Head Phones, Where to buy, What to buy?

**olddrum1** · **10-17-07, 09:08 PM**

I am looking for a new set of headphones for the house. My wife leaves early and I need to have the house a little quiet when i watch movies at night. What currently is out there that is good for the money and where would one find a good set of headphones. I have no doubt that this is the right place to find out.

Olddrum1

**Otto** · **10-17-07, 10:20 PM**

Hi there olddrum1,

I have a pair of Grado SR-60s that I like very much. Excellent sound and I think they're around $69. Very well-received, especially for the price. They are an open-air design, so if you want to keep other sounds out, they may not be the best choice. But if you're just doing your own thing, or trying to keep from waking others, give them a look.

**olddrum1** · **10-17-07, 11:14 PM**

Otto, I appriciate the info. Is there a good online source where I may purchase a pair of these? my last good set was a pair of tan Pioneer clam shells.

**mr_sparkelo** · **12-05-07, 06:11 PM**

My favorite, which is an earbud design, are from the brand Shure. They have been around for quite a while, and they produce an unbelievable listening experience. Because they are an earbud, they are very sound isolating. I know there are similar designs, by brands such as Bose, but I stand with Shure as the top.

They have recently changed their model line, so for the use in which you described, I would go for their SE model line.

Their customer support of thier products is top notch as well. You can purchase them nowdays at many retailers or online.

**avaserfi** · **12-05-07, 06:22 PM**

If you are looking for an extremely well built linear pair of closed headphones I cannot recommend the Sony MDR-7506 more strongly especially because they can be had for under $100.

If you are interested in their frequency response and waterfall here is a link (these were taken by a friend of mine and are accurate from what I can here): http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...52&postcount=6

You will notice a slight dip in the response around 200Hz which clearly isn't perfect, but for the money these are great especially when you consider the fact that these headphones have little audible resonance - if any.

**Sonnie** · **12-06-07, 12:43 AM**

Grado SR-60's

**tonyvdb** · **12-06-07, 04:10 PM**

Another one to add to your list of must check out is the Sennheiser line and the AKG hephones both of these companies make absolutely fantastic headphones.

**Tiny** · **12-06-07, 05:01 PM**

I too am a grado fan I have sr60's sr80's and sr125's

**slwiser** · **12-07-07, 04:55 AM**

I have a Ultrasone Edition 9 (headphone) feed by a Yamamoto HA-02 amp feed by my Lavry DA10 dac feeding off my computer files using a M-Audio USB Audiophile for the USB to S/PDIF conversion.

I also have a ATH-ESW9 which is very good for about a quarter of the price of the UE9 above.

One other headphone which I have is the ATH-ANC7.

I have owned several other headphones: ATH-W5000, ATH-W1000, Ultrasone Proline 2500 and iCans, Beyer DT880, GR-80, Sennhieser HD495, Phillips xx895.

It boils down to how much you want to spend and what sound you enjoy most. For myself I am a fan of the Ultrasone Proline 750 (closed) or 2500 (open) or one of the models just below this. I am also a fan of the Audio-Technica sound. The best portable headphone out there in my opinion if the ESW9 I noted above. It is closed and sits on you ears. The UE9 is one of the best period.

**drf** · **12-09-07, 01:13 AM**

Quote:

avaserfi wrote:

You will notice a slight dip in the response around 200Hz which clearly isn't perfect, but for the money these are great especially when you consider the fact that these headphones have little audible resonance - if any.

200Hz is usually cut in most eq settings anyway. freq' between 100 - 1500 seem to be naturally over pronounced.

In my experience, because room interaction is not an issue with headphones, a basic eq is enough to give most of the cheaper sets a good response. Just stay clear of the really cheap sets.

otherwise spend up and enjoy the sonic goodness of sony, senheiser, shure or akg.

**Benway** · **12-09-07, 05:34 AM**

I have a pair of Grado SR-80, but I am not really happy with them. They have a exaggerated treble register that tends to get on my nerves. That's a pity, because the overall sound quality is good.

If you get Grados, listen before you buy.

**slwiser** · **12-09-07, 05:45 AM**

Place to check out good prices on the internet is Northern Light and Sound. http://www.northernsound.net/Sales/W...lessframe.html

Email them for their best price.

**Benway** · **12-09-07, 05:54 AM**

You may also check:

http://www.headphone.com/

There's ratings and reviews for a lot of headphones.

