Topic: killer headphone recommendation-price not an object?

[marc0789]

ssia. just a pair of really nice, transparent headphones. I'm so out of the playback loop, don't know a thing. Looking for something with a pretty long cable run, or is there anything topnotch that is wireless? Thanks, Marc.

[macdaddy]

i think some of the best are either those top of the line grados, or those akg's that look like speakers (the big rectangles) - those are suposedly the best of the best. but neither is wireless, and in fact, both require a headphone amp, but if you want to go wireless, you are gonna need one of those, anyway...

[JasonR]

These are must listens and certainly among the best headphones available.  Grado and Sennheiser headphones are quite different from one another in both fit and sound.  They each have something incredible about them, but it's really a personal preference thing.

Sennheiser HD650 - haven't heard them yet, but I love my 600s
Grado SR325 (or even 225) - I'm not a fan of the RS1/RS2 personally.
Etymotic ER-4S - in-ear headphones take some getting used to, but they can sound amazing

For serious listening, pair any of these with an outboard headphone amp from Headroom (http://www.headphone.com/) and you'll have an incredible playback system.

- Jason

[marc0789]

thanks guys...Jason, any idea on prices? Thanks, Marc.

[Brian Skalinder]

I love my AKG K501s.  They seem very open, natural, neutral, transparent to my ears.  They're not heavy on the bass - though I believe if they (over-)emphasized the bass like many headphones do I suspect they'd lose their neutrality - but there's plenty there for my tastes.  IME, they're not as detailed as some comparable Grados, but I didn't care for the Grado's warmer, more colored sound.

Given that price is no object, I'd say step up a few notches to the AKG K1000 (the big rectangle ones noted previously).  I gotta believe the K1000s offer substantially more detail than the 501s, and are on-par with the other top-line offerings by Grado and Sennheiser..

Also looks like AKG has a top-line wireless setup:  Hearo 999 Audiosphere.  And, as noted, for most HQ headphones, you'll need an amp.  I've been drooling over a range of tube headphone amps, but simply can't afford it at the moment.   

[macdaddy]

\not to be a mother-type...

but please be careful...

these headphones are a helluvalot more powerful than earbuds that come with an ipod, and (some) headphone amps have alot of power...

and you can do some serious damage to your hearing with these things...

i havent tried the etymonics, and want a pair one day as earplugs for gigs, but i am selling my headphone amp because i think it is too much. to hear the stuff i like to hear in music, i need a certain volume, and i find that that level is too much in headphones. i wont use them anymore...

just something to consider. 

[BobW]

+T for saving hearing   

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=9026.0

\not to be a mother-type...

but please be careful...

these headphones are a helluvalot more powerful than earbuds that come with an ipod, and (some) headphone amps have alot of power...

[marc0789]

\not to be a mother-type...

but please be careful...

these headphones are a helluvalot more powerful than earbuds that come with an ipod, and (some) headphone amps have alot of power...

and you can do some serious damage to your hearing with these things...

i havent tried the etymonics, and want a pair one day as earplugs for gigs, but i am selling my headphone amp because i think it is too much. to hear the stuff i like to hear in music, i need a certain volume, and i find that that level is too much in headphones. i wont use them anymore...

just something to consider. 

thanks macdaddy, good advice, didn't really consider that. don't really need more hearing damage.

[George]

\not to be a mother-type...

but please be careful...

these headphones are a helluvalot more powerful than earbuds that come with an ipod, and (some) headphone amps have alot of power...

and you can do some serious damage to your hearing with these things...

i havent tried the etymonics, and want a pair one day as earplugs for gigs, but i am selling my headphone amp because i think it is too much. to hear the stuff i like to hear in music, i need a certain volume, and i find that that level is too much in headphones. i wont use them anymore...

just something to consider. 

thanks macdaddy, good advice, didn't really consider that. don't really need more hearing damage.

Yeah, it's definitely good advice.

