[coconuts]

Hey Everyone,
I'm looking for, you guessed it, soundstage. I'm looking for a slightly portable headphone that has a great soundstage for my jazz music. I'd also like it to be $200 or less and be comfortable enough to where for a 5 hour road trip. I'd also prefer not to disturb my neighbors so a closed or noise canceling headphone (on ear or over ear, not IEMs) would be great! Any suggestions would be appreciated. 
 
In any suggestion please list quality of lows, mids, and highs as well as the durability and comfort of the overall headphone. Again very jazz oriented music listener so mids and highs are extremely important. Thanks!

 

[BillsonChang007]

FYI, not many closed headphones over good soundstage specially at $200 budget. Unless you are looking for open, the AD700 and DT770 are good

 

[GREQ]

I wonder if the AKG k271 has a good soundstage? 
 
It looks a lot like the K240's in size and style - if the soundstage is anything like the K240's that could be one to go for as it is closed, but I don't have enough experience with it to say for sure.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Quote:

I wonder if the AKG k271 has a good soundstage? 
 
It looks a lot like the K240's in size and style - if the soundstage is anything like the K240's that could be one to go for as it is closed, but I don't have enough experience with it to say for sure.

Well, the only closed headphone I had experience with and have good soundstage=K550 xD

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
Quote:

I'm looking for, you guessed it, soundstage.

 
I hate to give good people bad news (that's why I don't work in retail banking)... 

The only headphones that had at least a rudimentary soundstage that I have heard are the Sennheiser HD-800. Even those pretty much suck next to the cheapest pair of speakers... Combine them with an SPL Phonitor Headphone Amp with lots of knobs to fiddle with the soundstage and you get the absolute best soundstage I have heard from headphones. These are German made and feel a bit like a benz, but they cost like one too... 

And as much as I fancy what this jerry duo does, I won't pretend that it stacks up to a pair of cheesy computer speakers for soundstaging! And don't expect portability or much change from three grand british (no idea what that is in yank money, but more)...

I recently bought an Amp from iFi-Audio with a switch called "3D Sound" which helps even more pedestrian headphones (like my ones) to get some semblance of a soundstage and at least takes the music more or less out of your head. This amp is already over your budget and not portable, but desktop as well, but it does do it for me, as I mostly listen in the office. 

I use it with the Audio Technica ANC-7 noise cancelling headphones (you can turn the noise cancelling off - they sound much better with noise cancelling off - except of where it is very noisy). I compared them recently to some pretty dear competition and I must say they do keep a stiff upper lip next to all these. Unless I'm ready to drop a lot of dosh on some new headphones others are just swings and roundabouts, nothing really dramatically better, so these turned out a bit of a bargain. 

I'd say the AT headphones and the iFi Amp give me at least 85% of the soundstage of the jerry duo, better bass than the jerry's and not too rubbish midrange and treble. This set sounds a bit "darker" than the jerrys, which I personally like, also more warm, tubelike than the Jerry's.

I don't know if there is any decent App for portable phones that can do the same thing. I suppose I should find out. I looked for windows but what I found was not very good. I had no luck on Windows Phones, maybe they have something for my Galaxy, which is a 'droid?

Cheerio Rich

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I hate to give good people bad news (that's why I don't work in retail banking)... 

The only headphones that had at least a rudimentary soundstage that I have heard are the Sennheiser HD-800. Even those pretty much suck next to the cheapest pair of speakers... Combine them with an SPL Phonitor Headphone Amp with lots of knobs to fiddle with the soundstage and you get the absolute best soundstage I have heard from headphones. These are German made and feel a bit like a benz, but they cost like one too... 

And as much as I fancy what this jerry duo does, I won't pretend that it stacks up to a pair of cheesy computer speakers for soundstaging! And don't expect portability or much change from three grand british (no idea what that is in yank money, but more)...

I recently bought an Amp from iFi-Audio with a switch called "3D Sound" which helps even more pedestrian headphones (like my ones) to get some semblance of a soundstage and at least takes the music more or less out of your head. This amp is already over your budget and not portable, but desktop as well, but it does do it for me, as I mostly listen in the office. 

I use it with the Audio Technica ANC-7 noise cancelling headphones (you can turn the noise cancelling off - they sound much better with noise cancelling off - except of where it is very noisy). I compared them recently to some pretty dear competition and I must say they do keep a stiff upper lip next to all these. Unless I'm ready to drop a lot of dosh on some new headphones others are just swings and roundabouts, nothing really dramatically better, so these turned out a bit of a bargain. 

