MusicDirector
New member
- Joined
- May 21, 2013
- Messages
- 2,013
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- #1
After I get my PC sound issue solved (fixin to order a dac = my first piece of Schiit LOL! See what I did there), I think the next item I need to focus on is a pair of headphones.
I’ve been looking to upgrade my headphones for months now and it has turned out to be about the hardest thing to do ever.
I currently have the following cans:
Monoprice Premium HiFi DJ style over-ear = Soundwise = just ok, comfort = forget it, I use them as clamps. Wearing them is like placing your head in a vice. I also don’t like the material of the pads anyway. I bought them just to try them out a couple of years ago as they were getting praise on another forum, but I should have known. Didn’t cost much anyway.
Sennheiser HD518 = These are my best ones currently and best ever out of the 16 odd pairs I’ve owned in my life. However, I’ve kind of grown tired of their sound. They are well regarded for what they are, but the sound to me is lacking something. It seems a little detail is missing in the mid-highs and the staging is a tad bit narrow.
I don’t use headphones much at all and especially not during warm/hot weather. I also can’t seem to wear headphones for long periods, I’m generally good for about 10 to 15 minutes tops. That may have to change because of something I will be doing involving serious listening. My main system can be painfully revealing (which I like), but unfortunately my current apartment is like living in a concrete factory inside a reverb unit so often times it’s hard to really listen to music on my main system. The bedroom system (vintage) is a better room acoustically, but that system is not revealing, the amps color it a lot. Not necessarily a bad thing, but for what I want to do, I need less color and more detail. A new pair of speakers may help some, but I don’t know and that’s a project for later.
I generally plug headphones straight into an amp/receiver.
The hard part is that there is no place to demo headphones. I did attend a headphone event a few months back. While they don’t need one I brought my HD518s and plugged them into different headphone amps thinking maybe that would fix things = Wrong! The HD518s do not get along with most amps. The only one they played nice with was the Oppo HA1, but as beautiful as that thing is, it is also pricey. (If I only listened through headphones I’d save up for one). The phones being offered for demo where mostly four digits with two exceptions. (One exception does not really exist and the other was just ok in my opinion).
Sure I can do the whole purchase on internet thing, try them and return them, but that will only result in frustration after all is said and done. I’d have to order from different places so as not to exceed returns policies, plus try to find who carries what I want to try, then pay shipping both ways and restock fees. The shipping probably would not be bad, but added to the restock fees and multiplied by say six, it would eat up all monies for the phones unless I got lucky the first time. (I don’t have that kind of luck).
So here is what I am looking for: I have a budget of up to a max of around $200. I am willing to stretch that by say $50 to $75 if need be.
I’m looking for a pair of headphones that are well balanced in sound with a bit more width in staging. I listen to all kinds of music with few exceptions. Basically, I need something than deals well with Prog rock, classic rock, folk, blues, jazz, full symphony classical and everything in between.
I like tight, detailed musical bass, not boom boom loose cannons. I also don’t like shrill tinny sound.
They must by the around the ear style and no leather or vinyl ear pads (some models one can get replacement pads to their liking, so that opens a few more windows). I prefer the cloth or velour or whatever that stuff is.
I prefer open, but have no problem also considering closed.
Also if any cans suggested require a headphone amp that’s fine too, there are enough affordable amps out there to provide choice I can save up for since I won’t be using the phones until maybe September/October.
So far on my list of considering are:
Sennheiser HD598, HD558
AKG K550, K240, K702, Q701
Shure SRH840, SRH440
Beyerdynamic DT660, DT770 Pro 250 ohm or 80 ohm, DT-150-250, DT-250 80 ohm, DT990 Pro 250 ohm
Grado Prestige SR225e
Audio Technica ATH-AD900x
Yamaha HPH-MT220
Takstar HI2050 (This may be dropped soon as it seems not right to me and I’ve never heard of the name)
(Other models currently out of range but would consider if on sale = Sennheiser HD650, HD 600, Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm, Philips X2/27 Fidelio, Shure SRH 940, AKG K701, K712)
Problem is that I have only had the opportunity to try the HD558s and none of the others outside of the Philips and a prototype AKG at the show I went to.
Any other ones or suggestions I don’t know about, please inform.
Without being able to demo this whole question may go down in the books as the stupidest ever and all time champion moot point, but I’m asking anyway.
I may end up just closing my eyes and picking one hoping for luck. Unless anyone knows of a place that has a sort of home trial program like those eyeglass sites do where they send you 4 to 6 frames, you have 7 days to try them and then send them back. That would be good, but I’m dreaming, I know.
