[SR21M]

As for best headphones, i think most audiophiles see the HD800 as being the best headphone money could buy overall. But the best sounding headphone in the world is probably the stax 009 which cost 5 times more than HD800 at $5000. The Stax needs special amplification for its planer magnetic drivers so your looking at 3000-10,000$ Extra for a dedicated amp! The HD800 on the other hand is probably the best headphones with a regular headphone socket that can be used on a reasonable sound source.

But i think those are probably way above anyones budget here :P. For less than 400 quid, the best sounding headphone you can buy is probably the Sennheiser HD650, they are one of the most recommended headphones by audiophiles for quite a long time and still is. They are not the sort of headphones for outdoors, they are fully open design so they leak noise (but as a result gives you this immensely satisfying natural well spaced sound which makes you feel at the back of a stage). Those headphones are quite hard to beat. Although now there not that expensive, they can be had for the same price as Beats Studios, ( around 250) which is nothing for a headphone of such calibre.


If you want the best headphones you can use everywhere (in your mp3/ipod, outdoors, in library etc), i would say the AKG K550 is unbeatable. I own a pair and they are almost perfect. They cost 250 quid, so as much as Beats Studios but thats where the similarities end. They are extremely efficient, with an impedance of 32 ohms (compared to other reference cans) so they will work very well with mobile players and dont require amplification. They are as well built as a 1960s mercedes 600 limo, whole headphone is mainly made of very nicely machined metal (i think mainly steel, but very light none the less for its size), it feels truly premium

[rival_]

What you my friend need are the sony mdr xb500 - comfort,bass, and extravagant looks all in one package!

[Gofre]

(Original post by SR21M)
As for best headphones, i think most audiophiles see the HD800 as being the best headphone money could buy overall. But the best sounding headphone in the world is probably the stax 009 which cost 5 times more than HD800 at $5000. The Stax needs special amplification for its planer magnetic drivers so your looking at 3000-10,000$ Extra for a dedicated amp! The HD800 on the other hand is probably the best headphones with a regular headphone socket that can be used on a reasonable sound source.

But i think those are probably way above anyones budget here :P. For less than 400 quid, the best sounding headphone you can buy is probably the Sennheiser HD650, they are one of the most recommended headphones by audiophiles for quite a long time and still is. They are not the sort of headphones for outdoors, they are fully open design so they leak noise (but as a result gives you this immensely satisfying natural well spaced sound which makes you feel at the back of a stage). Those headphones are quite hard to beat. Although now there not that expensive, they can be had for the same price as Beats Studios, ( around 250) which is nothing for a headphone of such calibre.

If you think those headphones are good/expensive, have a look at the Sennheiser Orpheus ;D From everything I've read there's about a 50/50 split of people who have heard both the Orpheus and a well driven 009 on which of the systems they prefer. And price wise it's been known to fetch upwards of £15,000 if it's in good condition. The Audeze LCD-3 also deserve a mention. There's a headphone meet in Cambridge this September where most of the above will be available for auditioning, can't wait for that

Got to try the HD650s for the first time last week, they're a gorgeous headphone.

[SR21M]

If you want the best headphones you can use everywhere (in your mp3/ipod, outdoors, in library etc), i would say the AKG K550 is unbeatable. I own a pair and they are almost perfect. They cost 250 quid, so as much as Beats Studios but thats where the similarities end.

They are extremely efficient, with an impedance of 32 ohms (compared to other reference cans) so they will work very well with mobile players and dont require amplification. They are as well built as a 1960s mercedes 600 limo, whole headphone is mainly made of very nicely machined metal (i think mainly steel, but very light none the less for its size), it feels truly premium. The ear-pads are made from very soft real leather which is very comforting although can get hot in summer. There is sufficient room for your years inside the ear cups as well. They do work better with medium/large heads better as they are quite hard to get a seal with small heads.

