Listening to alessandro "music series one" right now

The Sennheiser HD series(400 and above) are better choices than the Series one. The higher end Grados are really somethign else which need dedicated amps like u have pointed out. Same goes for the high end Sennheiser and AKG.

Square_wave & Ben,

I am relatively new to head-fi. I have seen Sennheiser and Koss stereophones (www.sudeepaudio.com sell Koss online), and I am also aware of the fact that Sony, despite its commercial brand image, does make some good stereophones.

I am neither looking for cordless (FM &infrared)/vibration enabled headphones, nor do I need volume controls and bass-boosters on headphones. I am also not planning to go mobile with headphones, and my use of headphones will be limited to listening directly from my hi-fi setup at home. I am 36 year old, and therefore don't need colourful plastic pieces (to impress peers & girls) either.

All I need is one straight, sober headphone-set that can deliver the purest sound at a reasonable price (something like a .303 rifle, simple, unfashionable, easy to use, and yet deadly). Since open-ended headphones do not irritate the ears, I prefer to go that way.

I have considered Sony XDR-300, Koss Pro 4AAT, Senheiser HD 650 etc., but unable to decide.

Please help me, and also specify where in Bangalore I might be getting them (I won't mind going gray).

very simple..
go for the sennheiser

Any idea who in Bangalore will be selling these? Couldn't get much information through Google search!

No idea..but there is a chap who distributes them in India..
I planned to get HD-40 in Feb(in Dubai) but did not have the cash then..
will probably buy them this december.

Dear Satyam get away cheap and buy the Rs.800/- Philips headphone being sold in India,I remember the price and not the model,so please forgive me on that front.Damn good and beats the pants off the HD-40.TRUST ME.
One of the best headphones (if not the best) I ever heard were Indian;the experimental tube driven electrostats made by Cadence in the early ninties which were Swami Shanti's personal playback system.The electrostatic element was ONE MICRON thin,and one could see right through it.Frequency response(in ear) 10Hz-100kHz(thats right hundred kiloHertz), FLAT,+/- 0db.
MLSSA tested infront of me.Amazing, hope you chaps get to hear it once in your audio career.
Regards

The philips The Philips SBC HP-890 which sells for 2500 bucks and HP-840 for 1600 bucks are pretty good headphones. We have plenty lying around in our office. It has been a favorite among gamers in our office. I have one too. But the grado (music series one) beat the pants out of them in every department. This one is difficult to get unless you have somebody in the US. You can get sennheisers from Venky at “REFERENCE POINT” in Indranagar. You will probably need to order one and he can get it for you. I am not very familiar with the models though….perhaps somebody else can help here.

Dear Square Wave the expensive Philps are, as you said ok, but this cheaper one is a real jewel.I think it is the HD or HP800
and it beats the expensive ones.
Do check them out.
Regards

I have the Philips HP800 a good headphone for the price i have listened to the Grado SR60(alessandro MS1 built on the same line as SR60 but i havent listened to them) both driven out of my sony portable(15mw+15mw@16 ohms which translates to lot of power)i really wanted like the grado sr60 but too bright for me and narrow sound stage compared to philips (philips angles their drivers -copied from sony headphones to give a wider sound stage)good for short listen but i would prefer philips over it any day and built quality is very disappointing and it is s*** expensive compared to the price in US i dont understand the hype surrounding these headphones or is it just me!!

pramod schrieb:

I have the Philips HP800 a good headphone for the price i have listened to the Grado SR60(alessandro MS1 built on the same line as SR60 but i havent listened to them) both driven out of my sony portable(15mw+15mw@16 ohms which translates to lot of power)i really wanted like the grado sr60 but too bright for me and narrow sound stage compared to philips (philips angles their drivers -copied from sony headphones to give a wider sound stage)good for short listen but i would prefer philips over it any day and built quality is very disappointing and it is s*** expensive compared to the price in US i dont understand the hype surrounding these headphones or is it just me!!

The man has ears and knows his stuff,listen to him.Pramod I heard the Philips off a old Nakamichi CD-4 CD player, which I have given to a friend.It had this great headphone out with a volume pot, and the sound was really smooth especially on horns and cello.Do contribute more.
Regards.

I haven’t heard the hp 800…….. I agree that some cheaper models could be gems…….need to check them out

i love listening to headphones listening to some tracks make me feel very emotional which i never experince with stereo setup the main reason for me to stick to philips is their good sensitivity(104db i think ) biggest disadvantage of headphones is they will make u deaf!! serious hearing loss can occur litening to music for extended periods(recommended <85db for a max of 8hrs a day)
i for one would never think of using headphone with headphone amplifier too loud and dangerous especially if u plan to use senns or akg
but i sometimes wonder do u require headphone amps really well sample this
sony pcdp D25 a vintage pcdp has an out put of 9mw@32 ohms now most of the members(headfi)admitted that this pcdp could drive the senns HD580/600/650 easily without an help of am amplifier
sony cdp or their sacd players- now these have an headphone output of 28mw@32 ohms that is nearly three times more powerful then those vintage pcdps and u commonly come across members saying that these r insufficient in driving higher impedance headphone..
subjective i guess.
for the record i havent heard the senns or the akg.