Thank you,
Eric
I’ve been looking to upgrade my headphones for months now and it has turned out to be about the hardest thing to do ever.
I currently have the following cans:
Monoprice Premium HiFi DJ style over-ear = Soundwise = just ok, comfort = forget it, I use them as clamps. Wearing them is like placing your head in a vice. I also don’t like the material of the pads anyway. I bought them just to try them out a couple of years ago as they were getting praise on another forum, but I should have known. Didn’t cost much anyway.
Sennheiser HD518 = These are my best ones currently and best ever out of the 16 odd pairs I’ve owned in my life. However, I’ve kind of grown tired of their sound. They are well regarded for what they are, but the sound to me is lacking something. It seems a little detail is missing in the mid-highs and the staging is a tad bit narrow.
I don’t use headphones much at all and especially not during warm/hot weather. I also can’t seem to wear headphones for long periods, I’m generally good for about 10 to 15 minutes tops. That may have to change because of something I will be doing involving serious listening. My main system can be painfully revealing (which I like), but unfortunately my current apartment is like living in a concrete factory inside a reverb unit so often times it’s hard to really listen to music on my main system. The bedroom system (vintage) is a better room acoustically, but that system is not revealing, the amps color it a lot. Not necessarily a bad thing, but for what I want to do, I need less color and more detail. A new pair of speakers may help some, but I don’t know and that’s a project for later.
I generally plug headphones straight into an amp/receiver.
The hard part is that there is no place to demo headphones. I did attend a headphone event a few months back. While they don’t need one I brought my HD518s and plugged them into different headphone amps thinking maybe that would fix things = Wrong! The HD518s do not get along with most amps. The only one they played nice with was the Oppo HA1, but as beautiful as that thing is, it is also pricey. (If I only listened through headphones I’d save up for one). The phones being offered for demo where mostly four digits with two exceptions. (One exception does not really exist and the other was just ok in my opinion).
Sure I can do the whole purchase on internet thing, try them and return them, but that will only result in frustration after all is said and done. I’d have to order from different places so as not to exceed returns policies, plus try to find who carries what I want to try, then pay shipping both ways and restock fees. The shipping probably would not be bad, but added to the restock fees and multiplied by say six, it would eat up all monies for the phones unless I got lucky the first time. (I don’t have that kind of luck).
So here is what I am looking for: I have a budget of up to a max of around $200. I am willing to stretch that by say $50 to $75 if need be.
I’m looking for a pair of headphones that are well balanced in sound with a bit more width in staging. I listen to all kinds of music with few exceptions. Basically, I need something than deals well with Prog rock, classic rock, folk, blues, jazz, full symphony classical and everything in between.
I like tight, detailed musical bass, not boom boom loose cannons. I also don’t like shrill tinny sound.
They must by the around the ear style and no leather or vinyl ear pads (some models one can get replacement pads to their liking, so that opens a few more windows). I prefer the cloth or velour or whatever that stuff is.
I prefer open, but have no problem also considering closed.
Also if any cans suggested require a headphone amp that’s fine too, there are enough affordable amps out there to provide choice I can save up for since I won’t be using the phones until maybe September/October.
So far on my list of considering are:
Sennheiser HD598, HD558
AKG K550, K240, K702, Q701
Shure SRH840, SRH440
Beyerdynamic DT660, DT770 Pro 250 ohm or 80 ohm, DT-150-250, DT-250 80 ohm, DT990 Pro 250 ohm
Grado Prestige SR225e
Audio Technica ATH-AD900x
Yamaha HPH-MT220
Takstar HI2050 (This may be dropped soon as it seems not right to me and I’ve never heard of the name)
(Other models currently out of range but would consider if on sale = Sennheiser HD650, HD 600, Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm, Philips X2/27 Fidelio, Shure SRH 940, AKG K701, K712)
Problem is that I have only had the opportunity to try the HD558s and none of the others outside of the Philips and a prototype AKG at the show I went to.
Any other ones or suggestions I don’t know about, please inform.
Without being able to demo this whole question may go down in the books as the stupidest ever and all time champion moot point, but I’m asking anyway.
I may end up just closing my eyes and picking one hoping for luck. Unless anyone knows of a place that has a sort of home trial program like those eyeglass sites do where they send you 4 to 6 frames, you have 7 days to try them and then send them back. That would be good, but I’m dreaming, I know.
Thank you,
Eric
