# Headphones - Suggestions please!



## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

I'm after a new set of headphones for use with my iPod. Ideally I would like over ear or on ear style headphones (closed or open back). They are to be used for DIY / desk based work / around the house etc. For ref, my music source is a 3rd generation (for now) iPod, using CD sourced music ripped via iTunes with the Apple lossless format. The iPod will have to be able to power the new phones adequately, so no separate headphone amp etc.

I've put together a basic shortlist including examples from AKG, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamics, Denon and Grado; with a budget to around £250 max. After a quick trip to my local Currys I tried on a few there and the Monster Dr Dre Studios quickly became a reference for comfort, fit and overall weight, but but not for value for money as I believe they are rather overpriced for their sound quality (and build quality), even though they look superb! 

Any suggestions very welcome folks - what do you use and have good / bad experience of..?


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## DesertDog (May 15, 2011)

I have a pair of these Bowers & Wilkins P5's.

Beautifully made and trimmed with soft leather, they fit perfectly and sound absolutely wonderful. They are also compact enough to easily fit inside their own carry case inside my airline carry-on bag.

Highly recommended, just read the reviews.


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## Laurie.J.M (Jun 23, 2011)

DesertDog said:


> I have a pair of these Bowers & Wilkins P5's.
> 
> Beautifully made and trimmed with soft leather, they fit perfectly and sound absolutely wonderful. They are also compact enough to easily fit inside their own carry case inside my airline carry-on bag.
> 
> Highly recommended, just read the reviews.


I also have a pair and can't speak highly enough of them. The build quality is beautiful, The only part of them that made of plastic is the cable, everything else is made of either really soft leather or aluminium, there isn't any active noise canceling but they do isolate outside sounds really well and because they're closed back very little sound leaks out. The sound quality is almost perfect, absolutely no distortion no matter what the music, the bass is good, it rumbles and thumps in all the right places but it's not overpowering and never distorted (I found the Beats by Dr.Dre were to bassy), the mids and vocal ranges are perfect and the highs are really bright and clear although they can be a little harsh on brighter recordings. The fit is really good and comfortable for long listening sessions (although they can make your ears a little hot). The slightly retro styling is really attractive and I think they look really stylish (I quite often where them round my neck they look that good). They also have a remote and microphone for controlling your iphone (volume and answer call functions). They also come with a very nice quilted leather case (although I don't really use it). They're around £250 at most retailers and worth every penny.


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## stonejedi (Feb 2, 2008)

dr dre beats the best headphones ive used.


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## awallacee30 (May 4, 2011)

Bose 'On Ear' headphones are good. Best pair I've owned so far.

Liking those B&W's tho ! :thumb:


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

you will struggle to power reference level cans from an ipod. no question i occasionally have used my AKG 701's from a 3.5mm connection on an imac and tbh its pants, tried it on my iphone and tbh i pulled it out in 30 seconds.

to make the best of headphones at that price level you WILL need a can amp. i am not saying they wont power the cans but it will not be 100%

as for what i would choose: -

AKG 701's (it is previous gen - but they generally get better reviews than the later 702) 
Senn HD650 IF you can find them at £250
the B & W cans are very good and the quality if anything like there speakers will be 2nd to none. Although i have read reviews for prolonged listening they can be a bit to pressurising on the head until burnt in.


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## Davy (May 12, 2011)

Dre's for me mate. I appreciate what you're saying ref build quality and price, but they haven't let me down yet. Love em'

Davy


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

I get on well with Beyerdynamic headphones, but in general, if you spend £150+ you won't be disappointed. Just make sure you pay attention to the impedance, as iPods struggle a lot with anything significantly over 32 ohms. 

You also won't be getting the best from a good set of headphones if you're only using it for your iPod because the headphone amp is not all that great (are class D heaphone amps often good?? ) and you will probably quickly notice the flaws with compressed audio tracks...


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

SteveyG said:


> You also won't be getting the best from a good set of headphones if you're only using it for your iPod because the headphone amp is not all that great (are class D heaphone amps often good?? ) and you will probably quickly notice the flaws with compressed audio tracks...


not really....:lol: i have gone virtually back to CD's although i am looking for a new CD player (sep) ofc :lol: keep thinking of a denon/marantz/creek though :wall:


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Arcam


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

SteveyG said:


> Arcam


that as well :lol: to much choice!


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Cyrus? :lol:

I know what you mean - so many nice models make you want to buy... I really want to upgrade from my NAD CD player, even though I don't really need to.


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Interesting suggestions guys - thanks for the input :thumb:

B&W - The phones in the picture look very very nice indeed! Well, I've never been a fan of their speakers, so I'm not entirely convinced, but I will try and hunt down a pair to listen to. One good B&W speaker character trait being that are very easy to listen to over long periods of time. Valuable asset with headphones perhaps when they are clamped next to your ears!

Monster Dr Beats: Sorry, these headphones aren't that great at all. The HD version is a little better, granted. The Studios are much better all round (if very bass heavy), but they were soundly (no pun intended) thrashed by a pair of £100 Denon 1100's sat next to them, so they are vastly overpriced. A good used buy potentially though - ebay fakes aside!

