Best open headphone for a receiver?

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peacetilence

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Budget is probably around ~300. I want to hook them up to my Panasonic XR-55 (I'm not sure of the quality of the headphone jack) I've taken to watching movies in the evening and get noise complaints, even at 7pm with moderate/low volume levels. So I figure I should probably look into some headphones for when I want to watch movies and stuff later in the evening. I currently own a pair of Sennheiser 280 headphones and while they're decent, I want something that sounds more open and like a pair of bookshelf speakers. The HD280s really squash the sound and don't sound very lively at all.
 
Sennheiser 595s are the best choice.

Sennheiser 600/650 both really need dedicated headphone amps.

after that:

Beyer 880 or AKG 601/701 or Audio Technica A700 airs all are open and do pretty well on any type of amplification with the Audio Technicas being the easiest to drive and the 701s the hardest.
 
Senn 595 or the Beyer DT880 for me also.

If there was some gaming in there (say xbox 360 or PS3) I would add the DT770 just for the bass.

I use a pair of Senn HD650s for night listening (when the baby and wife are sleeping)
 
The XR-55 does not have a very good headphone jack - it's OK but not comparable to even a Xin SuperMicro IV (tiny battery powered amp).

It's hard to talk about a "best" headphone - it's not clear cut like performance benchmarks. At this price range its more about taste. DT880s are very clear and forward sounding, some would say "bright", Sennheiser 650s are warmer and darker sounding, more relaxing to listen to, and both need good amplification.

The K701s are good all around but did not grab me like the others so I sold them (other people like these cans a lot), the Grados are nice (RS-2s used in this price range, maybe) the Senn 595 or the Audio Technica AT900s will work better with marginal amplification but don't sound as good as the 650s do with good amplification - then again they're cheaper too. You're definitely making the right decision by sticking to open cans in this price range and use.

For more info I suggest checking out head-fi.org.
 
Is there some way I can bypass the headphone jack and have an amp connected directly to the speaker outputs?
 
lol no.

you need a rca stereo out to plug into the amp. like out of your soundcard into the headphone amp.
 
Oh, I thought I'd remember reading somewhere that somebody hooked their headphone directly to the speaker out terminals on their receiver. Would be cool if I could do that with an amp and get something like the 650's. I'd rather not get a separate amp though because I'd lose remote volume control as well as have to switch between the two via hardware and software whenever I wanted to use my axiom speakers. Maybe I should just settle for the 595's.
 
you would need a low wattage tube amp like 10 watts per or less AND a headphone like the K1000 which could take the juice. I actually have tried it and liked it. However, it cost $2000 to try lol.
 
HD595s are ok without an amp, I'd stay away from using the receivers headphone out as they dont usually design them with headphones in mind. Why not just a get the 650s/k701s (depending on sound preference) and save up for a decent headphone amp? If you really want stick to your budget the 580s can (or could at least recently) be had pretty cheap and will give you most of the 650 experience and leave you some cash for an amp.
 
My Sennheiser 650's are running from the receiver to a Gilmore amp, so no, not mushy. Actually pretty good.
 
Well yeah. You have a headphone amp man. I am talking about using the receivers head-out lol.

Grados are great for some music but for movies and games they lack soundstage sorry.

To the OP: Get AKG 601, 701 or Beyer 770 or 880 or Sennheiser 595 or 600 or Ultrasone 2500 and get a little $100ish amp from MisterX or off of Head-Fi used amp FS section.

Any of those will give you awesome sound for around $300 +/- a few bills.
 
Treyshadow said:
My Sennheiser 650's are running from the receiver to a Gilmore amp, so no, not mushy. Actually pretty good.
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So I can have an amp hooked up to the receiver? I want to keep the receiver in the equation because it does all the DD/DTS decoding as well as controls volume by remote and stuff.


I think before I do this thouhg I'm going to get another pair of axiom speakers and have quad surround.
 
MeathooK said:
:eek:
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Sorry man it is true. Grados are front row or on the stage soundstage and have little air to them. Not just my opinion. It is a widely held opinion on Head-Fi. I have tried Rs-1s, HF-1s and 325s and have to agree. Jamming headphones for rock no doubt at all but for gaming not really.
 
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