Looking for a good set of headphones. (1 Viewer)

[Justin Ward]

I am looking for a good set of headphones for home listening only. I am willing to spend up to about $200-250 Canadian if they are worth it. Any recommendations? I want phones with good deep bass, natural midrange and clear highs(don't we all?).

Future Shop has Sennheiser HD 570s for $200, are they very good?

 

[Lew Crippen]

I don’t know that model, but I have had very good luck with Sennheiser overall. Listen to several and you will be best able to make a choice.

 

[Debbie_L]

Hi Justin,

I'd recommend the Grado SR60 or SR80 -- both can be had for well under $100 American and are very highly regarded.

Debbie

 

[Matt Stone]

I've listened to the Sennheiser HD580 and HD600, which are very similar. I bought the HD580 because it was cheaper. IIRC, I payed $150 American for them. Very good sounding phones.

 

[ClarkeDen]

I know im going to be yelled at for this, but the Bose Tri-port headsets are some of the best for the money and are also extremely light and comfortable. Im sure your all hissing at me, but if you try them out im sure you'll all agree. They are 150$ US. Good luck man!

 

[adamKI]

Nothing wrong with those Sennheisers but for 1/3 the price you can get a set of Koss Pro 3AA Titaniums that I think sound just as good (online price is about $50, I've seen them at compUSA for $65). Or you could step up to the Pro 4AA's for about $100. If you decide to get the 570s, you might want to shop around. The Sennheiser website lists the MSRP on those as $149 or refurbished at sennheiserusa.com for $110 - at $200 future shop is ripping you off.

The specs for all three are very similar:

--Koss 3AA--
Frequency Response: 15-20,000 Hz
Impedance: 60 ohms
Weight: 10.6 oz
Sensitivity: 100 db SPL

--Koss 4AA--
Frequency Response: 10-25,000 Hz
Impedance: 250 ohms
Weight: 21.0 oz.
Sensitivity: 95dB SPL/1mW

--Sennheiser 570--
Frequency Response: 18-22,000 Hz
Impedance: 64ohms
Weight: 7.4 oz
Sensitivity: 95 db SPL

Comparing price to features I'd go with the 3AA's (come to think of it I DID go with the 3AA's!) ... the 4AA's are nice but weigh a TON ... you're paying $100 more to shave three ounces and gain 2kHz with the Sennheisers.

 

[John_Williams]

I second the Grado recommendation. I have the SR80s, and they are amazing! Clarity, bass, it is all there. Plus, Grado has fantastic customer service

 

[Shiva Singh]

Do not go by the manufacturer specs on headphones. Many $10 headphones have better specs then those.

The Sennheiser HD-580 are widely regarded as one of the best headphones ever. They can be found online for under $150. They are very diffrent from the newer 570/590 models.

Just as with speakers, headphones sound very different from one another.

If you are going to buy expensive headphones, then you must read through a few post at www.headwize.org and www.head-fi.org

 

[Justin Ward]

Currently I am just using Koss KTX Pros. These are probably the best phones for this price range that I have heard. How much of an improvement will I notice going up to a Grado or Sennheisier brand headphone?

What are some Canadian retailers of these brands that won't rip me off?

 

[adamKI]

It's hard to say what, if any, improvement YOU will notice with any set of headphones. The only way to know is to listen. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between one friend's Koss 3AA's and another's Sen. 570's - so I went with the less expensive Koss set. You also have to consider weight, ear seal comfort and clamping pressure (if you're trying to block outside noise). No use in spending big bucks on headphones that sound great give you a headache because they're squeezing your brains out and straining your neck muscles!

*All of the headphones mentioned in this thread are in a completely different class from your KTX pros. They're all either closed or circumaural rather than the standard portables that you have now, so you'll definitely hear the difference by upgrading to any of these.

Also, I goofed up on the pricing issue. I didn't notice that you were talking in Canadian dollars. $200CDN seems more reasonable.

** Edited after looking up Koss KTX pro headset

 

[Justin Ward]

I am leaning more towards the Grados. It seems they are more appropiate to my listening stlye(mostly rock) than the more laid-back Sennheisers. What are some good Canadian retailers for some of the headphones mentioned here? Should I buy a dedicated headphone amp to go with the new phones? How much could I expect to pay for one?

 

[Danny Tse]

Justin,

What are you connecting your headphones to? Like speakers, sound quality of headphones is also determined by what drives them.

The Grado 60 is generally considered better if driven "un-amped", whereas the SR80 is better when driven by a dedicated headphone amp. I have been using my SR60 with a 5 year Panasonic portable CD player and the sound quality is just amazing. I have A/B the SR60/SR80 and the SR60 does seem to be "livelier".

 

[Terry Montlick]

Another excellent set of headphones: the Sony MDR 7506. At $99, these are awesome. They are the industry standard for film sound recording.

- Terry

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

I have a set of Sony DJ Moniters.... $150 U.S. Very very nice headphone... only thing I dont like is they are heavy so they can be fatiuging.