# Recommend me some hifi headphones!



## Maelstrom (Nov 28, 2011)

*Hopefully hifi is the appropriate adjective to describe what I'm looking for, I'm fairly new to this stuff .
Hey guys, with Christmas coming up I was thinking of replacing my Sennheiser HD555s with something better. I've been looking around head-fi.org and reading about various headphones, but there are too many headphones and there is too much information! I need some help! Budget is ~$300 US (I may be able to get away with $350). Also, I want the bass to be good, as I listen to a lot of electronic music and heavy metal. Must be around the ear. I appreciate any and all recommendations!


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## jsfitz54 (Nov 28, 2011)

Akg: K240 mk ii


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## Achilles1600 (Nov 28, 2011)

I didnt find any good name brand headset's, although i found some other headset's for cheaper.

RAZER Megalodon Gold-plated USB Connector Circumau...

Creative  Circumaural  Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Ome...

ASUS Vulcan ANC 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Pro Ga...

steelseries Siberia v2 USB Connector Circumaural F...


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## majestic12 (Nov 28, 2011)

You should be able to score an HD650 for around your price range (which works pretty well with your soundcard).  If you want to go closed-back, I'd probably recommend the Denon AH-D2000s.


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## fenurch (Nov 28, 2011)

Look into Beyer's (*cough* DT770/880 *cough*) or Ultrasones if you're looking for bass (you didn't really give us much to go on to ). Budget is more than sufficient and you might even end up with a cheap amp to go with the phones.


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## Maelstrom (Nov 28, 2011)

Achilles1600 said:


> I didnt find any good name brand headset's, although i found some other headset's for cheaper.
> 
> RAZER Megalodon Gold-plated USB Connector Circumau...
> 
> ...


Not really what I was looking for, but thanks anyways!



majestic12 said:


> You should be able to score an HD650 for around your price range (which works pretty well with your soundcard).  If you want to go closed-back, I'd probably recommend the Denon AH-D2000s.


I was looking into the HD600. Are the HD650s worth the extra cost?


fenurch said:


> Look into Beyer's (*cough* DT770/880 *cough*) or Ultrasones if you're looking for bass (you didn't really give us much to go on to ). Budget is more than sufficient and you might even end up with a cheap amp to go with the phones.



What other details do y'all need? I will be mainly using them to listen to electronic music and heavy metal, and gaming (their primary job is to make music sound good though ). My soundcard has a built in headphone amp (Asus Essence STX). Bass is important to me. Don't really care what brand it is. Open or closed is fine, but it has to be around the ear. If you need more that, you'll need to say .


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## Ra97oR (Nov 28, 2011)

HD600 and HD650 are simply different sound flavour, not one is better than one other.

I prefer the HD600 over the HD650 as it sounds more detailed and airy then the more bass heavy HD650. Both headphone will work well with the internal headphone amp on the Essence and I recommend them at this price.

Beyers are another option, just make sure you are ordering the higher impedence version (250Ohm/600Ohm) as the Essence's internal headphone amp is not as capable delivering current as pumping out voltage swing. That leaves Audio Technica and Denon headphones out unless you are looking to get a headphone amp with it in the future.

Beyer 880/600 ohms is quite possible the best sounding pair of headphone to pair with the Essence at this price range. Highly detailed pair of headphones with great dynamics, works with faster music you listen to and for gaming. The Sennheiser on the other hand is more relaxing but the HD600 are still quite detailed.


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## majestic12 (Nov 28, 2011)

The 650s are a bit smoother and bassier than the 600s.  If the difference in price is over 80-100 bucks, it's probably not worth it for the better model.  BTW, J&R music world sells the 650s for a little bit over 300 bucks.  

I hope your music collection is good quality (not the choices but the format in which they were ripped).  A crappy 64kbps MP3 sounds really really crappy on better gear.


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## Maelstrom (Nov 28, 2011)

majestic12 said:


> The 650s are a bit smoother and bassier than the 600s.  If the difference in price is over 80-100 bucks, it's probably not worth it for the better model.  BTW, J&R music world sells the 650s for a little bit over 300 bucks.
> 
> I hope your music collection is good quality (not the choices but the format in which they were ripped).  A crappy 64kbps MP3 sounds really really crappy on better gear.



