Any recommendations for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo of good quality?

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't like Sennheiser
headphones. I tried several different, most recently Sennheiser HD 515,
and they've all had the same sound: good mid register, very little
bass, and virtually no treble. To get a sound at least approaching what
I get from my Mirsch speakers straight from the CD, I had to add +6 dB
of bass and treble. The frequency response curve of these headphones
must look like a bell curve.

It seems obvious these headphones are made for listening to opera, or
for people who are OK with having loudness permanently engaged.

They also weren't very comfortable - they pressed hard. They're not
supposed to, but they did.

So - any suggestions for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo, with good bass and treble, and which are NOT made by
Sennheiser?

Also, if someone could point me to some serious audio site with
reviews, that would be welcome.

Stax?

wrote:

Stax?

Agreed. And I agree with the OP as well. To my ears, Stax were the only
'phones I auditioned that actually produced an acceptable amount of high
frequency information--or at least in the way I like to hear it
produced: sweet, delicate, and detailed.

For this reason Sennheiser, AKG, and Grado didn't do much for me. Among
the dynamics, the ones I'm least dissatisfied with are certain of the
Beyer models (don't remember which ones, but I used to own 330's--no
longer made--that I liked very much).

MK

Mitch, have you tried the Sennheiser HD-600's? Their middle of the
line headphones aren't nearly as good, and have, to my ears, a very
different (and inferior) sound. I remember auditioning the HD-600
against some Stax electrostatics (although it was probably 15 years
ago), and didn't think that the difference was worth the considerable
cost difference.

BTW, using a headphone amp makes a huge difference with the HD600's - I
use the Creek.

Bill

wrote:

Mitch, have you tried the Sennheiser HD-600's? Their middle of the
line headphones aren't nearly as good, and have, to my ears, a very
different (and inferior) sound. I remember auditioning the HD-600
against some Stax electrostatics (although it was probably 15 years
ago), and didn't think that the difference was worth the considerable
cost difference.

BTW, using a headphone amp makes a huge difference with the HD600's - I
use the Creek.

Yes, I've tried the 600's, Bill. I acknowledge that they're very fine
'phones, no doubt the best dynamic 'phones I've heard (though I still
have a soft spot for those Beyers, and for the incredibly uncomfortable
Koss Pro 4AA's); but they're just not my cup of tea. I found them a
little "romantic" on top for my taste. In headphones, I prefer something
with a bit more high frequency energy.

I also don't think the current Stax sound anything like the Sennheisers,
though I do agree the headphone amp used makes a difference (as does the
energizer unit used with the Stax: particularly tubed vs. solid state,
which do sound different in the stereotypical tube vs. solid state
ways).

MK

wrote:

It seems obvious these headphones are made for listening to opera, or
for people who are OK with having loudness permanently engaged.

Just curious: what makes you think that people who listen to opera don't
like hearing treble through their headphones?

MK

"Mitchell Kaufman" wrote in message
init...
wrote:

It seems obvious these headphones are made for listening to opera, or
for people who are OK with having loudness permanently engaged.

Just curious: what makes you think that people who listen to opera don't
like hearing treble through their headphones?

Probably for the same reason he thinks all Sennheisers are bad because he
didn't like one particular pair.

Thusly "jeffc" Spake Unto All:

Just curious: what makes you think that people who listen to opera don't
like hearing treble through their headphones?

Probably for the same reason he thinks all Sennheisers are bad because he
didn't like one particular pair.

It is the third pair, of three different models, although admittedly
all in the $80 - $150 bracket, I try this round, and I've tried others
before.
My conclusion is that I simply don't like the way Sennheisers sound.
To my ears they have weak bass and almost completely lack treble. I'm
happy you like yours, but I'm looking for recommendations for other
brands with other characteristics.

"Mean_Chlorine" wrote in message
...

It is the third pair, of three different models, although admittedly
all in the $80 - $150 bracket, I try this round, and I've tried others
before.
My conclusion is that I simply don't like the way Sennheisers sound.
To my ears they have weak bass and almost completely lack treble. I'm
happy you like yours, but I'm looking for recommendations for other
brands with other characteristics.

Like I said, if you think the 580/600 are completely lacking in treble, then
you have hearing loss or wax buildup the size of grapes in your ears. If
you want thumpy bass, get Grado or some BassBoost Sony setup.

Thusly losinit (Mitchell Kaufman) Spake Unto All:

wrote:

It seems obvious these headphones are made for listening to opera, or
for people who are OK with having loudness permanently engaged.

Just curious: what makes you think that people who listen to opera don't
like hearing treble through their headphones?

Oh, I don't think opera listeners have anything against treble, it's
just that there's very little of it in opera.

MK

Oh, I don't think opera listeners have anything against treble, it's
just that there's very little of it in opera.
You're kidding, right?

Bill

wrote in message
oups.com...

So - any suggestions for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo, with good bass and treble, and which are NOT made by
Sennheiser?

