Best Cinematic Headphones (1 Viewer)

[BOblivion]

Hello all. Thank you for reading...

I am putting together a theater in my apartment. I have neighbors on all sides, so I expect to be using headphones much of the time. While I've mostly been able to find what I need through research, solid advice on headphones has been hard to come by.

For context, I'm choosing the best equipment I can that doesn't give me a brain aneurysm. I can't afford $6000 headphones, for example (but they sure look nice!). I'll be getting things like the Epson 5050UB; a drop down 150' Elite Screens Spectrum; and (probably) a Devon AVR-X4500H receiver. Equipment in that general range.

The most extravagant headphones I've been looking at is the $1600 "Sennheiser 800S Reference Headphone System." The next is the $1100 "Focal Clear Over Ear High Resolution Audiophile Headphones." Also on the list is the $850 "Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless Copper Hi Res"...etc Anyone care to offer their opinion on the best headphones in this price range for watching films (in Atmos a lot of the time, though I don't think headphones will care about that)?

Thank you again for your time. Lurking here has taught me a great deal, and I'm grateful.

 

[Robin9]

I don't pretend to be an expert on headphones and I certainly can't advise which are especially good value for money. What I can tell you from experience is that the quality of the headphone amplifier is crucial. I used to be an audiophile and many years ago I bought a headphone amplifier which I now frequently use when watching movies. I get very good results with a very modest pair of Sennheiser headphones.

My main advice is to be more thorough checking out the quality of the headphone section of your receiver than the quality of headphones themselves. A second importance point - which a lot of people don't know about - is that headphones, like loudspeakers, present a load to be driven by the amplifier, and that load varies between different headphones. Make sure you don't buy a "difficult" pair of headphones that your receiver's headphone output cannot handle comfortably.

 

[BOblivion]

Thank you, Robin9. I wasn't thinking about the capability between the amp and the headphones. You're saved me from a potentially aggravating mess. I'll be looking to see what the Denon AVR-X4500H dishes out to the headphones.

I've been thinking that I've been on the wrong track with my headphone hunt. I think (but I'm not entirely sure) that the $1600ish Sennheiser is aimed towards the audiophiles. I'm beginning to suspect that I'll be better off with $200 Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless. O mean, is a better headphone really better if it's being used for something it wasn't really designed for? Probably not.

 

[filper]

You might want to check out the Audio Technica ATH-M50x. I have used them for over a year for Home Theater night time listening and I am very happy with the clarity and full bass they provide. Well under $200.

 

[BOblivion]

You might want to check out the Audio Technica ATH-M50x. I have used them for over a year for Home Theater night time listening and I am very happy with the clarity and full bass they provide. Well under $200.

Thank you Filper. I'll take a good look at them.

 

[Wayne_j]

You might want to consider running an optical cable to an external dac/headphone amp combo.

I currently use this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N14SY65?tag=mygapa-20

which is unfortunately currently out of stock, with my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and it works very well.

Another option you might want to consider is:
https://www.amazon.com/Monolith-124...olith+thx&qid=1578285948&s=electronics&sr=1-1

which would be in your budget if you get headphones in the $1000 range instead of $1600.

 

[BOblivion]

This looks like a very good idea. A large oversight on my part. I would have been very unhappy if I had finally had everything set up, and found a huge Dolby hiss noise coming through my fancy headphones. Thank you, Wayne_j.

 

[Wayne_j]

You're welcome. You are lucky if manufacturers spend $10 on the Headphone section of their AVR's, so if you want expensive headphones you probably want an upgrade to the electronics as well.