Headphones?

Josh K

Josh K

Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Messages
10,394
I'm looking for a nice pair of headphones. Some thing like the HD555

HD555_ProductPrivate.jpg


Main points:

Replaceable / detachable headphone cord. Not one that's permanently attached to the unit.

Pads sit outside the ears

Prefer it to be an open design

Will pay for quality. :)

Any ones you guys recommend? Looking to keep this under $150, those (above) I can pick up for $130 or so.
 
You may already be aware of this, but head-fi.org is a great resource when seeking out headphones.
 
Don't know much about headphones, but I love my Equation RP-21s. Seems to fit all criteria except that it's closed.
 
I've had my Sennheiser HD580's for about 8 years now and I use them every day and I still love them. I replaced the cord once, and I may replace the foam in the next year or two, but I've never had a problem with them.
 
I travel alot with public transport so i invested in a pair of noise-cancelling Creative Aurvana X-fi headphones. This headset is seriously comfy and the noise-cancelling works fantastic. All the humming noises and low frequencies, such as airconditioning, plane engines, train rumbling, etc are blocked out The sound they put out is excellent too, high-quality. Dont know much about x-fi but it sure sounds crystal-clear. Dont know how much they cost in the US though.

412bwJd3sCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


You can read more about them here:

http://www.creative.com/aurvana/products/aurvanaxfi.aspx
 
donovan said:
Good info here too:

http://www.headphone.com/

Jack
Click to expand...

+1 - what's nice is that they break down their selection guide several ways. One thing to keep in mind is that you want the headphone impedance equal to or less than what the device is capable of overcoming/supporting, otherwise you'll get a mushy sound since the device won't be able to fully drive the speakers (unless you buy a preamp). I believe iPods usually have enough power to deal w/ 35 ohms of impedance.
 
wintermute said:
+1 - what's nice is that they break down their selection guide several ways. One thing to keep in mind is that you want the headphone impedance equal to or less than what the device is capable of overcoming/supporting, otherwise you'll get a mushy sound since the device won't be able to fully drive the speakers (unless you buy a preamp). I believe iPods usually have enough power to deal w/ 35 ohms of impedance.
Click to expand...

Yep, I did notice that. I believe I'll be safe with the 50-60 Ohms of the 555's though because no one mentioned an issue with them.
 
+1:thumbup: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/

What musical source will you be listening to? If you don't use a headphone amp, portable music players need very efficient headphones. Grado SR-60i and Sony MDR-V6 work well for this. They are $70-$80 which IMO is entry level for extended listening. A reviewer on head-fi.org says Sennheiser HD555 works well with his iPod. I haven't heard them myself, but judging by reviews they might be a big step up for you, depending on the music you listen to.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/155395/yet-another-big-review-thread-sennheiser-hd555-hd595-hd580-px100-grado-sr225
 
Piso Mojado said:
+1:thumbup: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/

What musical source will you be listening to? If you don't use a headphone amp, portable music players need very efficient headphones. Grado SR-60i and Sony MDR-V6 work well for this. They are $70-$80 which IMO is entry level for extended listening. A reviewer on head-fi.org says Sennheiser HD555 works well with his iPod. I haven't heard them myself, but judging by reviews they might be a big step up for you, depending on the music you listen to.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/155395/yet-another-big-review-thread-sennheiser-hd555-hd595-hd580-px100-grado-sr225
Click to expand...

I listen to everything except rap. A lot of more complicated music, lots of classical, lots of instrumental.

Another pair of phones I've looked at are Shure 440 which have the benefit of being a little cheaper. Any recommendations on those?
 
I haven't tried their headphone lineup, but I did have a pair of Shure SE210 earbuds for a year or so which sounded FANTASTIC. No heavy emphasis on bass, which in my experience is all the lower-end earphones can do well. Just clear sound with lots of detail.

They're on their way to be repaired right now, because the rubber parts came loose from the housing. Something to keep in mind.

I listen to a lot of electronic music, some of which has detail that just sounds muddy on lower-end headphones. I'm back on the Bose earbuds now, which are pretty good for what they are, but nowhere near the sound quality of the Shures.
 
Wildewinds said:
I've had my Sennheiser HD580's for about 8 years now and I use them every day and I still love them. I replaced the cord once, and I may replace the foam in the next year or two, but I've never had a problem with them.
Click to expand...

+1 on the 580's, comfortable and effortless. And just like the knife habit: "Sorry about your wallet!"...the Senn 650's will sing out to you (along with an amp or 3).

--Jason
 
I've been using various Grado headphones for years. Been using the GS1000i for about a year now and I doubt anything could ever replace them.

They don't fit your criteria for detachable cord, and like Sennheiser, Grados are audiophile cans and their price reflects that fact.

On the other hand though, pure listening bliss. Especially when paired with a nice quality headphone amp.
 
Buddy if it isnt wireless your looking at then they aint superduperwuper headphones :)

Take a look at the Sony Wireless range and the Sennheisers the truth is somewhere inbetween the budget price of Sony and the insane price hike of Sennheiser.
 
Kermit said:
Buddy if it isnt wireless your looking at then they aint superduperwuper headphones :)

Take a look at the Sony Wireless range and the Sennheisers the truth is somewhere inbetween the budget price of Sony and the insane price hike of Sennheiser.
Click to expand...

I'm not looking for super duper head phones, just something a step up. ;)

And I'm not a huge wireless headphone fan.
 
Josh K said:
I'm not looking for super duper head phones, just something a step up. ;)

And I'm not a huge wireless headphone fan.
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised, I went from the quite nice Sennheiser HD435 which are bound to sound a little less refined being open ear cans to a pair of Sony Wireless, and to be honest not much if any loss in quality noticed and I payed some £70 for the wireless where as the wired cans were running retail at the time for about £45. They manage 100 meters with absolutely fine playback. Maybe more utilitarian that audiophile hardware but I figured you wanted to have a detachable cable option for mobility reasons.
 
Kermit said:
You'd be surprised, I went from the quite nice Sennheiser HD435 which are bound to sound a little less refined being open ear cans to a pair of Sony Wireless, and to be honest not much if any loss in quality noticed and I payed some £70 for the wireless where as the wired cans were running retail at the time for about £45. They manage 100 meters with absolutely fine playback. Maybe more utilitarian that audiophile hardware but I figured you wanted to have a detachable cable option for mobility reasons.
Click to expand...

No, the detachable cable is so I can replace it if need be. I'm not hard per se on my stuff, but I'm not going to pamper it. I've had more then one pair of phones ruined because the cable snagged on something and ended up pulling out of the unit.
 
A ~$100 headphone amp works wonders for mediocre to good headphones, especially with portable sources. ;)
 
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