contrabordun Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 The headphones that came with my digital pride and joy are fast disintegrating and Mrs Bordun has offered to get me a new pair for my approaching birthday. Neither of us knows much about such things - what makes / models do people have that work? What do you have to spend to get something tolerable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Sennheiser HD 555. They cost me a little over £100 a couple of years ago, and were probably the best £100 I've ever spent. My electronic organ sounds absolutely superb with them, and they cover a very wide frequency, certainly all the frequencies you're likely to hear. They're very comfy and light too. The only downside, if you're using them in a room with somebody trying to listen to something else, is that the other person will probably hear some of what is coming through the headphones. Courtesy of my local electrical shop (now unfortunately closed) I tried a number of headphones with my organ before purchasing a pair, and these came out best of all. There was a more expensive pair of Sennheisers (about £150 I think), but I didn't notice any difference. Don't buy anything cheap - they're not worth it. I've tried cheaper headphones, and the quality is significantly poorer. I would strongly recommend these - I love them! See http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/05342 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lausanne Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 The headphones that came with my digital pride and joy are fast disintegrating and Mrs Bordun has offered to get me a new pair for my approaching birthday. Neither of us knows much about such things - what makes / models do people have that work? What do you have to spend to get something tolerable? You might also try Beyerdynamic DT 531. Although there is no doubt a new model. I've had mine for 13 years and they are just right for organ music with a fabulous bass response. They cover the ears too, so as well as keeping out draughts, Mrs Bordun shouldn't be disturbed. I can't remember the price I paid for them, but they were worth it. The only negative point is that I have recently had to replace the foam rubber in them. The price listed on the web for similar current models is less than it was 13 years ago! Check here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyorgan Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 650s and they are quite superb. However, they were a bit pricey, c£250 about 5 years ago. I bought from a specialist hi fi shop and took a few of my own CDs in and listened to them on a variety of prices of amplifiers. I can recommend this way of doing it, even if you don't spend that much. Yes, I could have saved a few pence on the internet, but the amount of time and help I was given in the shop meant I thought they deserved my custom. I listened to a variety of headphones, and then with a variety of styles of music (not all classical or organ) and these were the best (actually, second best, there was another pair at over £500, but I couldn't justify the extra). There is very little leakage, and they fit very comfortably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_greenwood Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Add me to the Sennheiser HD 650s fan club. I tried a varierty of headpohones in my local hifi store using a cheapo Naxos organ CD that I'd picked up on the spare of the moment for just this prupose (some compilation type album). Having listened to 4 or 5 models I'd come to the conclusion that it was a hopeless recording - dull, muddy, no clarity whatsoever. I thought I'd have to repeat the experiment using a different CD. Then "just for a laugh" I asked to try the top-of -the-range model i.e. the HD 650's. The difference was phenominal - I might as well have been standing directly in front of the organ itself. Needless to say, my wallet capitulated. Sq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Carr Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Sennheiser HD 555. They cost me a little over £100 a couple of years ago, and were probably the best £100 I've ever spent. My electronic organ sounds absolutely superb with them, and they cover a very wide frequency, certainly all the frequencies you're likely to hear. They're very comfy and light too. The only downside, if you're using them in a room with somebody trying to listen to something else, is that the other person will probably hear some of what is coming through the headphones. Courtesy of my local electrical shop (now unfortunately closed) I tried a number of headphones with my organ before purchasing a pair, and these came out best of all. There was a more expensive pair of Sennheisers (about £150 I think), but I didn't notice any difference. Don't buy anything cheap - they're not worth it. I've tried cheaper headphones, and the quality is significantly poorer. I would strongly recommend these - I love them! See http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/05342 Mine are Sennheiser HD 465. Again very good and much, much, much better than hearing the faithful practice toaster through its speakers. They're nine years old now and still going strong, the 555 can only be better! You can hear them from the 'outside' though, but not as loudly as the key tapping, pedalling, groaning during difficult or exciting bits and occasional bouts of under-the-breath swearing. (Usually brought on by excesses of double sharps in Vierne's music!) Have a look at http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/headphones/22...eiser+HD555.htm Next day delivery and a 10% sale on... P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJJ Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Mine are ancient 465s too - really good - I use them on all my contraptions here. I even tried using my iPod phones on the Wyvern - it was death by Mixtures!! AJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinstanley Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 This article in the Sunday Times a few weeks ago might be of interest. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne...icle3725010.ece I have a pair of Bose QuietComfort2 which were not cheap at £225.00 but provide excellent reproduction of cd's both through my amplifier and mp3 player. They fit over the whole ear and cancel out most other noise. On the strength of the Sunday Times article I have just purchased a pair of Sennheiser PXC300 from Amazon at £78.98 for use when on holiday. Testing them with the David Briggs recording of Vierne III the Bose win hands down but are three times more expensive. The Sennheiser are still very good and a lot less bulky. Both have a noise cancelling facility which works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arp Schnitger Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I've some Bose QC-2s which are great especially for flights, where they make a difference switched on but not even plugged in! However for my Hauptwerk installation I wanted to get a decent dedicated set and after reading lots of reviews went for the AKG K701 which are now just over £180 on Amazon. I have not been disappointed- they need running in, which I did by leaving them for a fortnight playing through iTunes, but they are very comfortable for sustained use and of excellent aural quality with some of the high quality 16 or 24 bit Hauptwerk samples. I'm using them with a headphone amplifier (Creek OBH-21) and this too is highly recommended for maximum effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Sennheiser HD 25-1 II (but do not confuse with the HD 25-SP II). I think mine cost about £100 a few months ago. Excellent sound (using hi-fi - the only toaster I possess makes toast) and keeps out/in most of the sound. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Sennheiser HD 25-1 II (but do not confuse with the HD 25-SP II). Also not to be confused with the much bigger HD 250 II which is what I use. I have never found any better. They are discontinued, but still around in a few places. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyorgan Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Add me to the Sennheiser HD 650s fan club. I tried a varierty of headpohones in my local hifi store using a cheapo Naxos organ CD that I'd picked up on the spare of the moment for just this prupose (some compilation type album). Having listened to 4 or 5 models I'd come to the conclusion that it was a hopeless recording - dull, muddy, no clarity whatsoever. I thought I'd have to repeat the experiment using a different CD. Then "just for a laugh" I asked to try the top-of -the-range model i.e. the HD 650's. The difference was phenominal - I might as well have been standing directly in front of the organ itself. Needless to say, my wallet capitulated. Sq. I don't feel as bad about my purchase now, there are others who succombed!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHM Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 The AKG K240 Studio Monitor headphones are highly recommended and used by several members of the Hauptwerk community. Frequency range goes down to 15 (fifteen!) Hz. They have been around for decades and are now listed by some suppliers as "discontinued", though they can still be found for under £70.00, e.g. here: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl.../product_id/924 Douglas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggestelk Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Try Grado. www.gradolabs.com They're American and do colour the sound a little but have an amazing clarity. The cheapest ones are pretty OK, however I've been fortunate to work my way up to the £300 pair, which are stunning if a little heavy on the head as they have metal enclosures for the drivers. But I would certainly recommend open back 'phones as they seem less tiring to use over a longer period of time. Regards, Oliver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrabordun Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Well, thank you to all who replied: a courier has just delivered a splendid looking set of Sennheiser HD 595 and a "coffee break" beckons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinf Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Hi contrabordun, How was your coffee break with the Sennheiser HD 595? I just broke my old, old Sony headphones and have been dithering between the HD 595 and the HD 650. On Amazon the prices are $191 and $480 respectively (these days that probably works out to about £7 and £19). Realistically I'm going to get the 595s, but part of me is secretly hoping for a bad report ("contrabordun made me do it!"). Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 On Amazon the prices are $191 and $480 respectively (these days that probably works out to about £7 and £19). I rather doubt it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrabordun Posted August 7, 2008 Author Share Posted August 7, 2008 Hi contrabordun, How was your coffee break with the Sennheiser HD 595? I just broke my old, old Sony headphones and have been dithering between the HD 595 and the HD 650. On Amazon the prices are $191 and $480 respectively (these days that probably works out to about £7 and £19). Realistically I'm going to get the 595s, but part of me is secretly hoping for a bad report ("contrabordun made me do it!"). Justin Put it like this...I used to quite enjoy the sound that comes out of the actual speakers (a fairly large L+R pair plus a bass bin), but after hearing the same sounds through the 595s the speakers don't get much use these days. Also, they came with a very nifty little holder that clamps on to that little shelf space (don't know what the proper name for it is - the one between the key cheeks and the stop jambs that (on proper organs) holds pens, drawing pins, the tuning book, Mrs Boggins' funeral booklet, box of mints, order of service for Midnight Mass 1986 etc). One word of warning - they do leak quite a bit of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Patrick Coleman Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 ...that little shelf space (don't know what the proper name for it is - the one between the key cheeks and the stop jambs that (on proper organs) holds pens, drawing pins, the tuning book, Mrs Boggins' funeral booklet, box of mints, order of service for Midnight Mass 1986 etc). HA! A REAL organist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 HA! A REAL organist! Nah....he forgot the blunt pencils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 One word of warning - they do leak quite a bit of sound. I hope you didn't find that out during a sermon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinf Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 contrabordun, thank you for your thoughts. In a fit of uncharacteristic fiscal responsibility, I have ordered the HD-595s. These will be for home listening and eventually for a toaster (either to replace or join my Hammond A100), so sound leakage isn't much of a concern. It's good to see those little triangular shelves aren't so very different on either side of the Atlantic. A quick inventory here reveals a bunch of pencils and paper clips, a stack of small Post-It Notes, AAA batteries (mostly unused), IceBreakers mints, Luden's cherry cough drops, an ancient and decrepit hymnal (but with some nice harmonizations), a few old bulletins, tissues (also mostly unused, I hope), a Maglite and a Phillips screwdriver. Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrabordun Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 Nah....he forgot the blunt pencils! they all fell down between the pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 they all fell down between the pedals I find that, for some inexplicable reason, it's the only sharp pencil on the console which falls down between the pedals, leaving all the blunt ones behind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Kemp Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 ................... and they either become blunt or break when they hit the floor beneath the pedals. Malcolm Kemp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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