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RE: Looking for New Headphones

Posted by nl (A) on January 1, 2016 at 05:49:58

In Reply to: Looking for New Headphones posted by livinghigh@bellsouth.net on December 6, 2015 at 06:29:09:

In general, I would look to classics that are in the "high end" but not necessarily so high priced. My Sennheiser HD600s have beat many supposedly "better" phones here, including the HD800. I'd suggest AKG701, Beyer DT-880, Grado SR325i, etc. Also note that it is very easy to apply digital EQ before processing, if you are using a computer digital setup which is common now. So, you can tweak that easily. Far too much commentary these days is about relatively minor variances in frequency response, which are easily correctable, and little about the characteristics of a headphone which I find are vastly more important. Mostly, I look for a sense of clarity and ease. By "clarity" I don't mean a tipped up treble, or "detail," but a sense of non-confusion in the midrange. "Ease" is a range of related factors which don't really "sound" like anything perceivable, but are experienced as a relaxation and trust. You don't have to fight the sound. Along with both of these factors, I like a lot of tone density, a sense of saturation instead of anything bleached or blanched.

I wish I could say that headphones are actually rather easy to make, and any decent company, like a Beyerdynamic or a Sennheiser, can make a good one for under $400. I wish I could say that there really isn't much meaningful difference beyond this point, except maybe blingy build quality, and some minor differences which are really just differences, not necessarily improvements.

Unfortunately, I find that I really do prefer some headphones much more than others, due to certain inherent qualities, not just some FR characteristics that I personally enjoy. Also, I find that others' reviews of headphones are almost worthless. Also, I find that, beyond $300 or so, you don't necessarily get anything better for a higher price. The fact that I like my HD600s (after nearly fifteen years) more than even the HD800s from the same company, by a large margin, and also better than some other options I've had around, makes me think that maybe there is another headphone which I could prefer to the HD600, by a similar margin.

Edits: 01/01/16

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