stereo headphone recommendations, please

I'm interested in a pair of "really good" stereo headphones for listening to music (mostly classical). Are there any audiophiles on this board that can make some recommendations? I've been looking at Sony, Sennheiser and Denon, but don't know which one will provide the best sound (full and rich) and for a "resonable" price. Will frequency response tell me which product has the greatest range of sound (highs, lows, bass, etc.)?

Also looking for opinions/recommendations for wireless stereo headphones. Thank you for any input!

I got myself a pair of Koss KTX pro headphones. They're the best I've ever had. They put all my Sony headphones to shame. Plus they're super cheap. Buy.com has them for $12.55.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10215152&loc=101

I am quite fond of the AKG K-240DF (not to be confused with the other versions).

I use this for monitoring much of my tape restoration work which is done after the rest of the family is in bed.

Very accurate in my opinion.

Richard http://www.richardhess.com/tape/

unfortunatly this is a judgment call and no one can tell you what the best headphones for you are. they all sound different depending on the listener and the sounds being reproduced. go listen to them =).

though i can tell you reputable companies...sony, sennheiser and akg are all good companies. from the few headphones i've heard i would lean towards sennheiser from this bunch, but if price is a consideration then i would go with sony.

there are also many different 'specialty' manufacturers that have different gimmicks. one guy i work with has a set of head phones that are basically hollowed out shooting muffs with very low resistance divers in them. the brand name eludes me though.

i don't really use headphones to listen to music, i use them for more of a utilitarian purpose. i prefer a good set of speakers in a good room.

I use Sony MDR-7506. It's an old industry standard set for the sound guys. I have never done direct comparisons, but most of the studios I have worked at and been to use AKG. Unfortunately I don't know the specific models.

But it's like Papasan said it's really up to your personal taste. With Sony, Sennheiser, and AKG, if you stay in the over $100 range you'll likely get a darn good set of headphones. From what I remember seeing in catalogs Sennheiser seemed to have the most diverse line in high dollar/quality headphones.

Frequency response will not tell you much about the quality of a headphone. It can be exaggerated and the results are pretty much up to the marketing teams "interpretations". I guess it's like measuring flashlights in candlepower. Candlepower does not tell you about the beam, quality, throw, spread, just how bright it can be at a certain spot. All frequency response tells you is that the manufacture measured the output of the phones and a particular range of frequencies was measured. It does not tell you if they were clear, precise, detailed, or how that translates into music playback.

I could go on and on here.

I used to follow an audiophile forum. I'll try to find it again. I'm sure they will be happy to reccomend a $1500.00 set of phones.

If you're looking for the smallest type, the practically in-ear style, Bang and Olufsen do some really cute stuff, not as over-designed as their usual products. They are about $100 over here.

I don't know what they sound like, but I'd say they were well worth checking out - simply because they look great.

lightlover

Just so you know, Koss has a lifetime warrantee on all their phones.

So, leave 'em on for a night and have blown diaphrams, send 'em back with $6 and get a new pair.

I'm on my fourth.

Flashfan,

You mention that you will be listening to a lot of classical music. That leads me to the conclusion that you probably want a very "flat" pair of headphones. By "flat" I mean it will represent the recording with no boost or cut at any given frequency, thereby, representing the recoding as it was meant to be heard. However, that "full" sound you mention comes from phones that are not flat, they tend to have high and low boost. As far a frequency range, it usually doens't matter. Most products list something like 5hz to 25khz. Most humans can't hear anything lower than about 22hz and I think the high end for most music is 18khz-20khz. If I remember corrently most highend 1/3 octave EQs wont process above 18khz.

In my experience Sennheiser headphones tend to not be very flat(at least the pairs that are kind of affordable). I have an old pair of Sennheiser HD465 and they sound great but they boost low and high-end frequencies and have some cut around 600 to 1k hertz. For regular music this is great, puts some punch into the music and gets rid of a lot of undesirable tones. The range it cuts, 600-1k hz, sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher from the old cartoon so loosing it isn't a great loss.

