duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 20, 2006 hello guys n gers.... i'm new to this forum. hope to have a plesant time discussing and learning about headphone n music enjoyment sorry for the rather long-winded first post well, like my topic, i seriously need some help with selecting a new headphone as I broke my 2nd sennheiser HD280 today. ( yup, bot 2 n broke both ...amazing huh). in a few words, the headband cracked from constant use and eventually snapped into two ( all these, in a short span of approx 1 year ) so, i'm rather fed up with plastic headbands which have a definite probability of snapping in my months of ownership and wish to purchase a higher build quality headphone. my desire for closed headphones is simply to have better isolation against sound leakage ( both inside n outside of the cans). understandably, this reduces the performance of the mids, highs of headphone performance ( or so i've been led to belive) my predominant selection of music or useage of the headphone is to listen to vocals, classical music, pop, trance and gaming. of which, 90% of my listening is from my on-board sound card in my computer. ( yeap, u read it rite...still trying to find the correct sound card/external dac to fit my requirements at the moment) hence, i would like to seek advise from fellow forumers on the types of headphone i should short list headphone without amp maybe akg k271 or somethign similar? headphone with amp perhapds a Beyer DT 770 pro with amp ( which opens a separate question on amp selection ) oh yes....the very impt requirement....a total budget tat should not exceeding 300. ( purely becos i've kinda lost faith in build quality in headphones ) lastly, wana thnak you for reading this long post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kehyi 0 Report post Posted July 20, 2006 eh... i'm curious... can't the HD280 head-band be replaced? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 20, 2006 sure they can and i've replaced the first pair for approx $80 to 100 at the sennheiser hq. well, i'm using this repaired pair of headphone while i contemplate which headphone to buy since i'm thru with spending that repair cost on something more durable... i've been very very gentle with the second pair ( cos scared history repeats itself) and rather gentle on the first pair and both crack and snap just after 1 year of ownership.... to say the least ....quite speechless with my track record Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[J]-ohn 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2006 Audio Technica A900? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mychew 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2006 I would suggest a DT880 if you don't mind the semi-open design, but it does meet your needs IMHO. A900 is not a bad choice too. Can consider it too, but DT880 might be beyond your budget. But for the build of cans wise, I would prefer DT880, better build and I can say it doesn't look like that fragile to me. Just my two cents worth, don't mind =) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2006 thanks guys... i'll go audition those when time permits this weekend i'm kinda curious on how many headphones you guys n gers have broken since u started this hobby? ( or should i start a new poll?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mychew 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2006 thanks guys... i'll go audition those when time permits this weekend i'm kinda curious on how many headphones you guys n gers have broken since u started this hobby? ( or should i start a new poll?) Sorry for the OT, N@Z, Mesh and Mackie. Yeah, you should start a new post on this. Ok now let's us Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2006 ooops....ok back to the topic. having re-review my selection of music, would it be very unforgiving if i ocassionally use the ath a900 or dt 770 pro to listen to vocals ( eg, caiqin, eva cassady, sinatra ) ? what sort of biasness should i be looking out for? just asking cos I wana understand what sort of fault/imperfections i should be aware of when deciding which headphone i eventually buy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mychew 0 Report post Posted July 22, 2006 I think if you want to listen to vocal and classical. I would definitely recommend my all time favourite Beyer Dynamic DT990. Definitely best for your vocal and classical albums =) Both the DT770 pro and ATH-A900 I have no experience with them, but I have A500. I supposed A900 is improved over A500. According to other head-fiers, A900 has wider soundstage and more detailed. They are good for classical too. For DT770 they have tight and fast and slamming bass, good for your pop =) Just MHO, please feel free to correct me if I made a mistake in aforementioned opinions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest davidcsk2112 Report post Posted July 22, 2006 I think if you want to listen to vocal and classical. I would definitely recommend my all time favourite Beyer Dynamic DT990. Definitely best for your vocal and classical albums =) Yes, I second that. I've owned a DT990 for a couple of months now, and it's build quality is very solid. However, unless you get a second-hand model, it'll definitely bust your $300 budget. Plus, you'll need an amp. For a budget of $300 perhaps you could try the ATH-A900 (~$300), though personally I feel it's more suited for pop than vocal/classical. You could always try the Grados, though I find them very uncomfortable. I've never tried AKG 271, so I can't advise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 22, 2006 thanks guys... i'll def keep the dt 990 in mind when i go auditio the headphones. looks like i might have to buy 2 headphones...one closed headphone for bass tunes, and one open for classical n vocals. wouldit be safe to say that due to the nature of construction for closed, its highly unlikely to find a closed headphone which is pretty much an all rounder in terms of bass, mids and trebles to suit most genres? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) If you are searching for a can which excels in all aspects, it's gonna be elusive. Notice that most if not all members have multiple cans for different music genre. In addition, closed designs excel in isolation and bass reinforcement but open designs usually sound better in all other areas and relatively more refined. For eg, try a DT770pro and DT990 (classic version before 2005-06 version) and the difference is telling. Amongst Beyers, DT150 (below S$400) is my pick for something of an all rounder but looks department/comfort can be an issue. If your budget can be stretched to $500 and more, DT990 (2005/06 new version) is my favourite. U can read all about it from our in-hour review threads. Edited July 24, 2006 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duntellu 0 Report post Posted July 24, 2006 thanks mackie. came to the conclusion that i probably would need 1 closed can for isolation ( most likely the dt 770 pro (80) ) and a open can for to remind myself wat i'm missing when i listen to the 770 pro. has anyone ventured to purchase or customise a woody beyer? would like to seek some opinions on burning in a new one then send to larry or should i just customise it then burn it when i get it. sadly , cant afford to get a woody beyer now...but if i really like my 770, i might consider the woody beyer route ...that if i dun drawn into getting a decent headphone amp to power the headphones Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted July 25, 2006 (edited) I don't know what's the fetish with wood. Will it sound different to you or you really love wood within earshot? Don't lose your way in this hobby, get a good system running and just enjoy the music. Let time be the judge if mods are needed for your forthcoming cans. Edited July 25, 2006 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tetsusaiga 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2006 (edited) Actually if you like vocals.. I would recommend an AKG.. house sound has very good mids... I've only heard the K601, K701, K240DF and K340... K340 is excellent.. my current pet squeeze, love everything about it except maybe that it is a little shy on bass and due to the nature of the drivers, its not gonna last forever... but vocals and details are lifelike and real... I LIKE!!!! but probably a bit out of your budget, that is if you can even locate a pair at all (one on ebay right now though) The K701 (out of your budget actually), IMO is a bit sterile.. music sounds like a well recorded CD.. that's all.. i feel that its not too real. K601 is <$400.. you can audition it at Jaben.. K240DF is rare, here at least.. can also audition at Jaben, though I dun think Wilson sells it.. very very accurate sounding, very neutral.. some people say dead sounding... but I actually like it.. non-fatiguing.. you will listen to music as it was meant to sound... If you really like vocals... i think you would do well to try out an AKG.. my 2 cents.. Edited July 27, 2006 by Tetsusaiga Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
