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Post by mepositive on Nov 7, 2014 7:24:09 GMT -5
Just heard that Santa is likely to get me a pair of headphones !! And Santa being as kind as he is, has asked me to decide which one should he bring and drop under our christmas tree !!
Need your help - which would be, in your experience, the best headphone that I can get to pair with my XSP-1. I will likely get a dedicated headphone amp at some point, but right now will need to pair with XSP-1. Budget not an issue.
How much more merrier can christmas get !!
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Post by vneal on Nov 7, 2014 7:47:01 GMT -5
You will get 100 different answers. My can of choice is the Sennheiser HD650
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geebo
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Post by geebo on Nov 7, 2014 8:06:37 GMT -5
How much is Santa prepared to spend on the cans? $500? $1,000? No limit? The Oppo Planars might be worth looking into. And the Sennheisers mentioned are highly regarded as well.
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Post by Axis on Nov 7, 2014 8:56:40 GMT -5
Check out the site www.innerfidelity.com/ for reviews. I enjoy the Wall of Fame choices www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame. I just purchased the new Sony MDR-1A phones to go with my little Sony Walkman NWZ-A17 and they are very comfortable and sound very good mated with the NWZ-A17. Mating the phones to the amplification is very important. When I compared the MDR-1A to the both outstanding headphones Sennheiser Momentum and Bowers & Wilkins P5 with the NWZ-A17 (yes , I listen to all three with the NWZ-A17) they won out in many ways for me. Like vneal says, you cant go wrong with the Sennheiser HD600 or HD650. So many choices and everyone has there choice of the sound they prefer. If you you have a Best Buy with a Magnolia store, they have a good selection of headphones you can try out. Same with Fry's Electronics.
Budget not an issue, from what I read you can get some very good sound from the Audeze Planar Magnetic headphones. If I was going to throw a bunch of money at phones I have never heard for home listening they would be my choice. Full-Size Open headphones seem to me in the past to be the best choice for home listening but there are so many Full-Size Sealed headphones coming out lately with great reviews it may be time to re-think that. It is a good time for headphones and headphone amps for sure.
Don't forget about Wireless headphones. I have Sennheiser's least expensive wireless the HDR- 120 and you could not pry them from my cold dead hands. I use them for TV and the PC around the house and do not know how I got along without them before.
Best advice I can give is to be happy with the sound and comfort or you won't want to use them. I had the Sennheiser HD580's for 10 years and wore them out. They are gone and I miss them. I have a box somewhere full of headphones that I could not tell you what they are or care less about them.
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Nov 7, 2014 9:24:12 GMT -5
You'll only get one answer from me. Check out the V-Modas. You'll thank me.  |
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Post by villock on Nov 7, 2014 9:36:47 GMT -5
Can't go wrong with these   |
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Post by pop on Nov 7, 2014 9:39:45 GMT -5
You'll only get one answer from me. Check out the V-Modas. You'll thank me. I agree with Hemster, I think at $299 they are very very hard to beat. I have listened to incredibly expensive cans and nothing has left me with the desire to spend over $300. I think if I was just going to spend money to spend money I would check out the Oppo sets. What a blast though!! No budget? boom! Actually since the no budget thing is in line with the wifey, you might want to pick up a super expensive pair that way when you decide to sell them you have money in the audio pipeline. Just a thought. |
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Post by mepositive on Nov 7, 2014 9:58:30 GMT -5
Pop, thats an interesting idea. Except that my wife has her weaknesses, and I let her do as she pleases. And my weakness is music, and I do what I feel is 'fair' and not going berserk.
I like the suggestions coming through. Oppo is on my list, so is the HD800, and Audeze 2 and HiFiMan HE500. But I have never heard any of them. My question really is has anyone paired a headphone with XSP-1. I hear many saying that the pairing is as important as the headphones themselves.
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Post by Shaker on Nov 7, 2014 10:57:59 GMT -5
So, just like speakers this is a personal and subjective decision. I recently researched and listened to a number of hi end/flagship HP and chose the Audeze LCD-X. They are expensive, but they are phenomenal. You are 100% correct about many HP needing to be paired to the right amp. FWIW I am using the AG Master 9 which I also love. The LCD-X, while a planar magnetic, is easier to drive and less picky about its pairing to the amp then some others (Audeze LCD-3, Senn HD800, HiFi Man HE6).
