in my right. All at the tender age of 18. I guess my only hope is that in the near future there would be some stem cell treatment to fix the damage, but for now I'm ****ed now. Thus it would be a waist for me to spend vast amounts of money on some "audiophile" cans.

Fwiw, frequency response is only one of many 'audiophile' qualities. You're certainly able to hear soundstaging, transients, dynamics, detail, etc. and these are all generally better with high end cans.

 

[Max Minimum]

I think you may overestimate how much music you might be missing. If you're right that you can hear up to 17 khz then you're not missing much. You might do well to see if you can find some Sennheiser HD595's in your $150 price range, even if they're refurbished or used. I know that's the top of the range for you, but they could keep you happy for a very long time. You really wouldn't have to hang your head if you never got anything better, imo.

 

[aaroncort]

I'd like to give you a slight warning. If you get open cans and you go out with them much, because of your hearing loss you're really going to have to turn them up to hear over the outside noise. This is going to cause to to loose more hearing over time. By the time you're in your 40's you'll need a hearing aid and won't be able to use headphones at all. I'd get a inexpensive pair of etymotics if you can stand the isolation they bring. That way you won't feel the need to turn it up.

 

[fetus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midlife Grados. vinyl. sun ra. It's all good. Plus grados can be listened to at lower volumes and still get lots of detail.This helps with my tinnitus. Also electronic,microsound type stuff sounds good on grados. As does LaMonte Young/Terry Riley type drony minimalist music.

But how is their comfort? They do not look like they would have a nice fit to them, but people always rave about them. Would it be worth it for me to pick up the HF-1's?
And yes, low volume is a must for me as well.

aaroncort, I appreciate your concern but I hopefully shall be getting some HD-280's for the outdoor environment. I have yet to hear of better full sized cans then them. I do not know how I feel about the canal types. Even things like cheap ear plugs tend to annoy my ears, but I might just be putting them too deep into my ears. Besides I would rather have nice large ear muffs for the cold northern winters when one has to walk to class. I would be using the other set for my dorm stereo setup.

If the Grado's are comfortable enough I might just be willing to splurge for the HF-1's while my ears last or a Sennheiser hd5XX.

 

[sgrossklass]

If you want about the opposite from harsh or bright, a HD485 might be the ticket. For overall rather balanced cans, check out the HD555. HD590s are somewhat brighter, but a bit better still overall. All of those can be obtained for <~120$ (LTUCCI1924 got his '590s for $98 brand new, and apparently you can get HD555s for $99).

 

[lini]

fetus: I don't know how much it is over in the US, but I'd recommend to check the Beyerdynamic DT250/250. That's a nicely comfy and very durable closed phone with a fairly neutral sound and a good bit of groove. Fairly efficient for a high impedance phone.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: Nice little Technics linear tracker you got there...