Headphone advice

[Drex]

I am after a pair of headphones and need a bit of advice !

I want a nice comfortable pair of headphones with good sound quality.....for £50.00 ?

I will be plugging these into my A1SE home cinema amplifier....any suggestions ?

Just had a look in the argos catologue.......but i thought that i might get better advice on here !

[Drex]

Also.......are corded headphone generally better than cordless ones ?

Or doesn't it matter ?

[BrianPK]

I stand to be corrected but I have never seen a top class recommendation for cordless headphones but lots for some of the corded ones.
Have a leisurely browse back through the posts and you will see plenty of info. at your price point

[Reano]

Im going to say something here and I have my flame suit on ready for the responses but it's just my opninion. Never buy wireless unless you absolutely have to (and yes I've tried loads). Wired in a given price range will be better. Next up is really try to get very good headphones (then you won't buy twice). Some spend more money on beer in a month so look at spending a good amount for something that can last you a lifetime and give you great pleasure.

I would say look at the Sennheiser HD600 as a minimum, Beyer Dynamic 880 or the Grado sr80 for audophile home use (budget c£100 secondhand/new) quality and sit back knowing that to really get a big difference from these you would have to pay at least £100 more (AKG701, Grado 325i). You will hear the music the artist intended and not bloated dynamics. If you are an occasional listener then you think the cost is not justified but if you listen a lot then do your ears a favour

[LFC_SL]

x2 don't get wireless. Maybe they're OK for watching whatever film is on telly and you're feeling particularly lazy as we are all allowed to be sometimes, but having had about 4 different brands around the house belonging to other family members, I found they all had static/distortion and the signal wasn't perfect.

Wired > wireless for SQ

I would say as a minimum go to a Superfi store, if you have one near you, or any well stocked hi-fi store and demo the headphones yourself! Don't have to buy from Superfi, but they are well stocked with many popular "proper" headphone suggestions. That is the best advice I can give you. Though Reano et al will continue to suggest ways to empty your wallet

[Drex]

Well, I just had a look at the AKG 701 and i must admit that they look stunning !

But to be honest for the amount of time i am going to use them I think the Grado SR80 may be better !

Hmm........

[mattski73]

Drex wrote:

I want a nice comfortable pair of headphones with good sound quality.....for £50.00 ?

i can't think that the grado's would be a choice for comfort.

i've just got rid my two grado's (sr60 and 125) 'cause i was sick to death of how uncomfortable they were.

i put the money towards a pair of ultrasone proline 750's.

Reanowrote;

Im going to say something here and I have my flame suit on ready for the responses but it's just my opninion. Never buy wireless unless you absolutely have to (and yes I've tried loads). Wired in a given price range will be better. Next up is really try to get very good headphones (then you won't buy twice). Some spend more money on beer in a month so look at spending a good amount for something that can last you a lifetime and give you great pleasure.

on one hand, Reano is right. i've yet to find (hear) a wireless headphone as good as it corded counterpart, and bluetooth headphones are just a total rip off in my humble opinion.

on the other hand though, i do love the freedom of wireless headphones, i find them a good laugh.......... but like Reano said, don't buy them unless you have to........ or unless you want to dance around the house or do a bit of garadening without carrying a music source with you????

[Drex]

Well like someone on hear said "better to buy once than twice ! "

From what i've read on various posts on these forums, I think i would be making a wise descision in buying the AKG 701's

A lot of you seem to love the sound that these headphones deliver, and also the retro look and superb build quality also appeal to me !

Also.......If i needed to extend the lead.......could someone point me in the right direction of a quality extension lead for these headphones ?

[Keshin]

I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD 595's. They are a member of Sennheisers top range, but not the really exspensive ones, i.e HD 600 HD 650.

The quality is top notch. I've used them since December 2005 and I'm still really impressed everytime I use them. Movies, games, and general music sound unbelievable. Especially natural sounds.

I bought mine back in 2005 from an electrical goods seller on Ebay for about 90 quid. They come with a 2 year warranty.

I've recently sent mine back to Sennheiser for repairs because I cracked the side of the left can. The service is excellent.

[Reano]

Originally Posted by Drex

Well like someone on hear said "better to buy once than twice ! "

From what i've read on various posts on these forums, I think i would be making a wise descision in buying the AKG 701's

A lot of you seem to love the sound that these headphones deliver, and also the retro look and superb build quality also appeal to me !

Also.......If i needed to extend the lead.......could someone point me in the right direction of a quality extension lead for these headphones ?

Go out now and buy the AKG701, do it now you will not regret it. Build great, comfort great, cost good (especially from good dealers on eBay) and last but most important they sound great too. When I have the choice I most often reach for these or the RS1. AKG are more laid back for listening to music. Grado for analysing (listening into) the music for like monitoring and critical listening.

These do benefit from an amp though hehe

[mattski73]

Originally Posted by Reano

cost good (especially from good dealers on eBay)

the best price i could find for the AKG 701's in the local area (europe) is here http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k701.htm

[Reano]

Good price too even cheaper than eBay

[thetargetarcher]

Originally Posted by Drex

I am after a pair of headphones and need a bit of advice !

I want a nice comfortable pair of headphones with good sound quality.....for £50.00 ?

I will be plugging these into my A1SE home cinema amplifier....any suggestions ?

Just had a look in the argos catologue.......but i thought that i might get better advice on here !

Well it seems that the majority of posts are going well above your budget. You did state for around the £50 mark after all.

One important thing is how responsive your ears are to sound. If you can pick up on loads of flaws with headphones and so are a lot more fussy with how the sound is then you will need to try and listen to quite a few pairs.

Another is the comfort factor. How long each time are you likely to use them for?

I would say for your budget to go for the following Senns:

HD555 £49.99
PXC250 £49.99
HD280 £54.99

See: http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZe...monsterQQhtZ-1

Note that the above headphone P&P is £7.99 on top. Most of the above prices are a lot cheaper than those on Amazon and elsewhere.

I bought my HD595s from Electromonster for £74.99 + £9.99 Special Delivery.
They are a wholesale seller and are very good at responding to questions.


HTH