What are the best headphones?

September 15, 2005 9:31 PM

So like what are your favorite, what are the best dj and/or audiophile headphones? Grado Labs? Sennheiser?
posted by The Jesse Helms to Technology (27 answers total)

Sennheiser HD 580.
posted by cribcage at 9:44 PM on September 15, 2005

I use these, the Sony MDR-D66sl "eggo". They're good for on-the-go and casual listening out of CD players, computer headphones, etc.

as for "best", there're a lot of headphones that could qualify depending on what you're looking for. There're both situational and subjective fields; while cribcages 580's blow my eggo's away in a quiet room, the eggos have the upper hand when on the bus or in a somewhat noisy environment. To make things even more ridiculous, each headphone tends to have a particular sonic signature, and every person that listens to the headphone may be looking for different things, so what I think is "the best" may be absolute crap by your standards.

that said, the best place to go if you're looking for headphones for some situation is probably over to head-fi.org.

[disclosure: I am also a head-fi member, conveniently enough under the same username]
posted by heeeraldo at 9:57 PM on September 15, 2005

Sennheiser.
posted by devilsbrigade at 10:01 PM on September 15, 2005

Every other working DJ I meet seems to use these Sonys, one model or another. I think the bass boost is very appealing to DJs, and Sony seems big on bass boost.
But my Sennheiser 525s (older version of cribcage's 580s) have done me right for several years. Only recently have the replaceable cables started to crap out.
posted by hellbient at 10:35 PM on September 15, 2005

I love my pair of Grado SR-60s. Best Headphones I've ever owned. The only downside is that they annoy other people when the volume is turned up.

The eggos look nice too. More expensive than the cheaper Grados though. I've never liked Sennheisers, they feel cheaply made and (to me) are uncomfortable.
posted by blasdelf at 10:39 PM on September 15, 2005

The fundamental choice is Open vs Closed - where the structure of the 'phone is designed to enclose the transducer membrane. Senn makes both types. Grados are all open. It's a very different sound presentation, and you kinda need to hear the difference for yourself.

If you are in public, Open tends to leak a lot of noise, both in and out. I've been asked to turn down my Grados on the bus (but the Pixies need to be loud, ma'am.) and I've occasionally wanted to throttle a Grado wearing co-worker for noise leakage.

On the positive side, I find Open designs better for longer sessions where leakage isn't an issue - mostly at home. Closed 'phones start to feel claustrophobic to me.

As I write, I'm listening to Blind Willie Johnson in my AudioTechnica ATH-W1000s, which are closed design.

Have someone hide your wallet from you before you go to Head-Fi. And in the end, you just can't go wrong with the venerable Grado SR-60.
posted by Triode at 10:44 PM on September 15, 2005

Sennheiser.

I have the HD570s and they're awesome.
posted by bshort at 11:10 PM on September 15, 2005

I have had both the Grado SR-80 and Sennheiser HD590. I prefer the latter. I wonder the canalphones compare.
posted by Gyan at 11:15 PM on September 15, 2005

wonder how the
posted by Gyan at 11:16 PM on September 15, 2005

DJ headphones and audiophile headphones are pretty different beasts at the detailed level.

DJ headphones have to be well-built to withstand the rigors of a travelling DJ, and have to have good isolation to allow the DJ to separate the monitors from the mix. The Sony MDR-V700DJ is the iconic DJ headphone, and it is well-built and isolates well. However, for home use, I find it to be too "hot" in that my ears end up hurting after an hour or so. That's a fit issue and most other people love them.

For audiophile headphones, the Sennheisers and the Grados are both excellent choices. In a very general sense, Sennheisers are more popular with classical music lovers, jass lovers, vocal music lovers, music that requires detail and sensitivity. The Grados are generally-speaking known for their "punch" and are popular with rock, electronic, rap music lovers. These are gross generalizations.

In general, audiophile headphones often require a powerful amp to run them properly, especially ones in the $400+ area. That is not ALWAYS the case, but once you get above a certain threshold, most people use dedicated headphone amps.

Headphone.com is a great resource.
posted by gen at 1:09 AM on September 16, 2005

I'm a working DJ and I swear by the Technics RPDJ1200 headphones....I am on my second set in 10 years (of DJ'ing 2 or 3 nights a week) and they are comfortable, reliable and very flexible. This is especially useful as I don't wear them on my head, but round my neck...the cups swivel to face your ears.

I think they are on their third incarnation - and they get better every time.
posted by mattr at 3:21 AM on September 16, 2005

I've loved my Sony MDRV700DJs (as Hellbent stated) for years and years and years. Very flexible and adjustable...and it is "de rigeur" for the dj set. Or something.

But yes, these are NOT "audiophile" headphones.
posted by tpl1212 at 5:42 AM on September 16, 2005

Let me add my voice to the chorus of Grado and Sennhiser HD-580 fans. Note that 1)DJ headphones are more about volume, and the right amount of isolation, than they are about sound quality, and 2)the best audiophile headphones almost certainly cost more than you are willing to spend, so you're probably looking either for bang-for-the-buck, or for the best headphones in a specific price range.

