[alchemy]

i'm looking at buying a pair of sennheiser hd200 master's.. intended use is mainly dj monitoring, as well as listening to mp3's and pc gaming. most of the music i listen to is bassy club/rave type stuff.

i'd like it if people could suggest other brands/models that fall into the same price category. this is my first foray into the field of decent headfones, and i cant seem to find anywhere that offers decent revies of all the candidates. any help in that department would be greatly appreciated as well.

thanks

)

 

[coolvij]

I would think all of your choices will have been reviewed at audioreview.com

Good luck!

 

[dhwilkin]

Hi alchemy, I own a pair of the HD200. It would be pretty good at DJ monitoring. Pros: Decent isolation, quite detailed, emphasized highs, punchy bass, easily powered, quite forward/aggressive, and quick. Cons: Poor soundstage (of course, it's cheap and closed), sounds digital (not natural), definitely not a balanced sound. IOW, not good for most music, but since you like techno, it might do pretty well. Your other choices are probably the Sony V6 and IXOS DJ line. Do a seach for more info on them. Denons are out, nowhere near enough isolation.

 

[reynman]

Alchemy,

You have quite a few choices for entry level to mid-level phones ($65 - $150). This hobby is very subjective, it behooves you to demo a few models, ideally at home for a few days with your source and music. I'll comment on some cans that have been discussed quite a few times on Head-fi, our other great resource Headwize, and Headroom Corporation. Retailer and resource supreme for our beloved hobby.

Open
Grados (SR 60, SR 80, SR 125) are known for their impact, tight bass, and soundstage that feels as though you're right in the middle of the performance. I've owned the SR80, demoed the 225 and 325 (waiting for the 325s to come in). Can be driven by a portable, but better with an amp.

AKG 401/501 - Mostly positive opinions, though some feel the bass, although accurate, lacks punch especially in the 501. Definitely need an amp to bring out full potential.

Closed
Sony V6 - Classic headphone, been around for several years. Good isolation, comfortable, great bass, great value (if you can find a pair). I've used these cans quite a few times while videotaping an orchestra. Can be driven by a portable as well.

Denon 750/950 - Affordable, good isolation, great bass.

Beyer Dynamics DT 250-80. Great isolation, very comfortable due to velour pads, great bass response, nice detail, though darker than the Grados. Can be driven by a portable. I use these cans for late night gaming. In fact I just finished two hours of GT3 on my PS2 with the Beyers.

There are probably more models fellow Head-fiers/Headwizers will recommendl. I would visit audioreview (as coolvij stated) and check out http://www.headphone.com. Todd recommended the Beyers to me, have not looked back.

Regards - reynman

Regards - reynman

 

[alchemy]

thanks for the quick and informative replies guys - i really appreciate it. audioreview only has short user opinions, which whilst usefull are usually quite biased. cant seem to find a proper review of the sennheisers at all, but i'm not too worried.

i will try a few out in the shop before i buy, but i really dont know what i'm looking for about from build/comfort/apparent sound response issues. spose there is only one way to learn

i'll definitely be looking out for a pair of grados sr60's as well.. i use a vortex2 soundcard which dosnt amplify the signal at all, so the sr80's are out. that does the same to the akg's as well.

i'll also have a look for the sony headfones, but i dont like my chances. sony gear is typically very expensive on aus.

once again, thanks for all the responses! has been great. if anyone has anymore, please feel free

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

The Grado SR-80s DO NOT need an amp, despite what tyll and todd say over at www.headphone.com. THey do, however, offer no isolation from outside noise, which, if used in a club atmosphere makes them virtually useless.

If you're just doing mixing/monitoring at home, however, they'll work fine, although they don't have the most even sound. I used my 80s to play Starcraft all the time, and the great thing about them was i could have music playing on speakers in the background and still hear everything going on in the game.

the sony V6s may be your best bet though. DO NOT get the V600s!!!!! they are not the same thing!!! do not get any other sony phones either (unless it's the 1700 or 3000)

 

[Gluegun]

Yea, for DJ monitoring, the Sony MDR-V6's are unbeat, right?

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I'll have to agree with XXhalberstramXX, too, about Sony headphones in general. Sony does make a few decent ones (MDR-7506/V6, MDR-E888LP, MDR-EX70LP, MDR-CD1700, MDR-CD3000) - but most of its headphones (e.g. MDR-V900, MDR-CD2000) are mediocre at best.

 

[alchemy]

went into the city for headfone shopping today, and found out a few things..

the sennheiser headfones, whilst exhibiting decent sound quality, the hd200's that i auditioned had pretty poor positioning. not terribly good for gaming, half of my intended use.

i asked the salesman to explain to me the differenece between a pair of hd200's and hd490's.. he looked at the specs and said they where the same. didnt bother auditioning them after that.. if he didnt know what he was selling, i didnt want to buy it.

i found the hd200's to be just a tad to ~well~ isolated, and they gave me a very warm head after listening to just two tracks. in the middle of winter this isn't too acceptable, hate to think of them in summer.

tried the sony shop for a pair of mdr-v6xxx's.. they said mdr-v6what?

i eventually settled on a pair of ixos/MoS dj 1004's. they dont have a rotable earcup so are not that excellent for dj monitoring, but they have a decent sound for the price, better build quality than the sennheisers and much much better sound positioning.

once again, thanks all for your help

 

[Neruda]

oh crap, we always put VXXX because the X's mean to insert whatever name that headphone might have, that isn't part of the name! (i.e. V700, V600, V300, etc) You should have only asked for the MDR-V6. But chances are no one will carry it, since it's (technically) a discontinued model.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

The Grado SR-80s DO NOT need an amp, despite what tyll and todd say over at www.headphone.com.

This seems to be one of the more controversal topics around here

I personally think they do need an amp to sound their best. IMHO, if you're ONLY going to be using them out of a portable with weak output, you're better off saving $30 since the advantages the 80s have over the 60s require more power, and your portable may not be able to supply it. With a 5mW output, you may be able to hear a slight difference, but you also might not.

 

[Gluegun]

ARGH, ARGH, ARGH......

nonono. Send those headphones back!!!

WE ALL KNOW THE PERFECT GAMING AND DJ MONITORING HEADPHONE FOR YOU, IF YOU WOULD JUST LISTEN.

Okay, when we were talking about "Sony MDR-V###DJ", we were talking about the ****ty-ass MDR-V600, MDR-V700, MDR-V900, and everything in that line.....

HOWEVER, THE PERFECT GAMING AND DJ HEADPHONE HAS TO BE THE SONY MDR-V6 AND THE SONY MDR-7506, WHICH IS THE SONY MDR-V6 WITH A BETTER PAINT JOB!!!!!

Send the Ixos ones back!!

And remember:

"Sony MDR-V6"
"Sony MDR-7506"

http://www.djmart.com/noname5.html

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Gluegun, Alchemy can't find either the Sony MDR-V6 or the MDR-7506 anywhere in Australia because neither model is distributed there! And he doesn't want to buy any pair of headphones without first auditioning them!

Alchemy: If those dealers said "Sony MDR-V6what?", that's because they carry only the current consumer-model Sonys (most of which are crap)! hehe...

 

[Gluegun]

*thinks*

Oh, that's not a good thing...erm, can't you buy 'em online? And, like, trust us?

 

[Neruda]

No, eagle driver, he said "Sony MDR-V6XXX," X's and all! No wonder they were confused!