Senn 600 or the new 650s should do you fine, but I would highly recommend an amplifier to drive these cans. Look on www.headphones.com or something like this to get some feedback on what the masses are saying re: this type of gear.
Headphone/Speaker suggestions
Hi!
I'm downsizing homes and will be leaving my very comfortable dedicated listening room behind. I need some suggestions for both speakers and headphones that will "keep me in the manner to which I've been accustomed". The current rig is a number of sources but primarily a SONY XA20ES feeding a McIntosh C38 to a McCormack DNA 1/B and a pair of Martin Logan SL3s in a 26*15*7 room. I'm not sure of the future room, but best case is 16*11*7 with a 8*4 notch cut out of the back of the room. I love the clarity and imaging of the system on all sorts of music, but mainly jazz, symphonic, folk, and rock.
I'm thinking about the Sennheiser HD600s for phones, but I have no idea about speakers yet. While I may not need a headphone amp from a power perspective, I'm curious about what they may be able to do to improve imaging.
Any and all suggestions are welcome as I haven't even established a real budget yet.
Dave
I'm downsizing homes and will be leaving my very comfortable dedicated listening room behind. I need some suggestions for both speakers and headphones that will "keep me in the manner to which I've been accustomed". The current rig is a number of sources but primarily a SONY XA20ES feeding a McIntosh C38 to a McCormack DNA 1/B and a pair of Martin Logan SL3s in a 26*15*7 room. I'm not sure of the future room, but best case is 16*11*7 with a 8*4 notch cut out of the back of the room. I love the clarity and imaging of the system on all sorts of music, but mainly jazz, symphonic, folk, and rock.
I'm thinking about the Sennheiser HD600s for phones, but I have no idea about speakers yet. While I may not need a headphone amp from a power perspective, I'm curious about what they may be able to do to improve imaging.
Any and all suggestions are welcome as I haven't even established a real budget yet.
Dave
3 responses Add your response
I went through a similar move myself, for various reasons. I have spent a lot of time researching and trying different products, and I feel that I have come up with a TERRIFIC system. As a point of reference, I once owned a Boulder preamplifier and power amplifier, Westlake speakers, Basis turntable with Graham tonearm and Benz Micro cartridge, and a Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD player. I also had all the associated audiophile paraphenalia (Echobusters treatments, Zoethecus racks, dedicated power lines, expensive cables, etc.). I know this may seem hard to believe, but I actaually enjoy my current headphone system far more. And it is anything but expensive. Okay, so the headphones are the Etymotic ER-4S(retail $330, but can be had for $250 from various online dealers). The amplifier is the Meier Audio Porta Corda II , which retails for $205 and can be ordered directly from the manufacturer. Of course, the source can be anything. Personally, I have retained and use my Sony SCD-1. A GREAT on-line community for headphone enthusiasts is Head-Fi! Hey for $450 for the system (source excluded) even if you don't like it it's hardly much of a loss. Heck, I used to spend more than that on a 0.5m interconnect. I'm glad I finally woke up... |
I am really happy with my Grado RS1s with a Headroom Maxx amp. I started with Senn 600s after all the good reviews, but found them a little claustophobic & the sound too distant. I love the Grados; they are very relaxing & have just the right amount of detail (and bass detail without being pushy). There is no fatigue-factor at all. But you MUST buy the comfy pads to replace the standard ones, which have too-thin padding and press on the ears. (Headroom has the pads; buy a couple of pairs in case they wear out.) I find myself enjoying my Grados better than speakers, I confess. Good cables are a must. After some experiments, Cardas Golden Cross works best (with my Accuphase DP75 CDP). |