Headphones

psychotropic

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To commemorate me getting hold of my Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7, I thought I'd make a thread for people to post what they use for in-ear audio. The Audio-Technica are excellent headphones, fantastic accuracy and brilliant detail. For the same money I might have gone for Grados but i needed the noise cancellation for travelling......and general opinion seems to suggest that the Audio-Technicas are the best noise cancelling headphones there are around (i'm not a fan of in-ear).

So....in the circumstances when the audiophiles here are torn away from their expensive rigs and forced to listen to portable audio (or in case you just like heaphone sound) , which headphones/earphones do you use?
 
Hi psychotropic,

Thanks for starting this thread :)

I use the Grado RS60s for late hours, critical listening and find them absolutely delightful with the genres I listen to.

Of course, if you've handled these you'll know they are too clunky and cumbersome for outdoor/ travel use. Also, much of the sound 'bleeds' through and there is a risk of disturbing co-passengers at higher volumes. In fact, I sometimes flip the phones 'outside in', the non-padded side is clearer on the treble detail!

My other phones are Sennheisers buds that came bundled with the non-defunct iRiver H340 series. Not sure which make, but they blow the stock iPoo (TM) buds to smithereens.

Persiflage
 
Hi,
Have a sennheiser (will update the model no later if its still visible) bought in 1999. I guess they would be called On ear headphones if i am not mistaken. Very big and ugly but sounded great in my old system(Rotel/ B&W).Are almost in tatters now.
What is the headphone to buy here locally in a budget of 10K Max? Can u try the headphones with ur HIFI? In UK they are reluctant to even let u try them on !!!!!! Have seen the usual suspects(sony,technics,phillips etc) at Rhythm House, mumbai but didn't get down to hearing them.
Thanks in advance
Regards
 
I use these:
Creative EP-630

I paid Rs. 1,200 but I hear they can be had for as low as 900 bucks. They can be easily stuffed into a shirt pocket and mainly they meet my primary need: isolation from the outside world that is not based on noise-cancellation circuitry.

Good sound for lo-fi sources like the mp3s on my laptop.
 
Locally available is the issue. I haven't seen any really great headphones available in India (apart from the Sennheiser models). Got my audio-technica set picked up in New York. Have someone bring them down, they're simple to carry and don't consume too much suitcase space. And for your budget of 10k INR (232 USD) there are lots of options including the Grados....or if you want noise-cancellation and/or travel use these Audio-Technica's are probably unbeatable....

Now Sennheiser has set up some distribution networks in India, although I don't know what models they are selling. There's a very basic Sennheiser one for around 2500 bucks which I heard recently, which is superb for a basic pair, but I don't have the model number, I can find out and post it.



Hi,
Have a sennheiser (will update the model no later if its still visible) bought in 1999. I guess they would be called On ear headphones if i am not mistaken. Very big and ugly but sounded great in my old system(Rotel/ B&W).Are almost in tatters now.
What is the headphone to buy here locally in a budget of 10K Max? Can u try the headphones with ur HIFI? In UK they are reluctant to even let u try them on !!!!!! Have seen the usual suspects(sony,technics,phillips etc) at Rhythm House, mumbai but didn't get down to hearing them.
Thanks in advance
Regards
 
Oh yes I have the EP-630s as well....came free with my Dell laptop.....very nice for MP3 players and stuff.....not a patch on the audio-technicas though....but that maybe to some extent because i just prefer the headphones to in-ear phones.....

I use these:
Creative EP-630

I paid Rs. 1,200 but I hear they can be had for as low as 900 bucks. They can be easily stuffed into a shirt pocket and mainly they meet my primary need: isolation from the outside world that is not based on noise-cancellation circuitry.

Good sound for lo-fi sources like the mp3s on my laptop.
 
Hi,

I use a MS-1 bought last year from Alessandro (free w/w shipping, for $99), and a Denon AH-D2000 bought this year (for $203+sh) from a head-fi.org member.
Music is via Corda Move portable amp or direct from iBook/Macbook apple lossless files.
I dont think I will upgrade in the near future!!

