Yura Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Hey all Im looking to buy some nice headphones as i figured its the best thing to do for midnight listening and so on. Of course i will be using them mostly with my PC that right now has Audigy2 ( yea i know its not the best...) Anyway - do you think it makes sense to buy sennheiser hd590 for listening to mp3 format? I mean most of them are low bitrate ~160. So will these nice phones produce a really crapy sound because of poor quality of MP3's or will i be just fine? I'm not into high volume or heavy music- more like quite and mellow...( and sometimes electronica). What you say - good choice/idea? This is perhaps tops for my budget too... (oh boy - first $400 PC speakers, now $200 earphones...- why did i need the speakers again?) Anyway - i want to hear your opinions and maybe if someone used these or close model - tell me your impressions. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I personally really like the Beyer Dynamic headphones... but either way you go, you are right that you will probably not use them to their fullest with MP3 files. You have to consider if you will eventually use them with better recordings or not... and perhaps buy a lesser model from the same manufacture. Just my 2¢... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I would rather have teh HD-580's, look around because you can find the HD-600's for like $250 and now they have the HD-650's so who knows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oogins Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I have the 590's and I enjoy them a lot. I use them with my computer since I don't have any computer speakers. It's a wise idea to audition headphones first. I went with the 590's because I thought they offered the best value for my price range. The 580's and 600's have a smoother response while the 590's are a bit more lively. I liked the Senn 600's but they were too expensive for me. And between the 580's and 590's, I preferred the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 formica - - I do know that when i get my own place - i will want to have a decent set of headphones to listen to music ( CDs, radio, maybe even movies)...so i figure getting them a bit early is not going to hurt. justin_tx_16- - $250 is way out of my budget for headhpones. I mean $150 (like for HD590) is the best i can do here - and i think thats pretty damn good considering that i often can't tell difference between $500 and $2000 speakers. Why do you say that i should look into 580's? I've heard that quite a few people had some issues with cables on those. I did also hear that supposedly they sound closer to 600 . I've listened to 570, 590 and Phillips 910 -and 590 were the best. oogins- what kind of sound card do you use with 590's? Does it can a built-in amp ? do cans get enough juice with that card? Do you listen to MP3s, play games, listen to CD's or radio in those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oogins Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Yura, I use the Game Theatre. I powers the 590's quite well. But I'll likely pick up a headphone amp soon. I play games and listen to mp3's and the occasional CD. The Senn's do a very good job with all of them. But I do all my critical music listening on my JMlab/NAD stereo system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtximages Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I listened to the Senn. HD 600 and were very impressed while the 500 line didnt do it for me. But, I ended up buying the Senn. HD 497. Its a new headphone with excellent ratings and sounds awesome. Best of all, Its well under $100. I got mine for about $40 on ebay. I love them!! Check some reviews on them. Theyre comparable to the Grado SR-60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I used to use my Game Theater XP to power my HD-580, 570 and 590's. When I got the HD-600's I rarely used the headphone output, instead I connected my computer to my receiver and used that. I sold the HD-570's to my brother and gave the 590's to my uncle who needed quality headphones for a recording job in Denmark. The GTXP does a decent enough job, but once you get to about 80-90% power you realize that you are on a great sound card, not a great headphone amp. I found the 590's to be more powerful in bass than they were in midrange, where the 580's excelled in both, but not as punchy in the bass. The 580's used to be the top of the line, then the 580 Jubilee which was limited to about 150 produced, then a few months later they improved the headband and a few other tweaks which became the HD-600. I like the 580's second to the 600's, I hope to get the 650's when I have them available at my local Sennheiser dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 Ok... Thanks for advise and opinions...I think i will check out those Sen. 497. I got to thinking today that without headphone amp - they are not going to do their best - which would be a shame and money wasted ( since i also want to use new set with iPOD . I took iPOD today to Good Guys to listen to 590 - and even though they sounded great, player did not have enough juice to move these, so i will probably kick it down a notch since im gonna be listening to MP3 and play games in these headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 go to headroom.com, they will tell you more about headphones than you want to know, they even have some good deals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Headphones are a great way to listen to amplifier and to save your personal relationships. They give an amazingly accurate performance for very little money compared to amplifiers. If you are just listening to a PC now, you certainly do NOT need a headphone amplifier. You could go with simple earbuds. By going up your ear