Headphone recommendation

[Woochifer]

I would also add a recommendation to give the Grados a listen. At $60, the Grado SR60 is easily the best value item I have in my system. They have great detail all across the frequency range and are much more revealing than cans I've heard before that cost over $200. Plus, they are easy enough to drive so that you can use them with portables or home components without needing an outboard headphone amp. Their drawback is that they look like WWII surplus equipment and other headphones are more comfortable (though the newer foam pads are a huge improvement over their previous designs with the donut shape). But, in terms of sound quality for the money, the SR60, 80, and 125 are hard to beat. I haven't heard their higher priced Reference lineup, so can't comment on those.

While I hear a lot of good things about the Sennheisers, I can tell you first hand that they are not consistently great across the board, so be very careful about which model you're considering. I heard some higher end Senns several years ago (in the $200-$300 range) and thought they measured up very well compared to the ribbon-driver Stax cans that cost over $500 and required an outboard headphone amp. Given this, I ordered a pair of the Sennheiser HD500 Fusions. BIG mistake. Those things are about the most ill-conceived products I've ever seen from a company of Sennheiser's reputation. The HD500s had just about the most dreary and bloated bottom-heavy sound I've ever heard. You want to know what dark and suicidal sounds like? Go ahead and give those cans a listen.

Supposedly, they were designed with a bump in the bass for hip-hop, rock, and electric jazz, but they distort with those sources at even moderate volumes, so they can't even do their purported purpose correctly. And that exaggerated bass ruins other music. Thought about going up to the HD580, but with my experience with the HD500, no way I was going to support a company that could crank out a product that lousy and have the audacity to charge $90 for it -- especially since I found exactly what I was looking for with the less expensive SR60. Even if you wind up going with Sennheisers in the end, just avoid the HD500, unless you're thinking about killing yourself, in which case I would give those cans my highest recommendation.

[WmAx]

Thought about going up to the HD580, but with my experience with the HD500, no way I was going to support a company that could crank out a product that lousy and have the audacity to charge $90 for it -- especially since I found exactly what I was looking for with the less expensive SR60. Even if you wind up going with Sennheisers in the end, just avoid the HD500, unless you're thinking about killing yourself, in which case I would give those cans my highest recommendation.

Rarely, will I recommend something based specifically on it's 'sound' since this is a subjectie issue. I may argue actual accuracy in some limited cases(not to be confused with 'liking' the sound-two different subjects).... the original poster of this thread might appreciate the HD500, however bad it may sound too you? For example, I felt that the Grado SR-60 and SR-80 were pitiful excuses for headphones.... but.... that's just my opinion. Some people(you, for example) may very well enjoy the sound of the SR-60 headphones. Indeed, the SR-60 is claimed by many on audio boards to be a great headphone for the respective price. Who am I to argue? I will note that I can not remember a positive comment concerning the HD-500 from anyone on a headphone forum, only bad feedback -- this might mean something. My main reason for replying was that I was bored and could not find anything else to reply too....:-)

-Chris

[Woochifer]

Rarely, will I recommend something based specifically on it's 'sound' since this is a subjectie issue. I may argue actual accuracy in some limited cases(not to be confused with 'liking' the sound-two different subjects).... the original poster of this thread might appreciate the HD500, however bad it may sound too you? For example, I felt that the Grado SR-60 and SR-80 were pitiful excuses for headphones.... but.... that's just my opinion. Some people(you, for example) may very well enjoy the sound of the SR-60 headphones. Indeed, the SR-60 is claimed by many on audio boards to be a great headphone for the respective price. Who am I to argue? I will note that I can not remember a positive comment concerning the HD-500 from anyone. My main reason for replying was that I could not find anything else to reply too....:-)

-Chris

Indeed assessing sound is very subjective, but in the case of the HD500, it's one of the few products from a reputable company I've heard that I will honestly say is truly bad. Some people might appreciate it for its emphasis in the bass, especially since the HD500 was designed for hip-hop and bass-heavy rock and electric jazz. But, given that it audibly distorts at even moderate levels with hip-hop, it doesn't even properly do what it was designed for. I'm not one to make blanket recommendations (just check my previous posts, you'll see that most of the time I tell people to do their own listenings and decide for themselves), but there are times that you have to call a spade a spade.

But, if anyone wants to check out the HD500s for themselves, I certainly won't discourage that. Who knows, if you think the SR60s and 80s are as bad as you say they are, then the HD500 might be more to your liking. Very different type of sound, but one that I can't justify, especially for $90.

[WmAx]

But, given that it audibly distorts at even moderate levels with hip-hop, it doesn't even properly do what it was designed for.

Did you test more then one sample? Perhaps it was a defective unit(distortion)?

But, if anyone wants to check out the HD500s for themselves, I certainly won't discourage that. Who knows, if you think the SR60s and 80s are as bad as you say they are, then the HD500 might be more to your liking

Thank you for the suggestion. However, I have a feeling that seeking out these units(HD-500) to test would be waste of time. I woud be interested in hearing the Sennheiser HD-650, the newest of their hi-end offerings. The HD-580 and HD-600 sound okay too me, but the presentation was not my cup of tea. In another non relevant matter(not associated with my liking or not liking) it seemed these headphones added alot of distance(tonally) then the original recording intended. I do use a reference headphone for these comparisions. I use the MDR-7506 from Sony. Though I don't use this headphone for actual listening purposes(I used a different headphone for actuallly listening). I found that the MDR-7506, when micing axoustic sounds(i've tried voices, instruments, animals, etc.) with linear measurement microphones(linear amplitude response) and standing at the same distance from the acoustic sources as the microphones were placed -- when i a/b the live sound vs. the headphone it sounds almost exactly the same, tonally. I can't say that for any otehr headphone I have yet tried..... so I always compare other headphones with the 7506 with a selection of puris acoustic recordings; if they sound signficantly different, they can not be accurate in this manner. I do want to be clear: this does not mean the 7506 woudl even sound accurate in normal listening to commercial recordings...... this is dependant on many factors such as the recording itself, etc. This is only extends to controlled conditins, using linear microphones, monitoring live feeds. As I stated, I don't particularly like teh sound of the 7506 for general listening. But it's a darn good monitor, IMO.

-Chris

[Woochifer]

Did you test more then one sample? Perhaps it was a defective unit(distortion)?

Nope, but if you read some of the user reviews on this and other sites, apparently I'm not the only one that's made note of that problem, among others. So, either there were a lot of defective units or a lot of users who found the same type of fault that I did about that particular model. I only suggest listening to the HD500 because in past discussions, some other Senn fans simply could/would not believe my observations about that model. I just told them that they're welcome to disagree with me, but try those cans out first and THEN tell me how great they are.

[Fritz]

I just bought a pair of HD580's, and I can safely say they have the best sound I have ever heard from headphones-and more or less equal to my speakers as well(JBL Control 5). I am driving them with a sony receiver, they reach a comfortable listening volume with the receiver volume at about 9o-clock and the computer volume controls about halfway. I also want to mention that with a second generation iPod nano, I can get a fairly loud sound out without an external amp. According to what I've read, I thought they would produce a whisper with the iPod at full blast! Very detailed, smooth frequency responce from the lowest frequencies I could want all the way up. I would recommend them to anyone-am still waiting to see how(if) the sound changes after a breakin period.

[JNorth1178]

I haven't seen the AKG mentioned. I would heartily recommend the AKG K701;s, They may be a little pricier than you have indicated your budget to be, but they give a pure sound and are very comfortable. I would suggest trying them before deciding. JNorth1178