>Pioneer - SE DJ5000
>Yamaha - RH5M
>Sony - MDR-V500DJ
I haven't listened to any of these headphones you mention, but I can tell
you that as far as price/performance goes, you simply can't beat the
Sennheiser HD580. It's ranked as the number one headphone of choice by many
audiophile sources, and I've listened to them personally and they're
unbelievably vivid, crisp, bright and responsive.. The only disadvantage is
that they're a bit on the expensive side ($199 - but definitely worth it)
and they're open aire design, which means others can hear what you're
listening to.. But if you want the absolute highest quality in audio
fidelity, definitely go for these. Sennheiser also make other sealed
headphones, which don't sound as good as the 580's (sealed never sound as
good as open aire), but they're better for monitoring because they don't
leak sound and they provide a high degree of isolation. There's also the
Sennheiser HD600, which is exactly the same as the HD580, but it has a metal
grille as opposed to the plastic one used on the 580, but there really is no
audible difference (although the HD600's are $159 more expensive). You might
also want to consider purchasing a headphone amp somewhere down the road to
deliver even more performance out of these headphones.
For the ultimate in noise isolation, I would recommend the Etymotic ER4P
canalphones (www.etymotic.com).. They're made by a hearing aid company, and
are widely regarded as providing the most faithful sound reproduction
available in a headphone (short of spending $14,000 on the Sennheiser
Orpheus), although they're still quite expensive at $299. They're similar
to "bud" style earphones, but you push them deep into the canal of your ear,
effectively reducing ambient noise by 23 decibels (when I'm wearning mine, I
no longer have to crank the volume up to an obscene level to drown out
ambient noise, which was definitely damaging my hearing).
You might also want to look at the Grado line of headphones.. The Grado SR60
has a fine reputation, and is in the $60 range. They provide excellent
performance for their price, and sound damn fine even without a headphone
amplifier..
So in short, I'd recommend the Sennheiser HD580's if you don't mind spending
$199, and don't mind that others can hear what you're listening to. If
you're worried about noise isolation, the Etymotics are the way to go, but
they're quite expensive for non audiophile use (the HD580's are pushing it,
but they're at a great price right now, so that's why I recommend them. It
may be more than you want to spend, but your ears will thank you in the long
run). Other than that, maybe look at a less expensive pair of Sennheisers
(a friend of mine has the model specifically designed for DJ'ing and
monitoring, which are a bit cheaper than the 580's.. I can find out the
model number if you want), or look at the Grado line.. Either way, as
someone stated in an earlier e-mail, definitely check out
http://headroom.headphone.com for all your headphone needs. They have a
great online web discussion forum if you want to get some more advice, and
I've had great service buying products from them (no I don't work for them
;). Anyways, sorry if I tend to go off on a tangent, but I'm sure somewhere
in this message you'll find some useful information.. Let us know what you
end up deciding on! And remember, listen before you buy!
Adam
P.S. For a good price on the Sennheiser HD580's, check out
http://www.spidergear.com/cgi-bin/vsc/port/hd580.html?L+store+raru4921+855117810
That's where I've seen them for $199..
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Feb 05 2000 - 08:54:03 MET