What Headphones? Looking to upgrade..........

I live in an apartment with thin walls so I am not able to listen to my main system late at night without incurring the wrath of my neighbors. Over the past few months, I have experimented with a number of headphones, starting with the Grado SR-325. The Grado's were eye-opening and led me to upgrade my then-cheap main system to compete. However, they are outclassed by the Sennheiser 600's I later purchased. The Senns have a very nice balanced sound suitable for all types of music--though the Grados do rock well (bass).

I prefer, however, my Stax Signature electrostatic headphones. They have much better bass than the Stax Professionals and a wonderfully smooth sound. Competitive with my new main system. Of course, these are substantially more expensive even used. I haven't heard the most recent Stax models so can't comment on them.

I originally just plugged the Grados and Sennheisers into the headphone jack on my computer's DVD-ROM drive. In comparison with my CDP, the sound quality is relatively poor. The out on my sound card was similar but added a lot of static. I don't think that if this were the only source you intended to use that it would justify expensive headphones.

Best of luck. --Scott

I can't say I've demoed loads of headphones, but Im super happy with my Sennheiser 600, and from what I've heard, they are really hard to beat at the price. I use them with Musical Fidelity xCans V2 - a nice upgrade. Also, it looks like someone is frequently selling new 600s on this site for $249 which is a bargain. Good luck.

The Sennheiser 600 is a great value, comparable in sound quality to the two wood-bodied Grados (can't recall their model numbers), at a slight sacrifice in build quality, for a significant reduction (percentage-wise) in cost. If you aren't also buying a headphone amp, you aren't doing these units justice.

An alternative at least worth looking into (if it is still in production) is the Koss electrostatic (ESP950, if memory serves), which comes with its own power unit. Sound quality is in the same league as the above, with the usual electrostatic pluses and minuses (surprising air for a pair of headphones, but a coolish bias). Not the same build quality as the 600 or the Grados, but a lifetime warranty (which Koss just cheerfully honored for me MANY years after purchase).

Well it depends on your budget and musical tastes. As several have ststed the Sennheiser 600 is a good phone, especially for classical and Jazz. The 580 are significantly cheaper and give you probably 80-90% of the 600's. Both of the Senn's sound much better with a dedicated headphone amp. many people like to mate it with tube electronics such as the MF xCan'x v.2 and ASL MG Head DT.

Grado Labs phones are very good especially for rock music. The 225 and 325 models are very good at a comparable price-point to the Senns. All Grado's are low impedance phones so can be driven without a HP amp, but do sound better with them. Some consider the 225 and especially 325 to be bright phones.The wooden Grado's, the RS-1 and RS-2 have a more mellow less strident top end.

You may also want to check out Alessandro Musucal products. They sell a line of the Grad's that have been modified for professional use. They tend to provide a little more detail without increased harshness. Their MS model I is similar to the Grado 80/125, MS model II to the Grado 325 and their MS Pro is a Grado RS-1. I actually own all of the Alessandro phones and so can attest to their musicality.

You can see the Alessandro products at: http://www.alessandro-products.com/main.html

Another set of phones that are a very good bargain are the Sony V6/7506 model. These are very common as monitoring phones and provide a very detailed presentation and are relatively inexpensive. They also fold up nicely, are built like a tank and also present a low impedance load. Thus they are quite nice for portable use.

Lastly you should go to:

http://www.head-fi.org

and ask your question there. It is full of a group of the most knowledgeable headphone geeks on the planet. Happy listening.

Check out www.head-fi.com for forums on headphones and amps. I used Grado 325's for 8 years until now liking the 600's better (less glare) along with a new Headroom Cosmic.