Headphone Change

Hi there
I tried the Sennheiser headphones that you speak of and did not actually like them very much although I do use some very old Sennheisers for music composition and playing. For hifi use, the best that I have heard are the Stax ones - any chance you could find a second hand system somewhere? - much more open and lucid.
Regards
Raphael

Ross,
Thanks for your advise.....but I'm intrigued.

Why have you so...many different headphones and come to that headphone amps as well...?

Dave

Dave,

the £99 ticket looks cheap but from what I have seen in the mags, there seems to be some dumping of Sennheiser stock, though I do not know why?

I am looking at headphones and would encourage you to try a pair of Grado's. A very different presentation to the S's.

Also , would anyone else out there like to give some feedback on headphone amps in general and the level of improvement if a Headline is fed by a Hi-cap instead of the Napsc.

Phil

[This message was edited by Happy Listener on SATURDAY 19 January 2002 at 14:12.]

I have been using HD600's with an X-Can (mk1) headphone amp for some months now and it's a combination I rate very highly.

The HD600's are the best headphone I have ever heard with the excpetion of the Stax Electrostatics and this seems to be the general consensus as far as I can tell.

Go buy!

I managed to have a demo this morning of HD600.The conditions were not favourable as I had to listen through a cheap Yamaha CD player with a headphone socket.

I placed the phones on my head before pluging in to the socket......I didn't like the feel of them on my head. The ear pads seemed very hard and did not sit well on the side of my face. They also seemed very tight and I felt irrespective of what they sounded like they would not be condusive to a lengthy listening period.

I put my Beyer's on and straight away there was a feeling of comfort, even being unaware they were on my head.

As far as the sound....they were ok a little better than the 990's but I put this down to the fact they were new and would need some time to settle in. Also the CD player wasn't a good way to listen to headphones.

Will the comfort factor improve once they have been used for a while.

Oh they have also increased in price to £119...!

Dave

I've got a pair of Senn HD600's on demo. They're hooked to CDS2 with Naim Headline amp + HiCap.

Overall the sound is very good! They were a might bit thin a first but once they warmed up they got very rich, detailed and involving.

If you can hook them to a HiCap do so. It improved the sound quality!

I think the HD 600's are even more detailed then speakers but not as sonically "solid."

The drums, bass, etc.. sound a bit light. Perhaps they're still not yet fully warm but they just don't seem to carry the "weight" my speakers do. I suppose the Stax Electrostats are better but at 2 grand USD, I can find better uses for the money!

Enjoy - K

Seeing that you are in the US, try Grado RS-1, RS-2s or Alessandro equivalents. Both are viable, and more weighty alternatives to HD600s. Both Grados can be picked up the below the MSRP too. They will need a dedicated headphone amp though .

[This message was edited by Martin M on THURSDAY 24 January 2002 at 14:05.]

In your circumstances you might find Jecklin Floats to be of benefit - that is if they are still available.

Ergo is a current brand of headphone that is very similar to the Jecklins. In fact I believe they are made by the same people.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"

Try Grado's, i have a pair of SR 60's and really love the sound, the looks may be retro but they beat Sennheisers by a mile in listening tests. The SR80's and 120's are much recommended as well.