looking for set of headphones

[Michael Scott]

Looking for a wired (or non BT wireless) headphones for more "simple" stuff. I'm not looking to amp it, or spend $400 on Senn 600's and above. But rather looking for a decently GOOD sounding set of cans that will work with a 3.5 mm jacked equipment. For example. Plugging into the remote of my Roku Ultra for my "dumb" TV for when I have insomnia and don't want to fire up the full projector setup and the wife off.... using on my computer for everyday use. also plugging into a phone to listen to some music etc. Basically stuff that means an amp is out of the question.

was looking at the Sennheiser 599's but the 50 ohm impedance made me hesitate as that's about the area where an amp MIGHT be handy. Looking at the Senn 569's that have a 23 ohm impedance with 113db sensitivity (can pretty much be powered by anything), but since I'm not well versed in cans I'm not sure if there's anything I'm missing. I don't want to go too cheap and get some skull candy esque junk, but also don't want to buy a cool set of cans that really are mediocre unless you amp them at the same time.

any ideas?

 

[Grayson Dere]

If you're okay with open back headphones the Grado SR60 is king for the price : )
It looks like the latest version is the SR60e for around $80.

These were my first venture into the world of HiFi back in the day. I still use them powered by nothing but my iPad Pro, Macbook, or Phone.

 

[Michael Scott]

If you're okay with open back headphones the Grado SR60 is king for the price : )
It looks like the latest version is the SR60e for around $80.

I'm fine with open or closed really. I've used both and I like them for different reasons (better sound on open, but better noise cancellation for both listener and surrounding people on closed ear).

one thing that I forgot to mention that the grado's don't have that hte Senn's have is replaceable cords. I have the curse of cats in my house hold, and while I've been really good about keeping cables out of the way, I HAVE lost a few sets of headphones due to a particular floof who likes thin cords. Thus the ability to just plug in a new cable and not junk the headphones is a plus on the 569's/599s. (not a dealbreaker, but if I can find a set with that feature it gets put towards the top)

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I’ve always liked the sound of my Sennnheiser HD-25’s – the one with the split headband. Wayne Myers gave high marks for the Beyerdynamic DT-880 in a review he did back at HT Shack. I got to listen to them at a Guitar Center and really liked them.

Regards,
Wayne

 

[DanDan]

You will end up with a long list of peoples favourites. The HD25 is a decade long choice of pros. Comfortable and Neutral enough for pleasure listening too though.

 

[Mike-48]

I have a pair of Shure 840 that I used when sharing office space. A nice sound, a little on the warm side, with a detachable cord and good sound isolation (though not ANC). The lower model SRH440 is about $100; it still has detachable cord, and I'd expect a similar sound.

They are a model to consider if you can try before buying; but not an unqualified recommendation, as I haven't used them myself. The SRH840 is still made (at twice the price) and if you prefer a slightly rolled off sound to one that is incisive, it's a great choice -- very musical -- though I don't know about impedance.

 

[lemoncadillac]

Sennheiser HD 424 or the HD 414 are amazing old school headphones. Hard to drive. If you did go this route and did not get enough volume, plenty of small inexpensive portable amps available. I have personally worn both these sets of headphones up to 12 hours with no fatigue. My 2 cents.

 

[Michael Scott]

I have a pair of Shure 840 that I used when sharing office space. A nice sound, a little on the warm side, with a detachable cord and good sound isolation (though not ANC). The lower model SRH440 is about $100; it still has detachable cord, and I'd expect a similar sound.

They are a model to consider if you can try before buying; but not an unqualified recommendation, as I haven't used them myself. The SRH840 is still made (at twice the price) and if you prefer a slightly rolled off sound to one that is incisive, it's a great choice -- very musical -- though I don't know about impedance.

actually I forgot about the Shure 840s... they're $149 at amazon right now actually

 

[Dr_Jim]

I've a wall of planar & spendy dynamic headphones - but our everyday headphones are Blon B8's from Linsol Audio in Hong Kong - shipped to the U.S. & fitted with a set of Brainwavz Angled Leather Pads (about $20) they'll be a bit under $125. For which you'll get a very rugged, closed-back set of wood earphones that are light, comfortable, easy to drive (16 ohm), and have a surprisingly detailed & extended presentation.

