headphone guide

[admin_exported]

hey guys am new to this forum and i know this is probably the best website to ask about the best headphones i can buy for the best value and the best website for the type of music i want. I know there are lots of experts here so i am willing to listen to your opinions about what i should buy . Apparently i got into all this hi-fi and honestly its so addicting i am looking to spend about £400 on some good cans , am sure i can get really good ones with that price . i was going to buy dr dre pros the new headphones by monster. I also have my mind on denon ah-d5000 which seem to have extremly good reviews. I want really good bass but not over powered and the ones that make the highes dissappear. Obviously i want that really sonic audio quality too . I really want the feeling that the music is coming from the room. Ido not want so much leak from the headphones too. I mainly listen to hip hop, rap, pop and rock. So which ones are better cans for me ? and if you have any other in the £300-£400 category that you think are better then please say them. Now the main downpoint is that i dont have an amp or dac so i use my iphone 4 , keeping that in mind can you guys suggest me which two are the best or maybe any better ones ?

 

[idc]

Hi adnan. If your iphone is your source are you wanting to used the headphones when you are out and about?

My initial advice would be to lower your budget for the headphones and include an amp/DAC in the budget.

 

[Anonymous]

hey thx for replying , and erm yeah out and about but mostly at home really, and do you think that would give me better quality by using amp/DAX ? what kind of setup do you suggest ? . I really want some audiophile quality :/ . Also where do i get uncompressed music from ? i just cant find it all i can find is .mp3 formats . I heard uncompressed music is like 90mb :O

 

[DavieCee]

My gear that conveniently fits in your budget:-

Sennheiser PX-200s for out & about. Actually, in-ear ones will give less wind interference, if you like them.

Beresford Caiman DAC (& Headphone amp), Digital cable & Grado Sr80i for in the house but they are open so really only if you are alone in the room.

You can adjust models to suit your tastes but a set-up like that will give better benefits than just an expensive set of headphones.

 

[Anonymous]

so you are saying that setup is better then just denon ah d5000 :/ ? , i dont think its like the very good quality setup. Aint iphone 4 enough to set my denon ah d5000 ? i mean is it that worse ? i can always buy a good amp later on maybe.. ?

 

[Anonymous]

would the yamaha as 500 amplifier drive it good ?

 

[idc]

Actually, the Yamaha would work well. I used one to audition some Sennheisers HD595 and was impressed, more with the amp than the headphones.

Highest up the Denon range that I have heard is the AH D1001 out of an ipod without proper amplification. I find the bass emphasis too much for me, but with your taste in music that bass would probably be what you are looking for. Their detail is excellent. Even though they are closed backed they leak a surprising amount of sound. I think they are far better value for money that the Beats. With the Beats you are paying a lot for image and 'celebrity'.

 

[DavieCee]

adnan12345:so you are saying that setup is better then just denon ah d5000 :/ ? , i dont think its like the very good quality setup. Aint iphone 4 enough to set my denon ah d5000 ? i mean is it that worse ? i can always buy a good amp later on maybe.. ?

My point was that quality closed back earphones need some oomph to drive them properly and the iPhone just doesn't cut it in my opinion.

You will need to power the phones somehow and there are quite a few options

 

[idc]

There are some highly rated portable amp/DACs which can be used for home listening from Firestone, Nuforce and iBasso.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for replying guys and idc i guess i am going to get the denon d5000 and then invest in some nice amps later. As long as they are better then the beats . Thx for your time idc

 

[idc]

Your welcome, please post back when you get the Denons.

 

[Anonymous]

oh yh sure il let you know how they function without an amp and then after that with the yamaha's amp

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know if you've already bought your Dennon's but if you weren't willing to buy amplification you may want to pay some attention to your headphones impedance and ask around how efficient they are. If you are happy to continue to amplify your equipment and upgrade your music to lossless then completely disregard this.
Thankfully the Dennon's are pretty easy to drive, something like 25O impedance and are well known for efficient drivers. All I'd say is the whole Hi-Fi world is coming into fashion (i'm not saying it's a bad thing a tall everyone deserves to listen to music as it should sound) and it is unfortunetly it is close to impossible to take any 'shortcuts' you need to be purchasing at the same sort of quality throughout your set up (unless it's with the intention to upgrade). This is simply because however you work it, if you have one poor quality item then your entire system is under performing. In fact in your case if you're using MP3 quality files from a poor source your headphones are going to sound worse than those cheaper as they're going to pick up the imperfections and degraded quality... Take heed to those above and don't just jump in and spend all your money on one component and think that's the best you can do.
Another small point to make is that even with the highest quality system if your ears haven't grown accustom to improvements in sound (in smaller increments) you're probably going to be paying a premium price tag for something that's going to seem similar to something half the price. There are obvious improvement over for example your stocks or say headphones under £100 but as the price continues to increase the improvements in sound become smaller and more refined and a whole hell of a lot more expensive. All I can say is audition what you can justify and purchase within your means otherwise you're just going to be wasting money that could be spent on other things or equipment.