[amigomatt]

I'm a musician and so is my good friend.  I really want to get him some nice cans for his birthday that is coming up.  I've done TONS of research, but won't get chance to try out many of my options.
 
He likes all sorts of music and is a piano and trumpet player.  His music tastes are similar to mine and he loves Queen, Dire Straits and other mainstream rock through to some heavier metal.  He also loves large scale orchestral music and funk jazz stuff, so dynamic and interesting sounding headphones are a must.  He will be playing them through a Macbook Pro with the Apogee external sound interface.  I'm thinking they need to be engaging, but still accurate enough to satisfy someone who knows what real instruments and dynamics sound like!
 
MY budget is around £100.  I may stretch further if it's worth it, but may also like a cheaper option!  It's a tough call for £100, but considering he has a cheap pair of Behringers at the moment and has never owned any decent cans, I'm sure I can find something that will be a wonderful surprise that he can enjoy listening to music on for years to come.
 
Some of my options include:
 
AKG K271 Mk II or Studios - Nice looking can, very stylish and unique design.  I hear these are a classic, but may lack a certain oomph in dynamics and low end?  Great for classical though?
 
AKG K550 - These are pushing my budget a bit and my worry is the well documented problem of the headband not having enough clamping force, which will give a less than optimum sound quality.
 
KRK KNS-6400/8400 - I've been reading great things about the 6400s and they are near the top of my list for this price range.  I wonder whether these would be a better option for the money over the 8400s?
 
Shure SRH-440/840 - Hearing good things about accuracy etc., but are the KRKs better?
 
Sennheiser HD439/449/380 PRO - I listened to a lowly pair of HD201s in a classroom today and they punched well above the weight I was expecting of them.  Great bass and clarity, will a smoothness and accurate imaging, so I'm thinking any of these would be a step up from that, which has got to be good?
 
Brainwavz HM5 - Been reading a lot of good things about these too, with very few people complaining for the price and many saying they compete with cans higher up the scale.  I hear they are very neutral and accurate.  I also like the presentation/carry case and the fact they look like a nice and luxurious headphone to wear, which is nice for a present!
 
Creative Aurvana Live - Now, I don't like the look of these on pictures, they look cheap and the brand name doesn't inspire me with confidence and expectations of audio nirvana, but they are receiving AMAZING feedback on here and elsewhere.  Are these the ones?  Cheaper for my wallet too!!
 
Koss DJ100 - Again, these have a cult following and I personally have a soft spot for Koss phones, but I hear they are quite hard to drive (plus there may be a headphone on the list that outclasses them for sound quality?)
 
Grado SR80 - I own these myself and these were the first headphone to WOW me!  I know my friend would love these, but I'm wondering if any of the options above might offer just as much excitement, but with a better bottom end and soundstage..
 
You may have noticed that all my choices are cans that I hope would have a fairly realistic yet fun presentation.  I just don't want anything the glaringly stand out as a disappointment.  I would like to know from any of you that could compare these headphones and maybe give an opinion on which may be the present with the most WOW factor!!  Any other recomendations are very welcome!
 
Sorry to post yet another thread asking for advice on c£100 cans, but I really have spent hours doing my research and know that someone here could point me in a more focussed direction!
 
Many thanks in advance!
 
BTW, I'm awaiting the arrival of some HifiMan HE-400s.  If I really like them, they may make my HD598s redundant, so I may opt to give him them!  That might be a very difficult decision to make though...
 
Kind regards,
 
Matt

 

[scuttle]

The price of Grados is seriously inflated in the UK. It often works out cheaper (depending on look with Customs) to buy a Music Series One from the manufacturer:
 
http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html
 
-  These are modified Grados; I think most people prefer them to the SR60 and SR80, but obviously you should do forum and google searches.
 
You might also consider Fostex TR50s, especially if  you or he/she are the sort of person happy to open a headphone up and stuff some acoustic matting in place - there a lots of threads about modding these and many people claim the results can be outstanding.

 

[amigomatt]

Quote:

The price of Grados is enormously inflated in the UK. It often works out cheaper (depending on look with Customs) to buy a Music Series One from the manufacturer:
 
http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html
 
-  These are modified Grados; I think most people prefer them to the SR60 and SR80, but obviously you should do forum and google searches.
 
You might also consider Fostex TR50s, especially if  you or he/she are the sort of person happy to open a headphone up and stuff some acoustic matting in place - there a lots of threads about modding these and many people claim the results can be outstanding.

Thanks for your input, scuttle, the Alessandros seems a great choice.  I didn't even think about them!  My friend definitely won't be modding, he can't even change channels on his TV properly!

 

[soundstige]

As long as you're not treble-shy, they will.
Quote:

BTW, I'm awaiting the arrival of some HifiMan HE-400s.  If I really like them, they may make my HD598s redundant, so I may opt to give him them! 

 

[amigomatt]

Quote:

As long as you're not treble-shy, they will.

I thought the HE-400s are supposed to be pretty dark and non-fatiguing?

 

[soundstige]

Mm... they're still "dark" because of an analytical presentation and excellent bass performance. They're non-fatiguing only in the sense that the treble doesn't go overboard and become sibilant; but the overall signature is slightly U-shaped and not smooth or "relaxed" sounding. Wonderful cans, though. Also keep in mind this is with my pair which has the cloth covers over the drivers removed.
 
