Best Headphones? (1 Viewer)

[Scott L]

I have a pair of cheap Sony headphones that close down tight on my ear. The problem is I wear glasses and this hurts after a while. The things I like about em is that the cord is long and it has a volume control right on the wire, perfect for PC use.

I've narrowed my choices down to the Senn 497 and Grado SR60, but are there any good quality headphones that have volume control right on the wires?

 

[Alex.D]

Scott,

Volume control = potentiometer. Potentiometer = quality loss (unless it's a very good quality pot).

Good quality pots are large (about a cubic inch in volume) and expensive ($30+). No self-respecting headphone would have on on the cord...

It'd be helpful to know where and how you intend to use the headphones.. if you're going to jog, you don't need anything beyond a $20 pair of Koss KSC-50's (Best value in $20 audio, actually). And, for my money, the Sony V6's, which were designed BEFORE sony quality went down the toilet, are better than the bass-shy Grado SR-60's.

The Sennheiser HD-495's were pretty highly regarded, but required more power than a traditional walkman could put out to sound good, despite low impedance (32 ohm). The HD-490's were CRAP, by comparison, and I haven't heard much about the 497's..

 

[Cyrus_I]

Thanks for all your responses.

I'm deciding between the Sennheiser 497's and 580's. Do you think it is really worth it to jump to the 580's? Also, how portable do you think the 497's are and would the 580's work with a discman?

Cheers
Cyrus

 

[Cam S]

I just bought the Sennheiser HD-490's, amnd I must say, they are comfy, but man, the bass is way over overpowering!! I have them running from a Technics amp hooked up to my computer, and I have to turn the bass WAY down on the amp, otherwise the bass muffles everything. I'll be taking them back and getting the 497's.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

The Sennheiser HD-280 Pro is nice if you want clear revealing sound for about $70. My only concern would be that the sound dampening featured in those headphones to make too much (bass-like) noise when moving your head around.

The Sennheiser EH-2200 is also about $50 and is very comfortable, but the sound isn't as up front and in your face. They may sound a bit more natural with certain formats because they arn't as revealing.

Some headphones can be demoed at "guitar center", which is also where both of the above headphones were found.

 

[Alex.D]

The HD-490's are similar to the V600's in sound... rather dull, with overpowering midbass, but no real extension in frequency response.

The HD580's are basically _it_ in their price range. However, they require a headphone amp to sound good, as they have a high impendance (thus, a walkman running on a 3-volt power supply simply won't be able to supply the voltage swing necessary). Without sufficient power, the HD580's sound rather lifeless, and tend to lose a lot of high-end detail, whereas they otherwise sparkle with well-recorded material.

 

[Jamie Doucette]

This post has gotten me interested in Headphones again.

Does anyone know of any reputable Canadian online dealers or major Canadian chains that sell the Sennheiser HD-497 or the Grado SR-xx lines? I know that Futureshop sells the Sennheiser 490, but after reading these posts I think the former would be better purchases.

 

[Tim Reed]

If you are thinking about headphones, give very serious attention to Beyerdynamic. I have the DT-770/250 ohm phones. They are closed. Have excellent bass. Produce a wonderful sound field. And are extremely well-built. In fact, they destroy any speaker I've ever heard at any price.

When people ask me about audio, and getting something that is REALLY good (and they are thinking speakers), I tell them to look into the Beyer DT 770 (or any of the upper range Beyers)- - and get them online (I think I got mine from fullcompass.com). Best audio purchase I've made in the last 22 years.

BTW - - I currently own Paradigm studio 100's v2, and have owned Thiel CS3's for 15 years as well as Stax SR lamba headphones. None of those come close to the Beyers. Not even close.

 

[Reginald Trent]

You might find this discussion helpful also.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...77#post1229981

 

[Alex.D]

Marc at Audioshop (www.audioshop.on.ca) carries Grado's. The prices a bit higher than US retail, so you might be better off with Audiogon, etc, for slightly used Grado headphones. Especially the higher end models, they depreciate fast! However, dealing with Marc is an absolute pleasure - I got my speakers from him, and he saved me a bunch of money by steering me towards cheaper speakers that would work better in my environment.
German brands (Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic), you can order by mail from Meier Audio (Full disclosure - I work for them) at www.meier-audio.com.

 

[Cam S]

Hey guys, what kind of power can I expect my headphones to see when connected to my Technics receiver? It's a Technics SA-GX130, and I'm guessing it is much different using this amp rather than plugging the headphones into the headphone jack on the sound card or into the Discman. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[Alex.D]

It depends.
If your receiver just attaches a boatload of resistors to the speaker out wires to bring the volume down, the sound will suck (speaker amps are MUCH noiser than dedicated headphone amps). If, however, the headphone amplification is a separate circuit running off the preamp outputs, you can expect good quality sound.
Actual pre-amps tend to be good headphone amps and vice versa.

 

[Chris*Liberti]

Another place to check is www.goodcans.com they are great to deal with and carry Grado, Sennheiser and a few others.

 

[Sihan Goi]

In the price range, you shouldn't be looking at Sennheisers. Instead, look at the Grado SR60s or SR80s.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

In the price range, you shouldn't be looking at Sennheisers. Instead, look at the Grado SR60s or SR80s.

Many of us can't listen to SR60s or SR80s for hours on end as they are not as comfortable (to us) as circumaural phones.

And at $105 after rebate, the HD580 deserves serious consideration, even if the budget must be stretched.