Headphone recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[Will-Layfield]

Ok so my Dad asked me to check out some stereo headphones for him for his birthday . I really like researching audio stuff but I have never even glanced at headphone anything. Are there certain features I need to look for? Any suggestions for brand/models? I would like to buy new for $100-150 but I realize there is a huge value in the used audio market so I might consider that as well.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Will, with headphones being speakers it's best to ask about them here in the Speakers/Subs area. Thanks.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

What kind of music does your father like?

Do a little reasearch on the Grado headphones - SR-60 or SR-80s. $69 - $89 in price.

Also, there's Sennheiser. It seems like they come out with new models quite frequently, so I'm not up-to-date on their models. But, they do have several offerings in the budget range you've provided.

 

[Marty M]

I got my son a pair of Sennheiser headphones last Christmas. He has been very pleased with them. I have also listened to them and like them, as well. They have a very natural sound and are comfortable to wear.

 

[Will-Layfield]

jack sorry for not posting in the correct setion I actually read the descriptions of of each section and thought about where to put it but I still got it wrong :frowning: . Thanks for the recommendations thats exactly what I was looking for.

 

[stephanX]

Im a big fan of music on the go, so i have a fiar amount of knowledge about headphones note.

there are two main kinds of headphones, closed, and open, ill give you some good examples below

Grado sr125, more musical sounding thatn the sr80, and a good lot more bass too, this is an OPEN headphone.

sennheiser hd280, foldable, deep bass extension, more analytical than musical, this is a closed headphone

beyerdynamic dt770-80, bass is like a subwoofer strapped to the side of your head, good sound for rock and jazz, this is a closed headphones, its also REALLY big, and has very comfy grey velour pads.

allesandro ms1, made by grado, but have been frequently been shown to had a better sound than the sr80, does instruments ALOT of justice, also relatively analytical, but with a certain degree of musicality, its an open can

Sony mdr-v6/7506, VERY analytical, not very musical, and the soundstage is less than the grados, plenty of bass, folds into a neat little ball. I own these and find them incredibly intimate/involving with acoustic guitar/piano.

I would still reccomend you give www.head-fi.com a good visit, that place is a seemingly endless fountain of information.

 

[John_RO]

I'm still a fan of the Koss pro series. Can be had for $20 or less. IMHO, they sound just as good as the Grados or the Senn's for the money. Demo'd them all and ended up buying the Koss's (two pairs.) I've been using the older Pro 35's for about 5 years now with no complaints. They are a bit heavy on the bass, but the mids and highs are very neutral. At least give them a listen. Rat Shack has them on sale for $20 most of the time. Amazon sells them for $14 plus shipping. I think the new models are called the KTX Pro 1.

 

[nelsonC]

I'll second stephanX's mention of the beyerdynamic DT770/80's..... I just recently replaced my cans with a set of these after doing a lot of research. They are pricey, but I couldn't have made a better choice. They block out a ton of ambient noise, they are very comfortable for extended use, and the sound quality, especially in the bass range is phenomenal. If you don't mind the size and have enough money to fork over, I couldn't possibly recommend them any more strongly.

-NelsonC

 

[John Garcia]

The Grado's aren't so comfortable for longer listening, IMO, but sound pretty good.

HCM Audio has the 80s for $95 shipped with a free extension cord here. I've bought from them before. Good customer service.

I'm a Sennheiser fan. I've had a few different pairs over the last few years and I've been happy with all of them.

 

[Jonathan Lofgren]

I would re-affirm the suggestion to go to head-fi and do some research. With that said, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD-580s and I really like them. I got them new from some store on e-bay for about $130. If you want to stay under $100, I would suggest the Grado SR-60s.

 

[EvanW]

Try some sony MDR-V700's can be had for 100+shipping from newegg. The senns will not isolate u from the outside world and the ear surrounds will absorb sweat and evental rot, the sony's are very good in my opionion not many people give them a chance because sony sucks at HT in my opinion but we all see what there tv's look like the headphones are up to the same quality. as for the grado's i cannot comment, the Koss i have not heard but believe it or not they get good reviews.

 

[Jon_Welker]

Hey, if your dad doesn't have a thing against in-ear headphones, then Shure and Etymotic are worth checking out. Don't get me wrong, I'll take a sweet sounding pair of Senns any day of the week, but if he wants something portable that sounds good, these are the way to go.

 

[SteveBro]

The 700's sound pretty good but are not at all comfortable, especially compared to Sennheisers. I have tried several Sennheiser models and pretty much stopped using my 700's when I got the Sennheiser HD555 headphones. They're far more comfortable than any Sony headphones I've tried and have wonderful sound, too.

 

[EvanW]

only thing i have against the senns are the ear surrounds.

 

[Will-Layfield]

I think I decided to get the Hd555 Senn's for him. Thanks for the suggestions. I am going with them because 1. He won't be using them for travel(home only) 2. He will be listening to them without alot of ambient noise. 3. I think he is gonna want them to be comfortable for longer listening sessions. We still haven't decided completely but I think we have narrowed it down.