Help for buying headphones

[tirthankar]

I have the Audio Technica AD700 and I can say it is a very good headphone for the price. The thing which appeals the most about it is that it has got a very open, detailed and spacious sound and creates a very dynamic and clear soundstage for a headphone of its price.
Its weakness is its not bass heavy (can be a weakness to some).
Currently it is available in India for below 6000 and personally I feel it is a very good price for a very good headphone.

Flipkart Link

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have the Audio Technica AD700 and I can say it is a very good headphone for the price

Agreed. I have the AD900, having compared the 700 and 900 in the shop. Both are very nice; obviously I felt the higher price was justified. My budget was fixed at the time, but being a convert to headphones, I would have made it much higher if I'd realised just how much I was going to use them!

I would hesitate to buy headphones without trying them on.

Or even trying them off --- physical comfort is a big part of the deal, you may be going to spend hours with these things clamped to your head.

This particular range from AT have big cups that fit right around your ear; you can feel the bottom edge on your jaw. That also means your ear is shut in. Open-backed applies to sound, not to ventilation. These things can get sweaty without the AC on.

It took me a while to get used to mine: how do you get on with the physical comfort of yours?

 

[tirthankar]

It took me a while to get used to mine: how do you get on with the physical comfort of yours?

It took some time for me too..the main thing I needed to get used to is the size of the thing, it can feel a bit odd to have the hp cups almost reach the jawbone.
But i felt that for its size the thing is extraordinarily light ..and it doesnt clamp too tightly to be comfortable either (just ensure it doesn't slip off if you headbang ).

I later upgraded to a senn hd650, and though it is miles ahead in terms of sound quality, I felt the ad700 isn't much behind, if not ahead, in terms of comfort.

But I agree headphone comfort is a very personal and important thing, as different people have different requirements (isn't that true for everything ). So I second the suggestion of visiting pristine note to try them out. I also recommend to take a headphone amp/dac, even a fiio, as many headphones prefer being amped and perform much differently when not.

 

[Raghavan sridhar]

Can u guys suggest from senheisers as i want to grab one for long period of time. May be a dream. I don need any other brands. Its a kind of desire for me to buy senheiser rite from my 10th std. But i couldnt ask ma parents to spend tat much for a headphone. So i decided to get one after getting a job. And now im ready to spend $100 to buy a headphone but it should be senheiser. Hope u understand and suggest some senheiser headphones. Thank u guys..

 

[Raghavan sridhar]

I'm ready to go for another brand only if its exceptionally better tan senheiser.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I later upgraded to a senn hd650, and though it is miles ahead in terms of sound quality

That's interesting.

After years of refusing to use headphones other than earphones for commuting/flying/trains I now find that night music in a small house has forced them on me and, as long as they are open-back, I like them . I can't go for upgrade for a year or two, though, as I've only had these one year.

I mostly connect to the headphone-out of my firewire audio interface. 50% is maximum volume that I use, but I do wonder if a headphone amp would give me a better sound.

Raghavan sridhar, I guess that Senheiser is one of those iconic brands. One has to think of the total ownership satisfaction, and if that name makes you happy, you should go for it. Probably, in the low/mid price ranges, it is a case of value for money across different ranges, rather than absolute sound. I'm guessing, as I don't have much experience.

You might find this Absolute Sounds Buying Guide (PDF) useful. As discussed in another thread, it is sponsored by a manufacturer.

 

[tirthankar]

Can u guys suggest from senheisers as i want to grab one for long period of time. May be a dream. I don need any other brands. Its a kind of desire for me to buy senheiser rite from my 10th std. But i couldnt ask ma parents to spend tat much for a headphone. So i decided to get one after getting a job. And now im ready to spend $100 to buy a headphone but it should be senheiser. Hope u understand and suggest some senheiser headphones. Thank u guys..

I'm ready to go for another brand only if its exceptionally better tan senheiser.

Understood mate.. There are always objects of our desire which cannot be understood by others except by those who have had the same desire

But truth be told, under 100$, I cant think of any headphones to recommend from Sennheiser except the HD280. They are closed back, meaning they will provide good isolation and good bass, but soundstaging and clarity will probably be lesser than the open backs, at this price at least. (Not to mention they are tighter on the head, and to me, more uncomfortable )
There was one very good open back from Sennheiser I had heard, the HD555, but now it has risen in price to a degree that its no longer worth it, imho.