So, what's your budget like anyway?   How about a Sennheiser Orpheus   

Transparent headphones...hmm, those akg 501's sure do sound nice, but kinda fall a little flat (too neutral) for rock.  If you want something that sounds aggressive and in your face, Grado's is the way to go.  Grado released the 325i's which are supposedly a better value than the old 325's which many felt weren't a big enough step up from the 225's which many still feel are a great bang for the buck.  I've only heard the RS-1's under noisy conditions and they sounded quite nice.  Allesandro also carries a line of refined Grado's under their name and they are supposedly more neutral than the Grado line.   The Grado RS-1's retail for $695.

The high end senns (580's, 600's 650's) sound is quite different from the Grado's.  Darker, bigger soundstage and definitely require an amp as to not sound lifeless...they mate very well with tube amps and hell, they even sell aftermarket cables to replace the stock cables for the headphones.  The Sennheiser HD-650 retails for $400 i believe. 

I remember trying out a pair of Pioneer wireless cans and they sounded stellar.  There's a lot of choices out there.  Just read up on them and try to see what type of sound your ears appreciate the most.  www.headphone.com is definitely a great place to start, they have a 30 day return  policy if you dont like what you hear.  Also, check out www.head-fi.org for reviews.

[marc0789]

I love my AKG K501s.  They seem very open, natural, neutral, transparent to my ears.  They're not heavy on the bass - though I believe if they (over-)emphasized the bass like many headphones do I suspect they'd lose their neutrality - but there's plenty there for my tastes.  IME, they're not as detailed as some comparable Grados, but I didn't care for the Grado's warmer, more colored sound.

Given that price is no object, I'd say step up a few notches to the AKG K1000 (the big rectangle ones noted previously).  I gotta believe the K1000s offer substantially more detail than the 501s, and are on-par with the other top-line offerings by Grado and Sennheiser..

Also looks like AKG has a top-line wireless setup:  Hearo 999 Audiosphere.  And, as noted, for most HQ headphones, you'll need an amp.  I've been drooling over a range of tube headphone amps, but simply can't afford it at the moment.   

Brian, do you have a headphone amp with those akg 501's? Thanks, Marc.

[Brian Skalinder]

Brian, do you have a headphone amp with those akg 501's? Thanks, Marc.

No headphone amp at the moment, since right about when I got these my Airhead amp took a dive.  I'm running PC / Waveterminal 2496 digi-out > smART D/IO DAC > 2 x RCA / mini stereo adapter > K501s.  They're plenty loud for my tastes in that setup, though ultimately I'd like to pick up a tube amp to drive 'em.  An amp should drive better low-volume detail than I'm currently getting.  But...gotta settle into the new house first.

[MattD]

Brian, you should consider going DIY with a tube headphone amp. I've seen some great stuff out there.

To stay on topic, I absolutely love my Sennheiser HD-600 cans. I could never feel comfortable with the Grados and I found the Grado treble a bit too harsh for my taste, though I could see how people like the "presence" and "air" those headphones provide.

[JasonSobel]

I currently use a pair of Grado RS-2 headphones with a grace 901 amp.  I love my headphone setup, it really brings out the details in a recording.  when I purchased mine, it was close between the grado headphones and the Senn HD-600 (at the time, I couldn't find the HD-650 to listen locally), but the Grado cans sounded more full and lively.

as with much of the gear we use, once you get into the really nice stuff by Grado, Senn., AKG, it's really a matter of preference.
So find youself a good retailer, bring some of your favorite discs to play, and listen for yourself to see what you like best.

[Simp-Dawg]

the m902 is a pretty decent headphone amp

[JasonR]

FYI - I've got a Headroom Supreme and it's a truly great headphone amp.  I happened to plug my phones into the headphone jack of my Otari DTR-8S DAT deck and was amazed to hear that it's an incredibly nice sounding headphone amp as long as the 'pad' switches on the back are kept at pro levels (+4) rather than consumer (-10).  With the pad out of the circuit, I was truly amazed that this thing can power headphones so well!  If you happen to have a Fostex D5 or Tascam DA20mkII, I'd give them a listen to see if they're any good.  I haven't tried either, and haven't gotten similar experience from other equipment in my racks like a DA30mkII, DA302, etc, but it's worth hearing what you've got before spending the cash.  Of course, you did say that price is not an object, so this is advise for the rest of us. 

