I just wanted to share my experience of recently getting a very, very nice pair of headphones. I also have a professional sound card in my computer (Emu 1212m) and a nice headphone amp I made myself.

Anyway, all you music lovers here, you've GOT to get some good headphones if you don't have them already. They will cost you, but you will love them and use them for years.

I just got a pair of AKG K701 headphones (around $280 shipped). Let me tell you, it's as if I'd never heard my CDs before. I never knew headphones could sound this good, and I'm re-listening to everything now, just grinning at all the new things I'm discovering.

$280 sounds like a lot of money, but headphones that nice are equivalent to an approx. $2000 set of speakers (no kidding). Other great headphones to check out are the Beyerdynamic DT880.

Hey, great topic Commontone. I used to have a really good pair of headphones back when I was in high school. This was back when I was truly getting into music. I would force my dad to take me to music stores around town—maybe every other week, sometimes every weekend! And I would ask him to buy me an album or two and one time I asked him to get me The Beatles eponymous album (White Album) and a very nice pair of headphones. They weren’t amazing but they were big and bulky and covered your entire ear. They were also never loud but got a very clear and crisp sound to where I could hear everything that was going on and back then, that was considered expensive—they were around $40. But I would carry them around school, in my backpack, hastily wrapping them up and eventually they started to wear out. I was still glad to have them but lately I have been looking for a new pair. I don’t know much about that kind of stuff so I just assumed that Bose made the best things and I always see these advertised at Circuit City when I go there. They have a sample for you to try and they sound pretty sweet.

Anyways, I rambled on for quite a bit there. Is Bose really the best everyone says it is? Are the ones that you have better than Bose’s? And also, can you hear everything that is going on in the music to where you could hear all kinds of music including classical and jazz?

Also, is it OK if I move this over to the “General Music Discussion” forums? Seeing as you are a long-time member, I prefer asking first. Thanks!

That's fine if you move this to the music forum, I almost posted it there actually.

Regarding Bose -- they are a marketing company first, an audio company second. That is the opinion of almost any serious audio enthusiast. Their products aren't bad, but like Sony, they spend so much in advertising that their stuff is way overpriced as a result. As far as their speakers and headphones, they are not as good as other brands that cost the same amount, in some cases not even close. For example, brands like Klipsch, PSB or Boston Acoustics all make similar speakers in the same price bracket as Bose, and they are clearly better. As someone who's been an amateur audiophile for years, I can confidently say it's best to just stay away from Bose. (Sorry if I'm bursting your bubble)

Yes, my headphones are waaaaaaaay better than anything Bose has. There are three headphone models right now that compete for the "best": the Sennheiser 650, Beyerdynamic DT880, and mine, the AKG K701. They all cost in the $300 range. There are more expensive headphones, but most of them are not really mass produced for consumers, they're boutique items and another animal entirely from things you can buy at the store.

Yes, the AKGs are wonderful for classical and jazz. I'm listening to a Sonny Rollins CD right now, and I can hear the keys of the sax clicking softly, I can hear him take breaths, I can hear the subtle changes of sound as he moves a few inches to the left. It's really astonishing. The sound is really 3D, also: the drums literally sound like they're about fifteen feet in front of me, while the bass and piano are in front to the right, Sonny to the left. It's something you just have to experience to understand...if I shut the lights out and close my eyes, it takes very little imagination to pretend I'm sitting in a jazz club five feet from the stage. They will literally make the music equipment you're used to listening to, at home or in the car, seem like prehistoric garbage in comparison.

Now I'm rambling....The one thing to watch out for with these audiophile headphones is that they're very revealing of the source. Low quality MP3s will sound low quality through them, a cheap stereo or sound card will sound cheap powering the headphones. You'll be able to easily tell how well or how poorly the music was recorded.

You don't need expensive stuff, but at least something decent (better than a low-end Pioneer receiver from Best Buy, for example), to really take advantage of them. Also, some better headphones have a high impedance rating, which means MP3 players like ipods might not have the juice to power them.

Hope that illuminates some things for you. I'm off to listen a little more before the day is done...

Dang, those headphones sound (no pun intended) great. Your description of the Sonny Rollins CD is exactly what I look for in headphones. I might just have to save up a lot of money and check them out, by the way, do you have a link for them so I can see what they look like and where to order them when I am finally ready?

Also, I moved this over.

Thanks again!

I have a pair of Bose acoustic noise canceling headphones that I love. I have no idea what they cost, or how they compare to anything else on the market. They were given to me as a gift. Before these I only ever listened through earbugs.

I enjoy the portability of them. I can slap them in their case and take them with me just about anywhere, and they have held up nicely for over a year now. And they sound amazing.

I also really appreciate the noise canceling aspect of them. I put them on at school during exams. You can disconnect the cord and just use them for filtering out buzzing, fans, or paper shuffling. It's been great.

But like I said, they were a gift. I don't know if I would have spent the money on them myself. If you love music though, I agree that a nice pair of headphones should be added to your christmas list.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
Earbugs

HA!

Regarding headphones, I have a pretty decent pair but nothing special. I enjoy them a lot but generally only listen to them when I am at home.

I constantly steal my dad's pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros(they go around $200) and they're pretty incredible although not the most portable.

My headphones are collecting dust as they're rarely used. But I do need a new pair of speakers. Something smaller, mid-budget and with a nice punch.

I have a set of AkG's from the 80's still (AKG - K240). I don't know how they stand against the models today, but I've enjoyed them for 2 decades now. They were about $80 in 87-88(?). Maybe COmmontone could compare them to todays AKG's??