If waiting & hoping aren't your style, Amazon will sell you a set of SIVGA SV006's which are essentially Blon B8's with better accessories for $99USD and no waiting - this is a fair price, about what it would cost to import Blon B8's yourself.

 

[Michael Scott]

oh, also thrown the AT M50x and TH M40x into the running as well.

 

[rattus]

oh, also thrown the AT M50x and TH M40x into the running as well.

I have AT M50X and like them a lot. They are specced as a "studio monitor" headphone so are designed for flat response without colouration. For their price they are excellent and you'd need to pay a lot more for significant upgrade. I work in live and studio audio production and can attest they handle really high SPL without sweat. Sound good with phone as input and impedance is 38 ohms so ample level.
I'm currently trying to justify buying ADAM Audio STUDIO PRO SP-5 headphones which are about $US500 but at 70 ohms they may not be so good for a phone. All the reviews I've seen rave about them.

 

[Michael Scott]

sounds good. I've heard that the M50x's have a bit of an excessive bass boost. That true or is it slightly exaggerated?

after researching and asking around as much as possible I finally settled on the Senn HD 569's for now (got them for a flash sale of $106.21 shipped from amazon) and am considering getting the M50x's as well to compare against.

 

[rattus]

sounds good. I've heard that the M50x's have a bit of an excessive bass boost. That true or is it slightly exaggerated?

They certainly don't lack any bass with around -2dB @ 20Hz but I find it pleasant rather than excessive. I think most closed back headphones exhibit this characteristic to some extent compared to open back ones. I do cut a couple of dB at 4kHz but I think that's more of a personal preference.

 

[tesseract]

I love my M50x pair, but have found that some are bass-heavy, some are not. Buy and try.

The KLH Ultimate Ones are killer open-backs. Slightly on the bright side in the upper-highs, without being overbearing, same as their speaker presentation is. Ultra-highs and bass sets the bar in their price range.

 

[Grayson Dere]

sounds good. I've heard that the M50x's have a bit of an excessive bass boost. That true or is it slightly exaggerated?

after researching and asking around as much as possible I finally settled on the Senn HD 569's for now (got them for a flash sale of $106.21 shipped from amazon) and am considering getting the M50x's as well to compare against.

That's a great price you got those 569's for. How are you liking them so far?

 

[Michael Scott]

they're a bit shriller than I expected, but so far so good. They're mostly meant for TV night listening than anything. Sadly haven't used them with my PC yet simply due to the fact that the 4 foot cable is too short to reach my PC's sound card. have to get a longer cable

 

[NBPK402]

I just picked up some Mass Drop 6xx headphones and ghey sound very good for the money to me.

 

[Grayson Dere]

The Mass Drop 6xx are great! Are you using an amp to drive them?

 

[NBPK402]

The Mass Drop 6xx are great! Are you using an amp to drive them?

Yes I am using a Schiit Magni Heresy

 

[rattus]

I just needed a little retail therapy so bought a pair of Austrian Audio Hi-X55 headphones.
They are so totally different in sound from M50x, at first I was wondering where the bass has gone. A few dB of wide EQ boost around 55Hz more than made up for it and they sound wonderful with so much more detail. I'm sure they will be my daily listening cans now.
The only criticism I have is the supplied cable is 3m long so a bit unwieldy and has a proprietary connector. Hopefully they will bring out a shorter cable, maybe a curly one like comes with the M50x. They are supremely comfortable though.
In case you don't already know, Austrian Audio was created by some AKG ex-employees who took over the AKG Vienna facility when AKG's parent company, Harman (a subsidiary of Samsung), closed it and moved HQ to the US. I had a lovely chat to their CEO at a pro audio showcase event back in February. He and the company seem passionate about audio.

Austrian Audio Hi-X55 headphones - 9/10.