Your favorite headphones: Opinions Wanted

If it does not require a charge, it ain't for me. My favorites are long out of production but their replacements are still made, Koss ESP950 so look for a used set and try. Or, a set of ESP - 9b and invest the difference in your retirement plan.
 
I had a pair of SR80's too. Those are great headphones for the money, but they are LOUD on the outside.

Same goes for the Sennheiser HD series, i have had my HD 650 for 6 years now and the only reason i might be selling mine is because they sound alot on the outside :)

Personally i would buy a pair of Sennheiser HD600 and then upgrade them with the HD650 Cable, i have owned both 600 and 650 at the same time and i couldn't hear any difference at all when i used the 650 cable to my 600s, the cables fit with no modification.
 
PMS:

This should be classified as the smokin' hot deal of the yr, if not the decade. Here you have a $350 retail value set for less than $200. I ought to know, since I actually bought and own a pair; BTW no regrets at all, anywhere.

Why this model? No one who owns the highly regarded HD600s or HD650s will likely 'like' my answer, but I tried those rather expensive, high-end models and (gulp) didn't like them (the crowd now goes completely silent; crickets are all that is heard):thmbsp:.

Now that I probably have your shocked attention, they sound fine, really great, yet I didn't like the stiff feel and I myself was stunned to find my older, far lower model Senns sounded far better overall, as in more open, better dynamics, far more 'relaxed' sounding; this, in a direct A/B comparison that left me shocked and stunned. It was like driving a new car that doesn't have ergonomics that match well for you; you then jump into your familiar car and say, "Ahhh, that's much more like it, this is much better!".

After that extremely surprising revelation, as I was all set to plunk down the big bucks just before my trial, I literally took a chance and gambled on the super-value HD598 purchase. These are so much like my older set that I still enjoy that I was amazed by my good fortune. Buy these and maybe never look elsewhere; they're that good.
 
I love my Grado SR60i's. So if I had two hundred dollars to spend I'd probably look at something higher up in Grado's model range.

ditto. I have the 80s and 125s. I'd go to the next level myself, although really this would feel very frivolous. I'm perfectly happy with the 125s. I'd rather spend that $200 on more records.
 
Thank you, friends. I actually bought the HD598 from Amazon for $250. I paid extra ($19) to get them shipped overnight. I will have them when I get home from work today.

Clearly, I was not patient enough to wait for pmsummer's post which would have saved me $75, but one lives and learns. Thank you all for your contributions.

As a side note, a good many of you suggested vintage headphones. While every component of my system is "vintage," there is part of me that doesn't like the idea of buying used headphones simply because ear wax and ear debris tends to get left behind. I know that it's probably all in my head and that one could clean said headphones easily, but that's just me.

My current set of Bose headphones are borrowed, but they belong to my friend's wife; I know her well and so the thought of her ear debris being on my ears is less repulisive.

Anywho, thanks for the tips. And my apologies for being impatient on this one.
 
BmWr75: I appreciate you pointing out the importance of deciding between open vs. closed; I agree that that is an important consideration.

However, I DO live by myself and I DO have a very quiet apartment, so I feel comfortable with the open HD 598s.

Thanks for pointing that out, though.
 
Beyerdynamics DT990 Pro's.
Bought new in 1999, for $129.

Still going strong, and so good, I haven't even considered replacing them.

Steve
 
I have Grado 225's, and they have been everything I could want in a pair of cans - full, detailed sound without any fatigue during long listening sessions.

And they're right at your price range.:music:
 
I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT660s that are probably 20 years old. They're fantastic, and are my preferred monitor when drumming. A little light on bass, but great detail.

My favorites though are my Stax SR5N electrostatics. Got them in 1989 or 1990. They bring out detail like no other headphone I've ever heard. (There are definitely way more expensive electrostatics out there, but I haven't heard them. Probably a good thing.)

The downside is that they are open in the extreme, and not much good when people are around and making noise or wanting you to keep quiet. However, after everybody's in bed, they're the way to go!

I highly recommend avoiding trying electrostatics unless you're ready to reach for your wallet.

Fred
 
Night1:
Thank you, friends. I actually bought the HD598...