Ripped lossless from CDs . 


Thanks for all the recommendations so far guys!


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## BumbleBee (Nov 30, 2011)

surprised no one mentioned the Grado Prestige SR-325i. Grado specialize in rock and metal. you can buy larger cups that will open the soundstage and provide extra comfort.


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## nick_1992 (Nov 30, 2011)

Honestly, not really HIFI, but i love my M50's from AudioTechnica. Great sounding.


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## xXxBREAKERxXx (Dec 1, 2011)

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones


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## Ra97oR (Dec 2, 2011)

xXxBREAKERxXx said:


> Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones



I hope that you are not serious. The B&W is a good little portable phone, notice exceptional on the sound side and poor comfort for long term use. Combined with its short cord and high isolation, it is designed for portable use as it said on the name.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Dec 2, 2011)

It'd be nice if there was a shop you could demo these in. So much of this is personal preference. I've heard people say they enjoyed the 598s over the 600/650s.


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## Fourstaff (Dec 2, 2011)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> It'd be nice if there was a shop you could demo these in. So much of this is personal preference. I've heard people say they enjoyed the 598s over the 600/650s.



This would be what I recommend. I am not sure how well trained your ears are, but if they are decent and not super good then HD555 might very well be the peak of your ability to differentiate, other headphones above it is just (to you) different colourations. It would be a sidegrade not an upgrade if the only thing you can differentiate is colouration, no matter how expensive the earphones are.


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## Frederik S (Dec 2, 2011)

Beyerdynamic DT880, Sennheiser HD580/600/650, Shure SRH 940. Also the Denon D2000s might be good. 

If you can go to a shop that has some of them and try them out before hand. They are all very different from the HD555s.


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## Maelstrom (Dec 2, 2011)

Checking them out in person would be awesome, but I have no idea what stores would even carry headphones like these. If it helps I'm currently about an hour away from Philadelphia, PA and will be until winter break. I doubt my hometown has any store that would. I'll do some research myself, but if anyone had the name of a store that would be great.


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## BumbleBee (Dec 2, 2011)

check the yellow pages and call stores to see if they do in-store demos.

here is a thread 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/182890/hi-fi-headphone-stores-in-philadelphia-pa-area


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## STCNE (Dec 2, 2011)

For heavy metal and electronica you probably don't want another Senn, or an Audio-Technia.(I've tried HD598, A900, and AD900, Grado SR-80i, and Ultrasone PRO2900)
 I would say to go for Denon AH-D2000, Ultrasone PRO2500(2900 if you can afford it, you can find it for $400 if you look around, my personal recommendation  ) or a Grado. Grado isn't too good for electronica but is great for metal. Ultrasones are great for both. Denon should be good with both but I haven't heard one so I won't comment.

The Senn HD598 I had was good for electronica but the worst thing I've heard for metal, and it wouldn't be much of an upgrade over your 555. The higher end Senns are even more 'laid-back' which would make them even worse metal phones.


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## Cybrnook (Dec 3, 2011)

Just wanna add, I listen to all kinds of Music (Mostly Metal and rock). The best bang for the buck I ever found was my Sennheiser Passive Noise canceling HD280 pro's. I Love them to death and they reproduce my flac audio collection perfectly. 

That's all ;-)


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## claylomax (Dec 3, 2011)

I have the Audio-Technica AD500 and they sound great, mind you I listen to Steely Dan, Traffic etc and Blues.


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Dec 3, 2011)

I personally like Grado phones because they are the most aggressive phones I have encountered.  They are also easily modifiable, which makes them great projects.  Buy a pair of SR-80's, and if you like them you can get a better pair later, but honestly, those are great earphones, they just aren't for everyone.  

My favorite phones I own in order:

-Senn 595's
-Heavily modded Grado SR-60i's
-Stock SR-80's
-AKG 271 MKII's
-ATH A700's

Those Senns are so comfy I can't get over them.  If you don't own one of those brands buy it, see if you like it.  If not, trade em with someone for another pair in the same price range.


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## majestic12 (Dec 3, 2011)

You could modify your 555s as well in order to tweak the sound a bit.  There are quite a few people out there claiming that it would practically turn them into 595s.  Might be worth checking into.


