For audiophiles - Elvis on your headphones

[Squire Smart]

I'll let you boys fight over who has the best equipment, meanwhile I'll enjoy the music.

Heheh! I know where you're coming from, Pirate. But if it doesn't sound right then it can be hard to enjoy the music!

[Marko]

I prefer listening music from speakers but at the moment I'm mainly using Sennheiser HD590 headphones. They're over 10 years old but they sound amazing plus they're extremely comfortable to wear. The HD590 are open which gives the sound more air. Of course they leak a lot so they are practical for home use only which is fine with me as I don't like to listen to music outdoors anyway. I think it's rather subjective which headphones sound the best. People prefer different sounds and also important factor is how comfortable the headphones are to wear. If they star hurting after a while it doesn't matter how great they sound.

[emjel]

I love my headphones, Grado SR 80's, 90% of my listening is done this way.
Nothing beats it for intamacy and soundstage.

Yep, killer phones the Grado 80's ( tho I prefer listening to my Focal Aria speakers ) apart from personally finding them uncomfortable, hence trying the AKGs that "SquireSmart" mentions at the top of the post ... Super comfy phones & look amazing but sound cr*p compared to the Grados, so I sold them after a week & the few times I use phones I suffer the discomfort the Grados give me!
SquireSmart says his FTDs sound great thru his Mission speakers ( they were my last speakers & nice they were too ) but not through his AKGs, where they sound "busy & thin" which is exactly how I found them to be with SO little bottom end to them. I've had better cheap in ear phones ... BUT it's all subjective & down to personal taste I guess. I do think if he had some Grados to compare with he'd be somewhat surprised tho ...

Well I may well check out some Grado SR 80s, they are 'relatively' affordable, although I note that they are on-ear rather than over ear. Do they leak alot? Also, what's the head band like?

Give the Bose ones I mentioned an audition. Over the ears, so comfortable and great sound too.

[The Pirate]

Well I may well check out some Grado SR 80s, they are 'relatively' affordable, although I note that they are on-ear rather than over ear. Do they leak alot? Also, what's the head band like?

They leak like a sieve, they offer no isolation at all, and the headband has no padding whatsoever. If you only want headphones to keep the rest of the world out, you'd be better off getting some construction workers ear muffs and reading a book instead, rather than using these. But they do sound great, so if you've got access to a quiet room then they're worth having. As far as the headband goes, I used to say that the fact the headphones were lightweight made up for the lack of padding. I've since discovered that the balder you get, the more uncomfortable they get, and so I've got round this by buying a generic padded wrap-around headband from eBay for a few pounds, and that works a treat. If you've still got all your own hair, you'll be fine. And I hate you.

[JamieAKelley]

I mentioned these before, but I really do like the EX-29 Extreme Isolation over-the-ear phones. Great sound, imo, and they are isolating. Well padded (on the ears and the band) and comfortable - I record for 3+ hours on those things and my ears feel fine after. When one of mine broke (early version defect on the plastic top part), I called and actually talked to the owner of the company, who sent me a replacement. Pretty amazing customer service.

And they sell on ebay between $90-$115usd, so not too bad in the cost department.

[Squire Smart]

Well I may well check out some Grado SR 80s, they are 'relatively' affordable, although I note that they are on-ear rather than over ear. Do they leak alot? Also, what's the head band like?

They leak like a sieve, they offer no isolation at all, and the headband has no padding whatsoever. If you only want headphones to keep the rest of the world out, you'd be better off getting some construction workers ear muffs and reading a book instead, rather than using these. But they do sound great, so if you've got access to a quiet room then they're worth having. As far as the headband goes, I used to say that the fact the headphones were lightweight made up for the lack of padding. I've since discovered that the balder you get, the more uncomfortable they get, and so I've got round this by buying a generic padded wrap-around headband from eBay for a few pounds, and that works a treat. If you've still got all your own hair, you'll be fine. And I hate you.

Arf, arf

[Squire Smart]

I can relate to the OP, some releases sound great on headphones, others need some nice speakers...

Yeah, you may well be right. It just seems odd that the FTD releases sound so different to the other stuff I play over the 'phones....and it's bloody annoying!

[Squire Smart]

I used AKG K240s throughout my entire career in radio (25+ years). I've never listened to anything that comes close. Problem is, you need a preamp. Smartphones, CD players, etc. don't have them, and you just can't get any volume.

I still have my Mackie 1202 console, and run the cans through it.

Do the K240s give a good full, rounded sound, elvisjock?

[Lohmax]

Sony MDR-1ADAC High Resolution for me. They have a built-in DAC and I can listen to Flac or High Res on my Sony Walkman. I use them for travelling mostly. I like their sound, which works very well with Elvis.

[emjel]

I like their sound, which works very well with Elvis.

Do they work well with any other artist?

[Mike in New Jersey]

$20.00 pair of Sony headphones do the trick for me. My hearing is shot from ear infections as a teenager, years working at a noisy job and probably too much headphone useage. I suspect any sonic gains from a better set of headphones would be lost on me.

[KevinK]

Another Grado S80i owner here.

When I bought them, I went to a HiFi store and brought my favourite Elvis albums (EIB, HHIM, FEIM) and played the albums through a fairly high end stereo system. I listened through a few different headphones, and the Grado's won out in every way (soundwise!)

I've tried other headphones (mostly high end Sennheisers) in stores since then out of curiosity and nothing has ever come close.

They do leak like a sonofabitch. I remember sitting in our living room, listening to something on my laptop, and herself was wondering why I hadn't plugged my headphones in! So that'll give you an idea.

But honestly, they do sound great.

[Squire Smart]

An update! I tracked down a Denon dcd-820 (which I used to have before it went west) and swapped out the Marantz cd5005. Guess what, the AKG550s suddenly sprung into the life and my Elvis CDs suddenly came into their own. I can only think that the Marantz just wasn't a good pairing with the headphones or the amp? Anyway I'm well pleased and the Denon only cost £30. Who would have thought an early 1990s CD player would win out over a 2015 Marantz!

May still check out the Gradios just to see if they live up to the hype.

[Lohmax]

I like their sound, which works very well with Elvis.

Do they work well with any other artist?

No, they were made by Sony in their Elvis Only line, which came together with a jumpsuit of your choosing. I did, however, once try out 60s and 70s soul albums with it and they sounded just as good. They are not super comfortable though.

[emjel]

I like their sound, which works very well with Elvis.

Do they work well with any other artist?

No, they were made by Sony in their Elvis Only line, which came together with a jumpsuit of your choosing. I did, however, once try out 60s and 70s soul albums with it and they sounded just as good. They are not super comfortable though.

Guess I'll stick with the Bose ones then. I've had Sony, Senheisser, Phillips and for me, nothing beats the Bose Comfort 25 h-phones for sound and comfort.