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
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