BG Audiophiles... lil help?

[Doombear]

Have to assume that there are more than a few Audiophiles roaming about BG, so was wondering if I could get some advice.

I am looking to get a nice pair of headphones. The space that my TV/Consoles (PS3/360) are set up in is pretty damn small, and nowhere near large enough to need (or benefit from) a surround sound system. Seriously... not only would it be pointless but it would piss off the wife who sits at the PC doing her work less than a few feet away.

So, I have been looking into other options, and have pretty much decided on this for starters:

JVC SU-DH1

That is not the Japanese version which has support for an AC adapter so that would be run on batteries alone, kind of annoying, but i can deal with that. I will just get rechargeables or something. If you don't know what that is, in a nutshell is an adapter that will convert sound to 5.1 through any two-channel headphones. Not true surround, but close enough for me. It accepts input from a TOSlink cable as well.

So with that on the top of my list i need a pair of decent headphones, and that is where i am hoping to get some feedback. The few that i have on my list are:

Grado SR80s
(or the SR60s for a bit less)

Sennheiser HD-280 (closed cans)

Sennheiser HD-555 (open)

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 (open)

Those are essentially the few on my list at the moment, and I was hoping some of you had some first hand experience. My goal here is to stay away from the Turtle Beach/Astro Gaming/Tritton phones... So, thoughts?

[zoobernut]

By far the Grado's are the best sounding headphones I have ever heard. I really love them they are very well built and not too expensive for the amazing quality you get. That said I find them extremely uncomfortable. I use sennheiser HD-570's because I found their sound quality to be decent but they are very comfortable to wear for long durations.

If I was only going to wear the headphones for 1-2 hours at a time I would get the Grado's if you plan on wearing your headphones for extended periods of time the sennheisers are very comfortable.

[thestalkmore]

I've got a pair of Grado SR80's. They're absolutely fantastic and I don't have any problems with how comfortable they are. My only complaint would be that they leak a TON of sound. Don't plan on wearing them anywhere where you need to be discreet.

[Doombear]

Good to know, as i have never really used (or even tested out) open air headphones and that was one of my main questions. How much sound DOES get leaked? I have a 4 year old daughter that is asleep a room away when i am gaming usually, hence one of my main reasons for looking for headphones. Would you say the sound leak is comparable to the sound you hear with the set turned down pretty low? Or is it annoyingly obvious?

There is a nice Audio/Visual place here in Portland that sells both Grado and Sennheiser so I planned on stopping by and taking a few different ones for a spin.

One thing that concerns me (and makes me look sideways at the Astrogamer A40 setup) is the ability to tweak the mix of game and voice sound... I just can't quite convince myself to get their setup though, as I would much rather lose that customization and have a very nice pair of headphones + the JVC Adapter.

Seems that, even with a nice pair of cans, it will likely still be annoying when using the 360 headset with Voice coming through 'speakers'. And the PS3 headset... yeah. =P

[Saphirea]

On a simular subject, can any of you guys recommend a good set of noise canceling headphones?

I travel a ton for my job and having something that would eliminate most of the airplane / passengers / crying kids noise would be excellent.

I have this shitty pair of sony ones that apparently block 60% of noise... they're pretty shitty.

[Doombear]

Hay get outta here! =P

Check some of these out Saphirea

Sealed/Noise Canceling Headphones
and
More...

Quite a few there to take a peek at, with a nice price range as well.

[sunb1ind]

I personally don't think you're going to get the most bang for your buck looking for headphones in that price range. If you're not going to use your headphones for monitoring/recording, then don't bother blowing the extra dough for entertainment. You're just not going to notice the difference, because you won't exactly be looking for it. Sorry, that's the best I can describe it lol

Anyways, if I were to pick out of those headphones, I would go for the Senns hd555's. The last time I checked out those headphones they were $150. I really enjoyed the comfortable ear-hugging support and it does really great in the highs.

