Headphones

[Vinyl Grinder]

Any recomendations for headphones up to say £200.00. Always had Sens but fancy a change...Not to impressed with Grado..

[leo]

I use AKG K701's and AT A900, both are not bad but maybe a bit over your budget, I personally don't like the Sen 650's and preferred the 600's

[Vinyl Grinder]

Strange this may seem but i bought a pair of £40.00 Sen 'HD457' over the 'HD650'

[leo]

Not strange at all mate, I always found the higher priced Sens have too much of a sonic signature I don't like

[Marco]

Andr'e,

You should check out AKG K601s:

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&q=AKG+headphones&sa=N&start=40

Scroll down and click on the link (9th down) that takes you to their feature on the Stone Audio website.

I've got a pair and they're stunning. The build quality is fantastic, they're mega comfortable, and most importantly sound great. I think they'd be right up your street, sound-wise... smooth, detailed, with great bass and totally non-fatiguing :)

Marco.

[stupinder]

you say you don't like 'em but i've just bought a pair of grado 80s and have to say they're sonically superb. i was a tad worried they'd be uncomfortable but they are way more comfy than the beyer dt100s i had.

[Marco]

I like Grados - I used to have a pair of SR-325s, but I can fully understand why Andr'e might not be so keen on them. I've also heard the SR-80s.

They major on midrange clarity but have the tendency to be somewhat bass-light...very communicative, though. I would use them with a good valve headphone amp and I think the results would be stunning. They're bloody uncomfortable to wear though over long periods. I guess they're ok if yer lugs and dome aren't too big! ;)

The AKGs, on the other hand, are ideal for a long, relaxing listen...super comfy and with a lovely rich, detailed, tonal balance that's sweet as a nut without ever sounding shut-in or 'heavy'. And they look gorgeous!

Over to you now then, Andr'e... :)

Marco.

[Vinyl Grinder]

Thanks chaps.Grado no no for me, tried em.Funny enough Marco i was gonna listern to the AKG '240Studio' version but i'm happy to give the bigger a go.Thru experience especially sens, the get worse as the price rises...

[Marco]

The 240 Studio's are nice, Andr'e, but lack the refinement and finesse of the 601s. If you can stretch to the extra, IMO the difference is more than worth it.

Pity the wooden-cheeked Grados are so expensive because they're in a different league altogether :eek:

Marco.

[Vinyl Grinder]

The truth of the matter is there for CD listerning only, listerning to vinyl would be a sacrilege through phones besides i don't have heaphone facilities on the vinyl system (don't do two source systems, impossible to get them to sound the same).The reason i don't wanna fork out too much.

[leo]

Headphones can sound surprisingly good but like with a speaker based system you need a good amp and headphones to appreciate it.
A good pair of headphones can also reveal details that SOME speakers miss

[Russell Dawkins]

A wild card here that may well be worth listening to is the Audio Technica ATH-M50. Without doubt the best bass I have yet heard in a headphone and very natural from bottom to top. Convenience features include a slight folding ability and a padded pouch to keep them in. They retail for about $180 in North America.
Some very serious engineers, like George Massenburg, endorse them.

http://tinyurl.com/3awa5l

Big bonus is they're closed back, so can be used on 'planes to good advantage.

I am an early Grado adopter, but abandoned them in favor of the accuracy (and isolation) of the Etymotic Research ER4S. I like the AKG 501 a lot - haven't heard the 701 but am told by an AKG tech it is the best sounding of the whole lot - even better than my fave, the 240DF.

Grados to me are like JBLs - fun but not all that accurate, tonally.

[kt66]

my fave ever headphones are the Beyer DT990 pro, I much prefer these to my HD600s

[Filterlab]

Good cheapies are the Sennheiser PX100s, really very good for 30 notes. The slightly more expensive (£200) Beyerdynamic DT990s are very good indeed, but discontinued now.