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Headphone recommendations

B

bambino

Member
Hey folks,

I’m curious about your recommendations for my first pair of serious headphones in the under $500 range. I’m looking for something that would pair well with my 1970s Onkyo Tx-2500 receiver.

I mainly want them to listen to vinyl or the radio at night so my speakers don’t keep my roommates up. But I also would like to plug them into my iPhone and walk around sometimes, so closed headphones that don’t leak too much sound and can block enough external noise (street noise, riding on the subway, airplanes, etc) would be great.

Aesthetics are important too. I love the look of stuff like the Panasonic RP HTX7 (budget) or the Master & Dynamic MH40.

Thanks all!
 
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Aesthetics are subjective so I'm not going to comment on that, but check out the Beyerdynamic DT770s. You'll want the low impedance version for portable use. Most of the more expensive headphones are going to either be open (no blocking of external sound), require an external amp, or will be too large and ungainly to walk around with.

Best would probably be the AKG N90Q if you can find it in your price range; they're excellent sealed headphones with a built in USB D/A converter, amplifier, and slight noise cancellation. They list for $1500 but sometimes go on sale at a significant discount.

Maybe the Sennheiser 58x or Hifiman 4xx from Massdrop, combined with the DT770s for portable use. Together they still come in well below your budget.
 
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Beyond a shadow of a doubt: 1MORE TRIPLE DRIVER OVER-THE-EAR HEADPHONE. They are incredible. Bought a pair for $132.00 delivered to my doorstop off Drop.com. They have planer levels of clarity and no harshness whatsoever. I think they can knock out anything less than $500 no sweat--and they are FUN! I've had 12 different headphones (75-$1200) and these are as good as any of them!
 
Read the reviews at. InnerFidelity. I like my Sennheisers dynamic headphones, but prefer my STAX electrostatics but they are now above your budget.
 
imral3 said:
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.
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I would probably suggest these too. I admit I have not heard this model but I have the ATH-M70x. While I enjoy them, I know a lot of people suggest the M50x version better as there is more bass. This is not to say that the M50x would have an excessive amount of bass; the M70x has less bass than my Sennheiser HD600s which are generally viewed as being weak in the bass area. The other suggestions are good as well. And I agree with @rmsanger about looking at head-fi's threads and the for sale section. There can be some good stuff there.
 
Check out the Grado line too. They make everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. I'm partial to my SR125's that clock in at under $150.
 
Huh, I've got the SR125e as well. The excellent sonics and energetic treble really stand out. I did a lot of research on line and I've come to the realization that audiophiles are a strange group. You can find love and hate for any brand, any model and any music. You have to listen for yourself and make your own decisions.

Something I've come to appreciate about the SR125e besides the sonics, is how they don't heat up my ears as my over ear headphones do. They are also quite comfortable and light on the head. Worthy of a short list for sure.
 
runnin' said:
Huh, I've got the SR125e as well. The excellent sonics and energetic treble really stand out. I did a lot of research on line and I've come to the realization that audiophiles are a strange group. You can find love and hate for any brand, any model and any music. You have to listen for yourself and make your own decisions.

Something I've come to appreciate about the SR125e besides the sonics, is how they don't heat up my ears as my over ear headphones do. They are also quite comfortable and light on the head. Worthy of a short list for sure.
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Very well said. Opinions can run strong on AK and sometimes require a thick skin.
I also love the Grados for their retro look. Like they came from some WWII aircraft. I will always prefer an open air design for the reason you stated. Much lighter on the ears. And anyone sitting near you gets to sample your music.
 
For roughly the same price as the Gado SR-125's check out the HiFi Man HE-4xx @ $145 from Drop. I have Grado SR-100's and I prefer the HiFi Man. This is after swapping the horrible stock cushions on the Grado's.
 
JoeESP9 said:
For roughly the same price as the Gado SR-125's check out the HiFi Man HE-4xx @ $145 from Drop. I have Grado SR-100's and I prefer the HiFi Man. This is after swapping the horrible stock cushions on the Grado's.
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They look like nice phones. How do they compare with the Grados efficiency wise? Is the bass response better? You found better cushions for the Grados? Mine need replacing.
 
Audio Technica ATH-M20x that I bought for $50 at Guitar Center. Better value than my Koss Pro/4AA that are twice the price.
 
wasclywabbit said:
They look like nice phones. How do they compare with the Grados efficiency wise? Is the bass response better? You found better cushions for the Grados? Mine need replacing.
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Amazon has a variety of cushions that fit Grado's. IIRC my replacements are from Ear Zonk(?).

I'm a planar fan. I use planar speakers in my system.
IMO there is not more bass. However, there is better bass.
Planars are generally less efficient than conventional phones.
 
JoeESP9 said:
For roughly the same price as the Gado SR-125's check out the HiFi Man HE-4xx @ $145 from Drop. I have Grado SR-100's and I prefer the HiFi Man. This is after swapping the horrible stock cushions on the Grado's.
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Do you have any idea how old your Grado SR100 are?

From what I can find online, they were replaced by the SR125 back at the end of the 90's. The drivers that were used in their production were replaced at some point by Grado's own design as they ramped up their own designed drivers. If you don't like them anymore, you might find a bidding war on your hands should you put up an ad on ebay for those rare Grados.
 
runnin' said:
Do you have any idea how old your Grado SR100 are?

From what I can find online, they were replaced by the SR125 back at the end of the 90's. The drivers that were used in their production were replaced at some point by Grado's own design as they ramped up their own designed drivers. If you don't like them anymore, you might find a bidding war on your hands should you put up an ad on ebay for those rare Grados.
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It's not that I don't like them in particular. I'm not overly fond of any headphones. Every headphone I've ever heard produces sound in a direct line from one ear to the other. When I read of others talking about a soundstage from headphones I have to think either we have completely different hearing processes or we have differing ideas on what a soundstage is. I choose to believe the latter. This doesn't apply to binaural recordings. The few that I have sound superb on any headphones I've tried.

As for instituting a bidding war, I'd rather give them to someone local who uses headphones a lot. In the meantime I'm holding on to them.

FWIW: I gave a pair of Stax SR34/40's to a buddy who can't play music very loud in his apartment.
 
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