Best headphones for £400

[8-Bit Ninja]

All i care about is over ear, non of that "gaming" shit please 

 

thank you

[BarneyInMatrix]

HD598?

[HeathCliff]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Circumaural-Dynamic-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B008B8UBCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446159488&sr=8-1&keywords=hd700

 

Currently using these and they are fricking amazing. You may need a good amp though.

[BarneyInMatrix]

All i care about is over ear, non of that "gaming" shit please 

 

thank you

 

HD598?

Nvm HD598's are cheaper at 140euros on amazon

The HD700s are 8 bucks over your budget but theyre amazing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Circumaural-Dynamic-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B008B8UBCA/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1446159544&sr=1-3&keywords=hd+650

[HeathCliff]

Nvm HD598's are cheaper at 140euros on amazon

The HD700s are 8 bucks over your budget but theyre amazing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Circumaural-Dynamic-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B008B8UBCA/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1446159544&sr=1-3&keywords=hd+650

 

Well, luckily I got it when it was on sale for £350

[8-Bit Ninja]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Circumaural-Dynamic-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B008B8UBCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446159488&sr=8-1&keywords=hd700

 

Currently using these and they are fricking amazing. You may need a good amp though.

ok, if i have to get an amp, what sort of price would i be looking at? 

[SSL]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Circumaural-Dynamic-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B008B8UBCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446159488&sr=8-1&keywords=hd700

 

Currently using these and they are fricking amazing. You may need a good amp though.

 

What's amazing about them? The OP is going to need more if they are going to make an informed descision.

[8-Bit Ninja]

another question, iv never really owned a high end set of headphones before, and reading reviews of such headphones on amazon, as well as online lots of people talk about how headphones need burning in, what is this,? 

[SSL]

another question, iv never really owned a high end set of headphones before, and reading reviews of such headphones on amazon, as well as online lots of people talk about how headphones need burning in, what is this,? 

 

It's bullshit. A combination of placebo, people becoming accustomed to the sound, and probably earpad break-in.

 

Also, I should mention that I don't recommend jumping on an expensive headphone if you havn't owned or at least heard a good mid-fi can first. This is esspecially true with the HD700, which has a very, lets say, "distinct" sound signature. Not everyone likes it, many people find the treble fatiguing.

[8-Bit Ninja]

It's bullshit. A combination of placebo, people becoming accustomed to the sound, and probably earpad break-in.

 

Also, I should mention that I don't recommend jumping on an expensive headphone if you havn't owned or at least heard a good mid-fi can first. This is esspecially true with the HD700, which has a very, lets say, "distinct" sound signature. Not everyone likes it, many people find the treble fatiguing.

ok, could i get a mid-fi set of headphones, and an amp that would work well for somthing like HD700's so when i get something like HD700's (probably 5-6 months) i don't need any other equipment 

[SSL]

ok, could i get a mid-fi set of headphones, and an amp that would work well for somthing like HD700's so when i get something like HD700's (probably 5-6 months) i don't need any other equipment 

Sure. We'll need a budget to work with for all of this.

[8-Bit Ninja]

Sure. We'll need a budget to work with for all of this.

preferably £400, but i could go to £550 max 

[KaminKevCrew]

preferably £400, but i could go to £550 max 

In that case, the Schiit magni/Modi stack is quite good (particularly if you get the magni 2 uber. It has what's called a pre-out, which is an adjustable line out that you can use with your speakers!) Another that comes to mind is the JDS Labs Element. That's a pretty cool piece of kit, what with the giant volume knob and all.

 

For headphones, and easy recommendation would be the Philips Fidelio X2. They have a very well like sound sig, and they are a pretty well known headphone, and very popular in their price range. That might be a bit over budget, but I think that's about $500 worth of gear in USD, up to $550 if you go with the magni 2 uber. I think that (assuming that conversion rates apply to MSRPs) should be a touch over 400 pounds, I think. (I'm using my head-brain for the maths, and I don't know the current conversion rates, so there's that.)

[Pankaic]

It's bullshit. A combination of placebo, people becoming accustomed to the sound, and probably earpad break-in.

It's neither been proven nor disproven. Some people think they can hear a difference over time, some don't. Just let the man make his own opinion on the subject.

[KaminKevCrew]

It's neither been proven nor disproven. Some people think they can hear a difference over time, some don't. Just let the man make his own opinion on the subject.

Actually, Tyll did a fairly controlled experiment on the AKG K702, which is one of the most widely known headphones for "needing burn-in" All of the differences were totally negligible to non-existent, and the main differences all corresponded to times of day/temperature of the air.

 

I'd say that's pretty good evidence for burn-in not being a thing. Care to provide us with any scientific/actual evidence about it being a thing?

[SSL]

It's neither been proven nor disproven. Some people think they can hear a difference over time, some don't. Just let the man make his own opinion on the subject.

