[Bender.E]

(I confess, that I repeat this post since I haven't got any resonance

)

Dear forum members,

could You help me, please, with a choice of headphones?

1) I'd like to have (closed) headphones to use them in the office,
2) Price range 60 - 100 $,
3) I listen mostly to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music generally in mp3's (high CBR or VBR) or APE's,
4) I pay attention to pronounced bass and treble,

I owning KOSS SportaPro; they are not bad though rather old and it's a bit nosy in my office, I'd prefer closed headphones.

Can we put in one raw AKG K-66, Grado SR-60 and KOSS PortaPro?

What about AKG K81DJ? I tried today AKG 26P. They sounded to me worse then KOSS SportaPro, and were pretty much painfull for my ears!
Daes AKG 81dj do the same?

What if the upper end is 150$

There has been one suggestion for audio-technica A500's already! What about AKG K240S?

Thank You All.

 

[mektarus]

I'd say you're on the right track. The K81dj is definitely THE hot closed can right now. The A500 is also very well regarded. For $150 you might also look into a used DT770. Have you considered IEM's or canalphones? The Creative EP630 is supposed to sound very similar to the Senn CX300, which I can tell you from experience sound very good. OR, if you can go just slightly above $150 the Altec Lansing IM716's are supposed to sound excellent.

PS - not sure if anyone has greeted you properly yet, so here goes...

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Jimothy]

Koss A/130?

 

[Ikarios]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mektarus I'd say you're on the right track. The K81dj is definitely THE hot closed can right now. The A500 is also very well regarded. For $150 you might also look into a used DT770. Have you considered IEM's or canalphones? The Creative EP630 is supposed to sound very similar to the Senn CX300, which I can tell you from experience sound very good. OR, if you can go just slightly above $150 the Altec Lansing IM716's are supposed to sound excellent. PS - not sure if anyone has greeted you properly yet, so here goes... Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet.

The AL iM716 is selling on Amazon for $80. Despite that, however, they have the Ety house sound signature. This means THEY SUCK FOR ROCK!

I hate the iM716 sound when I'm listening to some A7X and I need to turn up bass boost + EQ + amp + Bass mode to make it sound listenable. They're much more suited for classical and electronica, but definitely not for rock.

Okay, rant is over...

If you listen in a noisy environment, sounds like the K81DJs are good for you. They're good bass cansl; maybe not so good in the treble department but YMMV.

 

[lmilhan]

K 81 DJ
BeyerDynamic DT250-80
KOSS A130

Your best bet is probably the K 81 Djs. I listen to the same type of music you do, and when I really want to rock out, the K 81 DJs do that type of music very, very well. When I prefer a more refined sound that is better balanced, I use the DT250-80s.

The KOSS A130s are ok cans (considering their cost), but if you are going to buy the A130s, you might as well spend $15 more and get the clear winner instead - the AKG K 81 DJs can be had for $55 shipped.

Good luck.

 

[HypnoLobster]

K81DJ is definetly what you need.

 

[MaZa]

Grado's are THE headphone when you talk about metal!

Fast and aggressive sound. However, they leak noise like hell.


AKG K81DJ with pads removed work well with metal, but are bit slow and overbassy (so very fast metal gets muddied easily). K26P is complete piece of crap (what the heck was AKG thinking when they "refined" their drivers!?), but K81DJ is completely different can. In stock form they still have rolled off highs like K26P, but removing foam pads (easily reversable mod) opens highs up and tames bass bit. Bass might be still bit too boomy and slow for metal, but they respond EQ'ing well so it can be tamed more, if your music player has equalisator that is.

Porta Pro is basically same headphone as Sporta Pro with VERY minor, mainly inaudible differences.

 

[Bender.E]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa Grado's are THE headphone when you talk about metal! Fast and aggressive sound. However, they leak noise like hell.

I'm definitely for metal! Not much for aggressive, though, but for fast (neoclassical) one. So, I'm on the Grado's side today!
And haw dramatic is the difference between Grado sr-60, sr-80 and sr-125 (exept the price

)?

P.S. Thank U all for your opinions!

 

[Meyvn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bender.E I'm definitely for metal! Not much for aggressive, though, but for fast (neoclassical) one. So, I'm on the Grado's side today! And haw dramatic is the difference between Grado sr-60, sr-80 and sr-125 (exept the price )? P.S. Thank U all for your opinions!

To my ears, the main difference is that the SR125 has a bit more bass than the other two, and is maybe a little bit brighter.

 

[Bender.E]

Here are some results taken from http://www.stereo.ru.
Plots are "db" vs. "kHz":
1) amplitude-phase characteristics of
i) red line -- left, and
ii) blue line -- right.
2) green line -- coeficient of nonlinear distortions.

Grado SR125

Grado SR80

Grado SR60

There is no significant difference between the models as it seems

...

 

[Bender.E]

What about Sennheiser HD-555 for metal and hard rock?

 

[MaZa]

Response graphs are not reliable source to judge headphones quality since it only shows the volume peaks in different frequencies. Detail, instrument separation and so on do not show in graph.

 

[crazyhatusc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bender.E I'm definitely for metal! Not much for aggressive, though, but for fast (neoclassical) one. So, I'm on the Grado's side today! And haw dramatic is the difference between Grado sr-60, sr-80 and sr-125 (exept the price )? P.S. Thank U all for your opinions!

IMHO the first step up in the Grado line worth taking is to the SR-225. They are my go to cans for rock or anything else that requires quick eyblinking impact.

 

[MaZa]

Yeah, SR225 is simply awesome bang for the buck. Highly recommended above all other Grado (lower-end) models

 

[lmilhan]

Now that we have changed the rules and requirements from how they originally appeared in the OPs first post (closed cans between $60 - $100), I will revise my recommendation:

Save up your money and buy a pair of Grado SR-225s (new or used). Then be prepared to behold your music like you have never heard it before.

Good luck.

P.S. If you want to stick with your original requirements, the AKG K 81 DJs are still your best bet IMHO. But if you don't mind overshooting your budget, and headphones that leak like a sieve, then definately go for the Grados!