Hey there guys. My recent paycheck is fatter than usual and I procured a decent amount of Christmas money. It is time that I picked up a nice pair of headphones to use when making music. I'm simply tired of using my Corsair Vengeance 1500s for audio creation and want a nicer pair from a reputable brand like Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic for example.
I'm strictly looking for over-ear cans. I dislike in-ear or on-ear since they're uncomfortable for me. I plan on buying a DAC/AMP like the O2 down the road when I get a little more money, so powering them adequately is not a concern. So far, I've looked at the HD598s from Sennheiser and the Custom One Pros from Beyerdynamic. I've heard a lot of good things about the Custom One Pros, but I'm curious to know if there's anything better for around $250.
Also, the type of music I make is electronic music. Obviously I plan to use these for listening to music. Aside from electronic music, I also listen to metal, so accentuated bass wouldn't be a bad thing so long as it's not over the top and overpowers the mids and highs. I guess I'm more of a flat EQ kind of guy, but a little bit of color won't hurt.
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to post them. Any info you can give me about your suggestions would be very beneficial in helping me decide.
Having owned or still owning several "studio" headphones from AKG, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic and Ultrasone. My go-to headphones are still the some what industry standard HD600's. They were among the first ones that I bought, but I was stupid enough to sell them, and several other headphones later, including DT880 (the older retro version that i still own), AKG 702 and HD650 I'm back with them. So out of all these great headphones, HD600 have stood the test of time for me.
They are not the most exciting sounding headphones one could get, but there's also nothing that has ended up annoying me even after years of use.
Yeah, I had definitely been looking at the HD600s for a long time, but they're just too much money, and I really don't want to buy a used pair. I also had to pick up an AMP as well, which ran me another $75 (Got the Fiio E10). Additionally, I read a lot of reviews regarding the sound signature of the 600s, and it just didn't sound appealing to me personally.
In the end, I went with the DT-880s (250 ohms) since I've heard a lot of good things about them, and a few people described their sound signature to me and it sounded perfect for the kind of music I listen to and make. Plus they were $50 under budget, so it made buying them plus the E10 way more comfortable. They'll be arriving no later than this Tuesday, so I'm excited to say the least. Finally I'll have a pair of serious headphones for my music. No more using my gaming headset for audio creation!
Anyway, thanks for posting. Also, how do you like your DT-880s? I'm curious.
They're great phones. Lighter and more spacious sounding than the HD600's. I can't say for the new version, but the retro model are also by far the most comfortable headphones I've had on my head. My only gripe with them is slight sibilance in the treble I experience with some music, but my ears are very sensitive to treble. That's probably why I like the HD600's so much.
I'm listening to I Am the Highway by Audioslave as I speak and these sound amazing. I tried some metal and was blown away by how well they handle it. I also listened to the Witcher 2 soundtrack and it sounds god damn beautiful. I haven't even really broken them in yet either. Also, these are definitely comfortable. The pads are super soft and the headband doesn't weigh down too much on the top of my head. The overall weight is good for me, and they don't press against my head much even though they don't move at all.
If I had any gripes about them, it would be the overall build quality. They use plastic in areas I would consider critical to the sturdiness. Mainly where the arms that hold the cans connect to the headband and to the cans themselves. I would have loved to see metal materials used for these little areas. But the arms, cans, and headband all feel sturdy. I also wouldn't have minded a removable cable, but that's not an issue.
if you want closed headphones: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM
open equivalent: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-Pro-250-Professional-Acoustically-Applications/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1388520961&sr=1-2&keywords=dt+880+pro
(if you want semi open, there are also 880 pros)
if you want something a bit more expensive, there are always the akg k 702 (there are also the 701's which fall in your price range, but it seems the 702's are worth the extra money... have not heard eather of these in real life though)
just remember, to get the most out of these cards, you need a non integrated sound card. look at what impedance it can drive. if its not high enough for the headphones, you will need an external amp.