Budget Home Cinema Headphones

lunker · 05-01-2009, 1:36 PM

I'm looking to get some headphones for late night film watching.

I don't do it that often so I'm not looking to spend that much.

I want something that sounds half decent but doesn't break the bank so I've been looking at these two.

Sennheiser HD 212 Headphones

Sennheiser EH 250 Headphones

Are either of these going to be OK connected to my Denon 1906 Amp or should I be lokking for something a bit more expensive?

SHATNERSTACTIC · 05-01-2009, 2:58 PM

Was alerted to a Creative set also on offer at play.com if you can stretch an extra tenner on your budget. They are essentially rebranded Denon AH-D1001s which retail at £90.

Creative Aurvana Live! Headphones

Can't vouch for these specifically or the Senns you've noted but the 1001s I have found leak very little and are very comfortable.

HTH

lunker · 05-01-2009, 7:15 PM

Cheers for the recommendation.

I didn't think of Creative for home cinema as they are more of a PC brand. A guy at work has got a set of Creative headphones for gaming and he says they are great.

I'm going to try and find some reviews but they sound like the front runner.

lunker · 08-01-2009, 2:38 PM

Now I've done what I always do and researched too much

I've been really impressed by the reviews of the Sennheiser HD555 and they look a different league.

Would the differences be night and day between the Creative's and these?

Anyone know where I can go to listen to a few of these headphones? I'm going to go to Richer Sounds at the weekend to take a look at their Denon ones (which seem pretty reasonable) to get a bench mark.

lunker · 02-02-2009, 1:11 PM

A quick update just to complete the thread.

In the end the Sennheiser's went up to £95 which was a bit too rich for me.

I went to Richer Sounds to have a listen to the Denon's and was very impressed. So on the assumption the Creative’s were the same as the next Denon model up I decided to go for them.

After giving them a good test I'm pleased to say I'm very happy with them. They are exactly what I was looking for. I’m going to need to get another extension cable but that’s not the end of the world.

The only problem I’ve got now is I want to watch every film using them!

Pros
Feel well built
Very comfy
Good price (£40 now £60)
Good at reproducing home cinema sound

Cons
The extension cable could’ve been longer
Extension cable is a little ‘cheap’ feeling
Shiny ‘piano black’ finish shows finger prints

The Cons are just nit picking but I couldn’t just have all Pros.

r0cky · 03-02-2009, 3:53 PM

Thanks for coming back and reviewing those Creative headphones. I'm looking for something similar, but think I might go for the Sennheiser HD 555 now that the Creative ones are up in price.

lunker · 03-02-2009, 6:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

Thanks for coming back and reviewing those Creative headphones. I'm looking for something similar, but think I might go for the Sennheiser HD 555 now that the Creative ones are up in price.

No problem.

I think my choice would've been different if the Creative's had been £60.

All in all pretty happy, just got to find an extension cable now.

Showoff · 03-02-2009, 6:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunker

No problem.

I think my choice would've been different if the Creative's had been £60.

All in all pretty happy, just got to find an extension cable now.

This cable is the nuts for extending headphones.

comes in 3m, 5m and 10m lengths.

lunker · 04-02-2009, 6:50 PM

Cheers for the advice but I'd already purchased a 3M Belkin one.

Celticbhoy1888 · 08-02-2009, 11:40 PM

I am now on the hunt for a pair of headphones for late night blu ray watching and ps3 gaming. The Creative headphones at the moment come in at £60. Are these still the recommended headphones at this price or is there something else out there anyone can suggest ? Dont want to spend more than this tbh.
Headphones will be connected direct to the tv (no amp), perhaps these might be best ? http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...ml?source=9593

Just been trying my £15 Sony headphones through my LCD Samsung. There is a constant hiss when you mute the tv. Is this normal with headphones ?

Thanks in advance for any help

lunker · 09-02-2009, 6:40 PM

You can get a set of Sennheiser HD555 for around the £60 mark. Might be worth a look?

sennheiser hd 555 - Google Product Search

I had to buy from play as I had vouchers.

r0cky · 10-02-2009, 8:13 PM

Amazon are selling the Sennheiser HD 555 for £56.72, just ordered a pair. Amazon's price has been fluctuating, I've been watching over the last few weeks.

