Decent pair of headphones - Use for Music, TV, Gaming

[Proctimus Prime]

Hi fellas,

Im looking for a really, really decent pair of headphones to...
listen to music with (through laptop, not iPod)
play games with (xbox 360)
and watch a few films with (through tv).

My Budget is £200, but i wouldn't mind obviously stretching £5 or so over that.

Ive been looking at the Sennheiser HD650's, and they looked promising. However ive read that to fully experience them you have to buy a headphone amp of some kind that can cost £2000!

Im not going to be doing any recording with this headphones, just mainly listening to music and playing games, but i really want decent sound quality. As i've said im willing to spend on the region of £200, just not £2000!

Any advice would be really appreciated! Thanks.

[mattski73]

As a HD650 owner, i'd say, buy the best headphones you can first worry about a headphone amp later. yes, some argue about a dedicated headphone amp, but the only problem i have is when i plug it into my ipod shuffle. but the shuffle isn't the biggest unit.

listening to the HD650's through my Bang and Olufsen, is not that different to using my Go-vibe headphone amp, in terms of performance! my imac struggles a little, so i guess a

Just get the headphones first. I'd rather have the HD650 without an amp, than be with the HD650!

[christam]

Denon AH-D2000. I got mine from Audiocubes in the US because at that point (August) it made financial sense. Not sure what they retail here for now but you should find they're within budget. Very highly recommended!

[DorKnight]

The HD650's do not require an amp, however, they definitely benefit from being paired with a decent amp and you'll miss out (IMO) on what they can do if they're not amped.

Out of the three (Music, Games & Movies) which would be the primary function and would you require Open or Closed (unless it doesn't matter) headphones?

[eviljohn2]

If open headphones are fine then I'd strongly recommend the Beyerdynamic DT990 headphones. The "hifi" version though rather than the "Pro" version. I personally prefer them to the top line Sennheisers.

[Proctimus Prime]

Thanks for all the replys everyone.

Originally Posted by DorKnight

Out of the three (Music, Games & Movies) which would be the primary function and would you require Open or Closed (unless it doesn't matter) headphones?

It would either be music or games, but i really can't choose between the two because i would equally use it a lot for both. If i had to choose, i would be more inclined to say music.
In terms of music i listen purely to death metal so prefarably want a pair that can provide enough power and bass.
And sorry, i would definatley require open headphones.

[DorKnight]

Definitely Open? OK,

Well, if you purchase the HD 650 you could also buy an Amp/DAC Combo at a later date, that way you could hook it up to the PC via USB and to the Xbox 360 and/or DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray player etc.

You do not need to spend anywhere near £2k on an amp, although you could get into double figures with some amplification.

For some examples we have;

CORDA CANTATE - £325;
http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/cantate.htm

HeadRoom The Micro Line - Various Options;
http://www.headphone.com/products/he...he-micro-line/

The above are just some examples.

Other options may be Beyerdynamic as eviljohn2 has mentioned, Audio-Techinca although these are closed cans and perhaps the Senn HD 595 as a lower end can.

[Proctimus Prime]

Thanks Dorknight!

I was thinking about getting the Grado SR80's and just not bothering with all this headphone amp business. However i read that they arn't really very good for gaming and movies. Theres also the possibility of the 555 or 595's?
Is it really worth getting the 650's now, and then saving for an amp and getting it in 6 months or so when i can afford it? Is the quality of a 650 with an amp really that much better than a pair of SR80's or 555's?
Would the 650 excel at gaming ASWELL as listening to music, or are they really just gaming headphones or vise versa?

Thanks for the input mate, really appreciate it!

BTW, is it the 650 reference or the hi-fi that most people talk about?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-H...8076755&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-0...8076755&sr=8-2

Thanks

[DorKnight]

From what I've seen many people opt for the following if they'll be multi use headphones (Movies, Games and Video - Wasn't that a TV show?);

Beyerdynamic DT770/80
Beyerdynamic DT880
Audio-Technica ATH-A900
Sennheiser HD 555
Sennheiser HD 595

That's not to say others will not be suited to the task and I believe there are a few more which I've missed, but these are the general cans for a mix of gaming, music and whatnot.

Personally I wouldn't bother with Grado, fantastic cans IMO but not best suited for your purpose - Plus their Open.

I've not tried my HD650's with Movies or Games so it'll be hard for me to say how they would perform - But I would think they'll be pretty good with the right amplification.

As the HD650's will perform better with an amp you'll have to ask yourself how much money you want to invest in this game against what you want to get out of it.

For example, how much time will the cans be used for Music, Games and Movies and what type of quality you expect - If not much, only to be used now and then, then perhaps the Audio-Technicas would do.

Or do you listen to a lot of music/movies and want more enjoyment from it, if so and you don't mind investing more money at a later date (an Amp/DAC) and your source material is up to it then the 650's might be the way to go.

[DorKnight]

Originally Posted by Proctimus Prime

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-H...8076755&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-0...8076755&sr=8-2

They appear to be the same cans, IIRC I paid £299.99 for mine - Or it may have been £280-ish.

One thing to remember is everyone's ears are different, some people may like the House sound of one manufacturer but not like the sound of others.

[Proctimus Prime]

Thanks again Dorknight.

I think im going to go with a cheaper pair (in the region of £80) and save the rest of the money.
If i were to get the HD595, would you suggest that i use a headphone amp, or is it not really worth it? Do you personally think they are a good pair as i think your opinion is probably very reliable.

Oh and also what do you (or anyone) think of the Sharkoon X-Tactic? Would they be a better purchase than the HD595, or they pretty rubbish for music and only good for gaming?

Thanks a lot mate.

[Scottyyy]

Originally Posted by Proctimus Prime

Thanks again Dorknight.

I think im going to go with a cheaper pair (in the region of £80) and save the rest of the money.
If i were to get the HD595, would you suggest that i use a headphone amp, or is it not really worth it? Do you personally think they are a good pair as i think your opinion is probably very reliable.

Oh and also what do you (or anyone) think of the Sharkoon X-Tactic? Would they be a better purchase than the HD595, or they pretty rubbish for music and only good for gaming?

Thanks a lot mate.

Any of these "5.1" headsets are crap for music.

HD595's don't need, and from what I've read, hardly even benefit from amplification.

I also recommend Denon D2000's. Best headphones I've ever heard.

[DorKnight]

The majority, if not all headphones would benefit from the right match with a headphone amp - But again, it's not necessary to amp them.

While I remember, I always forget to mention them, I find the PROline 2500 to be extremely good as an all-rounder - Perhaps another one to look at;
http://www.ultrasone.com/

Unfortunately I cannot comment on the Sharkoon.

[Proctimus Prime]

Thanks everyone for the guidance.
After doing a bit of research, reading reviews, etc. I think im going to go with the 595's.

Just one final question. Maybe a little stupid but...
The last pair of headphones i used were these Sony Fontobia ear buds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-EX7...8086427&sr=8-1
In your opinion would you expect the sound quality on the 595's to be a lot better?

Thanks again.

[DorKnight]

If you're coming from Fontopias to the Senn 595's then I believe you'll be very happy, but please report back with your thoughts and hopefully they'll arrive before Christmas.