[ljones]

Hello all!

I'm looking to replace my current set of headphones that I currently use. Let me explain.

Up until recently, I was using a pair of Sennheiser HD202 headphones. Normally I use the headphones either on an MP3 player or on a PC, which in turn has a sound blaster live card inside.

Unfortunatly somewhere along the line the HD202 headphones got broken - the headphones themselves split off from the main cable to two thin cables going to each side of the headphones. One of these appears to have split or broken internally, giving intermittent sound. And it looks as if the headphones themselves were never ment to be repaired; to pull them apart would probably just end up with lots of broken plastic (I'm guessing that they are only clip-together).

I quite liked the HD202s but they did have one problem -- they always seemed to be "too bassy". The higher frequencies (treble?) were much less noticible and quieter than the bass which almost always seemed to be very high. Apart from that they were ok though I always had to try to compensate for the high bass/lack of treble with the music player I was using (in my case, xmms as I am using linux).

Can anyone recommend some better headphones at all? Looking through all the places which sell headphones trying to make a decision isn't easy -- often I'll read reviews on £40 headphones which say "yes great best ever" but read "yes great best ever" for headphones which cost £140. I mean which is which? Does the person who pays £40 for headphones and says they are great wrong, i.e. they haven't heard 'audiophile quality'? Or are the £140 headphones simply a rip off and that the £140 is paying for a name and nothing more? It makes choosing headphones quite complicated!

What I'm after is a good pair of headphones; I'd prefer the ones which go over the ears. I've used inner ear headphones before but I don't like them - not because they are uncomftable of painful but because of the inevitible buildup of earwax (yuk!). Cue said inner-ear headphones getting clogged up and most can't be cleaned out, and a trip down to the local hospital to get one ear unclogged. Revolting! .

Also while I'm here are there any headphones which are of good quality but which can also be repaired? Spending £50 or £100 on headphones only to have them break via the cable and finding that it can't be repaired is going to get expensive.

So I'm looking for a pair of headphones which go over the ears, which might be repairable and have good quality sound unlike the HD202s (too much bass, not enough treble). I don't mind paying over £100 either so long as I am not just paying for a brand name.

Can anyone recommend a pair?

Thanks

ljones

[eviljohn2]

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro for under £100, or the "hifi" version for over £100 were my choice.

There's a bit more to it though - whether you like the flavour of open or closed headphones and of course what type of sound you plan to go for.

[ljones]

Originally Posted by eviljohn2

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro for under £100, or the "hifi" version for over £100 were my choice.

There's a bit more to it though - whether you like the flavour of open or closed headphones and of course what type of sound you plan to go for.

I really don't mind either way about open or closed headphones -- I'm just fed up with headphones (from experiences way back in the past) which aren't very good quality or the cable snaps (a la the HD202).

What exactly is the type of sound?

BTW, is this the headphone you mean;
http://www.hifix.co.uk/sku.lasso?ite...a59c587b0b307a

They are £219 -- but just what are they like? Is that £219 largely for a name, and I wonder if that cable can be repaired (the HD202's cables were very thin so maybe that's why they broke?). Also wouldn't the 250 ohm input be incompatible with most stuff? ( I thought most audio equipment was either 8 ohm or 32 ohm? ).

ljones

[DorKnight]

What type of music do you largely listen to as you will probably find certain cans more suitable?

The cable on the Beyers can be replaced but personally I wouldn't like to attempt it as I've never bothered with that type of thing, you'll also find (depending on the model of the Beyer) that they should come in 32, 80, 250 and 600 Ohm flavours.

[ljones]

Originally Posted by DorKnight

What type of music do you largely listen to as you will probably find certain cans more suitable?

The cable on the Beyers can be replaced but personally I wouldn't like to attempt it as I've never bothered with that type of thing, you'll also find (depending on the model of the Beyer) that they should come in 32, 80, 250 and 600 Ohm flavours.

Intresting thanks for that. The type of music I listen to can be just about anything -- classical, pop, electronic style stuff anything like that.

Wonder where the best place to find the beyer 32/80/250/600 ohm headphones are, is there one place which does 'em all?

thanks

ljones

[eviljohn2]

They're the ones that I've got (admittedly at a misprice for significantly less than they are now ) But I've also heard the Pro version which is around £80 and they're also very good indeed.

For a closed back I liked the Sennheiser HD220 but there are plenty of other members with a wider experience of headphones than me.

[DorKnight]

I'm not aware aware of a store that sells them all, the DT770/80 is supposed to be pretty good and provide a fair bit of bass at the lower price range - I've just popped in some links below which should stock certain models;

http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/
http://www.superfi.co.uk/
http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/
http://www.hifibitz.co.uk/
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/

I've yet to purchase a pair of Beyers but I will most probably go for a custom pair direct from Beyer or Larry at Headphile;

http://www.beyerdynamic.de/cms/MANUF...r.0.html?&L=1#
http://www.headphile.com/page8.html

Other brands to look out for are AKG, Audio-Technica, Grado (very good for Metal/Rock/Industrial), Sennheiser, Ultrasone and a couple of others.

Will you still be using them unamped so we know which may be best?

[ljones]

Some intresting links there but I still can't quite find any beyer headphones like the DT990 but with a 32 ohm impedence. 250 ohm I don't think will work, esp. not with mp3 players?

>Will you still be using them unamped so we know which may be best?

I'll try both. though I'm still looking at which ones to get.

ljones

[DorKnight]

I've used AudioCubes a couple of times and I've always found them to be very good if you fancy having a look through their site;

http://www.audiocubes.com/

[eirejam]

your right, the hd-202's are an unserviceable headphone.

If you would like a similar type of headphone but with a better cable then you could go for the sennheiser hd 212 pro's. It has an interchangable cable.

eirejam (sennheiser ireland)

[DorKnight]

How's the bass with the 212 Pro compared to the 202?

[eirejam]

There bass is alot better but not in the same league as the hd 25-1-II's.
If you want a pair of senns with serious bass get them.

Eirejam (sennheiser ireland)