grammefriday Posted Saturday at 09:15 AM Posted Saturday at 09:15 AM Looking to spend around $500 on headphones for a birthday gift and hoping for some suggestions. I personally use Grado's but thought there may be something more suitable for a 50/50 usage split across TV/Streaming viewing and CD/Internet Radio listening. Thank you
Neo Posted Saturday at 09:51 AM Posted Saturday at 09:51 AM Why not visit Minidisc in Chatswood and try for yourself, they have a massive selection on display with plenty of gear to listen on. Neo 1
mwhouston Posted Saturday at 12:08 PM Posted Saturday at 12:08 PM I have these in 32 and 250ohm. The 250ohm sounds better. Cheap as.
Cope Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago Sennheiser HD550 - $479.95 If you believe the measurements, these are in the ballpark of the old HD580 Precision, which is a very nice thing. Rave reviews. I've yet to try a pair myself, but I own enough Sennheisers to be pretty confident it's a winner. https://www.minidisc.com.au/sennheiser-hd-550-audiophile-open-headphone Hifiman Sundara something-or-other-new-verson-that's-basically-the-same-as-always - $549 Unlike the above, these are planars, and at 32 ohms 94dB they should run off anything. Build quality is hit and miss with Hifiman, but even so these are consistently recommended. https://www.minidisc.com.au/hifiman-sundara-2022-neo-supernano-magnetic-planar-headphones On 29/03/2025 at 11:08 PM, mwhouston said: I have these in 32 and 250ohm. The 250ohm sounds better. Cheap as. I agree that these are great value if you don't need to blow the whole $500. I have the 80 ohm and the 250 ohm, and the 80 is a bit mellower, although both are a V-shaped tuning with an odd sibilance shelf in the treble in the 5-8k range. That said, they're fun if you're treble tolerant, near indestructible, and if you did manage to break them somehow, you can rebuild them from parts you can buy individually from the supplier. The 250ohm has a curly cable that is great at a desk, and terrible everywhere else. If you need it to run off a phone, the 250 ohm might not be the best choice. If the DT770 tuning sounds not your cup of tea, and you can live with a semi open back, the DT880 is more neutral with less bass a little less sibilance. If you want to lose the Beyer sibilance altogether but keep the bass bump of the DT770 and the bomb-proof construction, consider this guy: https://www.minidisc.com.au/beyerdynamic-tygr-300-r-gaming-headphones
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