On other notes, I would certainly agree that caution is always wise when using headphones.  My own experience says that many fine headphones like the Grados and Sennheisers sound quite good when powered directly from something like an iPod, but they don't perform at their peak, nor do they produce ear shattering volume.  In fact, many of them are 'harder' to drive and will sound quite a bit quieter than you might like without an amp.  Also, I find using in-ear phones (ER-6 in my case) allows me to play the music a lot quieter (subjectively) due to the significant decrease in background noise.  I would think that's probably better for the ears in the long term.

- Jason

[George]

Brian, do you have a headphone amp with those akg 501's? Thanks, Marc.

No headphone amp at the moment, since right about when I got these my Airhead amp took a dive.  I'm running PC / Waveterminal 2496 digi-out > smART D/IO DAC > 2 x RCA / mini stereo adapter > K501s.  They're plenty loud for my tastes in that setup, though ultimately I'd like to pick up a tube amp to drive 'em.  An amp should drive better low-volume detail than I'm currently getting.  But...gotta settle into the new house first.

Would love to hear/read about what amp you settle with, i did a quick search on head-fi and this thread had some users posting different amps they use to drive their 501's:  http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=101664&highlight=akg+501+tube+amp

My brother runs my (well, his now) 501's via my Yamaha receiver's headphone jack for movie watching late at night.  It's great for dialogue and spatial cues.

[marc0789]

thanks all, much appreciated! thinking I'll pick up a pair of 501's, and see whether the headphone out of either my yamaha sr-70 receiver or fostex d5 measure up before I kick down for a headphone amp, probably the grace. 

[George]

thanks all, much appreciated! thinking I'll pick up a pair of 501's, and see whether the headphone out of either my yamaha sr-70 receiver or fostex d5 measure up before I kick down for a headphone amp, probably the grace. 

Nice!  Good choice, i think you'll dig em...and oh, sorry about your wallet   

[marc0789]

ended up opting for the senn 555's instead...like the description of the sound, and still really want to spend the $$ I had earmarked for the 722 on playback...figured these give a lot of bang for the buck, and got a real good deal at amazon. Thanks for the help all!

[marc0789]

To me,.. headphone playback feels like an icepick is going through my head, straight through the ears, after about 5 minutes of listening.
protect your hearing, or suffer the same!

fwiw,... I'm a long time sennheiser fan.

thanks Moke, plan to carefully monitor the volume. I had to go the headphone route in order to listen to any music when my wife is home. She really wanted this house, and her selling point was that the basement is "my room". Well, it turns out that *my room* is so poorly insulated that anything over a whisper makes the floor above shake.

and that's the same reason it's hard for me to pour a lot of cash into playback. I have max an hour a day I could make it worthwhile to own good stuff, and that doesn't cut it. So I might end up opting for a 722 anyway, not sure.

[George]

To me,.. headphone playback feels like an icepick is going through my head, straight through the ears, after about 5 minutes of listening.
protect your hearing, or suffer the same!

fwiw,... I'm a long time sennheiser fan.

ouch, hope you got a pair of earplugs handy for loud concerts nowadays or i cannot imagine you would be in afterwards.   

[George]

I don't do very much loud music anymore, and all of my playback is via spkrs, unless I'm trying to cue something up for a track mark or something more critical. Speakers aren't as wearing on my ears, and I can listen without issue.
The last loud music I went to/recorded, I had foam plugs in my ears. with my closed ear headphones on over them (h.phones unplugged).

lol...thats safety for you Moke!  I've been thinking about using my shure e2c's and plug them into my M1 when taping...but i'm not sure how that may affect batt life if i have the volume set to 10 or so.  Or if i'll be able to hear anything thru them regardless...