Rgds,
 
Last edited:
I have following:

1> Headphones: SONY MDR - v6


Current US price $77

  1. A headset system designed for audio professionals
  2. 40 mm drivers deliver accurate sound throughout the frequency range
  3. Circum-aural design keeps ears comfortable
  4. 10-foot long (3 meters) oxygen-free copper cord keeps down noise
  5. Copper-Clad Aluminum Wire (CCAW) Voice Coil enhances movement of PET diaphragm


Type: Circum-aural, Dynamic closed
Driver Unit: 40mm Diameter, CCAW
Impedance: 63 ohms
Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
Rated Power: 0.3 W
Power Handling Capacity: 1.0 W
Frequency Response: 5 - 30,000Hz
Cord: Single-sided, 10 feet (3.0m)
Plug: Stereo UniMatch Plug
Weight: 7.8 ounces (220g), without cord

Step up to a higher level of quality sound. The MDRV6 headphones boost a 40 MM Diameter Driver for Deep, Accurate Bass, a flexible folding design for easy portability and a very comfortable fit. PRODUCT FEATURES: 40 MM Diameter Driver for Deep, Accurate Bass; Circum-Aural Design Reduces Outside Noise; Folding Design for Easy Portability; Oxygen-Free Copper Litz Cord for Low Noise; Stereo UniMatch Plug for Indoor and Outdoor Use; Wide, Padded Headband for Long-Lasting Comfort [www.amazon.com]

2>Canalphone: Shure E2C

Current US price $68

  1. Sound Isolating in-ear design - Hear only what you want to hear
  2. Portable and lightweight design - weighing only one-ounce
  3. Personal fit kit to contour to your ear size
  4. Built in High-Energy in-ear speaker technology
  5. Enriched studio quality sound used by Musicians worldwide


Type: In-ear, isolating
Open ear: No
Headband: None (cables pass behind your ears)
Transducer type: Dynamic high-energy
Diaphragm: Information not available
Terminal: Gold-plated .125-inch minijack plug
Includes .25-inch adapter: No
Cord length: 62 inches
Cord type: Dual-ear
Nominal impedance: 16 ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB SPL/mw
Frequency response: Information not available
Batteries: None
Item weight: 1 ounce

Shure's E2c in-ear headphones are tiny, lightweight, and designed to sonically outperform most ear-bud-style headphones. The E2c's unique, relatively affordable design comes from Shure's years of collaborating with professional musicians. With high-energy drivers in distinctive enclosures, the E2c produces high-quality sound with excellent isolation from background noise.
The E2c's speakers are constructed with studio-grade components, producing exceptional audio clarity. Their in-ear design, using supplied flex sleeves, naturally blocks background noise. This permits lower listening volumes in loud environments--critical in safeguarding your hearing during performance or other activities. No batteries or extra equipment are needed for sound isolation.

Because every ear is different, E2c earphones come with 3 pairs (small, medium, large) of flex sleeves and 3 pairs (small, medium, large) ultra-soft flex sleeves to ensure a personalized fit. These disposable foam sleeves gently compress to fit in the ear canal. Once in the ear, the foam expands to form a tight seal. Once tightly sealed, the sleeves hold the earphones firmly in place.

The E2c's cables pass behind the ear--out of sight and out of the way for comfort and discretion. Weighing only 1 ounce, the E2c is lightweight and comfortable enough for any portable listening application. The set comes with a soft, stylish, compact, and zippered carrying case, which allows for an easy, tangle-free way to store your earphones. [www.amazon.com]
 
Grado a Nice One...
But a bit more than to afford...

I got
Goldring - DR-100 - Rs.5000 &
iLuv - i222 - Rs.10,000...

iLuv - i222 are great for Bluetooth cum Noise Cancellation Head Phones...
They are wireless and have bluetooth connectivity for your phone...
I seriously liked the iLuv...
 
Have a Sennheiser HD650. Building a pair of replacement cables for it. The stock cables are absolutely terrible. Currently it runs off my tube preamp but getting a Darkvoice 337 dedicated headphone amp soon :D.

Someone is selling a pair of Stax headphones in the market for Rs 18000. If anyone is planning in getting into serious headphone listening. That is an excellent device to start with. Its a steal at that price.
 