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## Frederik S (Dec 3, 2011)

Not to forget the HD 598s which takes the HD595s a bit further in every aspects. It is no night and day difference but they are easy to drive well, have a good coherent sound stage (good for gaming), a little more dominant high end (they are a bit ugly though). 

Most big stores that carry these brands have demonstration units. I am quite sure you can find a shop in Philadelphia that carries a least a couple of the brands mentioned here.


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## AhokZYashA (Dec 3, 2011)

if you listen to a lot of rocks, Grado SR225i or even the 325is is the way to go, 

for Rock listening, i find that the HD598/HD600/HD650 is too laidback, and too wide, so the energy from the rock music is not translated properly, but with proper setup, HD600/650 will shines on almost any genre of music, 

Denon D2000 is bassy, quite the V-shaped sound that most rock recordings are, 
ATH-AD900 is another choice, but it lacks bass and the soundstage is too wide to enjoy rock properly, for classical or pop, AD900 shines.
K701 also is another option, soundstage is very wide, the imaging is good, but, its very hard to drive.
DT880/600 is very good, great dynamics, nice rounded bass, excellent highs though a bit sibilance.

but, if you listens to a very wide range of genre, I strongly reccomends you to get the HD600, 
its more neutral than the HD650 which is more laidback and bassy, and it doesn't as demanding as the HD650 on the amp or DAC, its should sounds very good out of your essence.

and not to mention, its also very comfortable on the head.


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## Frederik S (Dec 3, 2011)

Completely forgot an obvious candidate. The Head-Direct HifiMAN HE-300s are now sold for just $249 which is very low for a set of headphones that sound like they do.

Link to review: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Head-Direct/HE-300/


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## AhokZYashA (Dec 3, 2011)

HE-300 is a very good choice for its price, 
its very fun sounding with a forward upper mid and punchy bass


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## travva (Dec 3, 2011)

love my sennheiser 595's. had the 555's previously, and the difference is subtle but there.


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## BumbleBee (Dec 4, 2011)

guys, he needs to find some licensed dealers first.


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## Maelstrom (Dec 5, 2011)

I've found two potential places that sell some of the headphones y'all have recommended. Will call them up when I get the chance and to check to see if they have them in the store and I can demo them. I will continue to search for more (a lot of the places listed in the yellow pages don't have websites). Unfortunately it's finals time so it might be a while before I can test them. Thanks again for all the recommendations guys!


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## NinkobEi (Dec 6, 2011)

AhokZYashA said:


> if you listen to a lot of rocks, Grado SR225i or even the 325is is the way to go,
> 
> for Rock listening, i find that the HD598/HD600/HD650 is too laidback, and too wide, so the energy from the rock music is not translated properly, but with proper setup, HD600/650 will shines on almost any genre of music,
> 
> ...



All of those headphones are going to require some sort of amplifier to make them sound good. Decent amps will cost anywhere from $100-$200.

As an owner of SR225s I will suggest not getting them if you plan on doing movie watching/gaming. They are good, no, great, at ONE thing. Alternative Rock/Metal/Acoustic. Using them for anything else will only disappoint

My suggestion: Grab some AudioTechnica ATH AD-700s or M50s for $100, or grab Sennheiser HD595s and spend the rest on something else.

The AD-700s are light on bass, but ridiculously comfy and great soundstage. the M50s are more bass centric, very good deal they are next on my to-buy list. The 595s are an All-Rounder also on my to-buy list


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## Ra97oR (Dec 6, 2011)

The thing is the OP will pair the headphones with a Essence, which have a headphone amp built-in.

It is not good for low impedance headphones, so HD600, DT880/600 will pair it better than AD700, M50s, HD595 (HD598 is better anyway). Without the Essence the they won't be on the list.


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## NinkobEi (Dec 6, 2011)

Ra97oR said:


> The thing is the OP will pair the headphones with a Essence, which have a headphone amp built-in.
> 
> It is not good for low impedance headphones, so HD600, DT880/600 will pair it better than AD700, M50s, HD595 (HD598 is better anyway). Without the Essence the they won't be on the list.



