Headphones

[johndoe]

i intend to spend about $50 on a set of headphones. any suggestions
i hear sennheisers are good

 

[JoeE SP9]

For the amount of money you are talking only Grado SR40's are worth it.

 

[SilverMK3]

• What kind of headphones are you looking for? Is portability important?
  Full-sized, behind-the-ear, buds, canal-phones?
• What kind of environment are you going to use them in?
  Open for greater dynamic range, Closed for sound isolation
• What kind of music do you listen to?
  Do you prefer accurate highs, or heavy lows?

For closed phones, I'd pic the Sennheiser HD280Pro's, but they might be a little bit out of your price range. You might find a good deal on a pair of Sony V600DJ's, which would be my 2nd pick.

For open Phones, almost anything from Grado, Sennheiser and Audio Technica are good.

 

[johndoe]

thanks for the replies.
portability is important but not #1 priority. (I can continue to use the earbuds with my mp3 player while jogging). I listen to many kinds of music, so I guess more neutral sound might be more flexible?? (is this a right assumption?). not interested in isolation as much as in fidelity. is anybody familiar with headphone.com??

 

[SilverMK3]

Lots of great information here: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=2

So what size/style of headphones are you looking for? I'm assuming something open and full size?

 

[WmAx]

i intend to spend about $50 on a set of headphones. any suggestions
i hear sennheisers are good

If you look around(Ebay is common), you can score a pair of Sony MDR-V6(not mdr-v600) for about $50.00-$55.00 USD factory refurbished. This is the same as the Sony MDR-7506 -- it is a very well made and sonicly accurate headphone designed for sound monitoring.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=40138&item=5774584403&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I have previously owned two different Sony factory refurbished headphones; they were in new condition with zero evidence of any use. The difference between retail is that they come in a plain white box and have a removable sticker attached to the headband that indicates the item is refurbished.

-Chris

 

[Sheep]

HD212pros

the HD212 pro's are excellent headphones and they have a very stronge bass response. my friend uses them for everything. they are light, and have a one peice design that is very durable. you can find them on ebay for about 50 60 bucks.

for me though, its the HD500's. don't even need and kind of bass boost with those, which is great for portable players

 

[johndoe]

thanks again for all the help, everybody. I'll definitely look around with your advise printed next to my mouse.
SilverMK3, you're right, something full size, open. I'm learning to play electronic drums but have a 5 month-old baby, so headphones are a must.

 

[johndoe]

I finally got the Grados SR 60 for $69 including tax + SH. I don't own any truly high end source to test them, but they are the best headphones I've had by far. I got them on Friday, and on Sunday I went to a Bose store and tryed the Tri-port "portable system" out of curiosity... Boy, am I glad I spent a third the price for twice the sound!! (but not surprised).
I have to admit the Grados look ugly and geeky.

 

[WmAx]

I finally got the Grados SR 60 for $69 including tax + SH. I don't own any truly high end source to test them, but they are the best headphones I've had by far. I got them on Friday, and on Sunday I went to a Bose store and tryed the Tri-port "portable system" out of curiosity... Boy, am I glad I spent a third the price for twice the sound!! (but not surprised).
I have to admit the Grados look ugly and geeky.

Congratulations! While the Grado SR-60 is not something I specifically like, I do recoginize that it outperforms most of the other headphones whithin it's price range(and some beyond the price range, as you have found out).

As far as a "hi-end source"..... so long as your source does not introduce audible distortion(s) and/or noise(s) and has sufficient output voltage to drive the headphones to a SPL that you prefer, then there is no reason to go looking for "hi-end" sources. The main difference(s)[assuming that your existing source is operating linearly] found by using "hi-end" sources, would be cosmetic and/or psychological ones.

-Chris

 

[amadeo]

headphones are bad for your ears db wise (need more smilies) just get yourself an excelent pair of speakers and keep your ears db clean...

noise polution is somewere in this forum

 

[WmAx]

headphones are bad for your ears db wise (need more smilies)

Headphones are no worse for your hearing than speakers. Listen to either one at excessive SPLs and hearing damage will eventually occur. Listen to either one at safe SPLs and your hearing will be fine.

-Chris

 

[Steve1000]

Yeah, congrats! I've had SR60s for a few years now. I've bought several other headphones along the way but the SR60s remain among my favorite headphones.

As for a truly high end source, I second what WmAx said. You can get a transparent source for dirt cheap (maybe about the same price you paid for your headphones, if not less). But even those of us who feel this way spend a little extra sometimes for something that looks and feels and measures and has the features to please our fragile psyches. You spent your money wisely where it counted, on the transducers.

I finally got the Grados SR 60 for $69 including tax + SH. I don't own any truly high end source to test them, but they are the best headphones I've had by far. I got them on Friday, and on Sunday I went to a Bose store and tryed the Tri-port "portable system" out of curiosity... Boy, am I glad I spent a third the price for twice the sound!! (but not surprised).
I have to admit the Grados look ugly and geeky.