Looking for a set of noise-cancelling ones now, for flights mainly.

I listen to music while running, biking and skiing, so big headphones aren't really an option for me. I splurged and bought the Shure Ec3 earbuds. They are about 180 bucks, expensive, I know, but they sound da bomb!

Some albums are meant for the headphone experience.

FragileKidA, here's a good write-up of my headphones, with pictures. Don't buy them there though; do a search on ebay for AKG K701 and you'll find several sellers have them for around $250 or so.

The AKG K240s are still around, and are really popular in recording studios. Only now they cost around $125. They were probably one of their top models in the 80s, but now they're kind of low mid-range.

I really like my Grado's headphone

I don't know about you guys, but I just love my Sony MDRXD200's. I originally was going to buy a lower grade version. The cord was too long (2 cords, one out of each side) and my dad tried to shorten it. That failed miserably, so he bunched it back into the box and returned it, claiming it was like this when we bought it. They were just going to give us another one, but they were sold out! So they gave my dad these and I've had them ever since! Truly awesome phones.

quote:

Originally posted by RadiantSilvergun:
"[My dad] bunched it back into the box and returned it, claiming it was like this when we bought it.

Your dad is teaching you well. You might as well have just stolen the best headphones you could from the store.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Wilsonna,

I adore my Shure e4c's. Though they are not quite as suited to home listening as they are for my iPod.

I'm looking to invest in a quality set of Audio Technica or Ultrasone cans for home listening.

Currently on some Alessandro MS-1s (modded Grado SR-80s), which were a revelation back when I got them, coming from a pair of cheapish Senns.

Been looking at getting a new set, had been leaning towards ATH-AD900s, which would be on about the next tier down from K701s. You've got me rethinking though. Here in Australia the 'default' price I was looking at for K701s was $699, and ATH-AD900s $369. Could find cheaper elsewhere of course, but in similar proportions. Looking at ebay though I could get a pair of K701s shipped here for little over $300 AUD. Huge difference.

One question for you though (and I'll have to check out some reviews as well), have you used them from a portable device at all, or just from your home system? One thing I liked about the ATs is that they're apparently very easy to drive, and I do a lot of listening from my Creative mp3 player. If the K701 needs amping it might not be the best choice for me right now. Thoughts?

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Hey, great topic Commontone. I used to have a really good pair of headphones back when I was in high school. This was back when I was truly getting into music. I would force my dad to take me to music stores around town—maybe every other week, sometimes every weekend! And I would ask him to buy me an album or two and one time I asked him to get me The Beatles eponymous album (White Album) and a very nice pair of headphones. They weren’t amazing but they were big and bulky and covered your entire ear. They were also never loud but got a very clear and crisp sound to where I could hear everything that was going on and back then, that was considered expensive—they were around $40. But I would carry them around school, in my backpack, hastily wrapping them up and eventually they started to wear out. I was still glad to have them but lately I have been looking for a new pair. I don’t know much about that kind of stuff so I just assumed that Bose made the best things and I always see these advertised at Circuit City when I go there. They have a sample for you to try and they sound pretty sweet.

Anyways, I rambled on for quite a bit there. Is Bose really the best everyone says it is? Are the ones that you have better than Bose’s? And also, can you hear everything that is going on in the music to where you could hear all kinds of music including classical and jazz?

Also, is it OK if I move this over to the “General Music Discussion” forums? Seeing as you are a long-time member, I prefer asking first. Thanks!

As Ajar mentioned, the Grado headphones are pretty kick ass. Consumer Reports tested a whole slew of headphones (Bose, Sony, ect) and the second highest rated (in the 1-400 dollar range) was the Grado SR-60 series. They were pretty reasonably priced at 70 dollars. Granted, Bose tested slightly higher, but it also cost 300 dollars (Bose tested at a 96/100, Grado tested at 94/100 in overall sound quality).

And for those who want to spend a grand on headphones, there is a brand (sorry, can't remember the name) that makes inner-ear headphones that are custom made to fit an individual's ear canal. You actually have to go an ear doctor to get your ears measured, then wait a few months for your headphones to arrive.
The reviewer stated that it was the most amazing thing he ever heard.

Having headphones jammed in my ears kind of freaks me out, so even if I had a thousand bucks to blow on headphones, that wouldn't be my choice.

My sister got me beyerdynamic’s DT 770 PRO ([showUID]=44&tx_sbproductdatabase_pi1[showUid][backPID]=68&cHash=ea6cb3ee29]here) today and I am very, very pleased with them. I had copied and written down all of the specifications that yours have, Common and she got them and went looking around town to see what would match up. I don’t know how the specifications contest but for my ears, these sound spectacular.

Earlier I was listening to The National’s Boxer and it was like hearing the album for the first time all over again. I can hear every precise sound and the headphones give off the feeling as if I am in the studio with the band. I can hear when and how the guitar is strummed, I can hear Berninger when he takes a breath and everything is magnified in such an impressive fashion. It had been a very long time since I had heard my music on quality headphones and I look forward to experiencing all of my music through these headphones.

I just got a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pros an a Marantz CD-5001 play for Christmas, and, like FragileKidA says, there are certain albums that are just transformed.

I haven't listened to Boxer yet, but the biggest surprise to me was Bloc Party's Silent Alarm. Already one of favorite albums of 05, on headphones it sounds ten times better, which is weird, cause it's not the sort of album you'd think would be made for headphones. But you just hear so much more - and I can actually make out what Kele is saying.

Any other albums that people have noticed improve drastically on a good pair of headphones?