Headphones

[Quagmire]

I'm looking for suggestions on a pair of headphones that I intend to give as a gift. My Niece is graduating High School this year and this is what I've chosen to give to her. She is a true music fanatic and listens quite a lot through headphones so as not to disturb her siblings and parents. Her musical taste include Jazz, Rock, Classical and Movie Soundtracks -- actually she is quite the enthusiast for Movie Soundtracks as in music scored for film as opposed to music compiled for film. I don't do any serious music listening through headphones at all, so I'm really at a loss in knowing what to buy her. I do know that I'm not interested in walkman type headphones (portable), but more of a professional studio or home set of cans. I'm looking to spend $150.00 or below and my criteria are as follows and in this order.

1. Sound Quality
2. Comfort
3. Durability
4. Warantee

I know this may not be the correct board to post this question, but I do 90% or my posting here and want to hear from the folks with whom I'm most familiar. Thanks in advance guys.

Q

[edtyct]

Q,

I've always been fond of Sennheisers, both for home and music studio work. Both the HD 535 and 570 fall within your price range. So does the Grado SR-125. It might not be quite as comfortable out of the box, but it usually responds to adjustment. If you want to try something different, but definitely worthy, take a look at the Etymotic earphones, which fit into the ear canal and provide not only good sound but terrific isolation. They are also versatile in a way that big cans aren't; you can wear them when traveling, for instance, without having to lug something ungainly around with you. Sensitivity and impedance are well within the range of most portable and home applications. The ER-6 is the most affordable of a mostly pricey series. You might visit the website of HeadRoom, which specializes in headphones and related accessories. It provides lots of information. I don't have the address offhand; just do a Google.

Ed

[nick250]

Senns HD 580. Great headphones, but are quite power hungry so they will sound muddy if used with a portable cd player, but out of a receiver they are sonic bliss to my ears.

Grado SR 80s or 125s. They are ugly and have a very punchy, upfront in your face kind of sound. You either love them or hate them. Very good with rock and will play from a portable device.

I own them both and enjoy each depending on my mood but if I had to choose one it would be the Senns 580s.

Oh yes, for good portable sound Koss port a pros $40ish, very easy to drive and sound darn good.

Nick

[stan2]

i think you have most of the good suggestions already, but you might also consider shure. they make some good models in that price range, similar to ety's. however, some people may not care for the in-ear type. on the other hand, if she's going to walk around with them, she won't want the grados or senns... i'd buy from a place she can exchange. cans are kind of a personal taste thing...

[Quagmire]

Thanks guys. No she's not going to walk around with them. She is a dedicated listener and uses headphones so that she can listen at levels she enjoys without disturbing the rest of her rather large family. I think she is currently using something that would be considered a "walkman" type headphone, but that probably has more to do with affordability and her lack of knowledge about better quality cans. I'm personally very proud of her and want to continue to encourage this appreciation of music that she has. No one else in the family has inherited this particular trait from me, at least not to the same degree, and I have no doubt that at some point when she moves out on her own, her uncle will be instrumental in setting her up with a good introductory audio system. Just makes me all misty thinkin' about it. Hehe

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I do have one concern... Like I said, part of the reason she uses headphones is out of courtesy in not disturbing others. Will any of the affore mentioned headphones create a problem if she is sharing a room with a sibling?

Q

[edtyct]

Sealed headphones not only keep sound out; they also keep sound in, though some do a better job than others. "Circumaural" headphones will not necessarily be silent to people nearby. But sealed cans usually don't sound quite as good as their open counterparts. You'll notice that most of the headphones dedicated to reproducing music as faithfully as possible, at any price point, are open designs. Those made for travelers and musicians, which tend to emphasize isolation, are often closed. To tell you the truth, the Etymotics that I mentioned before may be the best compromise between sound, isolation, and price. In-ear monitors are definitely not a gimmick. But if you're not breathing down someone's neck, even an open set of cans at reasonable levels won't necessarily bother someone else in the room (though, if that person is anything like my wife when she's trying to sleep, forget it). By the way, the better the headphones, the less is the need to turn up the volume. And turning up the volume on lousy headphones usually results in fatigue at best and pain at worst.

Ed