Yeah, Sennheisser have a very good reputation here... why not their top model with the integrated tube amplifier... costs about $ 9.000
I just sold my Senn 580, and now use an AKG 501. The AKG lacks the Senns bass impact, but has a much sweeter midrange. Both sound terrible without a dedicated amp, imo.
Sennheiser HD600 Headphones ClouCable Clou Red XLR Headphone Cable HeadRoom BlockHead Headphone Amp w/Stepped Attenuator, DC Coupled DiMarzio XLR Interconnects
I don't use headphones at home, but when I go on the road to customer sites I always take a portable system. If I'm going to be there a while, it's nice to go back to the hotel and listen to the Sennheiser 600s and Headroom Supreme. This combination is a bit bulky though, and the 600s are pretty useless on the plane. The Supreme needs 4 'D' cells which are heavy to carry; the wall-wart is not a bad power supply. If I listened to this in my apartment I'd probably get a Base Station PS. Normally I take a Headroom Total AirHead and Sony noise cancelling 'phones MDR-NC20. This works great when one is flying for music and the movie. At work I use the Sennheiser HD495 to listen to the computer sound card. These are very light and comfortable open-back 'phones - I can hear the telephone ring and my manager yelling at me. Regards, Metralla
Grado SR80 and SR325, Sennheiser HD600 and AKGK501. Also have a Yamaha HP-1 from the late 70's. I use Grado RA-1 and MF X-Cans headphone amps.
I have an old pair of Audio Technica electret headphones. Very nice, if somewhat lacking in bass. I have auditioned a few, as I have ben wanting a modestly priced new pair, and really liked the AKG 501s - like Pigmode said, not bass heavy, but very enjoyable. Sennheiser 580s sounded OK, but too boomy for my ears - plenty of oomph though. Sennheiser 590s were a little drier by comparison, but quite nice. Haven't heard the 600s. I also tried some Sony MDR-780s. They've had some good reviews, but I couldn't get myself to like them (but it could have been a problem with the listening setup). At the moment, my selection for best sound for the bucks would be the AKG-501s. Bloody lovely. Any suggestions for a good modestly priced headphone amp?
I use a pair of STAX PRO LAMBDA's driven through a STAX SRD-7 Professional Earspeaker adapter - which attaches to the Zone 2 speaker terminals on my Integra 6.2 receiver.
When I want to do any seriously analytical listening, I use Sennheiser 600's. Best dynamic headphones around IMHO!
I rarely do listening for enjoyment on cans but for mastering work I use Sony MDR-7506 Pro. yeah, they're the common ones found in many recording studios but at the time I didn't want to spend an extra $100 on the next higher model. I like the fact that I can overdrive these things and they don't burn out. I once accidentally fed a sine wave through them at high volume, and they still play like new, no distortion.
Funny this should be asked now ... I use Grado SR-60's, which are pretty good for what they are and how much they cost, but I do a lot of home recording and have been looking for something a little better ... I'll probably look into some of the models given here ...
How do electrostatic earphones compare to decent dynamic ones? I presently have Sennheiser HD600s with a Musical-Fidelity:X-Cans amp w/ X-PSU.
Electrostatic headphones are the best headphones!!! I had a STAX Lambda Signature a couple years ago... very smooth, clear and fast! The only disadvantage... the low bass isn't so good
