Hello,

I want to buy a new pair of headphones in the 200-450usd budget.(without the amp, i 'll get it separatly)


The use is quite mixed, mostly classical music, but also quite a few pieces of jpop(so pop), and some jazz. There's also gaming but i'm not very requiring on that part.(so 70% classical music(including audio dvds), 20%jpop/osts, 5%jazz and 5% gaming)

I'll be using the headphones most likely without an amp atm. I dont need very strong bass or very strong volume actually, although i know an amp would make the sound better.(but right now i want to get part1, the headphones)

They'll be plugged in to my computer's sound card(soundblaster X-Fi) and my laptop(integrated ac97 audio but possibly a pcmcia soundblaster soon), and rarely on a mp3 player(minimal use though, so dont mind that).

I'd like to have a pretty good insulation, although nothing's perfect so anything decent will be fine.

My old headphones are sony mdr-z900(been using earphones too, but they hurt my ears too much) and frankly i'd like something better:).

The current candidate i found are the following:
Audio-Technica ATH-A900 Aluminium/US$200
Audio-Technica ATH-A1000/US$370
Sony MDR-CD3000/US$379
Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000 Aluminium/US$380
Audio-Technica ATH-PRO700/$160


Any suggestions on which one you would recommend?(or alternatively, if i forgot a good one, other suggestions)

Note: i'm not a big bass fan, and i tend to be much more sensitive to highfrequencies(and bass in classical... isnt the big forte).

Note 2: portability isnt a big issue either as long as i can use them in a plane or in public places(static use, no movement).

Note 3: if it can be bought online in europe rather easily(any suggestions again?) then it'd be a big big plus since i'd like it before xmas, in particular, getting the a900 seems quite impossible in europe:/

Thanks,

DeathWolf

The problem here seems to be that you do not want accurate earphones. You don't like bass. Well, what do you do about bass drums, bass violins, cellos, sousaphones, organ pedal notes, and tubas?? If you want to avoid bass, why not just reduce the bass from the controls in Windows and get yourself an accurate set of earphones?? Am I missing the point here??

Etymotic ER-4S. 'Nuff said.

@boojum: actually, i must have not talked well, i meant that having rich and profound bass wasnt my main point, of course i want accurate basses, but as you know, at this level, all headphones have specifics that make them better for a genre or another, should it be in the low/mid-range/high frequencies or other qualities(vocal separation, detail, etc)

@shade: etymotics are intra-ear:/ closed headphones is what i want, wont hurt ears on a long term use, and will generally have better sound

If you want natural, rule out IEMs (no pinnae effects, problems with natural sound pressure response levels at ear drum).

If you want accurate (even hyper-detailed, beyond what is natural) consider IEMs.

If you want good headphones for natural soundstage, low distortion and balanced sound, consider Sennheiser HD-6x0 series. You will lack isolation though.

If you want aggressive, up-front and mid-frequency prominent headphones for rock/Pop, consider Grados.

If you want closed headphones that are fairly natural, non-fatiguing in their sound and not overly detailed, but lacking in lowest and highest extension, consider AKG K271s.

That's my personal opinion (after having tried the above), ymmv.

If you have money to spend, i suggest you absolutely Senheiser HD650, wich i personally own.

The caracteristics fit what you search :

- Good Isolation (They are closed ones)

- Not exagerated bass (present but not invading, in other words give the right room)

- High precision in all frequencies and not colored in any (they are in other words "Reference Headphones"), you can hear every frequency so clear.

- Obviously much clear on the high but not to resulting "harsh"

- Last but not least comfortable as i've never seen. You put on, and you don't fell them no more for the time being.

They sound precise and calm without a dedicate amp, with the dedicated they are simply unbelievable.

I'll speak as a very happy A900 owner --- They sound quite nice.

Wading through all the nonsense over at Head-Fi.... they clearly emerge as the top recommendation for a closed phone that doesn’t need an amp.
They really don’t need an amp, and by pretty much all accounts, don’t even benefit from one.
I like not needing an amp ---- so does my wallet.

They are huge!
Really big!