What I would recommend though instead are these: http://www.zzounds.com/item--SENHD202

These headphones outperform all headphones up to the $100 range. Grado's really shine in the 100-200++ range, that's what they're known for, not the low-end phones. Senn's series in-between that range all really suck, avoid at all costs. I don't know much about Audio-Tech phones, I don't know anyone who owns a pair. The only other decent brand I would try are AKG's.

But, as I was saying, if you're not going to use them for studio monitors, then it doesn't really matter lol Just a audiophile nut rambling, goodluck on the purchase :D

[Amastacia]

I own a pair of HD280 Pros (have for about 4 years now), and my roommate from last year owns a pair of 555s, so I've used both somewhat extensively.

Haven't used the other pairs, but I definitely like both pairs of Sennheisers.

The 555s definitely have a wider sound stage, so sounded great for positional audio, and are very light and comfy. On the down side they sound kind of bright to me (the bass doesn't have as much depth) and a lot of noise leaks out since they're open-air.

I flat out love the 280s. My only real faults with them are how narrow the sound stage is, build quality on the headband of older versions, and the cable - it's very long and coiled, so it snags on itself and other stuff very easily. They have a very flat frequency response, decently punchy and very precise bass (not as mushy as, say, Sony MDRs), are very comfortable to wear for long stretches despite their weight and how hard they grip your head. They leak very little sound, which I like a lot for use in public, and they do a fantastic job of blocking outside noise despite having no active noise canceling.

One thing to be warned about the 280s is that they grip your head very firmly. It's not uncomfortable, but it's unusual. It's how they do such a great job of isolating sound, and it's definitely worth it, but it takes a little getting used to. The padding on the headphones is great, and once you get used to the feeling of wearing them, they're very comfy to use even for extended periods (they're designed to be DJ headphones and worn all night, and Sennheiser got it right).

Also, they are very large. I personally don't mind it, but it's worth being aware of.

On my pair, and it's a common reported problem in earlier HD280s (not sure if it's been fixed), small pieces of plastic cracked on the headband, which meant repairs with electrical tape to make sure everything held together tightly. It was definitely frustrating when it happened, but the headphones are so good that I'm more than willing to deal with it and work around it. It shouldn't happen in headphones of the 280s' MSRP, but given how cheap you can get them at places like Amazon and elsewhere, you can deal with it. I'd buy them again knowing that the plastic could crack, because I've been so happy with them in general that I'm willing to overlook that flaw.

[Correction]

On my pair, and it's a common reported problem in earlier HD280s (not sure if it's been fixed), small pieces of plastic cracked on the headband, which meant repairs with electrical tape to make sure everything held together tightly.

This is also a problem on the 595s, but the sound and comfort levels are so good I'd probably buy them again anyway. It's a pity, really, I had a pair of 590s and they were flawless for about 5 years without any failures. Then one of the drivers started sputtering on me so I had to replace them with the somewhat inferior (in headband design, not audio quality) 595s I wear now.

[Cheerios]

Wouldn't you want a headset for the PS3/360 instead of just a pair of headphones?

[Doombear]

Excellent info, keep it coming! Would any of you audiophiles mind trying to explain the feeling of open air cans to me? Like I said i plan on actually trying out some Grados and Senns locally first, but not until next week. I am just curious how you would describe the difference when you are wearing the Senn 555's vs. the closed 280s for example.

@ Cheerios
Well ideally yes... but i can't bring myself to sacrifice a nice pair of headphones for a lesser pair of mic'd headphones. Largely when i mic up with the 360 it is for CoD4, and that is only 30% of the time when my friend is on. The rest of the time i am generally not mic'd. With the PS3... i would say i haven't used the mic (Warhawk pack in mic) since about a month after Warhawk came out. MGO just didn't warrant it to me since none of my good friends had the beta.

With a nice pair of phones, my plan was to either wear the MS Mic around the neck if need be or spring for this $5-6 purchase: Zalman ZM Mic1 for a BIT more comfort. I haven't decided there either...

[*Shinzon*]

Since this thread is here gonna ask a question I have. When I play ffxi I get msg after using Mogtoolz to change the graphic setting say my audio only supports one sound effect at a time, which doesn't make sense. The Sound is integrated into the motherboard, and I want to setup a 5.1 system for my PC. I'm worried though that if I'm getting that message, its not just ffxi but the sound for my pc period since I don't have any tools that tweak either CS or UT3.