Also depends on what kind of music you listen to, do you want open or closed design, balanced/SE connection, etc.
Try to listen to the HP before buying. You can buy and return from Crutchfield within 60 days, go to a store for a listen, or see if others will allow you to audition (I'm in CT/NY area if you're near and want to listen to the LCD-X).
Also, HeadFi is a great site with lots of info, threads and reviews. Plus they have an active for sale community. You may want to look at their HP for sale and Audiogon as you can frequently find new or mint HP for a nice discount.
I got into the HP world big time since our home theater system has been slow in coming (hopefully Dec. 1st for phase one) and LOVE listening to the Audeze's.
Enjoy!
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 7, 2014 11:10:09 GMT -5
The best sounding headphones I have ever owned are my MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs. And after hearing the Alpha Prime version at a recent headphone meet, my set are off to MrSpeaaker's lab for an upgrade. To me they best my Senn HD650, Beyer T1 and Sony MDR1's.
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Post by Axis on Nov 7, 2014 12:16:41 GMT -5
The best sounding headphones I have ever owned are my MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs. And after hearing the Alpha Prime version at a recent headphone meet, my set are off to MrSpeaaker's lab for an upgrade. To me they best my Senn HD650, Beyer T1 and Sony MDR1's. You Pros get to hear all the good stuff and us wannabe's most often just get to hear what they have with there source at the store. I have been reading about your MrSpeaaker's and being old school the closed-back headphones are just an unknown to me other than for monitoring while playing instruments and recording. I do want to hear some good sealed headphones before I decide on which headphone will be my serious go to. Hemster,I heard the V-Modas M-100's at Brookstones in the mall and they were very bass heavy but you have to consider how they were being driven. They are very popular headphones. For my new portable I knew I wanted an around the ear sealed lightweight headphone and I found what I want for that. For home I have been contemplating a good solid state headphone amp and Audeze or a tube headphone amp and the HD600 or HD800. Tried and true stuff. Something I have been reading about that has my interest is Fostex headphones. Seems this has been one to mod by the headphone guru's out there and Fostex being mostly for the Pro market is going for the home users now. Again closed-back headphones. |
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Post by brand on Nov 7, 2014 12:46:47 GMT -5
Are you going to buy headphones online without testing them out first? I'm not even talking about sq, but the fact that everybody has different head sizes and shapes and different preferences so how it feels on my head is a huge deal to me. Nothing worse than the cognitive dissonance when you realize that your expensive pair of headphones sounds great but hurts like a mofo after wearing it for an hour.
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Post by mfeust on Nov 7, 2014 15:26:45 GMT -5
Another vote for the Senn HD800
Mark
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Post by pop on Nov 7, 2014 15:35:04 GMT -5
Are you going to buy headphones online without testing them out first? I'm not even talking about sq, but the fact that everybody has different head sizes and shapes and different preferences so how it feels on my head is a huge deal to me. Nothing worse than the cognitive dissonance when you realize that your expensive pair of headphones sounds great but hurts like a mofo after wearing it for an hour. I couldn't agree with this more. I have a pair of Audio Technica ESW9a that I ABSOLUTELY adore, but they hurt my ears so bad after about 45 minutes. |
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Post by audiobill on Nov 7, 2014 15:39:25 GMT -5
I like the Sennheiser HD 600 model.
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Post by garbulky on Nov 7, 2014 15:49:20 GMT -5
Everyvbody voting for the 300 ohm sennheiser's HD600's and above should know that they don't sound fantastic off an XSP-1 headphone out. They sound decent but not fantastic and the XSP-1 quickly runs out of volume with them. They need reasonably powerful amps to drive them. Look for something less demanding is my suggestion. The alpha dogs I believe are only 50 ohms impedance so may be easier on the amp.
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Post by redog on Nov 7, 2014 16:23:05 GMT -5
The hifiman he-400 is the most speaker like headphone I've ever listened to.
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