Re: [LAU] headphones

On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 10:38:03PM +0200, Arnold Krille wrote: Very true. The one spec that is probably even more useless is the power rating of amplifiers. Some manufacturers are (were) honest about FR specs. The M15 tape recorder from Telefunken was probably one of the best ever made as regards sound quality, yet the official FR spec was 50 Hz to 15 kHz... Returning to headphones, I have a Sennheiser HD600 which is great, but outside the price range considered by the OP. I use it often to play the piano (Linuxsampler) at night, and indeed sometimes you just forget you are using headphones, in particular if you add some room response to the otherwise dry sound of most electronic / software instruments. I'd say the most importand qualities for a headphone used for intrument playing are - A decent frequency response, which means no obvious colorations. All the rest can be corrected by EQ, and part of it you will get used to. - NO trace of distortion at the listening level you want to use. This is really essential. Once you notice any distortion it takes only a short time before it will be a permanent irration. ALso means you need the right amp to drive your headphone. I also have a Beyer DT100 wich must be around 30 years old by now. It has survived all abuse that comes with doing audio work 'in the field', and still sounds very good. Ciao, -- FA Laboratorio di Acustica ed Elettroacustica Parma, Italia O tu, che porte, correndo si ? E guerra e morte !