[bway17]

hello all, first post but long time reader.
 
Looking for a new set of cans, preferably open perhaps semi-open.
 
A little back ground info.
I had the hd 595's a few years back before I knew much about high-end equipment, they were cheap on amazon (like $130 I think) so it was an impulse buy.  I certainly liked them but I used them for travel more and less and it made no sense to have open cans.
 
I sold them and bought the M50s which are absolutely wonderful cans, especially for travel.
 
I also have the klipsch s4 ear buds, and ultimate ears triplefi 10 (picked em up for $45 on craigslist, what a steal right?!)
 
So I have the closed cans and noise isolating buds covered.
 
So now I'd like to get a nice set of open cans to use at home with my onkyo receiver, and at times out in the world when I know there won't be much back ground noise (at camp, back patio, etc..)
 
I have an e6 amp, which should be enough to give me a boost unless I get some beyers with high ohms, but I dont think that'll happen; if it does I'll look into a pa2v2 which might not be a bad idea anyway.
 
But I've narrowed it down to 3 cans I think: All prices are from amazon, have some store credit right now
 
Q701's (actually cheaper than the k701 on amazon right now so might as well) - $220 used and $240 new
 
HD 598 - (like i said i liked my 595's so I imagine they're similar with a few improvements)  $190 used and $240 new
 
SR 125i - I think Im leaning toward these $150 new
 
My music taste
 
classic rock: steve miller, beatles, pink floyd, zeppelin, acdc, ccr
 
Indie rock: say anything, mumford & sons, the format, panic! at the disco
 
Punk/ska: alkaline trio, dropkick murphy, sublime
 
Some country, movie score/classical
 
Really almost anything but pop, rap, hip hop.
 
 
Id say $250 would be my max budget just in case you can think of something else i'd like, I think the grados would be a good match for my music but is $150 to much for the grados? If you look on ebays completed listing more than a few have sold for less than $100 and the 225i for around $150?
 
Thanks all!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Receivers headphone output jacks usually have a high impedance (Ohms).
So you really want to use headphones that have a really high impedance, like 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm (or higher).
Headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250-Ohm
 
The AKG Q701s are 62-Ohm
The Senn HD-598 are 50-Ohm
The Grado SR125i are 32-Ohm

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Receivers headphone output jacks usually have a high impedance (Ohms).
So you really want to use headphones that have a really high impedance, like 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm (or higher).
Headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250-Ohm
 
The AKG Q701s are 62-Ohm
The Senn HD-598 are 50-Ohm
The Grado SR125i are 32-Ohm

And I have had trouble properly driving some 250 Ohm  cans (forget the 300 Ohm) from some Onkyo A/V receivers.
 
And many headphone out sections out of modern A/V are poor or worse.  It a place they often select save money to spend on other features.
 
My advice is to plug them/each of them into your receiver for a serious test drive before a final commitment to buy.

 

[bway17]

Well I have the onkyo NR515 if that helps
 
I was looking at the beyers custom one pro...I thought the idea of having 4 different settings right on the cans was a pretty neat thing, so beyers have definitely crossed my mind.  But I am just a little weary of beyers, from what I gathered through reviews they can be kinda harsh sounding on the trebs, but are nice on the mids and bass.
 
Im not a basshead, but drums is my instrument so I definitely enjoy hearing the bass drum and the "splash" of the cymbals.
 
Im not objecting to some high impedance phones but feel Im leaning towards something that I can take outside the home if the right opportunity presents itself.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Well I have the onkyo NR515 if that helps
 
I was looking at the beyers custom one pro...I thought the idea of having 4 different settings right on the cans was a pretty neat thing, so Beyers have definitely crossed my mind.  But I am just a little weary of beyers, from what I gathered through reviews they can be kinda harsh sounding on the trebs, but are nice on the mids and bass.
 
I'm not a basshead, but drums is my instrument so I definitely enjoy hearing the bass drum and the "splash" of the cymbals.
 
I'm not objecting to some high impedance phones but feel I'm leaning towards something that I can take outside the home if the right opportunity presents itself.

