[LAU] Headphones

[Florin Andrei]

Folderol wrote:
> I'm in dire need of a decent pair of headphones for real quality and
> comfort long-term listening while working on my music. my current set
> are literally falling apart - I've lost count of how many times I've
> re-cabled them!
> 
> I'm also in need of lightweight earplugs for casual work. So far I've
> not found ones that will stay in place :(
> 
> Can anyone suggest where I can get these (UK) without it costing an arm
> and a leg?

It depends on what's the cost of an arm and a leg. ;-)

You can get somewhat close to the quality of the highest-end phones 
available today for like $200 with Sennheiser HD580:

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/full-size/sennheiser-hd-580.php

The real high end would be something like Sennheiser HD650 (about $400), 
Beyerdynamic DT 880 ($300), AKG K 701 ($400), Grado GS-1000 ($900), etc.

As a rule of thumb:
Sennheiser sounds really laid-back, very transparent, extremely "airy". 
The emphasis is on transparency above all, the phone is just a conduit 
for the sound that makes as little change as possible. Some people find 
them too laid back. They are extremely comfortable, you can wear them 
for hours on end and you won't feel them. I fell asleep several times 
and just didn't notice them.
Grado is sort of the opposite, the emphasis is on details. Think of them 
as the electronic microscopes of headphones. They shove the details in 
your face, it's impossible to miss anything. Some people find them too 
bright and abrasive, but they're awesome for detail work when editing, 
mixing, etc. Some models (like the SR125 that I own) are not too 
comfortable if you wear them more than an hour or so.
Beyerdynamic and AKG are somewhere in between those extremes in terms of 
sound "personality". They're pretty comfortable.

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD600 (the HD580 are the same, just made with 
cheaper materials). They're actually somewhat distracting if I use them 
for casual listening (e.g. if I watch a DVD and listen through the 
phones) as they reveal all sorts of sound editing artifacts, or 
particular details of the sound stage that are impossible to hear 
otherwise, etc. It is quite an experience, very impressive.
They've been superseded by the HD650, but I haven't tried those yet.

Read the reviews on this page, they are very realistic:

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/full-size/

-- 
Florin Andrei

http://florin.myip.org/