[das_bill]

I am about to purchase some new higher end headphones. I have used my friends Grado SR 80s and I have had a pair of Sennheiser HD212pros for a year. I have an Audigy 2 soundcard. I like the sound of both of them and am looking to spend under $200 on cans.

I am thinking Sennheiser HD580s, A900s, or Grado 125s. Eventually I will get a decent amp but without one which one would sound best without an amp? Or if you have any other recommendations that would be helpful.

I listen to everything, rap, rock, classical, techno, trance. EVERYTHING. Thanks.

 

[commando]

Without an amp, A900s. With an amp, Senn 580s. I don't much like Grados, so I can't recommend them, but lots of people love them.

 

[catscratch]

I'd say go with A900 and a Chaintech AV-710. Yes, no matter how much you spend, you're not going to get away from the fact that the Audigy just plain sucks for music. The 710 should cost you $25 and will be a significant improvement.

The 580 needs a serious amp. Yes, it's a great phone, but unamped, it's not going to give you $130 worth of sound, or however much you can get it for these days. The 580/600/650 line should be treated as very expensive phones in terms of equipment matching.

The Grados are great for rock undoubtedly, and in general very good for giving you an engaging, dynamic sound. But, for computer use I wouldn't recommend them since they're a bit uncomfortable, and wearing them for hours on end while sitting at a computer may be annoying. They also aren't that great for games, since they won't give you very good enemy placement. They won't be worse for games than cheap Labtecs obviously, but they won't be quite as good as the A900. However, the Grado sound really is very addictive, so if you like that, then go with them, and screw comfort and soundstage.

Try the Sennheiser HD595 too. It's a very versatile headphone, easy to drive with the new versions (50 Ohms impedance, as opposed to 120 in the older versions; 580's have 300 Ohms! hence the need for an amp), and should perform well with just about anything.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch I'd say go with A900 and a Chaintech AV-710. Yes, no matter how much you spend, you're not going to get away from the fact that the Audigy just plain sucks for music. The 710 should cost you $25 and will be a significant improvement.

The AV710 has a line out, not a headphone out, so you need an amp with them, even for the easy-to-drive A900s. Trust me, I tried it myself, I have both.

 

[das_bill]

Thanks for the help. I am thinking I am going to buy some Grado sr 60s for my mp3 player so i can enjoy the "grado" sound. thanks for advice I think I will get the A900s if i can find a good price.

 

[das_bill]

I have logitech Z 560 speakers with a modest headphone amp in them. The speakers are what I prefer to listen too but sometimes the other people in my house can't stand them being blared all night long. Actually that is usually the case, hence my extensive use of headphones.