Any suggestions or possible tweaks that I can make to ensure I get all the sound effects I should be? The audio on the pc currently supports up to 7.1 surround sound.

[Bagel]

I used to have a pair of Grados, like others said, fantastic sound but uncomfortable as hell. I'm tentatively planning on getting a pair of closed Sennheisers because a friend has them and they're much more comfortable.

[Correction]

Excellent info, keep it coming! Would any of you audiophiles mind trying to explain the feeling of open air cans to me? Like I said i plan on actually trying out some Grados and Senns locally first, but not until next week. I am just curious how you would describe the difference when you are wearing the Senn 555's vs. the closed 280s for example.

My first pair of over the head headphones were 'closed' and I found that my ears heated up after extended use, to the point of discomfort after ~4 hours. That was probably more a function of the material they used for the padding (some polyester stuff vs breathable natural fibers). I can wear my Sennheisers all night and not really feel my head getting 'hotter.' The only time I take them off is when I'm tired of what I'm listening to, or need to get away from my desk.

The other primary difference is somewhat obvious but with open-air headphones you're not isolated from other sounds so if you have noisy neighbors/dormmates you'll hear them. In which case you'll want something in the ear, like Shures.

Sennheisers are astonishingly lightweight. Plus the velour crushes well against the skin and is really really really comfortable (as long as you're not some sweaty pig and matte it down over the years).

Final tip: If you're after Sennheiser, note that their cords are by default very very long and don't coil on themselves, so if you're using them in a desktop environment find something to hook the slack from the cord to if you don't want to be rolling over the cord with the wheels on your chair (or tripping over it when you walk past your desk.

[Doombear]

I am noticing that in most of the major topics i have seen elsewhere, Grado + Sennheiser seem to be the top two brands tossed around. Rarely I will hear AKG or Audio-Technica thrown into the mix, but only rarely. On one hand sure... that could be indicative that they are top tier manufacturers but it could also be that they are SO blindly snatched up that no one gives any credit to the other brands out there that are likely comparable.

Not saying that Grados or Senns are not amazing, i am just curious to hear about others somewhere too. Personally i am liking what i am reading about the Audio-Technica AD700s but sadly the store i am planning on hitting up does not carry any, so i won't be testing those out. Sad, as I would really like to directly compare them to the Senn HD555/595s and the Grado SR60/80s.

[Correction]

The days of 'try before you buy' headphone shopping are dead I think. Even high-end audio/video dealer showrooms will only feature home theater rigs these days because headphones are so hard to keep in clean, operating shape when you let customers fumble about with them for hours. Doesn't hurt to look around until you find one, though. If you live in a major city chances are there are boutiques downtown that have opened models for you to try on. The first pair of Sennheisers I actually tried on were at a Tower Records (back when they did business). Maybe you'll get a decent closed-ear headphone experience just going to record shops with demo kiosks and taking note of the brand/models they use for customer sampling of music.

[Doombear]

Excellent idea Correction, I hadn't even thought of that. I know for a fact that there is a hipster local owned record shop just a block away from the Audio/Vis store i am going to. I will put my money on them using Sony MDR phones for their kiosks though =P

EDIT: Yep, 100% correct, the music store was using Sony MDR closed phones (i didn't even check which model) at their listening stations.

I stopped by the Audio Visual store though, and I tried out a few headphones. Really, they only had Sennheisers and Grados out there to test drive, and one pair of Sonys. I actually really liked the sound and feel of the HD555s. The Grados (i tried the 60, the 80, and the SR125) sounded damn nice as well but unfortunately they just don't feel right. I have 3/4" plugs in my ears so the small cushion pressed on them. The Senns fit perfectly over my ear. The 280s were nice, but i really liked the sound of the open back earphones (as well as them being more comfortable) more.