Celticbhoy1888 · 11-02-2009, 2:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

Amazon are selling the Sennheiser HD 555 for £56.72, just ordered a pair. Amazon's price has been fluctuating, I've been watching over the last few weeks.

ditto that

delighted to see them back in stock !

hope they are worth it

PAUL7331 · 11-02-2009, 3:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

Amazon are selling the Sennheiser HD 555 for £56.72, just ordered a pair. Amazon's price has been fluctuating, I've been watching over the last few weeks.

If I purchased these would I be able to plug in to my AMP???

I need a budget set of good quality headphones for late night movie watching and PS3 gaming. They'll be plugged in mostly in to my Onkyo 506. Would these be ok for the job??

Would I still get the surround sound effect??

r0cky · 11-02-2009, 7:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAUL7331

If I purchased these would I be able to plug in to my AMP???

I need a budget set of good quality headphones for late night movie watching and PS3 gaming. They'll be plugged in mostly in to my Onkyo 506. Would these be ok for the job??

Yes, I believe the Onkyo TX-SR506 has a headphone socket. They should work fine, I believe the Sennheiser HD555 are reasonably easy to drive with 50 Ohm nominal impedance. My main pair of headphones are the Sennheiser HD580s. I'm hoping that the HD555s are as comfortable, looking from the photos I believe that they will be. To me, the sheer comfort of the Sennheiser outweighs any sound imperfections; but for most of my listening (TV & poor quality MP3/AC3 tracks), the limitation is the source material.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAUL7331

Would I still get the surround sound effect??

I don't know, not something I was looking for, and its not something that the Sennheiser does per se. I'm a little sceptical about headphones that claim to reproduce a surround affect, but then I'm not a big fan of surround sound. The only aspect I like of surround sound, is the central speaker for clear, locked dialogue to screen.

PAUL7331 · 11-02-2009, 8:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

Yes, I believe the Onkyo TX-SR506 has a headphone socket. They should work fine, I believe the Sennheiser HD555 are reasonably easy to drive with 50 Ohm nominal impedance. My main pair of headphones are the Sennheiser HD580s. I'm hoping that the HD555s are as comfortable, looking from the photos I believe that they will be. To me, the shear comfort of the Sennheiser outweighs any sound imperfections; but for most of my viewing (TV & poor quality MP3/AC3 tracks), the limitation is the source material.

I don't know, not something I was looking for, and its not something that the Sennheiser does per se. I'm a little sceptical about headphones that claim to reproduce a surround affect, but then I'm not a big fan of surround sound. The only aspect I like of surround sound, is the central speaker for clear, locked dialogue to screen.

Cheers mate for your info.

Ive taken the plunge and have purchased these! I'll report back what theyare like when I receive!

r0cky · 11-02-2009, 8:38 PM

I opted for super-saver delivery from Amazon, it's scheduled for delivery next week, hopefully it won't take too long now!

Celticbhoy1888 · 11-02-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

I opted for super-saver delivery from Amazon, it's scheduled for delivery next week, hopefully it won't take too long now!

same here mate, ordered last night (Tuesday) and not due to be despatched until Friday

they havent even taken the money from my card ! Was gonna opt for 1st class but they wanted £5 !!

dissapointed with amazon on this one, i ordered 2 dvd boxsets from HMV 1 hr ago and ive just recieved an email to say they are despatched. Now that is service

r0cky · 12-02-2009, 12:29 PM

Just got an email from Amazon saying that it's been dispatched. Hope it comes before the weekend!

PAUL7331 · 12-02-2009, 3:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r0cky

Just got an email from Amazon saying that it's been dispatched. Hope it comes before the weekend!

No email for me just yet, fingers crossed I get it soon!

Celticbhoy1888 · 17-02-2009, 3:15 AM

well mines arrived this morning (Sennheiser 555) got to say they sound amazing but the amount of sound leaking from the open style is just too much for me (late night movie watching)

looks like ebay for them, since they are opened i dont think amazon will take them back

now i need to hunt for some quality closed cans !

PAUL7331 · 17-02-2009, 12:08 PM

Mine too arived yesterday. I sat up watching an episode of 24 and loved it, great sound!

r0cky · 17-02-2009, 6:33 PM

Haven't had any time to do a proper comparison between my HD555 and HD580. The HD580 is my main pair, the 555's sounded fine. Noticed that the price on Amazon has shot up again!