Looking for closed headphones

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delorean76

n00b
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
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I'm a newb at this so I've been looking through many threads here for a while now but still can't figure out what I want. As of now I have some cheap Emerson headphones for when I don't want to make too much noise with my Klipsch 2.1. I have a xfi xtrememusic and would like to spend around $150 (maybe more) for a new set of closed headphones for mainly all kinds of music, maybe games or movies once in a while. So far it seems the Beyer dt770 80ohm suits me best (from an ebay seller mentioned in another thread).
Does it really focus too much on bass though? I would like a lot of it but if it sacrifices the sound quality too much, it wouldn't be worth it to me. Some say it has poor mids? Not really sure what all that means... Also, are they pretty much worthless w/o an amp? If so, which one? Anything else I should look for? Thanks
 
I have them and I definiatly don´t feel they have to much bass :). Though I don´t know if that´s really possible.

For me they perform well in every register. I am sure some may have better highs and some have better mids but for me they are great overall performers. What is most noticeable for me is speakers or headphones lacking bass response...

I use mine primarily for movies/gaming and secondary music but I am very happy with them.

I can surely recommend them. I do have an amp but my 80 ohm ones do sound good even without an amp though there is a difference of course.
 
delorean76 said:
I'm a newb at this so I've been looking through many threads here for a while now but still can't figure out what I want. As of now I have some cheap Emerson headphones for when I don't want to make too much noise with my Klipsch 2.1. I have a xfi xtrememusic and would like to spend around $150 (maybe more) for a new set of closed headphones for mainly all kinds of music, maybe games or movies once in a while. So far it seems the Beyer dt770 80ohm suits me best (from an ebay seller mentioned in another thread).
Does it really focus too much on bass though? I would like a lot of it but if it sacrifices the sound quality too much, it wouldn't be worth it to me. Some say it has poor mids? Not really sure what all that means... Also, are they pretty much worthless w/o an amp? If so, which one? Anything else I should look for? Thanks
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I wouldn’t say that it over-emphasizes the bass, but rather it has the ability to pump out some serious bass if you want it to, way past the point where other headphones would sound distorted. It doesn’t have a bad midrange it is just that it is slightly recessed compared to the rest of the spectrum; it’s a quality/quantity thing, good quality, less quantity. I have the 80ohm version and have not really had any problems running it from a portable device. They do have a 32ohm version also.
 
For ~$100 you can get a pair of Sennheiser 280-Pro, they are closed and have good ambient noise filtering, as well as very good set of phones.
 
Empyrean said:
For ~$100 you can get a pair of Sennheiser 280-Pro, they are closed and have good ambient noise filtering, as well as very good set of phones.
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I agree.
 
I definitely do want a lot of bass. The thing that worried me was whether the effort to produce a headphone with a lot of bass overshadowed other factors like sound quality. I've gotten that impression at times. Good to hear that may not be the case

Could someone briefly explain what mids/high's are? I don't really understand it

Is the 32 ohm version the better one to get? Some have mentioned that the discontinued 80 ohm is most preferred which is why I considered it

I'll look into the 280's...
 
While the Senn 280 Pro is a good pair of closed phones, I they don't really make "lots of bass". They have plenty of bass extension and accuracy is quite good, but the quantity might disappoint you.

Navigate through this headphone selection wizard for some good ideas of what's out there.
 
You get what you pay for. the 280 is simply not as good and does 60 buck or what its really matter if you get a set of headphones that you don´t feel you have to upgrade from again

They are very sturdy you won´t wear them out very soon. the earpads but those are replaceable Haven´t weared my down yet though.

I know because I bought like 5 "cheap" "bang for buck" headphones before I got these.

Why not make it proper once and for all :).

I bought mine from studiocare I think or something. Its an ebay store. I actually had some issue with mine not sure if it was a hair that got stuck in the membrane or what but they replaced them no problem and is working fine since then :).

As for the amplifier I got PM mister X ;)
 
delorean76 said:
I definitely do want a lot of bass. The thing that worried me was whether the effort to produce a headphone with a lot of bass overshadowed other factors like sound quality. I've gotten that impression at times. Good to hear that may not be the case

Could someone briefly explain what mids/high's are? I don't really understand it

Is the 32 ohm version the better one to get? Some have mentioned that the discontinued 80 ohm is most preferred which is why I considered it

I'll look into the 280's...
Click to expand...

Most agree the 80ohm DT770 is the best, but the 32ohm might be slightly more forgiving without an amp. I use my 80ohm version with many sources and it runs fine; at LANs sometimes I run it directly from my Audigy2 ZS, and it works great with the Turtle-Beach Audio Advantage Micro on my laptop.

To be honest, compared to the DT770's the Sennheiser HD280's sound like an AM radio. I really don't understand how people like them unless maybe they listen to 100% classical and jazz or something. Don't get me wrong, I like sennheisers, but out of the dozen or so i've compared to two worst sennheisers are the HD570's and the HD280's. They are soooooooo boring sounding it boggles the mind.
 
GotNoRice said:
Most agree the 80ohm DT770 is the best, but the 32ohm might be slightly more forgiving without an amp. I use my 80ohm version with many sources and it runs fine; at LANs sometimes I run it directly from my Audigy2 ZS, and it works great with the Turtle-Beach Audio Advantage Micro on my laptop.