I would request you to listen to other headphones as well before deciding. I am not sure, but another post makes me think that Pristine Notes in Mumbai lets you try out headphones. Listen to some closed back and open backed headphones. They have different sound signatures and feel, and only you can decide which you like better. I too had a budget of 100$ when I had bought my AD700, and after going through senn, akg, grado within my budget and the ad700, I settled for the last one, as it had just the right type of sound and feel for me. So go, listen if you can and decide.
Another brand worth listening to is AKG, but I dont know if it is available for listening in India.

One thing, most of the phones at this range are pretty resolving.. and it only increases as you go higher up. The AT can expose bad recordings pretty well. So its better to have a good source and high resolution files to appreciate them well.

Best of luck.

After years of refusing to use headphones other than earphones for commuting/flying/trains I now find that night music in a small house has forced them on me and, as long as they are open-back, I like them . I can't go for upgrade for a year or two, though, as I've only had these one year.

Agreed. Open backed headphones always seemed to me to have a much more open and airier sound compared to closed backs in the same price. Bass maybe less thumpy, but everything else is better.. the highs seem more extended, separation and clarity more pronounced. I may sound like a fanboy of open backed, but I do like it more than closed hp, which also feel uncomfortable to me for long listening sessions. And I absolutely agree there may be people who like the closed ones more.
Before I got the HD650, the AD700 served me well for two years and I loved its sound. Now that my senn is away from me loaned to someone, I am back listening to it and it doesn't disappoint.

 

[amitkeerti]

I own HD555 (bought it when it was hovering around $80 ie. when HD558 was announced and the price for 555 was dropped).

They are open back and the mid range ones (by price).
From HD5xx the headphones come with velvet earcups (supposedly a sign of Audiophile grade headphones. Even the Sennheiser website claims them to be audiophile earphones).
By default they come with 6.3mm jacks (they also provide a 6.3 to 3.5 mm converter). So they are expected to be run using an external amplifier&dac. However I don't own an amplifier yet and i connect them directly to the headphone out of my laptop. Audio quality is great and am happy with the headphones. I need to try them with a dac&amp to check the difference.
Waiting for Arcam rpac to comeout.

 

[tirthankar]

I own HD555 (bought it when it was hovering around $80 ie. when HD558 was announced and the price for 555 was dropped).

The hd555 is a very good hp as mentioned. But I recently saw the price on amazon above 150$.. at that price it's not worth it IMO. But if found below 100, its pretty good.

 

[varunjh]

if you really want a senn then get the HD280, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Raghavan sridhar]

Im not an audiophile and so far the costliest headphones i have used is apple headphone which comes along with ipod touch. Other tan that i have enjoyed music with only 150 rs headphones. So this my 1st costly and branded headphone. I dont think i will be knwoing that small difference in hd 280 and hd 555 or hd wat ever. My only question is will i be dis-appointed if i buy hd 280..??... so simple. I will be wathing movies in it. And i will listen AR.Rahman songs most of the time. thats it. Thank u..i think i have made a clear statement abt my knowledge in music and usage of it. Hope that will help someone to help me in a better way.

 

[koushikp]

Im not an audiophile and so far the costliest headphones i have used is apple headphone which comes along with ipod touch. Other tan that i have enjoyed music with only 150 rs headphones. So this my 1st costly and branded headphone. I dont think i will be knwoing that small difference in hd 280 and hd 555 or hd wat ever. My only question is will i be dis-appointed if i buy hd 280..??... so simple. I will be wathing movies in it. And i will listen AR.Rahman songs most of the time. thats it. Thank u..i think i have made a clear statement abt my knowledge in music and usage of it. Hope that will help someone to help me in a better way.

No raghavan you won't be..in fact you will enjoy it more than any of us who have given you suggestions, as you will not be obsessed about the technicality of the product and rather you will be focussed on the music! My wife enjoys all my gear much more than I do because she is not so bothered about which sounds best and all the critical inspection of a product..

The HD 280 is a very good headphone indeed, one of the long time favorite recommendation below USD 100. They are quite rugged, and will last you for a long time (foam cracking is a big problem in full sized headphones, the better the quality the better the durability). Just make sure you take good care, keep the under cover when not used and don't just leave them sweaty, dry it after usage.. happy purchasing..