I was waiting for sometime for some post on Headphones. I have been living with these more time than any other audio system. Graduated from some mid level Sony to Grado, AKG.
My experience so far:
1. Grado SR60, SR80 - These are probably the best I have heard in the entry level of high end headphones. The first thing that strikes you is that things are all clear and has quite an amount of energy. Probably if I am saying it right the tonality of the instruments are very good. But, there are couple of serious problems with these. For one, their bass in very less. One shock I got was that people said SR80 has better bass than S60 and infact some people even said it had lots of bass. So, I got them and there was very little difference to me. Infact, if at all probably I found that there was a slightly exaggerated bass in SR60 which was better. Neverthless, both these phones had very less bass. This is like the standmounts with less bass. Their highs can get a bit over the top sometimes particularly with bad recordings.
Also, another thing I noted was the comfort of the soft pads of 60 vs the bowl pads of the 80's. Bowl pads were quite bad, that I bought an extra pair of soft pads. Atlast, the leaking of sound and the looks are not helping either.
But the sound in itself, was very very good and when I got these from USA for less than Rs.3k and along with a Sony Discman was able to achieve the sound close to systems costing around 50k. So, thats a very good thing. I sold my SR60 and have my SR80 still.
2. AKG K81dj - this is a different beast from Grado's. Forget much about how accurate things are. But, if you want quite a huge amount of bass then probably this one is very good. The bass isn't quite clean, but not like the cheap headphones going rrrrrrr. Its quite clean and definitely for certain types of songs I prefer these over the Grado's. Also, the highs aren't harsh. In all, for mp3's I would say this might be a better bet than the Grado's. Add to that it does give a good degree of isolation and hence can be used in noisy locations and doesn't leak sound much. It costed me less than Rs.2k from US.
I still have it.
3. Sennheiser PX100 - This is a pretty nice headhpone and comes with a neat packing. Got this from US for less than Rs.1500. You can get these locally for about 2.7k or so nowadays. Reliance Digital , Apple iStore and even hifi shops are carrying these. These were definitely a lot better than the Sony you get in India for about the same cost. There was some good bass and crisper highs, but I think the mids weren't as good as I would want. In all a slightly laid back sound compared to Grado or Koss.
4. Koss KSC75 - This is simply awesome for the money. It costs less than 10 dollars sometimes and I got this multiple times from US only for my friends to take it away from me. In short, this is like a Grado SR60 for such a cheap cost. It didn't have too much bass and highs might be slightly harsher sometimes, but overall lot better than even the Rs.2k Sony sports model I had. Unfortunately, my last pair got stolen at office :(
5. Jays D Jays - This was my first experiment with in-ear phones and they are a bit odd when it comes to comfort. Some might be ok and might not. First try one and then go for these. Isolation is awesome. You need something like these for travel. Noice Isolation Cans are fine, but when its small like these and can give a greater isolation without batteries etc; I think these win hands down. Regarding the sound signature, these are good and I got these for less than Rs.2.5k from US. Bass is slightly lesser than I want and also, the highs are not so crisp. So, some of my friends thought its not wow. I would also say its not wow, but neverthless, my traveling has become very interesting thanks to these. I should be upgrading these soon.

Regarding the headphone amps. I found that there is a significant difference when you have and headphone amps even with those easy to drive phones. But, it did differ from phone to phone. The DAC/amp I had was Meier Audio 2move and it was simply great. I sold that as well and now planning for the Meier Audio Corda Opera.

I would be interested in knowing what DAC and headhpone amp people are using in this forum and if we can get any in India.

Dinyaar, regarding headphones in India, I suppose there are 2 options that are available in India:
1. Sennheiser - So, for about 12k you should get HD595. This is one level down their topmost 600 series and is rated very well particularly for classical music. Also, this can be driven without and amp if you don't have one.
2. Denon AHD2000 should be around Rs.15k probably and should be the finest all rounder and I am planning to get these. Profx started selling these recently. Or even get their cheaper AHD1000/1001 if you want lesser than 10k.
3. Shure should be available and E210 or E310 if you wan't. But like I said check if you are comfortable with in ear. My brother put it once and said thats something I never want. So, see for yourself and then shell out the money.
But best thing is to have somebody get from US as its far more cheaper. Or get second hand shipped by guys at Head-Fi.org: Headphones, iPod earphones, portable audio, MP3 players, high-end audio

reignofchaos,
can you ping me about the STAX.
 
Thanks a ton psychotropic and gopi.
Actually am still contemplating whether i need headphones as i barely use them. The only time i really need them is watching the tennis matches either late at night or early in the mornings and i have a Sony MDR (some number) for that. Was wondering how a good pair of headphones will sound with the Bryston Preamp as the above sony sounds very bright and painful.
Thanks again guys.
Regards
 
@Gopi - There's a similar issue with my Audio-Technicas in that the bass is a bit on the subdued side, but I somehow like the sound that way....sounds more faithful....

Ah yes, the PX100....that's the Sennheiser I was talking about earlier, very good for the price....definitely better than even more expensive Sony headphones...

@Dinyaar, for watching tennis why bother getting good phones? pick up the Philips cordless ones....so you get the convenience of cordless and adequate sound for sport....

1. Grado SR60, SR80 - ... But, there are couple of serious problems with these. For one, their bass in very less. ...

3. Sennheiser PX100 - This is a pretty nice headhpone and comes with a neat packing. Got this from US for less than Rs.1500. You can get these locally for about 2.7k or so nowadays. Reliance Digital , Apple iStore and even hifi shops are carrying these.

I would be interested in knowing what DAC and headhpone amp people are using in this forum and if we can get any in India.