I'd say the AT headphones and the iFi Amp give me at least 85% of the soundstage of the jerry duo, better bass than the jerry's and not too rubbish midrange and treble. This set sounds a bit "darker" than the jerrys, which I personally like, also more warm, tubelike than the Jerry's.

I don't know if there is any decent App for portable phones that can do the same thing. I suppose I should find out. I looked for windows but what I found was not very good. I had no luck on Windows Phones, maybe they have something for my Galaxy, which is a 'droid?

Cheerio Rich

 
I think you're confusing Soundstage with Stereo Imaging.

 

[sofastreamer]

i would say go for a used pair of srh940. i am a soundstage lover also and have not found such a wide and pin point accurate soundstage in any other headphone

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
Quote:

I think you're confusing Soundstage with Stereo Imaging.

 
Maybe I do. To me sound staging implies a S O U N D   S T A G E.

This one is a bit wider and deeper than appx. 17 cm & 0 cm respectively.

Seems here you guys have a different definition of soundstage, so I shall ****...

Cheers Rich

 

 

[vid]

What may confuse bedlam is that he's not heard binaural recordings through speakers, which he should if he intends to evaluate the full picture.

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
Quote:

What may confuse bedlam is that he's not heard binaural recordings through speakers, which he should if he intends to evaluate the full picture.

Okay, I had to google this. 

Alas, I have not encountered those at HMV (not likely to encounter much at HMV soon the way things are going).

Got some recommendations I can buy at least at Amazon? Doesn't have to mainstream stuff, some Blues or Jazz or Classical will be fine, musically very good though please.

Cheers Rich

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

 
I think you're confusing Soundstage with Stereo Imaging.

So what is the difference? I would like to clear up my understanding of the terminology while it's being discussed.

 

[GREQ]

OT
OK... I'm not an expert, but my understanding is:
 
Stereo Imaging is the 3D sound image created by listening to stereo loudspeakers positioned in front of your ears in a room.
This is a measurable exprience because stereo speakers can create the depth of spacial sound before you that your ears interpret to have volume and shape and size. While some speakers do this better than others, all stereo speakers CAN do it.
 
Soundstage is the perceived sound image that is fundamentally created by the tuning of the headphone: as there is no sound before you, a Stereo Image cannot be created - only imitated (this is done either naturally by the cleverly tuned design of the headphone or as previously mentioned, binaural recordings or using crossfeed in an amp like the SPL Phonitor 2730)
 
Some claim that open-back headphones are better at creating a soundstage because the ears can hear some of the leak from the opposite channel. While this is scientifically plausible, IMO the leakage alone counts less than the higher natural abilities of open-back headphones.
 

 

[SmOgER]

If soundstage is that important for you why not simply boost stereox or use some srs enhancements / virtual room?

 

[macrocheesium]

Quote:

Hey Everyone,
I'm looking for, you guessed it, soundstage. I'm looking for a slightly portable headphone that has a great soundstage for my jazz music. I'd also like it to be $200 or less and be comfortable enough to where for a 5 hour road trip. I'd also prefer not to disturb my neighbors so a closed or noise canceling headphone (on ear or over ear, not IEMs) would be great! Any suggestions would be appreciated. 
 
In any suggestion please list quality of lows, mids, and highs as well as the durability and comfort of the overall headphone. Again very jazz oriented music listener so mids and highs are extremely important. Thanks!

 
I've seen the K550 go for less than $200 on Ebay, which is probably the best you can do. I consider my Brainwavz HM5 to have good soundstage for closed cans, and they're right in your price range and mid-oriented/neutral. I've also heard that the A700 is good, but I've never heard a pair myself. As a jazz listener, though, I don't think you would like the lack of bass presence.
 
Quote:

I wonder if the AKG k271 has a good soundstage? 
 
It looks a lot like the K240's in size and style - if the soundstage is anything like the K240's that could be one to go for as it is closed, but I don't have enough experience with it to say for sure.

 
The K240 is not closed. It's semi-open and has noticeable leakage in a quiet room.
 
Quote:

Hi,

Okay, I had to google this. 

Alas, I have not encountered those at HMV (not likely to encounter much at HMV soon the way things are going).

Got some recommendations I can buy at least at Amazon? Doesn't have to mainstream stuff, some Blues or Jazz or Classical will be fine, musically very good though please.

Cheers Rich

Binaural recording, you mean? This one is great:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Close-Ottmar-Liebert-Luna-Negra/dp/B0017SBG9S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358807806&sr=8-2&keywords=up+close+binaural
 
'Explorations in Space and Time' from Chesky Records is a good one, too.

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

The K240 is not closed. It's semi-open and has noticeable leakage in a quiet room.

 
Re-read what I wrote - I didn't say the K240 was closed.