So now, i THINK it is down to either the Senn HD555s or the Audio Technicas if i can find some to try out... though this picture of the HUGEness of them makes me wonder =P

Huge Audio Technica AD700s... wows.

[kareface]

I'm a huge audiophile, I listen to a lot of instrumental and classical music. I have used all of the best headphones on the market and have a custom built amp setup on my main computer for listening to music. I've tried the Grado SR325i, Sennheiser HD 600, and Grado 1000. I think the sound quality is slightly better with the higher end Grado's over the Sennheiser, but they are more finicky. I sold both my Grados after a few months of using them. Positioning them for ideal sound is annoying, they don't rest easily on your head. The cord for the Grado's is too short, and there isn't an easy replacement. The sound quality is only better if you can get the positioned right. Otherwise it sounds a little dull, because of the poor design of the ear cups. I think the Sennheiser quality difference is very small. I doubt the average person would be able to tell the difference. They have a better kick to them too (heavier bass), which is nice for the crescendos. They are way more comfortable then the Grados, hands down. I've ruined several headphone cables because I didn't notice they were on my head, they are so light and fluffy (no joke). It really is like wearing a pillow for headphones. It's easier to position them, and they aren't as finicky about dull areas in sound when positioned wrong. The only down side to the headphones, the stock cable sucks. I would recommend getting a new one later down the road, as the stock one goes bad really fast.

It really comes down to this, if you are only going to use your headphones on occasions for music, get the Grados, the highest one you can afford.

If you are going to be using your headphones all the time, if they are never going to leave your head while your at home (like myself), get the Sennheiser (hd 600 or 650). It's worth the investment. I've always said that the hd-600s were the best investment I've ever made, I've had them now for 5 years, and they still work great, sound amazing, and I'm still replacing cables because I try to walk out of the room when don't notice they are on my head (very very comfortable).

[Demosthenes]

Noise canceling is not the end all be all. Being in silence does not speak for quality, that said, look into AKG stereophones.
I spend too much time worrying about the sound of my audio. I have a dedicated audio studio, etc.

[Alexel]

I don't know what forums you're browsing, but if you're looking for some information and discussion on serious headphones, you really just need to check out this forum: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/

What is your price range for these headphones? Also, are you willing to spend the money to get a headphone amp?

Sennheiser is a very good brand, and out of all of them the most loved by audiophiles outside the flagship HD600 and HD650s are the HD595s. If you're planning to get Sennheisers, I'd strongly recommend you consider them. One issue with the HD595s is that they benefit greatly from a good headphone amp. Now these headphone amps can run anywhere from $50 for a entry-level mediocre one to $3000 for a top of the line desktop headphone amp. However, you can buy a really good one for anywhere within the $250-$500 price range. Whether needing to use a headphone amp is a pro or con is up to you.

In addition to Sennheiser, The Beyerdynamics DT-770 Pro is also really popular with the audiophiles on head-fi. Again, these headphones definitely need an amp to bring out their full potential, but they have some of the best bass response out of all the headphones if you're a basshead and are great for music genres like rock. My friend had a pair of these and they were excellent, but he later sold them because he didn't want to spend the $500 for a good portable amp. You can also perform future modifications on the Beyers to bring them up to the top tier of headphones if upgrading at some point is important to you.

The last pair I'd recommend are the pair my friend decided to keep and one I bought for myself as well: the Ultrasone HFI-780. These headphones are just wonderful. They don't require an amp at all, even though like most headphones, they do sound better with an amp. The bass response is great and the sound clarity and everything is just insane. Also, Ultrasone designed these to mesh well with movies and games in addition to music by giving them an expansive sound stage, but I can't say if that's just marketing fluff or not. Either way, these headphones are awesome and are the ones I definitely would recommend, especially if you don't plan to get an amp.

The Grados also have very positive reviews on head-fi, but it seems they're always considered a tier below the ones I listed, and are more "portable phones" than serious headphones. The ones I listed are all around the $200 price mark. Also, if you have time, check out the "post your darth beyers" thread on that forum, it's pretty fun just browsing through those pictures.

edit: I forgot the HD595s are open headphones.