Well the Sennheiser 580 and 600 certainly don't sound like that.

wrote:
Any recommendations for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo of good quality?


There are lots of variables to consider in addition to the headphones
themselves: the type of music, your taste in sound, your budget, the
quality of the headphone amplification as well as its interaction with
particular headphones. I have/had Sennheiser HD580, HD650 and HD595.
The 595s have a more prominent treble. IMO these exhibit a
characteristic Sennheiser sound signature with a mid bass hump. They
all benefit from a good match with a headphone amplifier.

A quick answer would be to audition the Grado SR60: ~$70, very
different sound than the Senns, and less amplifier dependent. Downside:
comfort (for some) and lack of soundstage.

Also, if someone could point me to some serious audio site with
reviews, that would be welcome.

Try head-fi.org.

Thusly "Jeff E" Spake Unto All:

Any recommendations for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo of good quality?

A quick answer would be to audition the Grado SR60

Cheers. On the list they go.

The short list as it stands:

Sony MDR-7506
Sony MDR-CD580
Stax any model
Grado SR60
Grado SR80

None of these are available at the big chains around here, but I'll
call some audiophile friends tomorrow and see if they can point me to
some enthusiast shops.

Also, if someone could point me to some serious audio site with
reviews, that would be welcome.

Try head-fi.org.

Thank you. Will do.

After reading head-fi.org and some pestering of audiophile friends,
I've found an enthusiast shop not too far from where I live, with the
following headphones in the $100 - $200 bracket:

Sony MDR-CD580
Sony MDR-V6
Koss Pro 4aa Titanium (the only non-portable Koss I could find)
Grado SR60
Grado SR80
Beyerdynamic DT931

Most of my listening is stationary, to melodic/experimental rock
(Within Temptation, Dargaard, Arcana, Stoa, Lacuna Coil...) with some
hard rock (In Flames, Rammstein, Evergrey, Monster Magnet, Rob
Zombie...) and electronica (Delerium, anything from Ministry of
Sound...) for good measure.

I have an old but decent amp (Marantz FM-80), and I tend to feel that
Sennheiser headphones in this price-range have weak bass and even
weaker treble.

I'm not sure I will have opportunity to trying out the headphones
before buying, so - which ones of the above would I be most likely to
like?
From what I've read here and at head-fi.org, I'm thinking the Grados
might be a good bet?

"Mean_Chlorine" wrote in message
...

I have an old but decent amp (Marantz FM-80), and I tend to feel that
Sennheiser headphones in this price-range have weak bass and even
weaker treble.

The other possibility is that you've just grown accustomed to listening to
music with a big bass hump in it.

Thusly "jeffc" Spake Unto All:

I have an old but decent amp (Marantz FM-80), and I tend to feel that
Sennheiser headphones in this price-range have weak bass and even
weaker treble.

The other possibility is that you've just grown accustomed to listening to
music with a big bass hump in it.

Yeah, it's possible that the recordings were intended to have weaker
bass and still weaker treble than my old headphones and speakers
produce, and the Sennheisers merely faithfully reproduce the
recording. That, basically my speakers and old headphones had
permanent loudness in-built.

I've no way of testing that theory.

In article .com,
says...


Any recommendations for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo of good quality?

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't like Sennheiser
headphones. I tried several different, most recently Sennheiser HD 515,
and they've all had the same sound: good mid register, very little
bass, and virtually no treble. To get a sound at least approaching what
I get from my Mirsch speakers straight from the CD, I had to add +6 dB
of bass and treble. The frequency response curve of these headphones
must look like a bell curve.

It seems obvious these headphones are made for listening to opera, or
for people who are OK with having loudness permanently engaged.

They also weren't very comfortable - they pressed hard. They're not
supposed to, but they did.

So - any suggestions for good headphones for listening to a stationary
stereo, with good bass and treble, and which are NOT made by
Sennheiser?

Also, if someone could point me to some serious audio site with
reviews, that would be welcome.

You may want to listen to Grado SR80's. I've been mostly happy with mine.
The only bad thing I can say is that they get uncomfortable when you wear
them for long periods of time, over two hours. Take a listen and then
decide if you like them.
-----------
Alex

Thusly Alex Rodriguez Spake Unto All:

You may want to listen to Grado SR80's.

Cheers. On the list they go.

Today I visited half a dozen stereo/electronics shops in a ten-mile
radius around here, and it was actually worse than I'd thought: there
were three brands available (Philips, Sennheiser, and Sony). All the
Sonys were low-end models intended for walkman type mobile stereos,
but there were a big spread in the Philips models.

The highest-end Philips I found were the HP-1000 and HP-890. They were
quite pricy, are they any good?

(I rembember a Philips HP 800 I tried years ago, and as I recall it
was horribly uncomfortable, with what can only be described as a
'vice-like grip', and had painful, tinny, *screeching*, treble.)