I believe the Beyer COPS (Custom Pro One) headphones are only 16-Ohm.
My 50-Ohm Sennheiser HD558s sound good plugged into my Yamaha RX-V671 receiver.
The AKG Q701s might work fairly well with a receiver.

 

[swiftW1nd]

Based on your musical taste, I think any Grado would be the perfect complement to your M50.

 

[bway17]

Quote:

Receivers headphone output jacks usually have a high impedance (Ohms).
So you really want to use headphones that have a really high impedance, like 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm (or higher).
Headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250-Ohm
 
The AKG Q701s are 62-Ohm
The Senn HD-598 are 50-Ohm
The Grado SR125i are 32-Ohm

Well I think you're the guy to ask about beyers.
 
AMS-DT-990 Pro - 250 Ohm.  They are $167 right now. In the title they say "Acoustically open headphones for monitoring and studio applications." When they say acoustic do they really mean it, will it have any bass for rock music?
 
And what is the difference in the dt 880s between the premium and pro versions? both 250 ohms, but the pro versions $100 cheaper.
 
I know then Im confined to my receiver unless I invest in a very expensive amp, my e6 wouldn't make a dent.
 
Thanks

 

[bway17]

Quote:

Based on your musical taste, I think any Grado would be the perfect complement to your M50.

Do you know the answer to my price question? is $150 to much for the 125i's?  They've gone for about $80 on ebay and the 225i's for $150 in the past.
 
And do you know if the 225i's is a big step up from the 125i's? 
 
Thanks

 

[cel4145]

Many Grado fans recommend going with either the SR80i or the SR225i. You can change out the pads on the SR80i to the L-Cush that the Prestige series uses and get 80% of the way to the 225i sound.

$150 sounds like a decent price for the SR225i.

For rock, I love Grados. In fact, I prefer the SR80i over any <$250 headphones I have heard. The fast transient response of Grado drivers makes guitar come alive

 

[CrystalT]

Go with the pioneer se-a1000. Price to performance it's the best open air can under $300.

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[roadcykler]

I think you'd be disappointed with the bass response of the AKGs but I can't speak to your other options.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Well I think you're the guy to ask about beyers.
AMS-DT-990 Pro - 250 Ohm.  They are $167 right now. In the title they say "Acoustically open headphones for monitoring and studio applications." When they say acoustic do they really mean it, will it have any bass for rock music?
And what is the difference in the dt 880s between the premium and pro versions? both 250 ohms, but the pro versions $100 cheaper.
I know then I'm confined to my receiver unless I invest in a very expensive amp, my e6 wouldn't make a dent.

The Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm are a full bass and full treble headphone, slightly overpowers the mids, but the mids are clear.
I like to say they have a "movie theater" like sound.
The DT880s have a more balanced Bass/Mids/Treble, makes them a little more desirable over the DT990s
The Pro version has a slightly tighter grip/seal, compared to the Premiums, might as well just get the Pro.
The 600-Ohm Premiums are slightly better sounding then the 250-Ohm Pros, for a big markup on price.
A 250-Ohm headphone should work just fine, plugged straight into the receiver.

 

[swiftW1nd]

Quote:

Do you know the answer to my price question? is $150 to much for the 125i's?  They've gone for about $80 on ebay and the 225i's for $150 in the past.
 
And do you know if the 225i's is a big step up from the 125i's? 
 
Thanks

To be honest, I'd go with the SR80i. I personally don't think the Grado line gets significantly better until the 325. The 80i is where the sweet spot is value wise imo. 

 

[CrystalT]

Pioneer se-a1000 is $60 and sounds better to my ears than everything currently recommended. The closest contender is the sr225i which loses out in sound stage, speed, separation, and the tonality of the mids.

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[bway17]

Well thanks to everyone, I ended up going with the sr80i. I tend to try and find the best deal and I think the grado style will suit my music taste the best.  If after a few weeks I dont like em no harm no foul, simply return them and start over, maybe work my way up the grado line; but hopefully I will enjoy these.
 
I figured the AKGs were probably not going to be great for my music taste. The senns were still enticing, but the dt 990s leap frogged them as my second choice I think.
 
Thanks for a pleasant first post all!