Always a popular thread: I'll start off with Sennheiser HD 650s

Hmm....can't get this image to load no matter what I do...is something turned off in the code? Attachments, perhaps?

[alexs2]

Hi there....Sennheiser 565 here....keep meaning to buy a set of 650s but never get round to it.
These sound lovely with a decent amp(as I'm sure yours must also!)

BTW, any of you guys and gals who are interested in headphones, be sure to stop by the ipod studio
In the "headphones gallery", located in the "photos" section, there are over 100 different images. There are also galleries of headphone amps, portable speakers, PADs and several others. I run that site and anyone here is more than welcome to come look

[Hawklord]

A nice pair of Senn HD600's here plugged into a nice GSP solo MKIII headphone amp

[suzywong]

Sennheiser PX100 for the CD Walkman

Sennheiser HD420 for the real Hifi

As it happens, I'm looking for a superlative headphone amplifier for the Linn system; the Kairn Preamp has plenty of "line level" outputs so I can use one of them to feed the headphone amp.


so what does the team think?

[Jeff]

Senn HD600's with Cardas lead and a Sugden Headmaster amp.

[alexs2]

Originally posted by suzywong
Sennheiser PX100 for the CD Walkman

Sennheiser HD420 for the real Hifi

As it happens, I'm looking for a superlative headphone amplifier for the Linn system; the Kairn Preamp has plenty of "line level" outputs so I can use one of them to feed the headphone amp.


so what does the team think?

Hi suzy...depends on how much you want to spend!.....in the cheaper price bracket,the Creek amp is well regarded,as are the MF X-cans(now onto their 3rd revision).
Getting into the upper bracket,the Slee,Earmax and Sugden all have their strengths,and for me,the Earmax was the choice,with which I've been very happy(smooth,deep bass,well controlled and immense detail,but limited in maximum output compared to the Earmax Pro or the others I've mentioned).
If you want to go the whole hog,the upper levels of the Headroom range will satisfy your requirements for the highest quality,but at a price(if you look at the Max or Blockhead)

Also,don't forget Stax....the electrostatics are superb in many ways,and would have been one of my choices if I hadn't already got a set of dynamic phones.
A friend has just bought the Stax 3030,and is very pleased indeed.

A few links

Earmax www.audiophileclub.co.uk
Headroom http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php
MF X-Cans www.musicalfidelity.com
Headmaster www.jesugden.co.uk

It's always a problem finding a place that will demo a number of these,but worth looking before buying,as they all have very different characters.

...of course, it will also depend whether you're going to go solid state or tube....

[cwick]

HD600's, or Shure E3C if I need to cut out background noise. Sometimes plugged into an EarMax Pro, sometimes with an iPod, sometimes with an FMJ DV27.

Currently lusting after HD650's & X-Can v3 or GSP Solo.

[pendulum]

HD600 with meier-audio cable
Etymotic er4p+4s cable

porta corda mk2
mint cmoy.

thinking of getting the headroom total bithead when its released.



headroom

[Smurfin]

Senn H600, running with the Creek OBH-11 amp.

[TameRacingDriver]

Sony MDR-CD3000

Driven by Perreaux SXH1 Amp

And it sounds absolutely fantastic. I have been experimenting with headphones for quite a while now, and IMO the Sony CD3000's are easily the best headphones I've heard (and I have owned the new HD650 as well). The Sony's are often overlooked because they are not available in the UK, but that is a shame, believe me. Same goes with the Perreaux.

[Zacabeb]

I use AKG K-501's, and am pretty delighted with them. I've stuck with AKG for more than a decade (originally I used K240's).

[StevieDvd]

I've got Sennheiser HD590 for listening to late night movies.

Why are so many people using headphone amps? Is this for music, movies or for PC's?

Originally posted by StevieDvd
I've got Sennheiser HD590 for listening to late night movies.

Why are so many people using headphone amps? Is this for music, movies or for PC's?

Music, essentially...many headphones require an amp in order to get the best out of them.

[avanzato]

Ergo model 2 phones for me as I found them more like listening to speakers than any others I tried. No amp as yet as just haven't got around to it and dealers don't seem to like carrying them as a stock item.

[gringottsdirect]

Sony MDR-CD3000 purchased when available from Sony UK in 1994.
Naim Headline / Hi-Cap / SLIC.
Have various others but these are my favourites.

[Hawklord]

Originally posted by StevieDvd
I've got Sennheiser HD590 for listening to late night movies.

Why are so many people using headphone amps? Is this for music, movies or for PC's?