(heeeraldo, you don't like the 580s in a noisy environment? Is it because they're bulky and cumbersome, or because the Eggos isolate better, or for some other reason?)
posted by box at 6:00 AM on September 16, 2005

I own (and use) three different headphones that I'd recommend for just about anyone. My open headphones, when I want comfortable listening are Grado SR-80s. Kind of hard to drive, but great for home listening. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros, which are remarkably cheap on Amazon and sound great, but the 'closed' feeling of the headphone (plus the fact they're a pain to wear around my neck) means I don't use them as often. My most used headphone (and really not all the applicable to your question) are a pair Etymotic ER-4Ps, which I keep in bag for use at the office.

I'd probably go for Senn's HD 280 Pros for DJ use. Lots of isolation, pretty comfortable, and they're not to hard to drive.
posted by PantsOfSCIENCE at 6:01 AM on September 16, 2005 [1 favorite]

Gotta agree on the Sennheiser HD 580's. I use mine about 4 hrs a night and they are very comfortable and sound amazing. Use them with an Audigy soundcard and a Creek headphone amp to listen to music on my PC. But they aren't DJ headphones because they are of "open" design. You really need sealed cans if you're gonna use them in a club environment or they'll be drowned out by the club sound system.
posted by white_devil at 6:17 AM on September 16, 2005

It depends. I like the open design and love my Sennheiser HD600s. The best I have ever heard were STAX. One thing I can not emphasize enough is getting a proper headphone amplifier. After you reach a reasonable level of headphone sophistication, i.e. Grado S60, the amplification starts to really matter. I suggest you spend some time at Headwize which is filled with folks obsessing over everything headphone.
posted by caddis at 6:32 AM on September 16, 2005

Open.
Closed.
In-Ear.
Amps.

Eat tacos every day.
posted by I Love Tacos at 6:53 AM on September 16, 2005

I've heard a lot of good things about Sennheiser HD-25 for DJ use. I've thought about picking up a pair.

I regularly use Shure e2c in-ear earphones and those great Sony eggos that heeeraldo mentioned. If you're looking for compact headphones that you can toss in a bag but are still the over-ear variety, I've read they're some of the best in their price range. From personal experience, I'd have to say I like them a lot. They seem fairly toy-like, but my pair has held up really well for the last few years.

It's really hard to go wrong with Grado or Sennheiser, though.
posted by mikeh at 7:08 AM on September 16, 2005

For a great combination of closed and good sound quality, the venerable Sony MDR-V6 has been the standard for probably 20 years now. They're indestructible, you can pump up the volume and the people next to you won't be the wiser, and they sound great plugged into just about anything. The folks at Head-Fi and Headwize love 'em, so they have good sound quality, especially for the price. The cups also swivel for DJ use, and they fold up nicely into a bag for travelling. They beat the pants off of Sony's current MDR-V600 and MDR-V900 line. They're also the exact same thing as the pricier MDR-7506, but without a useless gold-plated connector.
posted by zsazsa at 7:11 AM on September 16, 2005

Sony MDR-V6.
posted by togdon at 8:09 AM on September 16, 2005

For DJ use, Sennheiser HD25 (or HD25SP) are great. I use these at work to avoid annoying my neighbours, and used to use them for plane trips etc (great sound isolation) until I got some Shure e3s - which have the advantage of tiny size but the disadvantage of being fiddly to put on and take off.

For audiophile stuff... Sennheiser HD650. Just incredible - but obviously useless as DJ cans for all of the reasons that people pointed out about the HD580 etc. Grados are also v. nice - had some 225s, but ultimately the "upfront" presentation that fans of these cans love was not my idea of a good time. Again, Grados are not suitable for DJ use.
posted by pascal at 8:33 AM on September 16, 2005

I use Grado SR-60s which sound really good.
posted by chunking express at 9:33 AM on September 16, 2005

I swear by my Grado SR-80's. I've never heard better sound from a pair of headphones and they are soft and comfortable. They aren't quiet though, and I use them only at home.
posted by macinchik at 9:47 AM on September 16, 2005

Another vote of the the HD590s - I really haven't heard anything quite so magnificent. What I particularly like is that they have a huge baffle that holds the drivers well off your ear (as opposed to having them crush your ear as we have become accustomed to) which creates a wonderfully deep soundfield. And they weigh next to nothing, which is a delight.

Rubbish for DJing though - I'd go for the HD270s for that (you can get them on ebay). Note also that closed headphones will accentuate low frequencies, unlike open ones. Oh, and I don't know diddly about Grados, but Sennheisers are definitely built to last. The cables (not on the cheap ones) aren't actually attached to the phones - they plug in, which means that when you inevitably step on the cable the plug just pops out, rather than ripping the phones off your head and the cable out of it's attachment.
posted by forallmankind at 10:28 AM on September 16, 2005

Yet another vote for the HD 580s. They sound great, and you can wear them all day (I use them to listen to music at work) without discomfort. As people have pointed out, they're probably not the right choice for DJing, but they're great for audiophile-type listening. Grados are supposed to be good, too, but I don't have any experience with them.
posted by klausness at 1:16 PM on September 16, 2005

Someone asked this a few months back.

I love my Grado SR-80s.
posted by autojack at 4:46 AM on September 17, 2005

The poor man's HD 580. Just awesome. Can be driven with portable players without an amp.
posted by Finder at 10:09 AM on September 17, 2005