Dinyaar, regarding headphones in India, I suppose there are 2 options that are available in India:
1. Sennheiser - So, for about 12k you should get HD595. This is one level down their topmost 600 series and is rated very well particularly for classical music. Also, this can be driven without and amp if you don't have one.
2. Denon AHD2000 should be around Rs.15k probably and should be the finest all rounder and I am planning to get these. Profx started selling these recently. Or even get their cheaper AHD1000/1001 if you want lesser than 10k.
3. Shure should be available and E210 or E310 if you wan't. But like I said check if you are comfortable with in ear. My brother put it once and said thats something I never want. So, see for yourself and then shell out the money.
But best thing is to have somebody get from US as its far more cheaper. Or get second hand shipped by guys at Head-Fi.org: Headphones, iPod earphones, portable audio, MP3 players, high-end audio

reignofchaos,
can you ping me about the STAX.
 
Indeed It is useful thread for headphone users..Long time I have been thiking abt buying good headphones..

I mainly use Headphones for Ipod listening.I have Sony Behind neck style head phone Model# MDR-G45LP and I also have Creative & Apple Ipod ear phones.But not satisfied about any of their sound qualities. After seeing this thread and lot of reviews,I have ordered PX100 from Amazon for $45.

I also need inputs abt Wireless head phones for watching TVs and Laptops.Which is best wireless Headphone between $100-$150 range?

Most of the reviews says NC headphone's sound quality is poor compared to open type.Is it worth to buy NC head phones for normal listening?(aprt from flight travel)..

I have to buy both these stuffs before next week as I am leaving USA soon.

Thanks in advance.


Cheers,
Kams
 
I have no clue about wireless headphones, but there seem to be some Sennheiser models (RS120, RS130) worth considering, within your price range.

Noise cancelling headphones are also very good if you like listening to your music at a lower volume, as the noise cancellation ensures that the sound carries through with utmost clarity even at low volumes. The sound quality on the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 is superb, and comparable to many specialised non-NC headphones.....so at 112 USD on Amazon.....it's a bloody steal.....

Indeed It is useful thread for headphone users..Long time I have been thiking abt buying good headphones..

I mainly use Headphones for Ipod listening.I have Sony Behind neck style head phone Model# MDR-G45LP and I also have Creative & Apple Ipod ear phones.But not satisfied about any of their sound qualities. After seeing this thread and lot of reviews,I have ordered PX100 from Amazon for $45.

I also need inputs abt Wireless head phones for watching TVs and Laptops.Which is best wireless Headphone between $100-$150 range?

Most of the reviews says NC headphone's sound quality is poor compared to open type.Is it worth to buy NC head phones for normal listening?(aprt from flight travel)..

I have to buy both these stuffs before next week as I am leaving USA soon.

Thanks in advance.


Cheers,
Kams
 
Thanks psychotropic..

btw.. Any idea about DENON AH-D1001,AKG K 81 DJ and Audio Technica ATH-ES7-BK ?..

I am just confusing between the above models.All received good feedbacks in Amazon and Headphone.com.I just need closed/NC type with Good Bass and clear High...

Any feedback from the real users please..

Cheers,
Kams
 
Hi,
There is a quite a lot of difference between noise canceling, closed cans and iem's. The best is iem's when it comes to blocking external noise. The principle they work is very simple. Just like ear plugs to block out noise. And the best isolation based on db's that it can block belongs to an IEM - i think its an etymotic. The noise canceling works on a different principle by generating anti noise waves and canceling it out. This works pretty good, but then it cannot handle sudden differences in noise so easily if I know it correct. Also, it cannot do a great job as much as an IEM. There is an added trouble of adding battery to operate these phones. Closed cans are something simple that they are covering your ears from outside with a closed can and they do an average job. So, if isolation is very important then go for IEM's first, then noise canceling and then closed. Second is of the difference of sound quality. Open cans do the best and then the iem's and then th closed and noise canceling phones. But in a given price range, the order will be open cans, iem's, closed cans and then noise canceling. As noise canceling has extra circuitary there is quite some extra cost added for that. So, in short my recommendation would be the following:
1. If you are ready to give an iem a shot, try them. They can give the best isolation and also better sound than closed cans/ nc.
2. If you are not ready for an iem, then give the closed cans a shot as for the same cost, the noise canceling phone will be of poor quality. An example of this is Sennheiser PX100 and PX200 and PX250
Regarding wireless, Sennheiser RS models are well received , but then they are bit costlier.
Regarding AKG 81DJ vs Denon 1001 and Audio Technica, I am not sure about Audio Technica and I am sure pschotropic will be vouching for it. As far as AKG vs Denon goes, I think Denon is better from what I read. Definetly, I would say AKG is good, better than many other things for the same price range. Denon is said to beat it comfort wise and soundwise and its also costlier. I am going to get Denon 2000 and then I can give you some thoughts about it.
 
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