**mike c** · **12-09-07, 07:10 PM**

i bought this:
Sennheiser HD-555 Audiophile Headphones: Electronics

because some forum members recommended it, I've not listened to any other headphone, but one thing I have to say is, which is very important in headphones ... it's very comfortable to wear, I don't feel the weight at all.

here are pics of mine ...

**drf** · **12-10-07, 12:28 AM**

Quote:

mike c wrote:

here are pics of mine ...

How did you manage to take a photo with your camera turned off and sitting on the desk?

**mike c** · **12-10-07, 12:43 AM**

Quote:

drf wrote:

How did you manage to take a photo with your camera turned off and sitting on the desk?

time travel

kidding.

I have another camera

I took that pic to show in another forum "what's the latest item you bought" ... it just so happens I bought the new P&S camera at the same time as the headphone

**olddrum1** · **12-10-07, 08:19 PM**

I want to thank everyone for their inputs. What I bought was a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pro's and a pair of Grado SR-60's for my Daughter. The 280's are comfortable with pretty good sound. My daughter gets the 60's for Christmas. I purchased both pair from an online company by the name of Headroom. http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones Good price and seems to be good people to do business with. Fast service.

Again Thanks a million for all the input.

**JCD** · **12-11-07, 12:25 PM**

Quote:

olddrum1 wrote:

I want to thank everyone for their inputs. What I bought was a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pro's and a pair of Grado SR-60's for my Daughter. The 280's are comfortable with pretty good sound. My daughter gets the 60's for Christmas. I purchased both pair from an online company by the name of Headroom. http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones Good price and seems to be good people to do business with. Fast service.

Again Thanks a million for all the input.

I didn't quite get to this thread in time, but you went to the place I would have told you to go. They might not be the cheapest place on the net, but they have GREAT service -- or at least I've had a great experience with them.

You also bought the pair of headphones I first bought from them. I think they do a great job for the $$ and being a closed design they're great for blocking out the ambient noise. They also play well straight out of an iPod. I later splurged and went all out (at least for me) and bought a set of AKG 701's.

Can't say enough about these guys -- they rule. An iPod may be underpowered a little for these ones though, but they still sound great and do great coming out of a my receiver.

Congrats on your new purchase.

JCD

**warpdrive** · **12-16-07, 11:17 AM**

+1 for those AKG's.

I use the AKG K701. They are audiophile quality headphones and what I like about them is that their sound is VERY spacious, which is what you want for home theater. They are also VERY comfortable, enough for a 2 hour movie without getting too hot on my head. I've tried Sennheiser HD600, All of the Grados and Beyerdynamic DT880 and these are still my favorite all around headphones.

Their balance is good, decent tight bass, sparkly treble. They have a self adjusting band and are very light on your head.

They ARE a bit expensive, but since I listen to music with them, I can justify their cost (about $300)

I'm not a fan of Grado's. I had a couple of pairs and they were just too uncomfortable. Their pads are too hard.

I wouldn't use these out of an iPod but these AKG's are good for home use with a strong output headphone jack (or buy a headphone amp if you want to use it with a portable device)

**MrPorterhouse** · **12-31-07, 01:11 AM**

Those AKG's do look nice. The difficult thing about buying headphones is trying to find a place to go listen. There just doesn't seem to be many places around that are setup to do comparisions. Its mostly trial and error. I've found Sennheiser to be good, but there models vary greatly, so you might love one pair and hate the next because they would sound like a completely different brand.

My dad picked up a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770's and they are nice. Great comfort and a well balanced sound with good detail. Maybe not the spaciousness or depth that I'd like, but they are better than the $40 Sennheiser EH-150's that I picked up for myself. I thought, what the heck, for $40 I'll give them a try. They've not bad at all, either. Not quite the bass extension or bass accuracy of the Beyer DT 770's, but they are certainly worth the $40.

**warpdrive** · **01-01-08, 08:52 PM**

Quote:

DS-21 wrote:

How much of an improvement do you think the AKG's are over the Senn '600s, and in what areas?

Whether they are an improvement at all is completely subjective. I think the AKG's offer a different sound altogether. Where the Senn 600 sounds warm and laid back, the AKG 701 sounds more clear, slightly lean and more midrange centric. The AKG also sounds a lot more spacious.

I am actually currently in the process of changing headphones again. I'm hearing good things about the Denon line

**warpdrive** · **01-04-08, 09:03 AM**

yes, you should stick with your Senns. The AKG's offer a more clinical sound, probably more like electrostatics, but coming from a Sennheiser which tends to sound thicker, warmer, it would be too much of a difference.

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