New Headphones

[robbye91]

Im of to university to study product design in a few months and am sorting out what stuff i am going to be getting technology wise. I have decided on a macbook pro 15", a beresford DAC, audioengine A2's (will mainly be doing headphone listening due to student cupboard accomodation) and the new dell ultrasharp 22" monitor.

Am am looking at getting some new headphones to go with the new set up (currently own the sennheiser HD485's). i dont know what to go for. have always liked the sennheiser sound and use a pair of cx500's with my iPod, but with lots of raving reviews about the grado's i might give them a go, and as they have just upgraded their entire range they seem the ones to go for. so its really beetween the

grado sr60i, sr80i, sr125i

sennheiser hd555, hd595.

i dont really want to pay anymore than £150 so the sr125i's are out the range as in the UK they are £175 and cant justify spending that much on headphones. i will be listening mainly to rock jazz and pop (things like john mayer, incubus, rhcp, death cab and miles davis) but will also be used for the occasional film.

 

So which ones do you think will be best me?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi robbye91 - I'm a big fan of Grado headphones. I've had many different brands over the years and I always come back to the RS-1 headphones as my standby pair. My recommendation is to pursue Grado.

 

[flatmap]

Sounds like you'll have a really good setup. Excellent!

 

For a dorm setting, you might want to consider the merits of a closed-back headphone. Overall I like the sound of the open design better -- but being able to shut out the sounds of the dorm can be a wonderful thing. Likewise this approach isolates your roommate from your Deadly Metal sessions at 2 in the morning when you're studying and he's sleeping. And you can still listen AS LOUD AS YOU WANT. :-)

 

[axle_69]

You may want to consider also the Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10Pro. They cost more than what you are willing to spend (around £200) and are in ear phones, but will make your iPod sound fantastic while on the move.

I use them manly at the office, with my Sony walkman, but sometimes, at home, I just take the AQVOX DAC from the stereo system, grab the laptop, plug the UE to the DAC and enjoy a few moments of listening pleasure while I'm working in the corner of the living room, with my family running around.

I agree with the open back issue, if you have to share the space please be aware that noise coming from the headphones bothers much more than music playing in a speaker system. If that is the case you are limited to closed back or in ear phones.

If that is not an issue, you can always take your DAC/headphone amplifier and try to make a listening test with the Grados and the Sennheiser in a store near by, or borrow them from a friend, before buying.

 

 

[robbye91]

I am not going to be sharing a flat as i will be in halls and will have my own room so open back headphones are no problem at all. and i dont want to carry around £200 worth of headphones and would much rather use full size headphones for long periods of time

 

[Mr.C]

I'll second the grado's for sound and just for variety's sake if you already have sennheisers.

 

[usernaim250]

As I recall, residence halls are not quiet and it's worth having at least a pair of closed phones or in-ear monitors. The latter are superior in noise reduction and some are unobtrusive enough that you can lie down or sleep with them in.

 

That said, the Sennheiser HD280pro is good sounding all around--not great at anything, but with no big flaw, which is unusual in closed phones. It competes with the low end Grados--much smoother sound but not as vivid or dynamic. It also blocks quite a bit of sound and is durable. For more money, the Beyer DR770 can punch with any phone in its price class. It has a lot more punchy, clear, dynamic, layered sound than the Senn but it has one little treble peak that is annoying on some material.