This is off-topic, mostly, but I figure you guys will have some knowledge in this sound-quality-related area. I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at headphones and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from AKG, Fostex, Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points ranging from $16 to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). What should I expect to pay for a decent pair of headphones? Any brands to avoid? I'd be using these for mixing multitrack recordings and editing CD audio, not for general music listening. I like to buy quality products, but price is somewhat of a factor. (I guess you could say this question is Vorbis-related, because I'd also use them if I were ABXing. With my current equipment (crappy passive PC speakers in a noisy room) I can't even ABX vorbis at quality 1 from the original CD source. But I suspect I have dull ears, too (which is a blessing, really).) -- Graham Mitchell - computer science teacher, Leander High School "They come to watch me burn." -- Charles Spurgeon --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
Graham Mitchell wrote:> I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at headphones > and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from AKG, Fostex, > Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points ranging from $16 > to $130 (list prices $20 to $200).I've had good luck with AKG and Sennheiser in the past. I paid about $140 for an AKG back around 1990; it still works today, and sounds quite good. I got a Sennheiser for about $220 a few years later, which no longer work (I suspect it's a trivial connection fault in the cord), but it also sounded quite good back when it sounded like anything at all.> What should I expect to pay for a decent > pair of headphones?I think the prices I quoted above are pretty typical for decent headphones. You can pay a lot more, but I've never heard a $700 pair of headphones that sounded significantly better than my Sennheiser (when it worked). Craig -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: part Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 190 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.xiph.org/pipermail/vorbis/attachments/20030118/1f5a56f7/part-0001.pgp
On Sun, 19 Jan 2003 11:46, Graham Mitchell wrote:> This is off-topic, mostly, but I figure you guys will have some knowledge > in this sound-quality-related area. > > I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at > headphones and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from > AKG, Fostex, Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points > ranging from $16 to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). What should I expect > to pay for a decent pair of headphones?Probably <$100 US, I would think. The top list price of $200 indicates that they probably don't have the top of the line gear there Sennheiser HD 600's are worth about $450 US, I think.> Any brands to avoid?Sony. Some of there mid price offerings aren't too bad, but there more expensive ones just don't cut it compared to Sennheiser and Grado.> (I guess you could say this question is Vorbis-related, because I'd also > use them if I were ABXing. With my current equipment (crappy passive PC > speakers in a noisy room) I can't even ABX vorbis at quality 1 from the > original CD source. But I suspect I have dull ears, too (which is a > blessing, really).)I'm using Sennheiser HD 270's. I picked them up because they where the best closed back headphones I could find for a price I was willing to pay. Not as good as the higher priced open back headphones, but they do a good job of cutting out the environment noise, as well as not making much noise to annoy your colleagues, too. Have a look at Audio Review's headphone section: http://www.audioreview.com/Headphones/PLS_2750crx.aspx Use the info from the comments people make to narrow the field down a bit, then do some listening tests in the store. You'll definetely want to see how the headphones feel after a decent stretch of listening, too. One of the disadvantages of closed back cans is there need for a greater pressure across the ears, which can be irritating after a while. The quality of whatever you'll pull the cans into will also provide an upper bound on what you should bother buying. John --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
Graham Mitchell wrote:> I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at headphones > and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from AKG, Fostex, > Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points ranging from $16 > to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). What should I expect to pay for a decent > pair of headphones? Any brands to avoid? I'd be using these for mixingI'm using the Sennheiser HD590, I'm very happy with them (they sound great and are comfortable to wear) and I paid ~$160 or so when I bought them. <p>Moritz --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
> This is off-topic, mostly, but I figure you guys will have some knowledge in > this sound-quality-related area. > > I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at headphones > and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from AKG, Fostex, > Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points ranging from $16 > to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). What should I expect to pay for a decent > pair of headphones? Any brands to avoid? I'd be using these for mixing > multitrack recordings and editing CD audio, not for general music listening. > I like to buy quality products, but price is somewhat of a factor. > > (I guess you could say this question is Vorbis-related, because I'd also use > them if I were ABXing. With my current equipment (crappy passive PC speakers > in a noisy room) I can't even ABX vorbis at quality 1 from the original CD > source. But I suspect I have dull ears, too (which is a blessing, really).)Any of the brands you mention should be OK at the $100+ price point. I would avoid Sony though, as unless you get one of their high-end models (eg. CD3000), you're really just paying for the name. The AKG K501 (~$200) has a very wide sound, and they are the most comfortable phones I've ever worn, so if you wanted to work for many hours at a stretch, I would recommend them. The only downside is that they're a bit lacking in bass response, so I'm now using a pair of Philips 890 (~$100). As with loudspeakers, the best way to choose a pair would be to try them out beforehand, but I realise that can be a bit difficult sometimes. I don't know whether ABXing with headphones would give you the full picture. Maybe it's just a placebo effect, but it's only when I play something back through loudspeakers that I'm able to notice any difference. This is most noticable on MP3s, but the music often sounds a bit flat, and lacks a certain punch (for want of a better technical term!) You should check out the forums at http://www.headwize.com and http://www.head-fi.org for some more ideas. Jim --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