All of the above
Put's my home cinema to shame only I do miss the extra dimension a subwoofer gives you in a good action movie
I couldn't believe the level of detail, image and depth my headphone amp gives.
Essential imo if you have good headphones

[Mr.D]

Beyerdynamic DT250 200ohms at work with a musical fidelity Xcan V2 with mullard valves ( arcam alpha 7 cd player doing the duities or my intellistation accessing the company jukebox).

Senheisser HD600s at home ( I used to have these at work but people complained about the noise leaking from them...so after 5 years I bought the beyers above and took the HD600s home!

[fraggle]

Beyer Dynamic 250s and trying out two amps at the mo, Creek OBH 21 and X-Cans V2.

I like the X-Cans better, slightly more volume and a fraction less "electronically processed" sound (as they should, being a valve amp!)

But I have to say I'm well and truly disappointed with the 250s. I wanted a nice lush sound that just washes over you, relaxingly, whilst also letting you pin point every single instrument, and that has oodles of deep bass.

The 250s, with a track from the Billy Idol CD, the bass is there, and deep and low, but it overmodulates everything else and distorts all other sound coming from them. I'm assuming this is cause they're a closed back design.

Considering drilling loads of holes in the back of em

They just don't seem designed to take the volume I'd like, and have a subdued bass response.

[jimcarney]

Still using my Nakamichi SP7s headphones bought when I bought my first LP12 over 20 years ago. Jim

[TameRacingDriver]

Fraggle. Could they be faulty? The DT250's are meant to be very good. Are they the 80 ohm versions or the superior 250 ohm versions?

[fraggle]

Originally posted by pbirkett
Fraggle. Could they be faulty? The DT250's are meant to be very good. Are they the 80 ohm versions or the superior 250 ohm versions?

Hi,

They're the 80 ohm version.

I couldn't find any info on what ohmage to buy in spite of searching round the net a lot, what I found was a lot of recommendations for the 250s.

I wasn't intending to buy an amp at first, but when the best thing in the house for driving the phones was the laptop I thought "this is stupid, I didn't buy a dear pair of phones to listen to MP3s!" so tried one. And then tried another.

To be honest I wish I'd stuck with the £20 pair of small phones I bought 5 years ago. Everything I've bought lately it just seems a case of "the more it costs the worse it'll sound"

I'm just praying my latest purchase doesn't follow the same path or I'll just sell the whole damn lot!

[TameRacingDriver]

Nightmare mate.

Although the 250 ohm versions are better, I would still personally have expected 80 ohm ones to sound far better than £20 headphones.

Took me a long time to find headphones I liked mind, so I can sort of understand the frustration.

[sceptic]

Originally posted by pendulum
HD600 with meier-audio cable
Etymotic er4p+4s cable

Hi pendulum
Was the meier-audio cable an improvement over the stock HD600 cable?

[brendan]

I use Sen650 with Zu cable into a Corda HA-2 amp.Smooth sounding with lots of detail.I may try the Sony CD3000 phones with the Corda has anyone heard this combo?

[Mr.D]

My DT250(200) took at least a few days to burn in properly.
They don't match my HD600s but they are pretty impressive at times in their own right. The mid range is not as detailed and lush as the HD600s and bass is a little lighter but they are still an impressive set of phones. They are also not as big as I feared and I can quite happily wear them for hours on end.

They do sound very "straight" and balanced maybe a little too transparent.

I do wear them back to front though. The amp has to sit on my RHS and the lead plugs into the headphones on their LHS so I just swapped the LR inputs on the amp round. The phones themselves seem symetrical either way round so no problems there.

[tom_nieto]

Sennheiser HD575. Probably not the best out there, but I get fantastic bass and detail out of them and seriously comfy. I think they'd probably improve a lot with a headphone amp, although I think an upgrade of my source, amp or speakers would have to come first, as I only really use them when flatmates complain or in the car. I am actually using my brother's pair when I'm working here at home, closest thing I've got to real music here (left mine at uni ).

[TameRacingDriver]

Originally posted by brendan
I use Sen650 with Zu cable into a Corda HA-2 amp.Smooth sounding with lots of detail.I may try the Sony CD3000 phones with the Corda has anyone heard this combo?

I have not heard the combo (CD3K + HA-2), but I know people who have and like it. I also know someone with the Prehead + CD3K and he is also very pleased with the combo.

The CD3000 is a very nice compliment to an HD650 in the collection, and I probably would like to have kept a hold of my 650's (but I could not afford to). The CD3000 makes a better stab of rock music, dance music and pop music, and IMO has a better soundstage full stop. Overall though, the 650 is not shabby and will suit some music better than the CD3K, hence why its a good thing to have both in your collection IMO, particularly if you have a very varied taste in music.

[pendulum]

Hi Sceptic,

The meier-audio cable did indeed make an improvement over stock cable
Whats more its almost the same price.