AKG studio headphones are ruler flat and sound great. They only complaint I have is the driver in the headphone sit well off the outside of your ear. I hated this because you can tell there is a gap there. Its almost as though you are in a vacuum and you can "hear" that gap. Great headphones but it drove me nuts. It is something you have to hear to understand.

I own a pair of MB Quart Phone 240. They are pretty flat as well and very comfortable to wear for long periods. But they are power hungry and it takes a good headphone amp to drive them effectively.

It's a lot to consider. I suggest finding a good high-end store and taking some of your own material in for a listen. You will find a pair you like pretty easily. My guess is you will love the Sennheiser phones. The AKG and MB Quarts tend to sound odd, even if they are accurate representations of the recording. They also take a lot of power to drive and sometimes really don't reach there potential without a headphone distribution amp or something to boost power to them.

Good luck.

I haven't bought stereo equipment in a long time, nor have I read an issue of Stereo Review or Audiophile for that matter. I assume Stax still makes headphones. Go where ever you have to go but try a pair of their electrostatics. I got mine, the cheapest electrostatic they made for around $200 but that was upteen years ago -- has any better technology come along since then? I do not know. If the Stax electrostatics are still being made, try them, but be prepared; they get better as they get more expensive, and they go up into the K$s...
Now I'll go search for Stax and see just how much of a fool I've made of myself...
(edit, no fool, they're still here, cheapest msrp was $550 though...I haven't listened to these but, probably still worth it)

oh by the way I lost half my hearing doing my elementary school homework while wearing a pair of (EDIT: I MEANT THE BEYER DT48 -- the world's first dynamic headphone! Am I old? read about them here: (edit) http://www.beyerdynamic.de/com/comp/index.htm -- click on "yesterday" in the "about us" section)
-the kind you got with a Nagra tape recorder- they were one of if not the first to use a large thin film diaphragm capable of playing VERY LOUDLY!! without distortion...
I SAID "VERY LOUDLY!!!"...

***where is that soap box... here it is***

Headphones and playing the radio in the car(because you have to crank it over the cars noise) are definately two sources that volume is underestimated. I took my sound pressure level meter in my truck and measured the level that I listen to on the radio. It was louder than I permit myself to mix a live rock concert at!! Headphones are even worse since the drivers are millimeters from your ears.

I guess the whole point here is please watch the levels in headphones. They can cause irreversable damage to your hearing and you won't even know about it until it's too late.

***stepping off soapbox***

what?

Hey guys this is what I use the Etymotic Research ER-4B. Its the best that I found. kinda expensive though. web page

I use custom hearing protection from Westone Laboratories. They evenly reduce the volume across all frequencies by 25dB. You can also get different dB rating filters at 9, and 15dB. I wear these plugs all the time in concerts, or any loud situation. I even wore them for 8 hours straight during a "rave" type show we did the production for. The volume was outrageous, but the Westone plugs kept the volume down to reasonable levels and I could hold a conversation on the dance floor (the loudest area) with no problem. They were $150 for the pair and well worth it in my opinion. These do not create an airtight seal, they have a filter that you can take out.

On the headphone subject, I just read a review of the Sennheiser HD 280 model which retail for $199.00. The review is in Pro Audio Review magazine. Here is a link to other headphone reviews from them. Hopefully they will update their site with the Sennheiser review soon.

I regularly use the Sennheiser HD 280's and like them. Another thing to throw in the mix is do you want open air or closed. That is do you want to hear outside noise or just what in the headphones? I use them both depending on the situation. Sony is probably the most common I see come through, with AKG in a close second, then people with more $ tend to buy the Sennheiser's. I would also think the Sony's hold up the best to abuse, and still sound good.

believe it or not I have tried the Etymotic earplug monitors..the problem for me was that they fit so well, as they are supposed to, that they make an airtight seal. So when you pull them out, they suck your ear drum out! owwweee! They hurt too much to take out, I called the company to ask if they could build in a pressure relief valve of some kind, but they said that would be "problematic" -- so I had to return them. Maybe other people's ear canals are different from mine, and they can break the seal before pulling out the plug, but I couldn't..
Those hifi earplugs for reducing sound pressure evenly over the sound spectrum look interesting though...