canal, the buds are able to give incredible sound without a lot of power, for very little money. You can listen and compare many earbuds at BestBuy. I listened to dozens at several places, but ended up with mid-priced Sonys at Target (no listening available there, less selection, but better prices). Sorry, no model number, but they had a little better bass and slightly better efficiency and sound. The Koss buds were also good, but a little less specs. The fancy earbud models are NOT worth it, at least NOT for the sound. I had the Koss PortaPro for over a decade and loved them: quite surprising sound for so little money in such useful and handy headphones. I currently have an ancient set of Stax electroset phones, which sound like electrostatic loudspeakers, except they are easily driven by my flea-powered tube Bottlehead 2A3 Paramour monoblocks amplifiers. BTW, I prefer the closed, keep out the noise style. Open ear headphones leave me cold. I dont like them resting on my ears and I dont want outside noises interfering with my listening, so take each persons preferences into account when they make suggestions about they like. If you decide on full size headphones, the $60-80 Grados have been recommended by Stereophile magazine and many, many people for years. If you get them, you may never upgrade your headphones ever again. I listened to the Sennheiser HD580 briefly and can see what people like about them. Next to the Grados, the mid-range Sennheisers are some of the most respected and recommended headphones you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 Colin- I can't use earbuds. I get headacke from them ( even though i got some really nice sounding ones with my iPO). I would like to get the big ones that go all the way around the ear. Now about the brand - the only 2 decent brands i could find at local sound shop were Sen. and Philips ( HP910). I would love to try out and compare Grado and AKG to those, but i just cant find any here...I will try to look for the KOSS you mentioned too. Keep em coming....i like to do my research and then get best for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Before I finally decided to get my HD-600's, I tried out the AKG Studio 240's. I liked them but they really seemed to lack any decent bass. They may have not been setup correctly and were probable not the best to try out because they were the display headphones. But I just felt a lot better about the Sennheisers (580, 590, 600). I have a pair of Koss PortaPro and SportaPro's. They are excellent headphones (the SportaPro has a bass problem where the driver rumbles, the PortaPro does not have this problem, even though they are seemingly the same drivers...) I also had the Shures which are not within your spectrum to purchase because of the in-ear canal style of the headphone. Mine were defective so I cannot comment on those either, except that I have only read wonderful things about them, if you ever feel like getting in-ear headphones again. You can get the Koss PortaPro's for super cheap, like $15-30 online and even if you decide to get something much "nicer", please just get the PortaPro's and realize how good they are. I got mine after i got my HD-600's and was wowed at the sound quality. Do you care if they are closed headphones or open? I prefer open headphones, seem to be more transparent and have a greater volume and frequency range. They are also cooler on your ears than closed headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 Justin- when you say close or open you mean ? As i understand closed design is one that tries to block all the external sounds and stop heaphones from leaking sound to the outside; while the open ones don't prevent air/sound waves from traveling. I do like the closed heaphones idea more ( so i can crank them up late at night without people in the next room waking up), but i did really like the sounds of open design of Sen 590. Plus that should let the ears get more fresh air. Right now im thinking about 1) Grado SR60 ~$60 2) Koss PortaPro $33 ( Amazon.com) Its amazing that PortaPro were desined in 1980's and are still the best cans in the price range...This is just unbelivable. Same goes to Grado's - designed quite a while ago they seem to be some of the most liked cans ( and not only in their price range too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Just throwing my 2 cents in, but as an experienced film editor, the headphones we use to make sure no detail is lost in our soundtracks are the Sony Studio Monitor MDR-7506 Professional. They are killer at sound reproduction in movies and music. They retail for $120-$130 I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 I got my PortaPro's for $25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yura Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 thanks for the tip about SONY MDR - but i decided i don't need anything above $100 as these cans will mostly be used for MP3 on PC, games, and listening to MP3 on iPOD. Justin- where? Wonder if they are still sold for same price at same place you bought them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 amazon.com sells them for $33 http://www.slmn.org/products/product.php?asin=B00001P505 sells them for $20 http://shop.store.yahoo.com/efunctional/porta-pro.html sells them for $32 The MSRP is $50 from Koss.com, they had them for $25 for about a month this summer, bummer you missed that. I got mine through OfficeDepot.com and they delivered them next day to my office for free. Now they are like $40 at OfficeDepot.com though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 If you like closed rather than open and like the Sennheiser sound, go with the 280-Pro. They're only $60-$70 nowadays. I love mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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