Hi-Fi headphones for quiet listening

[abhi_jollyguy]

@Kratu

Yes do check DT660 if you are after classical music and in case if you go for the sennheiser HD6xx series so must buy an AMP and to power the HD6xx series, go for the following head AMP:

Bottlehead Crack

Bottlehead crack and Sennheiser HD6xx are the combo made in heaven.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

If headphones didn't sound better with headphone amps, then there would be no point in them at all. Whilst our industry might, indeed, be full of expensive thing that there isn't any point in I don't think that headphone amps come in that area. A headphone amp should be capable of improving almost any headphone.

But, unless it could be said that a headphone would sound bad without the amp, then surely it should be seen as an upgrade, not as a must-buy-with.

If a headphone does sound bad without an amp, it would, for me, be a reason not to buy it --- unless it is some technology, like the stax, where a unique (and expensive) amp is a mandatory part of the (expensive) package.

It's a bit like saying, whoa, those are great speakers: upgrade the amp and they'll sound even better. That's fine ...but I wouldn't buy speakers that simply would not work with my amp. Nor would I (unless I end up in the Stax sector of the economy) buy a headphone that wouldn't sound at least very good, plugged in to any headphone socket we happened to be standing by.

 

[kratu]

Okay, I understand that higher impedance doesn't necessarily mean better sound. Having said that, headphones with consistently higher ratings ... such as Sennheiser HD 600/650/800 have higher impedance (300 ohms). Which has probably created some misunderstanding. My bad, I'll rephrase the statement in this way:

From what I've read, a good headphone set such as Sennheiser HD 600/650 is worthless unless it's driven by a solid amp.

Again having said that, I noticed there is correlation between hi-fi headphones and the usage of amps.

FYI, I'm also adding Sennheiser HD 598 to the list. This has 50 ohms. That means, it doesn't necessarily need an amp. It is newer model compared to HD600, and therefore doesn't have as many reviews. However, it definitely sounds promising.

There is another reason why I'm also considering an amp. I do have plans to add speakers and record player in the future.

Thanks for the suggestions. At some point, it boils down to personal taste and preferences. Are there shops (in Bangalore) which let me audition few headphones? I've been to Sennheiser authorised showroom in Cunningham road, however, I didn't get to see the high-end ones for auditioning.

 

[sbg]

...
There is another reason why I'm also considering an amp. I do have plans to add speakers and record player in the future.
...

Now ,I do not understand the correlation between amp, speaker and record player.

If I'm not mistaken, We all were discussing about an "Amp" - specifically "Headphone amplifier" and not the one that can drive
heavy loads/regular speakers.

 

[kratu]

Now ,I do not understand the correlation between amp, speaker and record player.

If I'm not mistaken, We all were discussing about an "Amp" - specifically "Headphone amplifier" and not the one that can drive
heavy loads/regular speakers.

What I'd in mind was "regular speaker" amp which have a headphone socket.

Anyway, let's not diverge. Are there any good places where I can audition some headphones mentioned in this thread?