Seriously consider getting an IEM for portable use.
Much more practical and convenient than any headphone for traveling with.
Better isolation for your hearing preservation (can’t put a price on that)
Don’t look as stupid in use - or send you to your destination with a head clamp hairdo -- if such things are at all important to you...

That’s what works for me - A900, IEM, No amp
Simple, convenient, reasonable cost, fine sounding.

thanks
seems i'll be heading to a900 anyway(got a good discount in jp for them)

as for the sennheiser 650 they always seemed nice but i always thought they were open(and let the sound both in and out)

650's are open link atm im using hd600's are there quite good

I mean they were closed in the sense of "closed around ears", but they are open in the sense you mean.

I like my HD280 Pros very much, but they're under your budget.

Listen to a burnt-in pair, and you'll fall for them, I think.

I listen to classical music (mostly chamber and instrumental) and I found sennheiser HD580s (which are basically the same as the HD600s) terrible. I recommend AKGs which I like very much. I have the K501s which you should consider, and there are newer models just out - K601 and K701. I have the ER4s; very useful for noisy environments but I don't like the sound as much. I would get K501s and use the remaining money to upgrade your sound cards and get an amplifier. Go to head-fi for information on these things.

I'll second the K501 as opposed to the HD580/HD600/HD650 if the user can tolerate an open headphone. However, I highly recommend a flattened-pad [1]mod on the K501, as this will balance the upper midrange tonaliy beyond the stock balance. The one real issue I have the K501 is that the lower bass is considerably attenuated.

I also recommend Beyer DT880, if an extremely nuetral headphone is desired, but I believe this[nuetrality] works against it with many recordings. As a consequence, it may not be percieved as a natural tonal balance on many recordings. The apparent extra attenuation of higher frequencies of the HD580/HD600 may help it appear more natural sounding on some recordings.

-Chris

[1] http://www.linaeum.com/images/k501_padcompare.gif

Let me throw in another choice: Grado SR-325i (list: $299 US). If you like to hear every tiny detail in your music, these things deliver the goods. I've had mine for a week or two now (paired up with a Marantz CD standalone) and they are mind-blowing in terms of being able to put the listener "right there.” I’ve never heard so many layers of detail in things like a sax solo or hi-hats. On the downside, they are so detailed that they reveal every little flaw in the original recording, and that detail can sometimes be fatiguing. Bass response might also not be as heavy as some would like (but definitely to my own tastes).

At last, it all depends on each own's experience. People's ear shapes and subjective preferences vary. For example, I find Sennheiser HD580 a little bright, when most people find them balanced or even dull. Also, some find Sony MDR 7506 balanced, but most people find then exaggerated on both lows and highs. So, take all subjective reports with a grain of salt, and if you can try them before buying.

Well, it depends on how you define 'bright' or what one is directly comparing it to on a relative scale. I find the Sennheiser units listed to have an excessive upper midrange level as compared to the relative treble level. I suppose this could be defined as a form of 'bright', depending on how one defines this term. As for subjective descriptions, it seems improbable to be able to eliminate bias with headphones; a blinded test is not really possible. That being said, I try to control my comparisons of headphones as carefully as possible, using the same musical selections every time, comparing to a reference headphone that I am familiar with in the shortest time span possible to draw some sort of rough conclusion. Since you mention the MDR-7506, it indeed does seem extremely well balanced to me under the following conditions: using two measurement microphones, spaced about 4', with me standing in the middle, comparing the live sounds with the headphone feed from the measurement microphones. Midrange and treble tonality sounds virtually identical to the live source to me with this headphone. I can not compare or comment on the accuracy of the bass since the headphone can not block the bass with any substantial effect. Now, on almost any commercial recording, I do not much care for the sound of the MDR-7506; I would tend to describe it as most people do. But this is no suprise to me, as I just don't generally prefer a highly linear transducer for the purposes of listening to commercial recordings for pleasure purposes, whether it is a loudspeaker system or a headphone.

-Chris

At least consider the ATH-A900LTD. I have it and it is GOOD....

http://www.headphonereviews.org/headphone....headphoneId=180