Headphone recommendations?

[einklavier]

Well, frankly, I'm done with Apple earbuds--they give OK sound for a month then break. I'm also very very naive with headphones and don't know what to get, I've really only ever used the Apple ones personally. I'm pretty sure I want to stick with earbuds, because it fits my lifestyle (good portability for school, good for workouts, light and inconspicuous), but I'm open to suggestions. I listen to mostly classical (both regular and electronic/electroacoustic) and "IDM" (think Kompakt and Dial records), which have lots of subtle sounds in them so I need go audio quality but as a student I have a small budget of course, and they should last a good amount of time...I'm not an "audiophile" tho so I'm willing to make some sacrifices for prices.

Even if it's just brands, do you have any recommendations/headphones that have worked for you in the past? I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

[mudd]

this doesn't go in the IHM forum.

m

[JrF]

I have a pair of sennheiser CX500's - I got them as a cheapish option for use with my mp3 player, however they are really good & actually much better than some of the pricey ones I bought for studio / field use. I often use these when recording & that says a lot.

[joeperucki]

If you go to Head-Fi http://www.head-fi.org/ you'll find a rediculous amount there but be prepared to waste a lot of time. Use the search - "best under 100 earbud" - whatever.
Not an earbud but the pair that stands out as the best at a crazy low price ($20) is the Koss KSC75. I even bought a pair and agree at that price, the frequency range, balance, and tonal accuracy is pretty darn good. But check out how they attach to your ears - this might not be for you. Also, you get no outside noise cancelling/reduction with them - they are "open" headphones.

http://www.headphone.com (I have no affiliation) is a good source for headphone brand/types/review info.

Good Luck.

[snailed]

If you're looking to replace your apple earbuds, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Etymotic hf2's.



Really great to use with an ipod, as there is a little remote that controls pause/track forward/track backwards. If you have an iphone or want to use voice recording on an ipod touch or classic, there is a mic built in. They are in-ear headphones so they provide just as much (if not more) isolation than any fancy 'noise canceling' headphones out there. Sometimes a little *too* much isolation, but there are different tips that they come with (flange in two sizes, and two different kind of foam tips) that provide different fits and different levels of isolation. They're kind of pricey (~ $150, but look around for better deals). But the important thing is that the sound is really fantastic, and I couldn't imagine going back to apple earbuds.

I've been thinking about upgrading to the reference quality ER-4S for my home system, but I'll definitely keep the hf2's around for ipod use.

[einklavier]

this doesn't go in the IHM forum.

m

Thought so, thanks for moving it.

snailed: Those sound perfect but they'd be a bit of a splurge--however I will definitely consider saving up to buy a really good pair like those, especially because they have "isolation" features (in-ear) and a volume wheel, since I am always turning the volume up and down because of the rather sporadic music I listen to.

JF: I once had (cheaper) Senns and I found the cords to be distracting--whenever I moved the sound of the cords intervened with the music, and I just didn't like the acoustic balance. But thanks for the suggestion.

Joe: Thank you for the resources, they'll be very helpful.

[snailed]

this doesn't go in the IHM forum.

m

Thought so, thanks for moving it.

snailed: Those sound perfect but they'd be a bit of a splurge--however I will definitely consider saving up to buy a really good pair like those, especially because they have "isolation" features (in-ear) and a volume wheel, since I am always turning the volume up and down because of the rather sporadic music I listen to.

JF: I once had (cheaper) Senns and I found the cords to be distracting--whenever I moved the sound of the cords intervened with the music, and I just didn't like the acoustic balance. But thanks for the suggestion.

Joe: Thank you for the resources, they'll be very helpful.

I should clarify that they don't have a volume wheel. Just a single button that controls pause, forward, and back.

[einklavier]

I think I read what you said and saw the little bar thingy on the picture and thought, "Oh, volume control!" Haha sorry bout that. Guess you can't have everything uh?

[Moon]

I'm going to go ahead and dig this up, hoping this forum would understand where I'm coming from with this:

My DT770's broke, never was a big fan of them anyway, so I'm looking for something new and better. Balancing different aspects is terribly difficult and it doesn't help that every single piece of information is about audiophile listening, dj use, monitoring of instruments that you could do with any old can lying around, or producing music that's different from what I do. I do work with films and sound design and commercial music, but I just want this one good thing for myself for when I try to make my electroacoustic music or sound art.

