2. misc-audio
  3. 1069775146

New Headphone User

Due to family considerations, I recently bought a new pair of Sennheiser HD600 (with stock cord) for a great price here on AudiogoN. As my preamp already has a build in headphone amplifier, I did not have to purchase one. What a fantastic purchase! For $259 I have outstanding sound with no room interactions and I can listen however loudly I wish without disturbing everyone else. Also as a bonus, the sweet spot is a 10' radius.
I am posting this because I am actually shocked at the fidelity one can obtain in a pair of headphones that, relative to my system cost, is inexpensive. How many of you have headphones and what are your impressions compared to listening through your speakers?

David
david_berry
consttraveler
250 posts
 
David,

Headroom has a couple of replacement options for the Senn. cables, as well as high quality extensions (my "sweet spot" is +/- 25 feet). Their web site is www.headphone.com

Best regards, Dave.
danlib1
819 posts
 
The 600's were my headphone reference for quite a while. The Cardas cable is a nice upgrade. You may also want to experiment with dedicated headphone amps later- especially tubed units.

I've since moved on to the Stax Classic System, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. With a 5 year old daughter in the house, headphones are an essential part of my audiophile experience!

Have Fun!!
krell1's avatar
krell1
250 posts
 
Look into www.head-fi.com for a great headphone-only forum.
You would really appreciate an external headphone amp like the Headroom. I do 70% listening at work with my Headroom MOHR and Ety Er-4S, sounds great with the HD-600 too. It is much more cost effective to do an accurate headphone system than getting the same result from a loudspeaker simply because the acoustics of a room. Happy listening.
budrew
467 posts
 
I agree: get yourself an aftermarket cable (I recommend the Equinox by Stefan AudioArt) and a headphone amp (I recommend the Ray Samuals Audio XP-7, but there's lots of great choices out there -- depends on yopur budget and taste). The Stax set up is very nice too, but pricey. I really enjoy my headphone set up. It's more intimate with the music and you can hear all the details. The HD600s are my current fav.
danlib1
819 posts
 
Another note about the STAX-

I agree with Budrew about their expense when new....BUT I bought a complete STAX Classic system on the "Gon recently for under $700.00 ($1,500 retail). This was less than my HD-600's, 15 ft Cardas Cable, and Musical Fidelity V2 X-Cans Headphone amp, and outperforms that combo by a fair margin (for my listening tastes).

Other fine amps for driving the HD-600's that I've used include the Sugden Headmaster (It drove the HD-600's better than my Headroom Max) and the Gilmore unit.

Enjoy your journey through headphone mania!
More to discover