Headphones... yet again!

[Frank Martin]

My old headphone died out last month (the cable broke somehow and with a new cable it doesnt sound as good now...) so I think I'm going for a new one. After buying a pre-, a power-amp and a cab this year, I don't have much money left, so I'm looking for around $50, or $70 at the most... the cheaper the better... or worse... So anyway, what's a good compromise between price and features, and which do you have experience with? I don't need the best that is available, but which is good and cheaper will do the trick for me.

Some I've come up with:

Sennheisers: I think they are good and can be had for moderate prices. All listed here are 32 Ohms, and have 3m cable.

Sennheiser HD 437. ~$35
Transducer principle dynamic, open
Ear coupling supraaural
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,5 %
Sound pressure level (SPL) 115 dB(SPL)
Frequency response (headphones) 21.....18000 Hz
"With their powerful sound and crisp bass, the HD 437 open dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones are an ideal choice for modern music such as rock and pop..."

Sennheiser HD 457. ~$50
Transducer principle dynamic, open
Ear coupling supraaural
Frequency response (headphones) 25.....21000 Hz
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,5 %
Sound pressure level (SPL) 114 dB(SPL)
"Soul, funk, grunge and percussion music can be heard to its best advantage due to the headphones' balanced sound image and warm bass."

Sennheiser HD 477. ~$75
Transducer principle dynamic, open
Ear coupling supraaural
Frequency response (headphones) 37.....21000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL) 109 dB(SPL)
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,2 %
"The HD 477 are open, dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones with clear transparent sound and powerful bass reproduction. They are an ideal choice for rock and pop music."

Sennheiser HD 202. ~$37,5
Transducer principle dynamic, closed
Ear coupling supraaural
Frequency response (headphones) 18.....18000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL) 115 dB(SPL)
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,5 %
"The HD 202 closed, dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones are the ideal partner for DJs and powerful modern music, providing good insulation against ambient noise and a vivid, crisp bass response."

I'm now leaning most toward the 202.
So, any experience with these, or any other recommendations in the around $50 price range?
Thanks in advance!

[Frank Martin]

Ok, since noone posted so far, I'll bump it up with another recent finding:
Beyerdynamic DT 231 Pro.
Anyone?

[Frank Martin]

Absolutely nothing. At least head-fi has some reviews, but not always for the ones I'm looking for.

Some more:

AKG 240 S?
AKG 141 S?
Beyerdynamic DTX 880?
Anything?

[geshel]

Checkout Headroom's website:

http://headroom.headphone.com/layout...&subTopicID=26

warning, you may feel like spending more money after reading about the headphones.

[Frank Martin]

Originally Posted by geshel

Checkout Headroom's website:

http://headroom.headphone.com/layout...&subTopicID=26

warning, you may feel like spending more money after reading about the headphones.

Thank you, I already did. And I just received my registration at Head-fi (took over a day, almost two...)



I posted this here as we're bassists, and I trust the opinion of the guys here more, since we already know each other - at least partly, and because I'll be using it for recording/editing/listening, so their bass-capability matters.

[bluemonk]

I have the Senn. 212 models. I don't remember how much they cost, but I remember that I thought they were good for the $$.

[Frank Martin]

Originally Posted by bluemonk

I have the Senn. 212 models. I don't remember how much they cost, but I remember that I thought they were good for the $$.

A bit over my range, and there were some others that had better reviews.

Leaning most toward the Beyer 231 Pro now...

[Selta]

I'm semi-surprised no one mentioned Sony yet. I love mine:
Link
They reproduce down to an unheardof 5Hz, then back up to 30kHz, with a 2.1" driver, and handle up to 3W of power. 107dB/mW sensitivity. I love 'em, and the price is right to me.


Ray

[Frank Martin]

A bit over the $50-70 range...
And they've not quite pleased with the Sony DJ-series at Head-fi...

[msquared]

The Grado SR-60 (I think is what they're called) is pretty decent. May be a bit out of your price range, but worth it IMO.

[Frank Martin]

Originally Posted by msquared

The Grado SR-60 (I think is what they're called) is pretty decent. May be a bit out of your price range, but worth it IMO.

Yeah, I've heard very good things about it (except for comfort), but unfortunately they are not available here

[geshel]

Originally Posted by Bad_Habit_Bassist

I'm semi-surprised no one mentioned Sony yet. I love mine:
Link
They reproduce down to an unheardof 5Hz, then back up to 30kHz, with a 2.1" driver, and handle up to 3W of power. 107dB/mW sensitivity. I love 'em, and the price is right to me.


Ray

Pay no attention to frequency-response specs in headphones unless if they go beyond 20Hz - 20kHz. Not because you "can't hear" anything outside that range (let's not get into that here), but because it's meaningless.

For example, their in-ear sport phones are "rated" from 16-22,000 Hz.

The question is: how do you measure that response: do you use an anotomical head model, with a microphone at the ear location? etc.

The actual (on your head / in your ear) response of headphones varies much more greatly than that of hi-fi speakers. You really have to listen to them or go buy what a large number of reviewers (or well-experienced reviewers) say.

I got the HD580s from Headroom and was very pleased with the results. My old AKG 301s had sub-20Hz specs, but they were light in the bass. It only takes a few dB to dramatically change the tonal character. The 301s had a midrange emphasis that made the bass seem weak. With the Senns I hear much deeper bass, and it's got more presence as well.

Those are out of the price range of the current discussion, but it just goes to show.

[Frank Martin]

Used they are not out of the price range - eBay.de
I've heard better things about the K401, and there are a few on eBay;

My list now looks like this:

Beyer DT231 Pro - readily available at stores, ~$65
AKG 240 S - eBay; new they are ridiculously expensive (>$270)
AKG K401 - eBay
Sennheiser HD 555/580/595 - eBay

That's about where I stand now. As my card still doesn't work with eBay, it will again be done with the help of a guy, but he hasn't yet replied, so maybe eBay will soon be out of the picture...