Upgrade for Sennheiser HD497 ?

[tom2b]

Hi Everybody,

Have recently upgraded my HiFi system from a Teak Reference 300 series to a Marantz M-CR603.

I have the above named headphones and still find them good for my listening, but am wondering whether an upgrade will bring 'improvements' ~ appreciate any advice will well be'subjective', but any opinions/advice will be appreciated.

To add, I will be looking to spend approx £150.00... These'phones will only be used indoors on my Marantz.

About 80% of the music I listen to is 70's roots reggae/dub (Think Lee Scratch Perry/Burning Spear and so on) but also includes more'soulful 'reggae with empasis on accoustics/vocal harmonies.

Thank you !

 

[quadpatch]

I have heard quite a few Sennheisers, but not HD497, I see that they're a decent performing, modest budget, open back and your new Marantz system looks interesting. I think the budget you have for headphones will offer a really good step up in quality, because that's where things start to get very interesting imo. I'm not that into reggae, but I think headphones in this price range can be pretty multi tallented. Do you want to stick with open back or are you not bothered?

Anyway, here are a couple that I like for that kind of price (all these are closed):

SoundMAGIC HP100

GermanMAESTRO GMP 8.35 D

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Limited Edition 32 Ohm

 

[tom2b]

Quad,

Thank you for reply~the Sennheisers are now about 15years old, have served me well, but are now ready to be pensioned off, lol.
Will consider your suggestions~ to me it doesnt matter they are open or closed, but as a preference would probably say that i would want'over' ear, rather than'on'

 

[quadpatch]

You're welcome . I only mentioned closed back ones there because, from the ones I've heard, those better fit into your budget and are awesome. I would rate the SoundMAGIC the highest of the 3 there, then the Beyer. Most really good open back ones I've tried that I love are a bit more than your budget unfortunately.

I would recommend the open back Beyer DT880 or DT990 (more bass) but they're about £220+. The Sennheiser HD600/650 are nearly twice your budget and although they are fantastic they do shine from a bit of high end amping. Perhaps the HP200, when it comes out soon, will give you the best bang for your buck for an open back sound (£200 ish), I am testing a pair of those right now, Dale loves his quite a bit, but I'm not quite sure when they're coming out.

 

[dalethorn]

I have a few of the reggae-related tracks - Toots & Maytals, Peter Tosh, Marley, Jimmy Cliff, a few more. My feeling is, stay away from the bright and "technical" sounding headphones and get something warmer. Now, by no coincidence, Marley's own Exodus headphone is close to what I would like in sound, but the fit and comfort are not good. If I were using for example the new HP200, I would always hit the "Treble Reducer" button no matter what music I'm playing, and probably you would find out when trying them. But the HP200 I do recommend highly, because with that one little fix, the overall sound is perfect, especially for reggae.