Headphones

LH · Post by LH » 2010-01-01 14:46

I am looking for some good headphones to use with my laptop mainly for watching movies or tv-series. They need to be friendly to the surroundings so unfortunately no open headphones (with soud leakage) also I need to be able to drive them well enough with the inbuilt amplifier stage of my Sony VAIO.

So far I have tried the ones I already own but are unhappy with: Old Ipod headphones, newer style Ipod headphones and AKG K26P. I also borrowed a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 from a friend but wasn't impressed.

In the past i liked the AKG K 701 but these will probably be to hard to drive properly by the VAIO so I am currently looking at AKG K 272 HD to try out.

Any suggestions on good headphones to try out would be greatly apreciated. In-Ear recommendations are also wellcome as long as they sound good.

On a side note: I have an old Majik-I lying around unused. Do you think that it would be a big improvement to use its in-built headphone amplifier?

ahaa · Post by **ahaa** » 2010-01-01 17:04

Take a look under "Absolute bargains!" in this forum!
AKG 420P are great, but emit a lot of outside noise. I can recommend the Yuin PK3 ear buds. They are very silent for your surroundings. But give them a proper burn in and use the doughnut shaped foam pads.

LH · Post by LH » 2010-01-06 18:53

I ended up buying a pair of AKG K271 mkII headphones the other day and since these are primarily made for studio use and monitoring of vocals etc without feedback into the microphone they suit my needs quite well. Now I can watch Blu-ray on my laptop with my fiancee sleeping right next to me without bothering her. As for the sound quality: its easy to follow the tune of singers, guitars and all that is happening in the “midrange area”, timing is decent.

I will try them with my old Majik-I as headphone amp later. Let me know if anybody is interested in how this worked out and I will post a report of this later. I can do that comparison with a serious source such as the LP12 or Akurate DS if someone is considering buying these headphones for music listening.

TMV · Post by **TMV** » 2010-01-06 21:12

A pair of AKG K66 is perfect for laptops! Discontinued but you might find a pair.

doze84 · Post by **doze84** » 2010-01-13 23:37

I can recommend Denon AH-d1001 if you want closed headphones, very musical.
Edit: I do not recommend these as top of the value any more.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2010-01-26 03:43

It's been a long time since I've thought about headphones, but wasn't sure where to start. This thread does provide good information and might help me choose a pair.

Post by **lejonklou** » 2010-01-26 22:54

Please tell us what you find! There are a lot of models I haven't heard, but I do think the AKG 420's are fantastic value for money. Put them on your list, unless it's only closed headphones you're interested in.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2010-01-29 14:29

Lejonklou, once I have an idea of what to buy - I'll let you know. Currently, I do have a set of headphones but due to my system set-up they're not being used. Fortunately I don't need headphones for listening to music.

LH · Post by LH » 2010-01-29 21:17

After Living with my new headphones for a couple of weeks I must say that "for what I use them for" they are quite good. Yesterday I watched an episode of the TV series "Sons of Anarchy" / Blu-ray / DTS-HD in full HD on my laptop and it was an "Wow!" experience! I have never heard this kind of sound quality from a laptop / headphone combo. If you need a pair of closed headphones for your laptop I recommend giving the AKG K 271 mkII a chance.

About a week ago I tried to do some serious music listening with my LP12 as source and an old Majik-I as headphone amp and while the music came through very clear (and studio "monitor" like) listening to music through headphones is not for me. It was ok when I lived in a college dorm a long time ago and owned a pair of Sennheised HD 580 but it no longer "cuts the mustard" so to speak. I have also listened to a bunch of studio masters through my laptop as this was what I used when going around to a couple of stores to compare the different headphones and finally choing a pair.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2010-02-09 15:19

There won't be many times that I'll use headphones, but it would be nice to have a really good sounding pair when needed 8) .

Post by **lejonklou** » 2010-02-09 20:45

I feel the same, Tony!

Lingo · Post by **Lingo** » 2011-01-17 19:03

I've been using some Beyer Dynamic DT331 headphones for years and really enjoy them. I'm tempted to upgrade to the DTX910's though. Anyone tried them?

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2011-01-31 15:37

Lingo wrote:I've been using some Beyer Dynamic DT331 headphones for years and really enjoy them. I'm tempted to upgrade to the DTX910's though. Anyone tried them?

I haven't heard the Dynamic DT331 or DTX910 headphones. However, if you do listen to the DTX910 headphones, please share your findings.

Lingo · Post by **Lingo** » 2011-02-03 13:16

Tony Tune-age wrote:However, if you do listen to the DTX910 headphones, please share your findings.

Will do. I'm hoping to try the DTX710's aswell.

Tendaberry · Post by **Tendaberry** » 2011-02-03 19:00

I was positively surprised by the quality of my girlfriend's Sennheiser HD600. Sometimes I use them late at night for movies with my Kinos. Dialogues are much easier to understand than through my Akurate 242's.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2011-02-03 19:58

In some ways, headphones can sound better than speakers. Such as details, voices, etc. But in other ways, speakers can be way more fun :!: Such as slam, volume, muscle, power, etc. 8)

highflyer · Post by **highflyer** » 2011-05-14 18:45

I also prefer listening to speakers over headphones, but do enjoy my headphone listening sessions late at night so as not to disturb my wife. I have Sennheiser HD600s and like them a lot.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2011-05-14 20:27

highflyer wrote:I also prefer listening to speakers over headphones, but do enjoy my headphone listening sessions late at night so as not to disturb my wife. I have Sennheiser HD600s and like them a lot.

Good point, it's important to be considerate to others when listening to music...especially if they are asleep!

doze84 · Post by **doze84** » 2011-07-16 09:59

Tony Tune-age wrote:
highflyer wrote:I also prefer listening to speakers over headphones, but do enjoy my headphone listening sessions late at night so as not to disturb my wife. I have Sennheiser HD600s and like them a lot.
Good point, it's important to be considerate to others when listening to music...especially if they are asleep!

I've heard that akg 702 is a good competitor to grado 325is, but diffrent. Hope to be able to try it soon!

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2011-07-17 22:32

doze84 wrote:
Tony Tune-age wrote:
highflyer wrote:I also prefer listening to speakers over headphones, but do enjoy my headphone listening sessions late at night so as not to disturb my wife. I have Sennheiser HD600s and like them a lot.
Good point, it's important to be considerate to others when listening to music...especially if they are asleep!
I've heard that akg 702 is a good competitor to grado 325is, but diffrent. Hope to be able to try it soon!

Let's us know what you think, if you get the chance to hear the AKG 702 against the Grado 325...