I contemplated the Ultrasone pro 750, lots of excellent features, detachable cable, apparently very good reference for mixing and producing. Then found out mixing and producing means "really clear bass", meaning thumpy bass so you can control your beats. Aaaagh.

Sennheisers of various builds looks great if I want to listen to the music in detail, some of them are even "very detailed for classical music". Sounds intriguing, except that seems to mean harsh highs a lot of the time and not so good bass. And the nice ones are open, that can be a problem. Specifically I looked at the HD 598 and 600.

DT880 is a maybe. If only it didn't have a fixed cable, that's how my 770's broke down (first. they properly broke down the second time I tried to fix them)

So, unless you can suggest me something perfect, maybe I should go with two headphones, one open and one close, one workhorse and one playful? First thought was Shure SRH440 and Grado Sr60.

Or should I shut up and get an AT M-50 like everyone else and get used to it so I know its flaws?

And lastly, a wildcard. Could I possibly mix things on a HiFiMan HE-400? I'm serious, please don't laugh

[flies]

Shortly after I got my Sennheiser HD 595's (semi-open), I put in some Jeph Jerman and it was like someone was walking through leaves behind me. Extremely clear. The bass is good, but my basis for comparison is limited.

One thing I really like about them in particular is that they are extremely comfortable. I wear them for hours on end with no discomfort whatever. They go entirely around my (relatively large) ears without pressing into the soft tissue of my throat. Anything that presses into my ear, even super soft AKGs, ends up giving me pain after a while.

[P. Wretch]

One thing I really like about them in particular is that they are extremely comfortable. I wear them for hours on end with no discomfort whatever. They go entirely around my (relatively large) ears without pressing into the soft tissue of my throat. Anything that presses into my ear, even super soft AKGs, ends up giving me pain after a while.

Yes, Sennheiser seems to be one of the few brands that actually bothers to concern itself with ergonomics. It seems so obvious that over-ear headphones should be oval and vaguely ear-shaped, but many high-end manufacturers go with brute circles. To take one example, it's as if Grado, with its abrasive foam cups, exposed grilles and wiry headbands, takes a perverse pride in a design that resembles a military radio headset salvaged from an abandoned WW2 bunker. (I acquired a pair of Grados after reading favourable reviews, but almost never use them.)

[Moon]

Thanks for the replies,
Open or open-ish seems like the way to go, then maybe get a closed one as well. Do you think the pain of wearing a slightly less comfortable headphone, like Beyers, trumps perceived quality or neutrality in any way? I'm pretty much down to Beyerdynamic DT880 versus Sennheiser HD 650, or a cheaper sennheiser paired with the Shure I mentioned earlier. DT880 seems a lot more detailed and flat, but the 650 seems a lot more comfortable without being much less detailed.

http://www.headphone.com/learning-cente ... Headphones
The Sennheiser definitely wins on bass reproduction, that graph is beautiful! Just wanted to share that. Graph-boner.

Also, Flies, do you have to use a headphone amp or something fancy with yours? Ok for mixer/interface headphone outputs?

Seconding the AKG's being uncomfortable, a few times I got ear infections when working with them every day for long periods. They're soft and nice, but the material is terrible.

[faster]

Thanks for the replies,
Open or open-ish seems like the way to go, then maybe get a closed one as well. Do you think the pain of wearing a slightly less comfortable headphone, like Beyers, trumps perceived quality or neutrality in any way? I'm pretty much down to Beyerdynamic DT880 versus Sennheiser HD 650, or a cheaper sennheiser paired with the Shure I mentioned earlier. DT880 seems a lot more detailed and flat, but the 650 seems a lot more comfortable without being much less detailed.

I find the DT 880 Pros very comfortable. They do have a very high impedance, though.

[bryan]

Sony MDR7506 are studio workhorses for good reason. Clear, good output, dependable, widely available, great price. I just keep replacing them because once I got used to how they sound I just want something I am familiar with rather than a bunch of different headphones.