square wave u mentioned that u have listened to HP840 well they use the same drivers as in HP800 but they have neodymium magnets instead of ferrite as found in HP800 and ofcourse self adjusting headband in HP840

pramod schrieb:

I have the Philips HP800 a good headphone for the price i have listened to the Grado SR60(alessandro MS1 built on the same line as SR60 but i havent listened to them) both driven out of my sony portable(15mw+15mw@16 ohms which translates to lot of power)i really wanted like the grado sr60 but too bright for me and narrow sound stage compared to philips (philips angles their drivers -copied from sony headphones to give a wider sound stage)good for short listen but i would prefer philips over it any day and built quality is very disappointing and it is s*** expensive compared to the price in US i dont understand the hype surrounding these headphones or is it just me!!

I have the HP-890 which is Philips flagship headphone in India. I compared this to the Alessandro. First listening---------both sounds good. But when you start checking for tonal accuracy, body in the highs and mids, decay of cymbals, the brush on the cymbals, definition of the bass of the kick drum………….ok the list goes on…………then the Alessandro wins by a big margin. This translates into much more musical experience with any song even if do not listen critically.

As I said friends the cheapest guy is the best in the Philips lot. HP-800 all the way
Regards

I have been using Philllips headphones for the past 6 years and it has not failed me yet..
a terrific investment. have heard the HP-800..its good but it is not as good as you are claiming it to be.
but for the price it is very tempting.

Dear Ben
I like the HP-800 because it communicates correctly and allows long term listening.Pramod feels the same way too, I guess.
Definately less hifi more music.
Regards

yes your right deaf philips are least fatiguing,and i like this kind of sound ...guess it is a matter of personal taste.

Don't deny that...cause i use mine for about 5-6 hours a day!

Dear KSPV,

Well I would recommend that you first determine your parameters before going ahead with your purchase like:

The source of your music.

The format of your music CD, MP3 Vinyl etc...

The kind of music you listen too

The degree of neutralness you are looking from (it varies from dry & absolutely reveling to rounded easy going)...I am assuming you are looking for reasonably flat response headphones...due to your comment that you were not interested in bass-boosters

The budget

The audio power in the source you are driving the headphones from....if it has relatively low power that low impedance headphones are recommended if the headphone output has got a trim control you could go for a high impedance headphone..Alternatively you could get a RCA or XLR out of your source and drive it from a separate headphone amplifier. If interested please let me know I could get into the various types of headphone amplifiers available...that is a story by itself !

The necessity of crossfeed or not.

I am due in Bangalore sometime in Jan this year. If you are interested you could audition my headphones, the Sennheiser HD 600 & the Grado RS1 along with a Headroom amplifier & Benchmark DAC/amplifier.The Sennheiser are high impedance ones & the Grado are low, you could hear for yourself the differences in both headphones....not necessary one is better than the other, they are just different !

Hope the above helps,

Junia.

Dear Junia & friends,

Thank you very much for the detailed replies. The source of my music is a dedicated audio CD player. I am not into MP3s. My kind of music is mostly jazz, blues, slow rock, classical rock, and fusion. I want headphones with absolutely no colouration, even if that means dry & revealing. My budget can be upto 6-7 k. But then I don't believe in snake-oil audio, and would spend that kind of money only if the benefits, say when compared to Philips headphones, are significant. Since the source is the headphones socket of Yamaha-AX-596, I believe that the amplifier has enough power to handle any kind of headphones. This is the first time I am laying my hands on head-fi, and so don't really understand the necessity for a separate headphone amp. In any case, I won't be listening to the headphones all the time, and they will only be auxillaries to my existing stereo setup (night times, critical listening etc).

I would be grateful for specific prescriptions.

Regards,
kspv.

Dear KSVP,

If you were to plug in your headphones & switch off the A & B speaker selectons, could you increase & decrease the volume of the headphones plugged into the headphone socket ?

If you could then you may not require a dedicated headphone amp.

The best way to determine your requirements is to experiment with as may headphones as you can and than take an informed decision !

Regards,

Junia.

Hi Guys,
Yesterday, I was just moving around the city looking out for good Headphones. I tried finding a Philips HP800 but the guy at one of the shops (Landmark, The Forum) told me that its no longer coming. He showed me a Philips HP200. It was good but lacked highs and some mids when played with my Sony Discman, the bass was real good and tight and very involving. I listened to it for about an hour and it was very fatigue free with a very good soundstaging also.
Now guys if any of you have heard this piece, then please advise.
I am willing to spend upto 3000 bucks max, if any of you have recommendations please fire. I am going to use my portable player most of the time and sometimes my Stereo amp headphone out also.
Guys I am looking for VFM + Performance.....no brand reservations.

Hey Guys,
Checked out Sennheser HD437 recently. The guy quoted me 2200 bucks. I found it good overall except for some lack in highs. Is it a good buy by the way. I wanna decide soon.
Kindly come forward with your views.

hi,
sennheiser has a office in delhi,they import and distribute to the whole of india.
people interested can mail them for quotes at
sales@atmpl.com
or call at 011-26511481
in fact i just called them, helpful people-
r
anirvan