Decent over-ear headphones

[S6PNJ]

Following on from this thread, I have a similar question but for over ear (or whatever the correct name is) headphones.

I'm trying to put together a good system for my father who now has the freedom to listen to whatever he wants! Trouble is, he now has neighbours and so a good set of headphones are now in order. We've been out looking and have been recommended some Grado ones but these were on-ear ones and even after a short time, they were starting to get uncomfortable, hence the need for over ear headphones. One recommendation so far is a pair of Yamaha HPH-MT120 but I'm wondering if there is anything else that should be considered? Budget is around £150 but is also dependant on the rest of the spend. Main music style is piano jazz but also with some heavier music (eg Genesis) thrown in for good measure.

Current rest of the system is planned to be as follows:

Speakers - Monitor Audio BX5 or Q Acoustics 2050i
Amp - Yamaha A S201 or poss A S301
CD Player - CDS300

Total budget to include interconnects and speaker cable no more than £1000 and preferably the Amp/CD should match for aesthetic reasons (yes I know!).

Recommendations would be gratefully received!

[adamInca]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/RHA-CA200-Over-Ear-Headpho...
Yes they are only £16 but don't let that put you off.
I have a pair and have no complaints (I also have a pair of their £70 in-ear ones). Really comfy too.

[S6PNJ]

Thanks but notwithstanding the price this review says they lack definition and detail in the mid range and have spiky treble. I'm thinking piano jazz will have lots of mid range and treble hence probably not a good buy for this style of music.

[Toffer]

If you want to also use the headphones with iPod or mobile phone, you may want to check sensitivity before buying as most mobile devices are not capable of driving low sensitivity headphones properly. This does not mean that one pair of headphones are better than another...it is just what works best in both applications. Good luck!

[telecat]

Depends on your Budget but STAX earspeakers are electrostatic and many consider them to be the best for sound quality. Budget may have to be stretched a lot to afford them unless you look second hand. They come as a package. A "Driver" that connect to your Amp and the Headphones connected to the box. The packages start at £750 ish and head up very quickly.

http://www.cheshireaudio.co.uk/acatalog/Stax_Headp...

[JustinP1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Another thumbs up for Beyer DTs.

The DT770 is closed back, the DT880 is semi open and the DT990 is fully open.

I use them both as monitors.

For you it would depend on the listening situation. The DT770s have great outside noise rejection, and don't leak much. They are a 'full' sounding headphone in terms of bass and lower range due to the closed design.

The DT990's would be best for jazz. They are a lot more neutral sounding, and the open design means that the soundstage around your head is much larger. In short, instruments panned wide sound like they are coming from outside of your head, rather than inside. Perfect for listening for acoustic music.

[S6PNJ]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Thanks - now looking at BD headphones and have spotted that the Custom One Pro's get good reviews, though worryingly they seem to be used a lot with PC gamers driven by (relatively) low spec hardware.

Toffer, no requirement to use them with ipods or phones, this is my 71 year old father we are talking about here!

Telecat - £750 kinda blows the budget for the remainder of the kit but thanks!

JustinP1 - thanks for the differences between the 7s, 8s and 9s. How would the Custom One Pros fit into that line up?

And from some of the reviews I've been reading - do they 'open up' after a 'burn in' period or is this more audio snake oil?

[bigandclever]

I bought some Sony MDR1-R at the weekend ... http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headpho...

They got decent reviews but with a sticking point of the relatively huge RRP (£299.99) eg http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-mdr-1r-review

However, they are currently £169.99 at John Lewis. I think there is a newer version in the offing for the Autumn, hence the price reduction. Proper bargain in my eyes ears, highly recommend.

[mikees]

More cheapo head phones here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Closed-Dynamic-...


I have these as do 3 kids and they are excellent for the price

Mike

[theboss]

S6PNJ said:

Telecat - £750 kinda blows the budget for the remainder of the kit but thanks!

You might just forget about the rest of the kit once you've heard a jolly good pair of headphones with a decent amp Spent the rest of the budget on a DAC and away you go.

[alphonso]

I wore these on a 12hr flight and didn't take them off at all.. even when i wasn't listening to music/film as the noise cancelling neutralised the plane noise. They never get uncomfortable and the sound is outstanding. It brought so much out in the music that I hadn't heard before with ear buds. Bit above budget at £260...

http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-and-personal-audi...

[JustinP1]

S6PNJ said:

JustinP1 - thanks for the differences between the 7s, 8s and 9s. How would the Custom One Pros fit into that line up?

And from some of the reviews I've been reading - do they 'open up' after a 'burn in' period or is this more audio snake oil?

I've not heard the Custom One Pros but they look very much like DT770s with variable bass control.

For me that's meh.

On the presumption that noise leakage in and out isn't an issue for you, for jazz I am almost entirely certain that you would prefer the DT990s by quite a bit.

As well as listening for enjoyment, those are what I use for monitoring playback doing location recordings for things like orchestras and they are neutral and the difference in the open soundstage between those and the DT770s is like night and day.

Break-in on headphones? Mmm... Maybe. More like your ears get used to the sound and they sound better to you. I don't think you'd tell the difference back to back doing a proper test.

[S6PNJ]

Thanks Justin, looks like the DT990s are the ones I'm going to recommend for my old man - plus from here they are only £102 delivered inc 3 year warranty!

[Sleepers]

mikees said:

More cheapo head phones here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Closed-Dynamic-...


I have these as do 3 kids and they are excellent for the price

Mike

For the price these are a steel. Mainly used for Netflix/YouTube viewing at night. Also have Bose QC3s which are very uncomfortable, need constant charging and sound no better than the £17 Sennheisers...

[MGHammer]

If you can stretch to £200, I have just swapped out my hd25s for exactly that comfort reason and bought some sennheiser momentum. Incredibly good and super comfy. They've dropped the price by 60 beans, too.

[drab]

I'd consider some AKGs as well, the k701s will be about that budget and are sublime with jazz and anything bar heavy rock and metal ime

Could also try some grados? I've got a few pairs and with the right pads they're very comfy and sound great

[NiceCupOfTea]

Funny this topic should pop up: currently listening to some blues/rock through my Beyer Dynamic DT990s for the first time in years - had forgotten how much I like them.

I listen to a real mix, though classical and rock are the main genres. I auditioned loads. Wanted to like the Grados but they were uncomfortable. Wanted closed backs so I didn't disturb the wife's telly while listening, but just didn't like the sound. 990s won by a country mile, and very comfortable.