Headphones for use with Squeezebox Radio

My leading contenders:

- Etomytic in ear buds (very portable but not sure about health aspects of buds that go in teh ear canal)
- Grado Prestige line
- Sennheiser, so many models, which one? Open back of some sort probably, must be comfortable, portable a plus)
- Audio technica open back, similar considerations
- Beyerdynamic DT880 (this would be my high end choice for comfort and sound though not so portable)

Currently I am using Realistic Nova 45s from the early 80's, which IMHO were quite good in their day and still sound pretty good, but of course I think I can do better.

These are not very comfortable though these days in that these have a thin sheet metal frame and thin pads, which I suppose I could replace or supplement.

Interesting I'm finding that Realistic Nova 45s must be pretty rare headphones in that I see no correct images of them on the internet. They were one of my top 5 gold standard Realistic audio products that I sold in bunches ($30 retail in early 80s I recall) to lucky customers that could appreciate them back in the day.

What is your budget?

I have owned MANY pair of headphones (started out with headphones moved onto speakers) and they all differ a little but if you pick a top model from a well know brand (Sennheiser, AKG, Dennon, Ultra Zone, Ultimate Ears, Beyerdynamic, etc) you really can't go wrong.

My only issue with most headphones is the highs. I have always felt the highs are lacking on headphones. Sennheiser 650s are nice in the mids but very soft on the highs and clamp my head a little bit. Denon AH-D5000 are very comfortable, closed and sound a lot like the Senns with a touch more treble and should be added to your list.

Grados are fun, I owned a few of their top models at one time. They can be very bright and are good at low levels but playing them loudly always ended my listening sooner than later. They also lack low end bass but have good bass punch in the 80hz range.

Etomytics block a lot of sound but they have no bass, really no bass. They need to be put very deep into the ear to get any bass. They are not good for moving around because the cord is very microphonic. If you go the IEM rout get ones where the cord goes over your ear (you can put the cord in front of your neck if you want) it will dampen the microphonics.

Beyerdynamic DT880, I demoed these back to back with my Sennheiser HD650s a long time ago. They are a little lighter in the bass then the Senns and have a more balanced top end. I liked the mids better on the Senn because they had more presents and just sounded right.

I have sold all my headphone and only kept two pairs... Sennheiser HD-650s and Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10vi. The Sennheiser were my first highend love and I guess I like them in-spite of their flaws...

Then there is the Ultimate Ears. What can I say, they sound almost as good as full size headphones. They are detailed with good bass and clear mids, they get good bass with out being drilled deep into your head (like the Etomytic). They have better extention on the highs than Shure I had (for got the model). They are good for bedtime and I wear them at the gym too. Not sure what your budget is but custom IEM would be a quick end to the highend headphone gig. My only issue with the Ultimate Ears is they dip a little in the mids and need to be turned up to get my heart pumping but I really like them and could not see my self with out a good pair of IEM.

If you want anymore details on any of these headphones let me know and I can go into amps and what not.

James,

Thanks for all that useful info.

I was not aware of the Ultimate Ears. They sound interesting. I will get more use out of a pair of good portable in ear phones than larger traditional on or over ear designs most likely, in that I have a variety of tabletop and portable devices I might use them with.

Let me research some more and come back with some more questions as needed.

Thanks.