Advice for a Decent Pair of Headphones

[chaosd]

Hi Guys I'm Looking for a Decent Pair of Headphones that Have Good Build Quality and Good Sound Reproduction. With so many to choose from I Really Don't Know which ones to get.


Qualities I'm Looking for:

* Even Balance Between Ranges:
[That lets Me Hear Individual Instruments & Voice Through Heavy Bass.

* Smooth Accurate Bass Reproduction.

* Can Tolerate Louder Music [No Distortion]

* Good Cabling [Anti Tangle if Possible]

* Reliable Headphones


Thanks

[Drubbing]

What source will you be using? and what budget you looking at?

A few things to consider:

If phones get too bassy you won't get great instrument differentiation; if bass is overdone it swamps everything else. You often find cheaper phones have bass bias as a lot of people equate huge bass = better sound.

All phones will distort if driven too loud, or even at lower volume on poorer sources ie laptops and stock PC onboard. It doesn't do your ears much good either.

Better quality phones don't tend to overdo bass, they lean more towards quality over quantity.

Good quality brands are Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Grado, Beyerdynamic, Koss. I'm not a senn fan myself, as I've found too many of their products were average in my budget range.

[chaosd]

My Audio Sources will be

*Dedicated MP3 Players
*PC [Sound Blaster Audigy Pro]


As for My Budget, I'm not Really Fussed how much they Cost, So long as what I get is worth the Money
IE:[Good Price / Performance Ratio]

[herbsz]

don't forget AKG, i haven't heard many expensive headphones TBH but from what i have tried AKG (240's) were the best they had a very nice airy and open sound with a good wide out of head soundstage and nice tone which i have'nt heard on others i tried although some come close - but that was some years ago and i cant remember if i read somewhere that some of the later versions were'nt as good but im by no means sure about that

no idea if these cheaper headphones are any good but they have had good reviews, KAM khp1500 pro @ around £30 and Goldring DR150 can be got now for £30, plenty of others tho'

cheers

[Drubbing]

When considering price/perf ratios, it's important to look at how you'll use them, that's why I asked about sources.

The Audigy pro is a basic step up from onboard sound, I gather. So with those sources, I would look at phones that can easily run off portables, then they'll suit the PC too. There are plenty of full size phones out there that will do this.

It's not worth spending too much, as your sources won't be able to get full VFM from them. Audio SQ is only as good as your worst component, so if youl oad up big on phones, the sources will hold them back.

Check out the brands I listed and find some that fit the portable use category. Then it comes down to the sort of sound you like - even phones in the same price range that are deemed 'equal SQ', will often sound very different.

[chaosd]

Thanks Again, Drubbing.


Ok what I am Ideally Looking for is a Pair of Phones that have a Nice Even Balance between Ranges. [Even if it means slightly lower Bass]

If there is one thing that Annoys me the most, its when Audio Ranges get Congested and Overshadow Each Other.


Also I wouldn't Mind getting a Portable Headphone Amp, if it's Necessary to get the Best Audio Experience. So with that said could you also suggest some Discrete Portable Headphone Amps.

Also is it Necessary to use Portable AMP's on Earphones, given the Small Size of the Drivers?

Thanks.

[Drubbing]

Earphones will go loud enough from portables, they have low impedance and high sensitivity, so they can go loud on minimal power. Adding an amp doesn't add SQ; they amplify the signal and are able go louder - this will only find the limits of both the players and the phones.

At home I use a portable Amp/DAc and this for me has been a good improvement over my onboard sound. It's the Meier Audio Corda 3Move. I don't know if it's sold in the Uk but you can look around, or try their site. You pay for portability; mine was AUS$400.

Good phones don't tend to be overly bassy, and more balanced. But you may be interested in a neutral phone like the Beyer DT250. These don't bias any part of the sound, they respond to what you give them. The 80ohm don't need an amp, but is one of those phones that likes one - source willing.

Grado's are good too. Different sound; 'forward' meaning lively and punchy. Although the UK prices don't do much for their USA VFM reputation.At half the UK asking price in many countries they're a steal. They're still very good, just not the bargains they are elsewhere.

Senn's have left me underwhelmed; ones I've tried were dull, too laid back sound.

[antony.gibbs]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member, lokoing to get a very good quality set of headphones (not earphones).

My source would be an Onkyo SR-606 AV Amplifier, and I'm ideally looking for some kind of wireless solution.

I've seen these:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-DS3000-Infrared-Wireless-Headphones/dp/tech-data/B00023C6SE/ref=de_a_smtd/189-0387448-1374955

Sony MDR-DS3000 Infrared Wireless Digital Surround Headphones

...but I've not seen any reviews. UIf I can preserve the surround effect, then that's great, but if not, I'm primarily looking for good quality (not loudness or bass).

Any thoughts anyone?

Cheers,

Antony

[chaosd]

I can Tell you from Experience that Wired beats Wireless Every time.

I'm A Serious Gamer and Got an Astro A40 Wired Game Headset. [Can be Used for Music Too]

All wireless Headsets or Headphones seem to Suffer from a degree of Hiss, Especially when they Use Infra Red.

I Have yet to actually Experience a Wireless Headset that Doesn't Hiss.


Review Here: http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews81673.html