Is there any headphones brand better than Sennheiser?

[U2Man]

I don't think so.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

No, I don't think so.

 

[RedRocksU2]

I don't think so either......I have the HD580. Superb sound.

 

[U2Man]

i am planning on getting these

 

[RedRocksU2]

whoa.

 

[U2Man]

I have these already, but I cannot say that I'm very impressed with their sound:

 

[Chile]

Short answer: no

However, you should only buy the ones made in Ireland and not the ones manufactured on Friday afternoon or Monday morning.

 

[indra]

I'm planning on buying the HD-555s and the PX 100s. Anyone have experience with these?

I figure I'd like to know of any horrible experiences people have had before I actually buy them.

 

[stammer476]

I've got the HD-280. They're amaaaaazing.

 

[U2Man]

post some pics. please.

 

[indra]

The HD 555

The PX 100. Sometimes I like to sleep with headphones and the HD 555's are just too bulky for that. and these would be more portable.

 

[U2Man]

whats the price difference between the HD555 and the HD595?

 

[indra]

This is what I found on Amazon US:

555 -- list $169.95; current amazon price $94.88

595 -- list $289.95; current amazon price $176.98

All prices USD.

 

[U2Man]

ok, so that's quite a difference.

 

[Diemen]

I have the 580s and a nice headphone amp. Almost perfect.

 

[ntalwar]

I've had the Sony MDR-V900 for a couple of years - not sure if I should switch to Sennheiser .

a nice headphone amp

What type - I'm thinking of getting one. Probably just the HeadAmp.

 

[Diemen]

The MDR-Vx00 line doesn't exactly enjoy the best reputation... although you'd probably find the bass a little lacking if you switched to the 580s, I bet you would find it noticeably better overall. The 280s might be a better bet for you since you're used to sealed cans.

As for my amp I have a HeadAmp Gilmore Dynamic v2 (not made anymore). It's closest to their current GS-1 (though the GS-1 is supposed to be noticeably better).

 

[ntalwar]

I'll get either the HD 580 or the HD 595 - once I figure out the difference between them .

 

[corianderstem]

What's a headphone amp? I mean, I can guess what it does ... how does it attach to headphones? Or does it work some other way?

Does it make a noticable difference in higher-end headphones?

 

[Diemen]

The headphones plug into the headphone amp, which plugs into the stereo outputs on the back of a cd player/receiver/source.

[geek]It depends on the headphone, but generally they do make a noticeable difference. A lot of the Sennheisers (well, until recently, anyway) are high impedance, meaning that they aren't very efficient and need more "juice" than your regular headphone. Most standard headphone jacks are built for headphones with an impedance of 64ohms at most. The Sennheiser HD580 has an impedance of 300ohms. So they might sound a little weak out of your iPod or a portable cd player because the headphone jacks aren't designed to drive difficult loads - that's where the headphone amp comes in - more power and better designed circuitry=better sound.[/geek]

That said, there are plenty of high end headphones with low impedance that sound great out of just about anything. And the Senns don't sound terrible straight out of an iPod headphone jack, but they do sound much better with a nice amp. I wouldn't even really recommend an amp unless you like really listening to music as an activity in itself (aka, put on an album and do nothing except listen to it vs just having background music). They're generally fairly expensive for something you can only use with headphones ($150 gets you bottom of the line, and they can go into the thousands if you really go nuts ).

 

[Diemen]

I'll get either the HD 580 or the HD 595 - once I figure out the difference between them .

The 595 is supposed to have a pretty up-front sound compared to the 580. The 580 is more laid back - maybe not the best for rock and roll, but it's so well balanced and detailed (plus comfy!) that it's easy to overlook it's faults.

 

[ntalwar]

The 595 is supposed to have a pretty up-front sound compared to the 580. The 580 is more laid back - maybe not the best for rock and roll, but it's so well balanced and detailed (plus comfy!) that it's easy to overlook it's faults.

Thanks - ordered the 595, so hopefully it'll be a gem.

I'll be using a headphone amp mainly with my PC's E-MU sound card. It currently drives the headphones, but it's a bit weak.

 

[U2Man]

Thanks - ordered the 595, so hopefully it'll be a gem.

I'll be using a headphone amp mainly with my PC's E-MU sound card. It currently drives the headphones, but it's a bit weak.

dont forget to type a full review here.

(im interested in knowing how they sound with and without headphones amp).

 

[ntalwar]

dont forget to type a full review here.

(im interested in knowing how they sound with and without headphones amp).

Looking forward to getting them and breaking them in. I'll probably just use the headphone amp (if I need it) with the PC and not the HT system. The 595 has a higher impedance than my Sony. My AV Receiver (Pioneer Elite) should still be able to drive them.

 

[ntalwar]

The 595 arrived today and sounds great so far - but still need some breaking in to make the bass clearer. The mids and highs are a lot more detailed than what I was using before. It seems like no details escape these headphones - including imperfections during recording, which I guess is a good thing . Vocals sound amazing. I'll see how they sound after the breakin period - should be really .

 

[corianderstem]

Not sure if I should start a new thread for this or not ...

I have a pair of good headphones I like, but I don't like lugging them around with me, so they're just for home use. Can you recommend a good sounding pair of in-ear headphones?

I have some Sony headphones that sound great, but they're really inconvenient to use. With the normal length cord, they're too short, and way too long with the extension.

Plus, it's got a little clip thing on it that keeps the cords from tangling, which is great in theory, but it makes the left ear's cord so short that it's a huge annoyance, and there's no way to move the clip. Really annoying.

 

[RedRocksU2]

I just got these;

Bose In-ear $99....kinda pricey, but excellent sound and Very comfortable

 

[irishbusby]

Really?

Hasn't anyone heard of Etymotic?!!

Noise cancelling, great sound, compact - I've never looked back:

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i-rev.aspx

I mean, if they're good enough for a certain Mr. Edge to use on stage, they'll do me:

http://homerecording.about.com/od/audiomonitorreviews/gr/etymotic.htm

 

[corianderstem]

Bose In-ear $99....kinda pricey, but excellent sound and Very comfortable

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to look into those.

 

[U2Man]

The 595 arrived today and sounds great so far - but still need some breaking in to make the bass clearer. The mids and highs are a lot more detailed than what I was using before. It seems like no details escape these headphones - including imperfections during recording, which I guess is a good thing . Vocals sound amazing. I'll see how they sound after the breakin period - should be really .

more on this now, ntalwar?