TheCorp

Hey there everyone, this is one of the RealGN admins with a question for you home theater geniuses. ;-)

Im really interested in getting a new set of headphones to replace my headache inducing Koss TD80s. Im trying to find the best ones that are circumaural and dont allow any sound out or in. It'll be hooked up to my audigy or my sexy kenwood amp which has its own headphone driver. I only say this because I know a lot of the headphones im looking at do their best with a dedicated headphone amp.

Essentially, im not sure about some of the terminology for headphones and which ones dont allow sound in or out because I need to game/listen to music loud as hell late at night without waking up my entire apartment. All this circumaural and open and closed stuff, its all very confusing, so if anyone could help out id appreciate it.

Right now im looking at Sennheisers and possibly some Sony's. Im willing to spend up to about $100 (for good audio ill pay up). So, any headphones suggestions would be great too

[Ive been fixing got|apex problems for the last 3 years: so you all owe me the best advice in the world] ;-)

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"TheCorp" - Your other favorite RealGN admin.

TheCorp

Just took a look at some of the older posts in the forum about headphones, and http://www.headphone.com has been a really cool resource so far. Im still having a hard time finding a closed headphone which is high end enough for my tastes. Is there any reason why all the really high end headphones are all open designs?

Anyways still looking at some Sennheisers, but not sure yet...

modena

I just ordered the low end BOSE headphones ($150). I tried them in the store and they are simply amazing. My brother has Senhiemer (misspelled) headphones that cost right around $100 and the BOSE are clearly better (richer, deeper bass; cant hear anything going on outside the headphones; crisp sounds overall). Just what I have researched if it helps you at all...

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spigidygak

First off. . . no offense Modena, but Bose is not that great. . . I haven't heard of anyone actually liking those headphones. But hey a lot of the judgement can be subjective. Anyhow, for a closed-can set I'd go with something from Beyerdynamic. The DT 231s will fit your price range exactly. However I'd spend a lil' more and get the DT 250-80. Another thing, unless you absolutely must have closed ear cans, I'd recommend getting some open eared ones. The reason high-end cans are open eared is you get less distortion and a lot more of a natural sound than closed-cans. If you can, check out the Grado SR60 or SR80. Also check out any of the Sennheiser 497. That headphone.com site is golden.

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TheCorp

Oooh thanks for the DT250s suggestion, both that and the Sennheiser 280 Pros are lookin good for closed ear cans. (look all this research has got me callin em cans already) =)

Anyways, I talked to the guy from GoodCans.com and he suggested I look at the Sennheiser 280s or possible the Denon 950s. I think if im going to get some closed ear headphones its probably going to be the 280s just because Amazon.com has them available for 80 dollars! Their MSRP on the Sennheiser site is $200. Thats just too good to pass up if you ask me...

Now, ive been thinking about it, and Im not sure if I *really* need closed ear headphones. Im lookin at the Sennheiser 570s also. Those seem suprisingly badass, and they are available on amazon for $85. So I dont know, im still trying to decide what I want, but at least ive narrowed the decision down to two. Thanx for the help guys...

spigidygak

Yeah, I used to have the 570s for a while when I was dorming. They were very nice. However if you're gonna be on the heavier side of music lock rock and playing lots of video games and watching movies, the Beyers or definitely Grados will be a lot better. Sennheisers are more too accurate in a way and are excellent for classical music and monitoring but they don't give you that sound that some people prefer.

M_A_C

This is where I got my headphones from, and they also have alot of info on the site. I got the Technics RP-DJ1200's, which are a close set of headphones. They really kick ass, but might be a bit pricey for ya. Anyways, check out http://www.goodcans.com/

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TheCorp

Hmmm thats a good point, ive heard that about Sennheisers before, I wish there was a way I could test em out to see how much this "too good reproduction" really matters. Im a huge fan of rock and video games no doubt, but im also a big fan of a lot of accoustic/classical/jazz music so I think I may appreciate the Sennheisers more in those cases. Hmmm not sure, not sure, well thanx for the advice guys, much appreciated...

spigidygak

Hey man, you're in san diego. There are a bunch of places you can probably audition those headphones or similar models. I'm sure good guys should have the sennheisers. There probably are some home theater specialty shops that will have the others.

ufcrusher

As of when I worked at Good guys, we had the sennheisers out on display with all the other high end headphones that we sold. I havent really paid attention whether they still have the headphone displays up on the few trips i have made to the stores in the last year.

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TheCorp

An excellent idea, hehe, you must understand I work so much on the internet that I happen to forget that actual brick and mortar stores do exist ;-)

Thank god for college, saving my ass from complete nerd-dom for the last few years =)