sennheiser hd497

Vincent

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/mpindex31.htm#HD497

Anyone know where i can get my hands on these?

cgarvey

Peats and Brown Thomas do Sennheiser gear, but surely you can find cheaper than either of them ?!?

.cg

Kali

hmmm I know for a fact richersounds sell the 495s.. and that they're a woeful pair of headphones, several ppl I know have bought them on the strength of the Sennheiser name alone and have been very disappointed... the 497 is obviously their replacement top of the 400 range, but I'd still think twice before buying them.

I've recently (as in the past three weeks) been looking for a decent mid-priced pair myself as I do a serious amount of headphone listening through my amp, and only have a cheap (€30) pair of Sharp cans,I've talked to dozens of ppl about theirs, including those who had the 495s and the general opinion was that those and the similar priced Sony 400 series just weren't worth the money at all, and didn't offer anything extra to the music as any bog-cheap pair of closed headphones

I've eventually settled on a pair of Sony 7506s, they're profrssional studio cans, which review after review say are one of the sweetest sounding pairs money can buy... and I've two testimonies from ppl as well that they're the best they've ever had. Unfortunaly they're only available online from the US, and work out about the €120 mark including delivery, but personally I can't wait for them to arrive after Christmas.. I won't be emerging from my room till February

7506 reviews:
http://music.multimedian.com/reviews/7506.html
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_118049_2750crx.aspx

If you are stuck to that budget though, seriously consider a pair of Grado SR60s, are a ridiculously top quality item and they can be had online at an affordable price (~$70) .. plus ppl in the know will go "you ****er i want a pair of those"

http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/sr60.htm

Vincent

well ive heard that the 497's are pretty good, but ive decided on grado sr-60's anyway. Problem where can i get them? i can only find a few uk sites that either dont deliver outside uk or charge like 25sterling+ to deliver to ireland. And cheapest i see them is for around 70 sterling aswell.

BArra

well, i got myself a pair of Plantronics DSP500 and its being the best pair of headphones i ever used, in games the sound is unreal, you hear anything and everything, compared to the headphones i was using prior to them anaway,

bought them from amazon, i recommend them, give them a look


baz

Kali

Originally posted by Vincent
well ive heard that the 497's are pretty good, but ive decided on grado sr-60's anyway. Problem where can i get them? i can only find a few uk sites that either dont deliver outside uk or charge like 25sterling+ to deliver to ireland. And cheapest i see them is for around 70 sterling aswell.

http://www.goodcans.com/ListeningStation/ ($69.95)
will ship internationally... best to usually give a mail first to check though... most of the UK sites that handle Grado would probably be hi-fi sites, and charge a fortune


hmmm....
"Plantronics DSP-500 Digitally-Enhanced USB Gaming/Multimedia Stereo Headset and Software"
"Digital Signal Processor for digitally-enhanced stereo sound in multimedia application"
"Aggressive, cool design with strong appeal to gamers"

80+ quid for a pair of USB headphones? no thanks
Although that said.. Vincent never mentioned whether they're for music or games.. I just assumed the former when he went for Sennheisers.

Kali

Actually one thing I should mention is that the Grados are open headphones, basically meaning they dont cover and seal the ear completely, therefore some leakage in and out can occur, so if they're going to be used in very noisy environments, or someplace quiet where ppl are going to complain about your music then it might be better to go for a more closed design
(the sennheisers are semi-closed btw)..

Again I sorta assumed that they're going to be used solely for music listening in your own room, office whatever, but that mighn't be the case.

One of the best forums for headphones, at head-fi.org, is worth a look, try a search there if you need any information or reviews on specific 'phones:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/index.php

Vincent

ya i came across the head-fi forums about a week ago, headphones are for games too but im puttin more emphasis on music. I was gonna get sennheiser hd580 till i read that forum and saw that there was no point really unless you bought a headphone amp aswell. There *only* 150 euro on richersounds.ie, if i cant find grado sr-60/sennheiser 497's i might get senn hd570 but they got mixed reviews on head-fi forums.

Vincent

i ordered sennheisers hd590 off askdirect.co.uk for 140 euros

Kali

As much as I hate dragging back up old threads..

Discovered the site I was ordering the 7506s off had a load of verification crap for international customers so the next day I bought the HD580-1s from RicherSounds (it was them or a pair of Beyerdynamics DT990s off http://www.meier-audio.com) .. and wow, nothing short of stunning to listen to, I've them driving directly from my Marantz receiver, although as mentioned on head-fi they can be a bit flat directly from a PC, or a portable MD.

Roger Waters - Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking was just a complete revelation when I first heard it with them... some stuff they don't particularly like, but thats mostly bland run of the mill rock that hasnt that much to offer in the first place..
Miles Davis - Cookin', Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin, Beatles - Sgt. Peppers (anything prior is annoying on headphones with the voice on one channel), Neil Young - Unplugged, Amon Tobin - Out From Out Where (sounded like a completly new album) .. all really really came to life as well.

How are the 590s? From what I've read of them on head-fi they're pretty damn good, what you driving them off?

hmm this should really be in Music or something.. couldn't be arsed moving it tho

Vincent

ya they own, im just using it straight out of an audigy1. I could have got 580's off richersounds but since i wasnt going to get an amp i decided on 590's because they sound pretty good out of anything. They do leak alot of sound tho, i didnt realise they leaked so much but i can live with that

Kali

Excellent.. mine leak a lot as well, I had expected that with them anyway, but **** it, I don't care who I annoy with them at night or in the office
How much was delivery off that askdirect site btw? seems like a really good price for the 590s.. and just noticed the 600s are there for 180euro (140 cheaper than richersounds!).. so if deliverys cheap, id be reccomending that to others.

PPC

I picked up a pair of 590's in Singapore last week for €195.
Brilliant sound from them.
Got a set of MX500's aswell for my mp3 player, excellent sound from them aswell. Best small headphones i've ever used.

Vincent

Delivery was only like 6-10 euro i think