Recommended headhones for both audio and movie listening

[fantastic dan]

Hi There,

I'm looking for a set of heaphones that would do me for both audio and movie listening. Grado have been recommended to me by various people for audio but i generally i get a response of 'no idea' towards how they sound for movies.

The other brand that i was looking at were seinheiser and possibly the creative headphones with the dolby headphone amp if those are any good.

If anyone has any experience of using headphones for both audio and movie usage then i would appreciate your input.

Thanks

[pbirkett]

Depends what your budget is of course, and whether you need open or closed phones....

I've owned some Grado's in the past, and movies IMO are not really their forté. In fact I am not that keen on Grado's... I do like their lively sound, but many will find them shrill and fatiguing. They do no attempt at a "stage" of any kind, which immediately puts them at a disadvantage IMO for movies. Its like the sound is injected straight into your brain, hard to describe for someone who hasnt experienced it, but if you think in any way you may find headphones tiring to listen to I'd urge caution against Grado's. It does not help that their pads are made of sandpaper.

Of course, if that doesnt bother you, go ahead. Not many phones sound more lively / forward, if any.

However, if you have a reasonable budget, I'd recommend possibly checking out the Beyerdynamic DT770 if you need a closed phone (one which blocks sound both ways) or a DT990 if you can use an open phone (offers no isolation from external sounds). The DT990 sounds better if you can get away with it.

And they have many reasons to recommend them over a Grado - much more comfortable, much more bass and a lot less tiring to listen to, but still nice and lively and fun. The DT770 has SERIOUS bass. You'll struggle to find stronger bass this side of a £900 Grado PS-1.

[NicolasB]

I don't know what your budget is like, Dan, but if you can afford a decent Dolby Headphone setup, then go for it. The non-wireless Philips system (SBCHP1500) might be a good choice, although it's difficult to find in this country. I've seen German sites selling it for 150 euros.