To be honest, compared to the DT770's the Sennheiser HD280's sound like an AM radio. I really don't understand how people like them unless maybe they listen to 100% classical and jazz or something. Don't get me wrong, I like sennheisers, but out of the dozen or so i've compared to two worst sennheisers are the HD570's and the HD280's. They are soooooooo boring sounding it boggles the mind.
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Do not confuse boring, for accuracy. The HD280s are certainly not even close to the bottom two of Senn's headphone lineup. In the end it does boil down to preference. I personally cannot stand bass and want perfect sound reproduction. So while you say boring, I say clean. :p
 
The DT770/80 are amazing headphones and especially for bass. I love mine for gaming and bass heavy music...as well as general things.
 
PCMusicGuy said:
Do not confuse boring, for accuracy. The HD280s are certainly not even close to the bottom two of Senn's headphone lineup. In the end it does boil down to preference. I personally cannot stand bass and want perfect sound reproduction. So while you say boring, I say clean. :p
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Indeed, if you want to monitor some music, or you just like the "clean" sound of a monitor-type solution, the Senn 280 pro is a very good value. The isolation is also excellent, and helps make the world fall to the background, letting you listen to music.
 
the DT770's are great headphones... if you are also looking for some closed inexpensive cans the HD201's are pretty nice... bought myself a pair to use at work and was suprised at how nice they sound for cheap closed headphones... and since they are only $25 you can spend some money on a nice amp for them
 
Thanks for the input everyone

I think I'll go for the DT770's, I just think I'd be a little disapointed with the mentioned Sennheiser's since I do want a lot of bass.

So the question now is if I should go with the 32 or 80 ohm. I really don't want to spend any more to get an amp right away. This is the Ebay auction mentioned in another thread. They say he'd take as low as $145 so I'm thinking of getting one of these. Can the 32's be had for around that price?
 
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You can go for the 80 Ohm version I think. They do sound good on my X-Fi even without an amp. An amp you can always get later if you feel you need it :)
 
I got my DT770/80s in today and they sound pretty good.

I don't have my sound card hooked up yet, nor do I have an amp atm but I bet they will sound great once I burn them in and get my computer built.
 
I have to agree with Daos, for the best in sealed headphones you want something from Audio Technica's ATH lineup. The ATH-A500s are good and are only $90, the ATH-A700s are, in theory, better not sure if they really make much difference and are $125. The ATH-A900s are the premium phones and run $180.

They've got bass that can kick your head in and are very forgiving phones, they work well with almost any source, amp or no. I just love them for work.

Only real problem is that Audio Technica has chosen not to release them in the US so you'll need to buy from an importer like Audio Cubes . No big deal though, they are good people and shipping is reasonable.

Also if you do buy make sure you get the Art phones not the Air. Art is the closed series, Air is open back. Same design, same numbering and all, just depends on the backing.
 
Different series. I'm talking about their X00 (as in 100s) series. Also it's not really a viable option as, price aside, there were only 500 produced so it's not the sort of thing you can just walk out and buy.
 
I've been reading reviews on the ATH-A900's and a lot of people have only one complaint and that's that the headphone is really big. I'm considering this set as a purchase and while a bulk of my listening will be spent at work and home in front of my computer, I'm looking for something that can also work for listening on public transit and walking around. From the sounds of it this isn't really that comfortable with the A900's?
 
size doesn´t matter it´s how much it weight. DT 770 PRO isn´t exactly small either but they don´t weight anything :).

Though I don´t think it´s a good thing having closed headphones while walking in the traffic for obvious reasons ;)
 
The ATH headphones are massive, no question. They are quite light and have a self adjusting support that makes them extremely comfortable over long periods of time, but they are huge.
 
My a900s are huge headphones, but they are very light. I've used them for bus/plane trips in public, and no one has said anything yet. They also work extremely well out of an ipod (no amp). The only problem soundwise can be the mids with certain sources. My x-fi doesn't have a mid problem, nor does my ipod. My friend's zen jukebox, however, recessed the mids to almost inaudible.

The a900s surround you in the sound. The symbols bash all around, the drums are placed back and can be heard like in a soundstage. And everything is encompassed by the bass which doesn't overpower, but adds (very subwoofer like). The bass can, however, seem like it's coming from a certain direction on some songs. Overall, it reproduces the music in it's own style which a lot of people love.

You really should listen to both headphones before you make your decision.
 
I guess I'm coming at this from a stance from someone who should probably own two sets of headphones. On one hand, I work in an animation studio and at times it'd be nice to have a nice set of closed ear headphones for around $150 to be able to listen to my music without being disturbed by another coworker's quiet radio. On the same hand, I'd like to be able to walk around my hometown (a walking city, really) and slip them off my ears and around my neck and be able to hold a conversation with someone on the street, which really says to me supra-aural.

Can anyone shed some light on a situation like this? Headphones that are attractive to me are the Grado 225's, but the reviews are really scaring me away from it as I listen to a very wide variety of music, from folk to electronica to indy rock to underground hip hop. Not to mention I sit at my machine for upwards of 8 hours a day, and with that kind of length time, the headphones better offer some level of comfort.
 
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