Those who have the card combo say that an amp is still desired to bring out the best in the headphones. 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/553085/asus-xonar-essence-stx-is-enough-to-drive-sennheiser-hd650
http://www.head-fi.org/t/513249/sennheiser-hd-650-asus-xonar-essence-st

Why spend $350 on some phones that will only sound like $150 phones without a proper amp


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## Ra97oR (Dec 6, 2011)

Ninkobwi said:


> Those who have the card combo say that an amp is still desired to bring out the best in the headphones.
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/553085/asus-xonar-essence-stx-is-enough-to-drive-sennheiser-hd650



Those who have the card < me
Have headphone amps < me
Old time Head-Fier with 1000+ post < me
Have heard nearly all the headphone out there < me
Have less than 5 post < them 

Bringing out the best and sounding great is totally different. Some headphone sounds great from the Essence already as it pair well, but there is always something better. I am still using my Essence as a source for both my STAX and Audio Technica setup, so you can always buy a headphone amp later on. 

You decide who to trust, I don't care as it is not my setup.


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## v12dock (Dec 6, 2011)

No one has postedThis Yet?


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## NinkobEi (Dec 6, 2011)

Well I guess if you try the HD650 and are disappointed (you shouldnt be) then just buy an additional headphone amp in a year or so when you have enough money. At least that leaves room for upgrades.


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## Ra97oR (Dec 6, 2011)

No, it is helpful to a certain point, but it doesn't cover enough headphones. Also ratings by numbers is not what I call helpful as sound is extremely personal.

EDIT: ninja'd

@Ninkobwi: You won't be more disappoint by running a HD650 off an Essence than running a AD700 off it. The Essence's chip have good voltage swing for the Senns but not "enough" current to run the Audio Technica. Running my AD1000PRM off the HA5000 sounds so much different than running off the internal amp, it is just not made for low impedance headphones.


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## AhokZYashA (Dec 6, 2011)

Essence have plenty of voltage swing to drive the HD650/600, 
and it will drive the HD650/600 to a certain level thata you will be satisfied with it,


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## Maelstrom (Dec 6, 2011)

Ra97oR said:


> No, it is helpful to a certain point, but it doesn't cover enough headphones. Also ratings by numbers is not what I call helpful as sound is extremely personal.
> 
> EDIT: ninja'd
> 
> @Ninkobwi: You won't be more disappoint by running a HD650 off an Essence than running a AD700 off it. The Essence's chip have good voltage swing for the Senns but not "enough" current to run the Audio Technica. Running my AD1000PRM off the HA5000 sounds so much different than running off the internal amp, it is just not made for low impedance headphones.



So pretty much if I want to get the most out of my setup I'll want to be looking at Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic? Any others?


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## AhokZYashA (Dec 6, 2011)

you can look for Ultrasones, but i dont think you'll like the sound signature too much,

but a really recommend the HD600


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## BumbleBee (Dec 6, 2011)

Maelstrom said:


> So pretty much if I want to get the most out of my setup I'll want to be looking at Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic? Any others?



just find a license dealer and see what they have.


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## NinkobEi (Dec 6, 2011)

Ra97oR said:


> @Ninkobwi: You won't be more disappoint by running a HD650 off an Essence than running a AD700 off it. The Essence's chip have good voltage swing for the Senns but not "enough" current to run the Audio Technica. Running my AD1000PRM off the HA5000 sounds so much different than running off the internal amp, it is just not made for low impedance headphones.



Eh, AD700 are low impedance and can be run straight out of the sound card with no amp.


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## Maelstrom (Jan 16, 2012)

Just as an update guys, I got myself a pair of DT 880s (600 ohm version). Really liking them. Thanks again for all the help guys!


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## BumbleBee (Jan 16, 2012)

make sure you invest in a nice amplifier.


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## LightningJR (Jan 16, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> make sure you invest in a nice amplifier.



^This. 600Ohm is beastly.


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## Ra97oR (Jan 17, 2012)

Lots of facepalm here. Ah well. 

The amp chip on the Essence is designed for driving higher impedance headphones. It can provide very decent voltage swing. However it have high output impedance and low current output, making it unsuitable for low impedance headphones. The so call "no amp needed" headphones will be affected by the high output impedance even if it is not drawing more current than the chip can provide. 