 

Technically, it isn't possible to disprove something, so the fact that it hasn't been disproven doesn't mean much. However, it is a fact that no test has yet been done that demonstrates a measureable difference after a generally accepted break-in period. Moreover, no one has explained a plausible mechanism for why break-in would be necessary, how it would occur, or why it would have the claimed sonic effects - e.g. improvement as opposed to just change.

 

Actually, Tyll did a fairly controlled experiment on the AKG K702, which is one of the most widely known headphones for "needing burn-in" All of the differences were totally negligible to non-existent, and the main differences all corresponded to times of day/temperature of the air.

 

I'd say that's pretty good evidence for burn-in not being a thing. Care to provide us with any scientific/actual evidence about it being a thing?

 

I love how people call it "burn-in" even though no heat is invovled.

[4ren]

highs, mids, and lows. Headphone companies all have a unique perception of how a "good" balance in freq should be; we call each company's biased sound a 'house' sound. All headphones will sound different, some bass, mid, neutral, or even treble biased. i recommend you going around best buy or your local tech store to test out headphones and figure out what kind of sound YOU like the best before asking for "best" headphone. Audio is all subjective.

 

I'm going to recommend the ($250-$350) Beyerdynamic t51-p. It's an on-ear(sits on top of your ear) portable headphone with an all-around full-body sound with a nice touch of bass. The mids are slightly recessed, but can be fixed with EQ. tuning. I guarantee that you'll like this set

 

It also has a very mature style to it, with its metal build. The headband and has enough clamping force without fatiguing your ears after long listening sessions.

 

alternatively, you could get the t-51-i which has an inline mic and volume rocker. 

[KaminKevCrew]

snip...

But... the beyer T series is just generally so... well, bad... Not to mention the fact that they are over ear and OP specifically wants over ear. And, for 400 pounds, you really should be looking at open back, unless you have a specific need for closed back...

 

Also, I find it rather ironic that you were saying that the OP should go test out a bunch of headphones, so that he can decide what sound sig he likes best, and then you're guaranteeing that he will like a specific sound...

[SSL]

highs, mids, and lows. Headphone companies all have a unique perception of how a "good" balance in freq should be; we call each company's biased sound a 'house' sound. All headphones will sound different, some bass, mid, neutral, or even treble biased. i recommend you going around best buy or your local tech store to test out headphones and figure out what kind of sound YOU like the best before asking for "best" headphone. Audio is all subjective.

 

I'm going to recommend the ($250-$350) Beyerdynamic t51-p. It's an on-ear(sits on top of your ear) portable headphone with an all-around full-body sound with a nice touch of bass. The mids are slightly recessed, but can be fixed with EQ. tuning. I guarantee that you'll like this set

 

It also has a very mature style to it, with its metal build. The headband and has enough clamping force without fatiguing your ears after long listening sessions.

 

alternatively, you could get the t-51-i which has an inline mic and volume rocker. 

 

Uh, no. The DT-1350 might be acceptable, if pricey, but from what I've gathered the T51p is yet another Beyer fail. Not happy to say it, but it seems to be the case. Even the 1350 has suffered from massive manufacturing variation.

[KaminKevCrew]

Uh, no. The DT-1350 might be acceptable, if pricey, but from what I've gathered the T51p is yet another Beyer fail. Not happy to say it, but it seems to be the case. Even the 1350 has suffered from massive manufacturing variation.

hehe, that's what I meant about the T series being bad...

[SSL]

hehe, that's what I meant about the T series being bad...

 

Yep. Have you read the changstar.com threads with Beyer T1 and DT1350 measurements? Just pathetic.

[KaminKevCrew]

Yep. Have you read the changstar.com threads with Beyer T1 and DT1350 measurements? Just pathetic.

I haven't. I also can't really say that I've ever spent much time on Changstar.

[SSL]

I haven't. I also can't really say that I've ever spent much time on Changstar.

 

Me neither. They're slightly less ridiculous than head-fi, certainly better grounded in reality, releatively speaking. Although apparently changstar.com the site is defunct, most of the members there moved to "superbestaudiofriends.com". So... yeah.

[KaminKevCrew]

Me neither. They're slightly less ridiculous than head-fi, certainly better grounded in reality, releatively speaking. Although apparently changstar.com the site is defunct, most of the members there moved to "superbestaudiofriends.com". So... yeah.

Now THAT'S a site name!!!

 

Anyway, I think that Hydrogenaud.io would be a great place, if they were a little bit more friendly to newbies, and had more of an active community (I'm not saying they don't I'm just saying that they don't have the same amount of people as, say LTT, or at least, that's the feeling I get when I go over there.)

[SSL]

Now THAT'S a site name!!!

 

Anyway, I think that Hydrogenaud.io would be a great place, if they were a little bit more friendly to newbies, and had more of an active community (I'm not saying they don't I'm just saying that they don't have the same amount of people as, say LTT, or at least, that's the feeling I get when I go over there.)

 

I agree, I think the culture there could be better. They're almost an antithesis to head-fi, to a fault.