Beyerdynamic: I'm drawn to them due to their legendary build quality I must admit, but they are at the very top of my budget and Ideally I would like to keep the outlay to the two hundred pound mark. I will spend more if there's a huge improvement, but the 80/20 rule may well come into play.

Headphone Amps: I know that small dinky ones are available, so I'm not totally ruling out using one, just that I'd prefer to keep things simple.

Stevey & Ninja - Superb advice regarding the sensitivity of the iPod. Thanks for that, much appreciated. Wasn't 100% sure. :thumb:

---


Ninja59 said:


> not really....:lol: i have gone virtually back to CD's although i am looking for a new CD player (sep) ofc :lol: keep thinking of a denon/marantz/creek though :wall:


CD Players: Check out the range from Naim Audio. They are one of the only Hi-Fi brands that retain their value when secondhand. Buy wisely used (all packing & accessories etc) and you will be able to enjoy it for a couple of years and sell it on for roughly what you paid for it. Even more so with their amps too. I've a vinatge Nait II 'Chrome Bumper' integrated that's actually gone up in value since I bought it! Naim do have their own sound signature, which is not for everyone, but there is nothing else that's as toe tapping or as excting to listen to that I've experienced. For a wide open soundstage, then valves are your friend! Arcam are a decent alternative to Naim though. 

http://www.naimaudio.com/

For used Naim, ebay is a good source (ask the seller loads of questions!) and this site also...

http://www.tomtomaudio.com/


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

yetizone said:


> CD Players: Check out the range from Naim Audio. They are one of the only Hi-Fi brands that retain their value when secondhand. Buy wisely used (all packing & accessories etc) and you will be able to enjoy it for a couple of years and sell it on for roughly what you paid for it. Even more so with their amps too. I've a vinatge Nait II 'Chrome Bumper' integrated that's actually gone up in value since I bought it! Naim do have their own sound signature, which is not for everyone, but there is nothing else that's as toe tapping or as excting to listen to that I've experienced. For a wide open soundstage, then valves are your friend! Arcam are a decent alternative to Naim though. ;


I agree that if you ever sell things on when you want to upgrade, then it is well worth thinking about the resale value and Naim components do tend to go for silly money second hand, however, I have the service manuals for some of the CD players and to be honest, from the DAC onwards, the design is nothing special - they still tend to have the same £5 DAC from Texas Instruments and a pretty standard I-V stage, so from a purely engineering point of view, there are other players that should be sonically superior - especially those using the Wolfson or ESS DACs. But the brain is easily tricked into thinking something sounds amazing just because it should... (i.e. I've just spent £12000 on a Naim CD555, so this thing definitely sounds ******* good)


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

yetizone said:


> Interesting suggestions guys - thanks for the input :thumb:
> 
> B&W - The phones in the picture look very very nice indeed! Well, I've never been a fan of their speakers, so I'm not entirely convinced, but I will try and hunt down a pair to listen to. One good B&W speaker character trait being that are very easy to listen to over long periods of time. Valuable asset with headphones perhaps when they are clamped next to your ears!
> 
> ...


i do know alot about naim tbh and i have heard lots of good things but its some way down the line at the min i have just bought my new sub my pretty audica CX....so im working that way

if you want a decent can amp then look at the Graham Slee's they aint cheap, and if out of stock they are handmade even the serial numbers are hand written...i really love my little novo but even that is as much as your considering spending tbh i would worry more about your power for the cans...

at this level you really need something to power them fully...

surprised you have never liked B&W's but personal choice and all that i wont hate you for not liking B&W...yes a B&W fan:lol: i am not utterly convinced by the B&W cans yet....

my personal choice would be down to the music you listen to....headphone wise....if you listen to any rocky stuff forget AKG IMHO. Senns would be a better bet for that more classical ish type, jazz etc. then AKG is well worth it

well i saw the price of my HD650's double from when i bought mine...., and my AKG's 701's go up by 100+ (because the 702 has not sold well and i bought mine just as the 702 came out):lol:

i have also listened to a fair few denons and i was left a little disheartened by the build quality if i am utterley honest, they sound good and everything very sennheiser ish on one set but that could be down to the music i was listening to at the time to be frank.

as for bose well i will say there is better i really did consider buying bose stuff once a long time ago but the only thing they are useful for in my eyes is bass which IMHO is not everything...


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Ninja59 said:


> surprised you have never liked B&W's but personal choice and all that i wont hate you for not liking B&W...yes a B&W fan:lol: i am not utterly convinced by the B&W cans yet...


B&W FTW!  I've never needed to tweak the frequency response on the preamp - they sound great 'flat'.

I bought a cheap MF X-CANS headphone amp from ebay and modified it. To me, that was an excellent purchase as I feel this performs just as well as any premium headphone amp.