On sab, 2003-01-18 at 22:46, Graham Mitchell wrote:> This is off-topic, mostly, but I figure you guys will have some knowledge in > this sound-quality-related area. > > I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at headphones > and thinking about getting a pair.Have a loot at www.audioreview.com. You can read a lot of reviews written by customers. Bye. <p>--- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
I'd suggest you actually TRY them out. If you are ready to spend that much on headphones, usually, the hi-fi shops will be more than glad to make you listen to all the possibilities they have in their store. Personally, I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 590 (me too), even if they got destroyed by all the reviewers, who all said "Buy 580 or 600 instead". My experience with both the 580 and the 600 were half-disappointing, as the 590 is better cushioned and leaves your head almost free, as compared to the 600 which annoys a little after a few minutes (oh so little, though). The sound quality was a few percent better on the 600s, less (no) noise floor and higher gain, but for me, it was a plus for a minus, so I ended up buying the 590. But I tried at least 30 pairs that evening with a friend, we tried them all from the usd25 to the usd400 range. Most had very big flaws on some kind of music. There was one at +-usd80 that sounded very very nice (don't remember the brand though), then it went up to the 590. So I actually urge you to go to your pro-hi fi shops with 3-4 of your favorite CDs you know by heart, and try all of the headphones you can. Have a nice day Mike <p>On Saturday, Jan 18, 2003, at 17:46 America/Montreal, Graham Mitchell wrote:> This is off-topic, mostly, but I figure you guys will have some > knowledge in > this sound-quality-related area. > > I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at > headphones > and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products from AKG, > Fostex, > Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at price points ranging > from $16 > to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). What should I expect to pay for a > decent > pair of headphones? Any brands to avoid? I'd be using these for > mixing > multitrack recordings and editing CD audio, not for general music > listening. > I like to buy quality products, but price is somewhat of a factor. > > (I guess you could say this question is Vorbis-related, because I'd > also use > them if I were ABXing. With my current equipment (crappy passive PC > speakers > in a noisy room) I can't even ABX vorbis at quality 1 from the > original CD > source. But I suspect I have dull ears, too (which is a blessing, > really).) > > -- > Graham Mitchell - computer science teacher, Leander High School > "They come to watch me burn." > -- Charles Spurgeon > > --- >8 ---- > List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ > Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ > To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to > 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' > containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is > needed. > Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered. >--- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
I'm using AKG240S. Beyound "they sound very good" and a seemingly positive reputation on various review boards, I can't speak much about the quality as I don't have sensetive enough ears. BUT, I can say that they are *VERY* *VERY* comfortable to wear ;) Which is important to me at least. -- / Peter Schuller, InfiDyne Technologies HB PGP userID: 0xE9758B7D or 'Peter Schuller <peter.schuller@infidyne.com>' Key retrival: Send an E-Mail to getpgpkey@scode.org E-Mail: peter.schuller@infidyne.com Web: http://www.scode.org --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Saturday 18 Jan 2003 10:46 pm, you wrote:> What should I expect > to pay for a decent pair of headphones? Any brands to avoid? I'd be using > these for mixing multitrack recordings and editing CD audio, not for > general music listening. I like to buy quality products, but price is > somewhat of a factor. >If you're going to be mixing with them you need real monitoring headphones. While the likes of Sennheiser HD600 are really fabulous sounding headphones they do favourably colour the sound, which is no good if your recording or mixing. Bayer-Dynamic's DT range of headphones have a cleaner, truer response than the Sennheisers. The DT150 and DT250 are found in recording studios everywhere. I'm currently using a pair of DT770s and they are really excellent solid headphones. They're not modular like the DT150s (so you can't buy replacement components for them) and the bass responce is a touch heavier than expected, but if you monitor at high levels they do not distort... ever. They are closed back and so have excellent isolation from outside noise. I bought mine for around £120, so I would expect to pay $200 or so stateside. Barry - -- Barry Short Research Assistant Centre for Music Technology University of Glasgow +44 (0)141 330 5740 B.Short@elec.gla.ac.uk "If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, perhaps you haven't quite grasped the gravity of the situation." -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.1 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE+LBg9+aOyKSfMm9IRAr8ZAJ9ojhj/J31HgLv7Owh5ZRXnVKqVSACdFbz9 12CS2VAizYnYJqdbDE6nrVw=SE19 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.
Graham Mitchell <graham@grahammitchell.net> writes:> I'm sitting here looking at the most recent "Musician's Friend" at > headphones and thinking about getting a pair. They've got products > from AKG, Fostex, Audio Technica, Nady, Sennheiser, and Sony, at > price points ranging from $16 to $130 (list prices $20 to $200). > What should I expect to pay for a decent pair of headphones? Any > brands to avoid? I'd be using these for mixing multitrack > recordings and editing CD audio, not for general music listening. I > like to buy quality products, but price is somewhat of a factor.After hearing a similar discussion on another audio list, I checked out the comments on www.goodcans.com, a site dedicated to headphones ("cans" is britspeak for "headphones" they say). Picked up a pair of Grado SR60s for about $60 from my local high-end audio store; the owner said he liked 'em better than the next model up at $80 or so. Very happy with them. I'll never listen to those annoying plastic ones packaged with various Walk-things, or aftermarket ones from CircuitShitty or BeastBuy. Nice, rich bass, but not boomy; clear high end; seems well balanced. More comfortable too. They feel well-built. Seemed a reasonable price for something I'll spend long hours listening to. --- >8 ---- List archives: http://www.xiph.org/archives/ Ogg project homepage: http://www.xiph.org/ogg/ To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to 'vorbis-request@xiph.org' containing only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body. No subject is needed. Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be ignored/filtered.