Quote:

I thought the HE-400s are supposed to be pretty dark and non-fatiguing?

 

[amigomatt]

I'm especially interested in the relative merits of the Koss DJ100 and the KRK 6400 after further reading.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Out of your list, the K271 MKII, HM5 and K550 would be my top choices.
 
Some other options maybe you've not considered (and I don't know prices where you are):
 
Sony MA900
Beyer DT880 PRO 250ohm
AKG Q701
 
Very best,

 

[amigomatt]

Quote:

Heya,
 
Out of your list, the K271 MKII, HM5 and K550 would be my top choices.
 
Some other options maybe you've not considered (and I don't know prices where you are):
 
Sony MA900
Beyer DT880 PRO 250ohm
AKG Q701
 
Very best,

Thank you for your input, MalVeaux, it's much appreciated.  The other options are slightly above my intended budget, as is the K550, but I can get the K550 for around £150.  Would they be a big step up from the K271 Mkiis?  Also, are the HM5s way behind the AKGs?  Also, would the K271 Mkiis need a better amp than the Apogee from the Macbook Pro?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thank you for your input, MalVeaux, it's much appreciated.  The other options are slightly above my intended budget, as is the K550, but I can get the K550 for around £150.  Would they be a big step up from the K271 Mkiis?  Also, are the HM5s way behind the AKGs?  Also, would the K271 Mkiis need a better amp than the Apogee from the Macbook Pro?

 
Heya,
 
I wouldn't call it a "big" step up from the K271 MKII. The HM5 is not behind the AKG, simply another flavor option. More robust build. More isolation. The K271 MKII are 55ohm/91db/mw. They're fairly efficient (sensitivity in this case is the biggest factor, as impedance is too low to matter here). They can benefit amplification. But you don't need anything high powered here. Basically any amp that outputs high current at low impedance would work (ie, don't use an OTL tube amp; but solid state would be fine).
 
Very best,

 

[amigomatt]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
I wouldn't call it a "big" step up from the K271 MKII. The HM5 is not behind the AKG, simply another flavor option. More robust build. More isolation. The K271 MKII are 55ohm/91db/mw. They're fairly efficient (sensitivity in this case is the biggest factor, as impedance is too low to matter here). They can benefit amplification. But you don't need anything high powered here. Basically any amp that outputs high current at low impedance would work (ie, don't use an OTL tube amp; but solid state would be fine).
 
Very best,

Thank you again for your quick reply.  I'm sorry to fire another question, but in terms of overall 'vividness' over the FR and dynamic excitement, am I right in thinking that the HM5s may do that better, the K550s even more so, with the K271 MkIIs having a clearer, leaner and more mannered approach?  Also, how do the K240 MkIIs rank with this lot?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thank you again for your quick reply.  I'm sorry to fire another question, but in terms of overall 'vividness' over the FR and dynamic excitement, am I right in thinking that the HM5s may do that better, the K550s even more so, with the K271 MkIIs having a clearer, leaner and more mannered approach?  Also, how do the K240 MkIIs rank with this lot?

 
Heya,
 
The HM5 will sound a little more meaty, weighty. The K550 is very dry and analytical. The K271 MKII actually has a slight mid-bass hump, it's not too polite and it's not lean. The K240 MKII does vocals and instruments very well, good sound stage too.
 
Very best,

 

[amigomatt]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
The HM5 will sound a little more meaty, weighty. The K550 is very dry and analytical. The K271 MKII actually has a slight mid-bass hump, it's not too polite and it's not lean. The K240 MKII does vocals and instruments very well, good sound stage too.
 
Very best,

MalVeauX, thanks so much mate!  I trust your words unconditionally, having read many of your generous posts on here.  If you charged a cent for every gem you've given, you'd be rich!!  Can I ask one last thing?  Would the K240 MKIIs sound a bit disappointing next to the K271 MKIIs?  I'm feeling myself homing in on these two now, and obviously price is a plus on the K240s..

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

MalVeauX, thanks so much mate!  I trust your words unconditionally, having read many of your generous posts on here.  If you charged a cent for every gem you've given, you'd be rich!!  Can I ask one last thing?  Would the K240 MKIIs sound a bit disappointing next to the K271 MKIIs?  I'm feeling myself homing in on these two now, and obviously price is a plus on the K240s..

 
The K240 MKII and K271 MKII are quite similar. The 240 is semi-open. The 271 is closed, sealed. The 240 is great for vocals, and is good for recording, because you can hear things outside (like yourself) which is important for some recording. The 271 is closed, so has isolation, and is better for recording instruments while listening to something that won't be captured on a microphone. As casual musical listening headphones (instead of being used for production), they're good, but not stellar. Again the K240 is great with mids and presents vocals/instruments superbly but is not as strong in extremely low end bass response or high treble response. The 271 has a little better bass handling and is similar, but not quite as superb at mids, but provides isolation. It's a flavor thing.
 
Very best,

 

[KiruDub]

My 2 cents as a musician regarding the K550s... since they rely on a total seal to perform as intended, if you or your mate wears glasses, the K550s might not work.
 
I was unable to audition them and bought them on reviews (and the fact that they were sealed so I could use them while recording vocals).
 
Unfortunately, even though they sounded good, they didn't work with my glasses, and I re-boxed them for return after 10 minutes of wear.