A heartfelt congratulations from here on your fine purchase, although I'm kind of left wondering how you like them; that's presuming they arrived on schedule and I'm guessing you've had a chance to at least initially do that fun, first test. :scratch2:

Personally, I'm kind of liking the 'couldn't wait for a better deal 'cause I want 'em now!' attitude, as I can certainly identify with that :thmbsp: :yes:.

Please let those of us who are interested know your thoughts/listening impressions, overall wearing comfort level, etc. when you get a chance.
 
Stereo type: Thank you for soliciting my opinion... I was actually just about to write a review, so your request came at the perfect time. Also, there’s just something nice about being asked for your thoughts on something… the implication there being that my thoughts on these cans are important to some degree. Again, thanks.

Sennheiser HD 598 Review:

Style: I feel compelled to start with style because these headphones are oh-so-sexy. I read somewhere that the khaki colored leather accents are not made with real leather to which I reply, “Don’t care.” If, in fact, fake leather is used on the headband, I can’t tell a difference--- looks like real leather, smells like real leather, feels like real leather, so no problems there.

The burl wood accents accomplish the intended effect which is to bring to mind a European sports sedan’s interior. There’s no denying that these headphones make the wearer feel richer, more accomplished in life, better endowed, so on and so forth.

Design: There are a couple of design features that I really appreciate. The first is a Braille-like series of dots that protrude out of the left side of the headphones. If you’re not looking for them, you wouldn’t normally notice them. When I fist saw them, I checked the right side, but there are no dots over there. My conclusion is that the dots are a tactile indicator of which side is which, something to tell the listener which way he is holding the headphones without having to look down. This comes in handy when listening to music in low-light settings when reading the standard “L” and “R” indicators can be a challenge. Also, these dots are located in a spot that my left thumb naturally goes to when I pick up the head phones. As soon as my hands touch the headphones, I know which side is which. Minor design feature, but helpful and clearly well thought out.

The shape and size of the cans contribute to the comfort of these headphones. Because there is not a single part of the ear which touches the headphones while they are in use (the ears are contained within the oversized cans), ear aches are a total non-issue.

The padding which does make contact with the area around the ears is covered in something heavenly, something velvety that doesn’t get hot, doesn’t get cold, but feels just right all the time.

The jack plug is 6.3mm with a 3.5mm adapter… the way it should be, not the other way around.

The tangle-proof cord is pure gold. No tangles. “Not once, not never.” I have no idea how this works, but I like it a lot.

Flexibility of overall apparatus is wonderful. Some cans are really stiff and seem to threaten breaking at any point. Not these. These headphones can be twisted, stretched, wiggled and jiggled and all the while the impression that I got was that they are designed specifically to allow for imperfect handling.

Sound: Suffice it to say that these headphones sound phenomenal. Some folks have complained that the low end isn’t all that great; while I agree that the bass is not particularly noteworthy, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with the way these headphones distribute sound meaning I never once have thought that more bass was needed, but I did notice that the bass was not overpowering and did have some limitations should I feel so inclined to boost the low end. If I crank the bass on my Marantz, there is less change than if I am playing music through my Polks and crank the bass.

Listening to just about anything that is a stereo recording (most everything I own) is out of control. I was listening to MGMT and felt myself being sucked into outer space. Before long, I was floating above the earth, guided only by the current of guitar and synth. True story.

Each instrument is perfectly distinct no matter what you’re listening to.

My Marantz has no problems at all powering the headphones. I would go deaf at half volume.

General Summary: 10 out of 10. A+. The sound quality alone justifies the price. The stunning aesthetics are just a (HUGE) bonus. With a little shopping around, these can be purchased for under $200 (new) despite Sennheiser’s list price of $350.
 
Glad you like your new headphones Night and nice review!

They certainly look cool; I have the old 595's that, while I don't care for their sound much personally, I always found looked cool and were comfortable.
 
I've been using Sennheiser headphones since 1975. While I've listened to a number of very good cans, in the end I've always ended up with Sennheiser's.
Presently, I've using the 580's. Having heard the newer (and more expensive) TOTL models, I don't believe there's a big enough difference to upgrade and would spend the difference on a new headphone amp, better tubes or even a new DAC.

YMMV,
TerryO
 
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