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Selecting headphones and a headphone amp

I would like to pick up headphones and a headphone amp to use on my BAT system (2 VK-55’s, VK-32SE and VK-D5SE). I love the warm sound of tubes. I have two turntables and listen to analog 75% of the time, so the amp has to accommodate analog and digital. My musical interest includes classic rock, blues and jazz. Distractions are not an issue, so the headphones may be open or closed. I would appreciate your advice and recommendations in selecting equipment, as I am clueless on matching headphone equipment and overwhelmed by the available equipment choices. Thank you for your assistance.
bgmyers
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Stay with the tried and true.

Sennheiser
AKG
Beyerdynamic

Amp? only if your preamp has no headphone jack
mitchchavis
87 posts
 
I purchased a Grado PS1000 with a Burson headphone amp recently and it's a great sounding combo. I listened to the Sennheiser 800 which was a close contender but I preferred the Grados overall. The Burson amp has two inputs for headphones with different impedances which was a bonus over any other headphone amp I looked at. As suggested above I would try to listen at local dealers. I purchased both through my local dealers and managed to get a pretty good deal on both.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Be awara that clicks pops and crackles of analogue playback are more audible in headphone set up.

Start with AKGK701. Probably the best value so far on the market. For the tube headphone amp I'd choose Vincent.
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tonykay
1,301 posts
 
STAX. At least, give them a listen. They may not be for you but if they are you will never look back. Great value as a used item, as they last a lifetime. Another choice to check out are the Audeze line of orthodynamic headphones. They're very comfortable and offer surprising sound quality.
inna
7,296 posts
 
I like Grado phones too but not much for rock; blues, vocal, jazz should be fine. Still they are a bit too soft for me and emphasize midrange. The higher you go in Grado line the better. 325i is where you want to start and move from there. As for headphone amp, it depends on how you want your sound to be and price.
I don't like Sennheiser at all though I haven't heard their newest phones. They sound "digital" to me as opposed to Grado.
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