[Grendel]

Hi I'm new to this forum.

I'm looking to upgrade, and I would like some advice. I've been listening to music almost exclusively through my fairly cheap Beyerdynamic DT-311 headphones

for a number of years (after hearing music through these 'phones I sold my speakers!), but these 'phones are now old and tired. Also I now have a well paid job and want a really good pair of headphones to enjoy music through. I don't know if any of you are at all familiar with the Beyerdynamic DT-311, they're probably about ten years old now.

Anyway, so far I have been listening to a pair of Sennheiser HD600 through an EAR HP4 headphone amp, and this gave a much more detailed sound, amazingly so at times, but to me they always sounded like something was missing, and I would keep turning up the volume to try and put a bit of life into them. I've heard a lot of good things said about them, and I really tried to like them. I did find them very balanced.

I've also tried Grado RS-1's but didn't like them very much. Initially they were impressive, but then I found them to be coloured, with less detail than the Senns, and they have a kind of weirdness to their sound which I don't know how to describe but don't like.

Does anyone have any ideas which 'phones would be as musical as the Beyer's, but with the clarity of the senns, I have a budget of around 1000 pounds for the headphones. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lini]

1000 quid? You don't have to spend that much for a good start - if you hang around here for longer, curiosity will catch you anyway, and then you'll buy some other stuff for having more of a choice. So maybe you should try a Beyerdynamic DT531 or an AKG K240S with a decent little amp like the Creek OBH11SE or the Corda HA-1 for a beginning. Then you'll have a lot of money left for fancy interconnects, cds, a few more headphones (maybe a Sennheiser HD580 or a Beyerdynamic DT250/250 - or some nice Audio Technica?). Or you could try the high-end-route, but I fear, the perfect headphone has yet to be built...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[john_jcb]

I think the conversion is:

1,000.00 GBP = 1,533.37 USD
United Kingdom Pounds United States Dollars

Might help to answer if everyone knew your source and music likes.

Welcome to Head-Fi

 

[Grendel]

My source is an Arcam FMJ CD23. I listen mainly to rock/punk type I suppose. I've got a lot of stuff which is bouncy, exuberent -- lots of energy. As well as velvet underground, beatles, the fall etc. Also sometimes a classical piece -- which is mainly baroque stuff, monteverdi, purcell, bach, scarlatti etc. -- I'm generally considered to have odd tastes.

I could certainly give the "Groovalizer" a try, it might be a bit more difficult for me to find the AKG K240S.

Maybe 1000 pounds sounds a bit extreme, but I thought I should just mention how much I could afford -- of course I don't have to spend that much. In the UK, I can get the Sennheiser HD600 for about 150 pounds, and the Grado RS-1 for about 650 pounds!

 

[Braver]

you might want to try the Beyer DT931 and the DT770, see which one you like best and tweak them abit with a good amp. both are Beyer dynamic, the 770 to the extreme even, but the DT931 is kinda bright, and the 770 is rather dark. I prefer the 770 over the 931, but find the midrange a bit too weak. a tube-amp might be able to correct this a bit.

 

[bifcake]

Quote:

Originally posted by Grendel Maybe 1000 pounds sounds a bit extreme, but I thought I should just mention how much I could afford -- of course I don't have to spend that much. In the UK, I can get the Sennheiser HD600 for about 150 pounds, and the Grado RS-1 for about 650 pounds!

I know what you want, but it won't fit your budget. If you like the sound of the Sennheiser HD-600's but feel there's something missing and are turning up the volume to get that something intangible, then what you really want is the Sennheiser Orpheus. It runs for about $8k US, but they are the answer you seek. What you're looking for (I think) is air and efforless reproduction. It is THAT that the HD-600's are missing and it is that void that the Orpheus fills. It is the ultimate in headphone listening and if you can scrape the money together, I promise that you will not be disappointed. However, don't audition them if you don't plan to buy them because once you audition them, you will not be happy with anything less and you will spend the rest of your life is sonic misery.