I got some Etymotic joints but can't get used to the earbud mechanically coupling to my ear cartilage due to the necessary tight seal for sound isolation. Any head movement or brush against the cord sends extraneous noise into ye old earhole. Unpleasant.

[Hayao Yamaneko]

On the impedance matching thing - I'm new to this. The HD650s for example have 300 ohm, my Soundcard purportedly has a 30.5 ohm headphone output.

So I have the figures but no sense of whether the one number is an acceptable match for the other!

[Moon]

On the impedance matching thing - I'm new to this. The HD650s for example have 300 ohm, my Soundcard purportedly has a 30.5 ohm headphone output.

So I have the figures but no sense of whether the one number is an acceptable match for the other!

From what I've found out (so many contradicting views in the headphone world!),
That would definitely not be a problem, although you might have a 'problem' if you run less than a 250ohm headphone on high volumes. The problem could be clipping, from inaudible to audible depending on the headphones, and you can make it so loud you can break them, if the amp has enough power (duh).
I don't know much about the noise problems that could happen in amps and headphones, so I'll leave that for someone else to answer, I think that has to do with power as well as impedance, the dB/mW kind.

I found this blog, it explains well as far as I can tell:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.no/2011/02/gain ... sdacs.html

[Hayao Yamaneko]

Cheers. And when I think about it - given that audiophiles are after zero impedance outputs on headphone amps it makes perfect sense that it'd be that way around.
Currently running 75 ohm headphones out of it, and the output does go far louder than I'd ever listen. I could bear a fair old volume drop before I'd begin to worry.
That link is really handy too, thanks.

Quite tempted by some HD650s... Currently mixing on a pair of closed back AKG 270s that I've had for about a decade. Those or a pair of mid range hi-fi speakers coming out of an Audiolab 8000a. Both systems are quite coloured and in both cases tweaks don't translate well to other systems - so the flatness of the 650s sounds pretty appealing.

[joeperucki]

+1 on the recommendation for DT-880 but I admit I only know the 600ohm version. I built an amplifier (single vacuum tube per channel / transformer output) specific for the high impedance. 32ohm and 250ohm versions also exists and the sonic differences (which I have not heard) are well documented.

I also owned the HD580 (discontinued and predecessor of the HD600/HD650) and familiar with the HD600/HD650 signatures - the Sennheisers and Beyers are different animals. Many like that warm relaxed feel but I find the upper Senns (excluding the HD800 which is a detail/speed monster) are too slow and lacks detail relative to the 600ohm DT880 - too me the Beyer is more energetic sounding... better high frequency response and quicker (never anemic) bass. Let me stress this is my take - your mileage has a high chance of varying.

A perfect headphone is not suggestible - it does not exist.

Forget about the dang graph - only you/listening will provide the feedback to determine if the cans meets your sonic objectives/interests.

FWIW, the Beyer, Senn, and HiFiMan are all featured in this ridiculous thread - all 3 are top notch... http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle- ... ed-4-14-13 (I only say ridiculous because of the reality of someone actually owning all these cans)

Finally, remember the used market exists (head-fi / ebay). If you go a different direction the financial hit will be low or maybe a wash. http://www.head-fi.org/f/6550/headphones-for-sale-trade
Members at Head-fi also hold many get togethers which you can just show up and listen - your choices are very popular and high chance you can hear these at a meet.

Good Luck.

[Moon]

Great post, Joe, thanks!

Graphs are fun, but you're right, of course.

If you have time to humour me; what's the 'downside' of the dt880 being quicker then? They're not smudgy on drones, are they? Relative to the sennheiser, I mean.

Perfect headphone... Would be great.

Used headphones in Norway aren't abundant, importing could mean taxes. I paid 60$ importing dt770's, headphones must be luxury items.

[Moon]

Sony MDR7506 are studio workhorses for good reason. Clear, good output, dependable, widely available, great price. I just keep replacing them because once I got used to how they sound I just want something I am familiar with rather than a bunch of different headphones.

I will try them, it is tempting to go with something tried and true. Have to fight my childish suspicion of 'industry standards' every step of the way :p