They are also very stylish too in my taste. Iam not a fan of the rapper cans such as the beats, but admittedly they are pretty stylish (if you ignore the immature colours) and thought you cant make headphones more stylish than them (especially the studio). But AKG has! They look stylish in a very mature and classy way. Though there a bit large for some people (pretty huge if iam honest) but well within what's acceptable for outdoor use. It can make you look like a WW2 Panzer commander which some might find cool :P. They fold nicely too so they can fold nicly into even a medium sized handbag.

The sound on them are astounding. There are some headphones that do sound better for the price, like the HD650 (original RRP was around 400 but they have come down now) but they are not sealed headphones, so person you sit next to in the bus can listle to your music in great detail even at medium volume level. The Ah-d2000 sounds slighty better overall, but they dont seal that well at all. I would not class the d2000 as a closed headphone, they leak a lot of noise and dont isolate well, bad for outdoor use as well. But The AKG K550 provides above average isolation (up to 15DB) and sound extreamly close to the Ah-d2000. The sound is very spacious, they dont sound like they are pumped directly at your ears like beats do, they create a wonderfully spacious sound stage thats very remote, it really takes you away to somewhere ealse! If your used to listning to cheaper cans you may initially say its not very bassy, but these headphone are reference class, so they stay true to the recording, cheaper headphones have sometimes added bass to make them sound (to some) better than they really are and muffles the detail of each note. In the K550, you can precisely pick out each note, they are distinct and dont feel like they have cotton placed between them. The sound is immensely detailed, you will hear things in songs you listened to over and over again that you never hurd before. Having said that, they can expose poor recordings as you get the true sound.

Going back to bass, these have totally nailed the bass response. Bass is not exaggerated but feels very natural and airy, more like listening live on a stage than placing subwoofers next to your ears. They are not that boomy, they dont have a massive drop but they still have very decent bass quantity thats way above average. They can get very low, dont get mistaken, just not exaggerated. Where the denon d2000 have slightly more refined treble, these make up for it with better bass response IMO.


These cans really tick all the boxes, stylish, well built, durable, portable, efficient and awsome sounding. You wont find a better headphone for outdoor use ;-)

[SR21M]

(Original post by Gofre)
If you think those headphones are good/expensive, have a look at the Sennheiser Orpheus ;D From everything I've read there's about a 50/50 split of people who have heard both the Orpheus and a well driven 009 on which of the systems they prefer. And price wise it's been known to fetch upwards of £15,000 if it's in good condition. The Audeze LCD-3 also deserve a mention. There's a headphone meet in Cambridge this September where most of the above will be available for auditioning, can't wait for that

Got to try the HD650s for the first time last week, they're a gorgeous headphone.

I never actually tried the 009 myself, had a listen to the hd800 in some computer fair once. LCD-3 looks good, never tried them either.

I am thinking of buying the HD650, but they are a pricey investment. You do need a decent amp with them, but i think they will work well with a good soundcard with built in amp, but being over 300ohms they are not easy to drive. I wonder if they are really worth it after my K550, it should be better but i wonder its worth investing in

[bambamty]

Ever tried house of Marley? I have a set of in ear earphones, great purchase, and for £20 an absolute steal! Brilliant sound quality, excellent build quality, and practically untangle able!


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Gofre]

(Original post by SR21M)
I never actually tried the 009 myself, had a listen to the hd800 in some computer fair once. LCD-3 looks good, never tried them either.

Yeah I haven't tried any of the three yet, getting some time with the HD800 this weekend though, looking forward to that.

I am thinking of buying the HD650, but they are a pricey investment. You do need a decent amp with them, but i think they will work well with a good soundcard with built in amp, but being over 300ohms they are not easy to drive. I wonder if they are really worth it after my K550, it should be better but i wonder its worth investing in

They're well worth giving a try, I really enjoyed the half hour I had with them. Very accurate and very neutral, yet they responded very well to increasing the bass which surprised me. My $200 portable amp was able to do a half decent job of driving them, would love to hear them paired with one that could drive them more authoritatively!