[scoop]

first off, sorry if this is a question that's been asked a million times, i WILL use the search function and read the reviews I just need a few names so that you can point me in the right direction...

I'm looking for a pair of headphones for home use, they will be used for the following.

1 - watching dvd-films late at night
2 - gaming
3 - listening to mostly mp3s... (yeah mp3s, so i guess i wont be needing any reference models huh

)

i've considered wireless but from what i understand theyre not as good as regular ones? maybe buying an extra long chord will be a better choice? (or if im wrong and there actually is good wireless models please lemme know)

they need to be very COMFORTABLE, let' say i watch godfather which is like 3 hours... guess they need to be light weight too... and since i wear glasses they should feel good around my ears with that in mind too...

which models to begin looking for? sennheiser? grado? beyer-dynamic? price: as cheap as possible but not more than $100-150 (do i really need to spend more considering im listening to mp3s etc?)

thanks for any suggestions

 

[blessingx]

How important is isolation?

 

[scoop]

with isolation you mean that i dont disturb others? well im on my own so it's of no importance to me

 

[scoop]

a few examples of headphones available in sweden and the price here:

sennheiser 495 $112
grado sr60 $135
sennheiser hd570 $160
grado sr80 $185
sennheiser hd590 $250
beyer dynamic dt531 $125
sennheiser hd497 $100

headphones isnt very heavy so i might be able to import from some other european country. i think beyer dynamic is a pretty good price for sweden? not sure.

 

[blessingx]

At least glance at this list. Is an amp part of the picture? What quality/kps of mp3's do you mostly have (don't expect those 128's to be playable with any decent set)? Also what type so music do you usually listen to?

 

[scoop]

an amp like pro-ject headbox for instance would cost me $250 so thats not an option for me.
i listen to 192kbps mostly.
pretty much all kinds of music except not much classical and techno.
mostly rock, hard rock (led zeppelin, iggy pop, alice in chains, black sabbath, the doors, rollins band, danzig, judas priest, guns roses etc) but also softer music like singer-songwriter, country etc (johnny cash, kasey chambers, nick cave etc) that's probably like 90% of the time. then some reggae, hiphop, pop etc for the other 10 percent...

then for movies it's no biggie i guess, im not going to play at loud volumes and watch matrix or starwars or such. just use them in general watching thrillers, drama, horror etc.
as for games, same thing just some headphones to use when playing playstation2, vice city, virtua fighter 4 etc

 

[scoop]

i havent listened much to headphones at all, surely not any pair over $30 or so, will my untrained ears notice a big difference between for instance 192kbps mp3s and better? or would sticking to 192kbps be enough for me? the source of the mp3s is for now a pioneer dv350 dvdplayer so there's no audiophile stuff here =)
im looking for teh total picture here, especiall sound quality and comfortability... my untrained ears along with dvd-source for burned mp3cds at 192kbps will probably not notice much difference so i think there's no point for me at this time to buy any expensive stuff..

 

[Hiker]

Hey
Have you checked out the Ultrasone HFI 650 DVD Edition? This might be exactly what you want, although it just bearly breaks your budget. I personally don't own them or heard them, but maybe other people can chime in hear either supporting them or against them. Take a look at Meier Audio .

Hiker

 

[blessingx]

Well, if you're using 192 cbr or abr, you may want to change to LAME --alt-preset standard or extreme (the former should result in approximately the same size files). You may want to pop over to Hydrogen Audio if you haven't been there before.

192 is decent quality, though. At some point you max out MP3's capabilities and have to resort to CD (Redbook) or a lossless compression like FLAC. At this point though consider 192 good enough to require decent headphones.

The previously mentioned Ultrasone's are suppose to be very good (haven't heard them). Generally be aware at lower prices open phone perform overall better than closed ones. If isolation isn't an issue consider the open Grado line (some though have a big issue with Grado comfort- I think they're very comfortable). Not sure of the international shipping policy, but the Alessandro MS1's are a great deal at $99 shipped.

 

[Rizumu]

He doesn't need isolation and wants a lightweight and very comfortable phone. You can scratch the Ultrasone off the list.

I would recommend the Sennheiser HD580 as it's within in your budget, lightweight, open and great for watching movies. My reservation is it really needs an amp to sound it's best though. Upgrades can always come in the future though.

 

[blessingx]

If the 590's price above is any indication, the 580's may be significantly outside his price point. Maybe he can get them imported from the States, though.

 

[wahoox2]

Try the Beyer DT250-80's. Lots of low end for games and movies, and they tend to roll off the highs a bit, so MP3's don't sound as bad. (To me at least) Plus, you won't need an amp with them.

 

[plainsong]

Ummm, the Ultrasone is comfortable and is no heavier than any other headphone.

I'd put it back on the list.

Edit - as for price in the EU, check Meier-Audio for the 580. They're way cheaper then what you can get in Finland or Sweden. I've not heard the 590, but I'd think they'd at least be worth an audition.

 

[shutakagi]

what about some audio-technicas?
the a900s (available from audiocubes) are great for their price.

i currently own them and can recommend them for generally any type of music.

 

[D-EJ915]

Thrash/Death...Hardcore...get the A500's, they sound great for that style