I am not saying a good dedicated amp will not be better, it will almost always be better. But just the internal amp is not build for low impedance headphones at all.

Also, gratz on the DT880. Great detailed headphones, even better with the 600Ohm version too. Combined with it's good soundstage, it is nice for gaming too.


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## BumbleBee (Jan 17, 2012)

Ra97oR said:


> Lots of facepalm here. Ah well.
> 
> The amp chip on the Essence is designed for driving higher impedance headphones. It can provide very decent voltage swing. However it have high output impedance and low current output, making it unsuitable for low impedance headphones. The so call "no amp needed" headphones will be affected by the high output impedance even if it is not drawing more current than the chip can provide.
> 
> ...



he knows. I talked to him.


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## Ra97oR (Jan 17, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> he knows. I talked to him.



Not directed to the OP, he knows the Essence is doing fine for the time being seeing that he really bought the 600Ohm version. Just NinkobEi kept thinking the AD700 will sound better than DT880/600 out the the Essence. The amp chip really makes it sounds different paired with a good amp, objective better or not.


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## NinkobEi (Jan 17, 2012)

Ra97oR said:


> Not directed to the OP, he knows the Essence is doing fine for the time being seeing that he really bought the 600Ohm version. Just NinkobEi kept thinking the AD700 will sound better than DT880/600 out the the Essence. The amp chip really makes it sounds different paired with a good amp, objective better or not.



Man when did I say anything about a DT880? From all I have read 600ohm is rough to drive. If the Essence can drive them, then good for it. I'm welcome to be proven wrong. But my money is on him needing to buy an Amp to get the most out of those 'phones. Technically an iPod can drive them, but its going to sound a lot worse than an iPod + a good amp


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## BumbleBee (Jan 17, 2012)

Maelstrom asked for separates but didn't specify a budget so I recommended the HRT Music Streamer II and Little Dot MKIII.

HRT Music Streamer II is properly isolated, very little jitter, no drivers, neutral tonality with a little bloom and a wide soundstage. it's powered by USB so it doesn't have any of the common problems that plague cheap switching power supplies.

Little Dot MKIII is properly isolated, runs on it's own power and will output 350mW into a 600ohm load which is about 4x the driving power of a stock Asus Xonar Essence STX, he can roll tubes if he likes. not much else to say really.

total cost should be under $350.


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## AhokZYashA (Jan 17, 2012)

I have found the best pair I've heard from a DT880/600 is out of the Graham Slee Solo SRG II amp
it just make the sound thicker, and remove all the sibilance


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## BumbleBee (Jan 17, 2012)

I have the Graham Slee Novo. great amp


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## Maelstrom (Jan 17, 2012)

Guys, I appreciate the input on amps, but for right now I'm fine with the current setup I have. I will be getting an amp and dac when I can afford it, but right now I have more important things to spend my money on, like food and gas. I will open a thread when the time comes asking about which amp and dac to get. Hopefully I will be able to get an on campus job so I can get them soon .


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## NinkobEi (Jan 17, 2012)

Maelstrom said:


> Guys, I appreciate the input on amps, but for right now I'm fine with the current setup I have. I will be getting an amp and dac when I can afford it, but right now I have more important things to spend my money on, like food and gas. I will open a thread when the time comes asking about which amp and dac to get. Hopefully I will be able to get an on campus job so I can get them soon .



The Asus Essence should be a good DAC, assuming you are okay with sitting around your computer.


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## BumbleBee (Jan 17, 2012)

if he wants to get into HiFi he needs to leave it behind.


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## NinkobEi (Jan 17, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> if he wants to get into HiFi he needs to leave it behind.



You'd be surprised the high quality of soundcards using ASIO. I can't say its as clear as some top end DACs but my Prelude is certainly a lot more clear than my J3 or my old HM601


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## Frederik S (Jan 17, 2012)

The Essence has a very well designed DAC section which sounds good as source. Just hook the line-out up to a decent headphone amplifier and it is a really good combination! 

Solid state is the way to go for most of the Beyerdynamic headphone since they already have a emphasized highs and lows. Paring them with a neutral amplifier is definitely the way to go. A Meier or Graham Slee audio amplifier yields a very pleasant sounding combo with the Beyers (to my ears).


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