The only warning I will give is something another poster had mentioned here earlier, any headphone in hat price range, including the hd280 pro will be highly resolved, so the only way you may get disappointed compared to a cheap headphone if you use it to listen to very low bit rate mp3s, I would say 192 Kbps and above, you are safe..

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

No raghavan you won't be..

I was inclined to say the same, but I have no experience of apple-supplied earphones. My suspicion is that just about anything you could go out and buy at anything more than minimum price would be better than supplied-withs.

I bought a pair of Sony earbuds, about a decade ago, for my portable listening. They were nearly GBP 40, but, at that time, there was little between the stuff that came in the box and etymotics at vast price. They made a huge difference to my commuting music ---and, I'm still using them!

You're talking about spending twice as much (and the equivalent sonys are now only about GBP.30) on a pair of headphones, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

(Just get the inoculation against upgrade fever before you buy )

 

[Raghavan sridhar]

Thanks guys i also own a skull candy headset in ear plug. But tats a pure shit..:X:X:X...tat shit costs around 1800 rs INR.. So im afraid i will be decieved once again.. Though im aware tat its a sin to compare Skull candy and senheiser. Jus to clear doubts. Thank u koushik and Ginathom.

 

[varunjh]

so which headphones did you end up buying?

 

[shrjun]

I mostly connect to the headphone-out of my firewire audio interface.

How do you connect the headphone to the firewire audio interface ? My macbook pro has a firewire port but I had the feeling that it was only for data transfer ( like USB ).I have the Beyerdynamic DT 990,by the way.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

...simply, it has a dedicated headphone socket, with volume control

Echo Audiofire 2.

Those headphones of yours look very nice.

Last night, after an hour or so of Mahler, and just before bed, I was thinking about a record I've known for forty-plus years, and wanted to listen to it. I started wondering if I had even heard it through my Audio-Technica 'phones yet. Well, of course, at least snatches, because The 5,000 Spirits or The Layers of The Onion* is one of my test pieces. Acoustic folk rock, with a variety of instruments and vocal harmonics, lots of detail: I would have used it when auditioning in the shop. But that would have just been from my Cowan A2.

In some ways, the sound stage was a mess. I don't actually know who is playing what in which song, but voices and instruments were coming from all sorts of different places. Of course. different places is a good start when it comes to sound stage!

Still, I was delightfully blown away. The detail and the precision were just amazing. I was forced to stop browsing, sit back, shut my eyes, and just listen ...on one track, to an instrument I'd never consciously realised was there before!

I mentioned before that I am a new convert to headphones, but, finding out how much I've ended up using them, wishing that I'd spent more, but as I listened to those songs, I honestly couldn't wish for any more.

---Just an experience from between the headphones post to encourage headphone buyers!


* The Incredible String Band. Very much sixties (about '67 or '68 I think)

 

[shrjun]

Echo Audiofire 2.

Thank you for the link.A picture is worth a thousand words!

Those headphones of yours look very nice.

And they feel and sound lovely too.I auditioned quite a number of Sennheisers/Shures/Grados and a few Japanese headphones too but liked the open backed sound of the DT 990 - My first headphones http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-990-Premium-250-Ohm/dp/B000F2BLTW I paid the equivalent of INR 16000 for them .

The 5,000 Spirits or The Layers of The Onion*[/I]

That is the strangest song I've heard in a long time ( in a good way,of course).Quite similar to the Jethro Tull album 'Songs from the Wood'.

Remarks in bold.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Which track did you listen to? Painting Box is my all-time-favourite love song

This is an early album: the ISB's music got a lot stranger subsequently!

Back to topic, as mentioned before, unless buying for travel, I'll stick to open-back headphones. I had gone to the shop biased towards A-T from recommendations here. I did try others, though, but plumped for the AT AD900s.

If I'd known how important they would become to me, I'd have spent a lot more time, and maybe more money, but still, I'm not disappointed with what I got

 

[tirthankar]

@Shrjun: what are you driving those headphones with? Are you using any headphone amp? The Beyers can use some amplification..

I feel a well designed headphone can take up a stereo much higher in price bracket for sound quality, if sharing the music is not needed. Guess thats because headphones dont need to combat a very big factor unlike speakers .. room acoustics