[GuineaMcPig]

Hi all-

I read a lot of posts where people want to know what type of headphone is best for a certain kind of music. I'm going to take it one step further. I'm looking for a headphone for listening to Radiohead, and only Radiohead.

I want impact, but I don't want the little intricacies to disappear beneath the guitars. Since most of Radiohead's stuff was done painstakingly in a studio, I don't know if it's important that the music sounds "live," as if it was a "performance." A tight, smooth, yet detailed midrange is a must, since Thom Yorke's voice controls the emotional tempo of the music.

I've been looking at the Grado SR-225, but it might have too much "bite." Likewise, I've heard that the Sennheiser HD600's are just a bit too laid back. All in all, I'm stumped.

Oh, and I also only have 200 bucks or so to spend.

Thanks, and may the Rock Gods bless you.

~Jordan

 

[Vedder323]

Huge RadioHead fan here!

I am listening to OK comp with my 600s an LOVE it!

Not good for rock my ass!!! Dont listen to anyone that says that...

Grados would be a great choice as well... I have the 60s and like RadioHead on them as well but id take my 600s over them any day of the week!

 

[stuartr]

The best phones I know of for radiohead are the HP-2's, AKG K1000s, and ety 4s's. But since none of those are in your price range, I would suggest the Grado 225s. I think they will be more appropriate for radiohead than the 600s, as good as they are.

 

[NewSc2]

I definitely prefer my HD580's over my Grado SR60's. Kid A, Amnesiac, and HTTF sound marvelous - detailed and punchy. OK Computer and The Bends a little bit less so than their newer stuff, but still very much up there.

 

[metal_monger]

I am just curuios what people mean by "laid back" as far as headphones and sounds mean.

 

[evil-zen]

each radiohead's album has a slightly different sound compared to the rest. for eg, Kid A and Amnesiac belong to the slower category while the rest are slightly more rock. I would suggest cans that are versatile. the best choice IMO is etymotics 4.

they can be had from several places for slightly more than $200. btw, check out my sig!

 

[itza2mer]

Didn't Radiohead use a Sony MDR-CD3000 when they were in the studio recording one of their albums?

 

[Joe Bloggs]

I bought my etys new from eBay for $220.

 

[Prodigul]

Will anyone who has heard e3c's comment if they would be good?

 

[Tyson]

Open headphones - Sennheiser HD600's or HD580's
Closed headphones - Beyer HD250-250's
Canalphones - Etymotic ER-4s

 

[davei]

Agreed, Ety 4s sound terrific for Radiohead - detailed, but not boomy, lots of isolation so you can concentrate on the music. Easily found for under $200 used.

 

[SuperGiraffe]

I love my Senn 600s with Radiohead, esp. the more recent stuff (from Kid A through hail to the Thief -- I have also listened to OK Computer on the headphones, but not recently, and I don't think I've ever listened to The Bends on my home headphone setup). The Senn's apparent ability to make sounds appear as they are not coming directly from a transducer strapped to your ear is great for these albums, and I don't feel like I lose any detail in either. Also, I think that the smooth mids of the Senns is great with Thom's voice.

For reference, I currently also own all the headphones in my profile, and have either owned or extensively auditioned the AT W1000, Grado 60, 80 and 125, Sony MDR-V6.

 

[Large4mat]

I'll have to agree that the 600's sound great with their newer material. The bass is a little thin on OK Computer, so I think that the Grados work well for that album (SR-125). It's been awhile since I listened to the Bends so I won't comment on it. The AKG K271s is another great choice in my book. It has great isolation, is laid back but has a more forward presentation than the 600's and the bass extension surpasses the 600's IMHO.

 

[sbulack]

I am loving Radiohead on my Grado SR225's. They have good impact, but not "bite". They are detailed, but not harsh. The SR225's present the voices in the music to your ears in a 3-D, surround-sound manner, giving very good voice separation and enabling your ear to intuitively enjoy more voices simultaneously with less effort. The impact of the SR225's is spread out over your listening space(to an extent related to the frequency of the sonic event), so it is not more intense than is pleasurable to listen to. Low bass events are very delocalized, seeming to fill the sonic space all around you. High treble events are well-focused, seeming to exist in very specific places in your sonic space. Frequencies in between are spread out or well-placed according to their frequencies (wavelengths): the lower the frequency (the longer the wavelength) - the less localized the sonic event is. What is very nice about this sonic arrangement is that you can simultaneously hear and appreciate more of the details going into the music AND hear it all together as an organic whole. So, high impact bass events are spread out over the whole sonic space, and spatially average out to a pleasant intensity. High impact treble events are like bright pin-points of sonic light. The overall effect is that, for the most part, the impact in music is aesthetically pleasing, not something that makes you brace for the impact. Then again, while watching intense movie scenes, it IS pleasing that the impactful sonic events DO make you brace for the impact, listening with the SR225's.

 

[Schizorabbit]

If you buy a set of headphones soley for the purpose of listening to one band your audiophile tendancies are beyond repair, and beyond those biological characterisitcs which make us human.