Thank you everyone, for all the great input and information. I'm now...more confused and undecided than ever.

It's time to go dust off the old thinking cap and sift through everything. I'll probably end up getting more than one pair of headphones. (Oh no, there goes the flashlight budget!)

Thank you again, one and all for the insightful comments and recommendations. I've learned more here practically overnight, than I did searching over time on the internet. What a great resource!

I'll keep checking back, so more input is certainly welcome!

flashfan

In my post above I said "sennhieser" but I meant BEYER, as the loud one. I did a search for Beyer and came up with so many interesting sites and comments I'll put the whole page address here; http://search.earthlink.net/search?site=earthlink-ws&q=beyer+headphone
(I see Beyer makes an electrostatic now, too, in addition to Stax)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by papasan:
unfortunatly this is a judgment call and no one can tell you what the best headphones for you are. they all sound different depending on the listener and the sounds being reproduced. go listen to them =).

though i can tell you reputable companies...sony, sennheiser and akg are all good companies. from the few headphones i've heard i would lean towards sennheiser from this bunch,<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree with the brands that Pappasan recommended. I would also add Koss as a good brand.

All these guys make cheap, as well as professional grade headphones. Do some research before purchsing a specific model.

Just like flashlights, there are different types, or styles (not brands) of headphones. I used to know the different style names, (super aurial, bi-aurial? something like that) when I used to devour each new copy of Audiophile and Stereo Review, but the names fail me now, but I will describe the types:

- Headphones that form a sound barrier around your ear. Recording artists and dj's might use this kind. Keep unwanted sound out of your ear, and keep the sound you want inside your headphones. I am sure there are other brands, but I think of AKG when thinking of this type. These are BIG, full sized headphones that cover the ear, and usually have a cushon that seals around your ear. Not for jogging or mobil use, these are strictly for hooking up to your stereo at home. If someone speakes to you while wearing this headphone, you probably will not hear them.

- Headphones that have a thin foam covering, but still cover most of the ear. These allow outside sound to enter the ear, and some of your music to be heard by others. These are usually very light weight, and good for when you need to hear outside sounds. Other people might find them annoying if they are too close to you. I think of Sennheiser when I think of this kind, although almost everyone has them. You could use them with a walkman, but you might not.

Koss, I believe makes a nice hybred of the two.

- All kinds of very lightweight headphones that you get when buying a walkman, or a knock off. Half dollar sized "phones" on each ear. Weigh about an ounce or two.

- The ones the size of half a penny that fit into your ear. I never liked these.

- A unique one by Koss. It works like an earplug, very tiny, it fits inside your eardrum, but the material is made of the foam that earplugs are made of. I have a pair, and so do others that ride on my vanpool. These guys sound great, they keep all the unwanted sound out (like an earplug), and keep your music privite, so your neighbor sitting next to you does not hear that annoying high hat cymbol. You can actually sleep with these, as they feel just like a pair of ear plugs.

Hope that helped!

Sony 7506 MDR around a hundred bucks, they are used by many professional audio people. www.samash.com You cant go wrong with sony, i have had my pair for about a year and i have no complaints. I use them with my DJing gear and while mixing tracks for my friend's band.

I second BuddTX's opinion on the koss in ear "The Plug" phones, they are great, they keep out noise and give great sound they also about 20 bucks. I use them when i run and they stay in my ears perfectly and keep out noises.
I have seen them at barnes and noble book stores.

As a matter of fact i am listening to them right now.

i use the sony headphones as well, but i think they are the most used headphones because they are more like the pickup truck of the headphone world....they're realatively cheap and they get the job done...they are far from the best headphones money can buy...