I have a little Creek heaphone amp at work which again has had a few mods to it, but it is very transparent which is good as DT-770's don't want any extra bass :doublesho


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

SteveyG said:


> B&W FTW!  I've never needed to tweak the frequency response on the preamp - they sound great 'flat'.


yes i do leave everything on mine well alone amp wise :lol: my CM-2's still going strong :lol: did listen to some XT's recently and thought nope stop me head ruled heart still ended up buying my bloody Audica CX though!

that would not be one of the silver creeks the model number as left me for a second but i know they are about 225 iirc new ?

anyhow off to look at air compressors now :lol: something completely different!


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Ninja59 said:


> yes i do leave everything on mine well alone amp wise :lol: my CM-2's still going strong :lol: did listen to some XT's recently and thought nope stop me head ruled heart still ended up buying my bloody Audica CX though!
> 
> that would not be one of the silver creeks the model number as left me for a second but i know they are about 225 iirc new ?
> 
> anyhow off to look at air compressors now :lol: something completely different!


Well it's the black version, but yes, one of the OBH ones.


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

SteveyG said:


> Well it's the black version, but yes, one of the OBH ones.


ah okay i was not far off then i did think about purchasing one :lol: but the slee novo won out....


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## PWOOD (Apr 30, 2007)

Personally in ear monitors are the way to go more comfortable once you find the correct size of bud and the vast majority can be driven well from an ipod. Annoyingly but understandably you cant try before you buy with these though. Sennheiser CX300 are very good for the £30 they cost and are discrete when wearing outside and are easily powered by an iPod.


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## nicks500 (May 12, 2011)

*Grado and Bose*

I have a pair of Grado SR-80's which sound very good, open backed so background noises are distracting, pretty comfortable and very light, although not as comfortable as my Bose QuietComfort 15's which are very very good and the most enjoyable to use


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

PWOOD said:


> Personally in ear monitors are the way to go more comfortable once you find the correct size of bud and the vast majority can be driven well from an ipod. Annoyingly but understandably you cant try before you buy with these though. Sennheiser CX300 are very good for the £30 they cost and are discrete when wearing outside and are easily powered by an iPod.


Proper IEMs are only just starting at £250. I would not call a £30 set of CX300 IEMs 

ACS T1's are the way to go though


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## DesertDog (May 15, 2011)

Before I bought the B&W P5's, I was using a set of in-ear Shure 535SE's, at around the same price.

Although the sound from the 535's was near-perfect, I could never get comfortable with them, no matter what type or size of ear insert I used with them.

In my opinion, price for price, IEM's have the edge for sound quality, albeit at the detriment of comfort.


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

With the ACS T1's a trip to an audiologist is included for them to take an impression of your ear  No problems with comfort there!


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## PWOOD (Apr 30, 2007)

SteveyG said:


> Proper IEMs are only just starting at £250. I would not call a £30 set of CX300 IEMs
> 
> ACS T1's are the way to go though


Yeah earbuds more appropriate a name. FWIW I have CX200 for out and ahout use and they are over four years old now and still going strong.


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

SteveyG said:


> (i.e. I've just spent £12000 on a Naim CD555, so this thing definitely sounds ******* good)


Wow - You actually bought a 555...!!! :doublesho Every credit! :thumb:

I've heard a 555 a few times and always thought they were stunning  So, is that 555 signal illuminated by valve or transistor technology? Just curious :thumb:

I went as far as having a CDX and then decided that I much preferred the convenience of using a computer with itunes these days. Back in the day I also had an LP12, Itokk and the old olive 52 feeding 135's into Isobariks. It certainly wasn't what you'd call neutral, but it was a hell of a lot of fun!

--

Headphones: Has anyone any experience of the Shure range of full size phones: the SRH240, 440, 840 etc?


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

nicks500 said:


> I have a pair of Grado SR-80's which sound very good, open backed so background noises are distracting, pretty comfortable and very light, although not as comfortable as my Bose QuietComfort 15's which are very very good and the most enjoyable to use


Have to admit that I'm tempted by Grado's as they have such a dedicated following - for most models, its just that they leak noise like crazy.


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## adamck (Dec 2, 2010)

Sony X-BASS MDR-XB500 OR MDR-XB300








Play.com have them for £23.99 - £39.99

I use them with my Denon CD decks for DJING and they are great quality! really powerful drivers and very very comfortable over long periods.

The 500 are bigger, the 300 smaller, 300 would be best for using out and about!

Best headphones without breaking the bank! 
Sister has the Beats by Dre headphones, the quality difference between the Sony and the Beats are nil!
The Beats headphones are mainly a fashion accessory which is why the price tag is so high!


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## Marcos999 (Aug 16, 2010)

Sennheiser HD600. Amazing.:thumb:


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## Nozza (Mar 1, 2006)

Sorry to jump in the thread but does anyone have any experience with the following headphones?

Sony MDRZX300B Fashionable Monitor Style Headphones: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

I know they're cheap but I'm on a budget and they're only going to be used with my iphone, I can't get on with the iphone headphones.


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## Minstral (May 21, 2011)

im sure its been said but Dre Dre beats are good


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## stargazer (Aug 9, 2006)

BOSE Quitecomfort 3 Noise Cancelling Headphones. Not the cheapest, but by jove they're good! :thumb:


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