Sennheiser HD-555 vs. HD-590 vs. HD-280

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theodork

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I'm looking for my first "real" pair of headphones. the best I've ever owned as of now are modified koss plugs. Use is pretty much for music and movies on my PC with a soundlblaster live. Music I like includes classical, techno, and pop, and I have to admit I love bass.

I wanted something with over ear design and comfort, and i didnt want to spend too much more than $100. I can get either the 555 or 590 for about $115 and the 280s for $80 on Amazon.

What are the differences between the 555 and the 590? I've never had a good set of headphones so i dont know what my music will sound like with them.. if anything i wouldn't mind warm sounding phones. How much will these phones leak? I've gathered that they'll bother people if they're in a quiet room with me, but are they loud enough to be heard by people outside my bedroom door? One of my housemates has got his study desk in the livingroom right by my door so i'm wondering if he'll be able to hear my stuff.

I realize the HD-280s are a different class, being cheaper as well as closed, but how does it's sound quality compare to the 555 and 590? I've been contemplating closed but it seems like i can get much better sound quality (for the money) with open but im not too sure. Are there a set of sealed phones comparable in sound quality to the 555 or 590 in the same price range? ($115)

Will i need an amp for any of these phones? If i do will a simple DIY mint box amp be adequate?

THanks for any advice, if there are other better phones for the money let me know!
 
I don't own the 555/590s but if you can get them for only 115, go for it now! There will be noticeable improvement in sound with amps from mintboxes and up. I'd say start with a mintbox first, then get a bigger amp later if you really feel the mintbox is inadequate or if you have a lot of cash lying around.
 
according to headroom's description of the HD-280:
"Our highest marks for the best sounding sealed headphone. And not expensive either!"
as for the HD-590s, i use them for movie watching and listening to jazz but that's it.
they sound too much like there's a veil over them and don't sound interesting to me when playing other genres of music.

check out for for commentary on varous headphones:
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=26
 
thanks for the replies! i've actually read most of the stuff on headroom already, but it doesnt really seem to highlight negative aspects of the headphones, so i dont know how the headphones compare to each other..
 
theodork said:
thanks for the replies! i've actually read most of the stuff on headroom already, but it doesnt really seem to highlight negative aspects of the headphones, so i dont know how the headphones compare to each other..
Click to expand...

www.head-fi.org

Sorry about your wallet ;)
 
I can't compare those choices for you but I do have the 590s. Wish I got them at your price, tho... oh well. Yeah, they will "leak" sound but I certainly can't imagine being able to hear them through a closed door - if you have them up that loud, go to the doctor because your ears will be bleeding.

I originally bought the 570s but returned them within a couple days and traded up to the 590s. To my ears, there was a world of difference; the 590s seemed to fill in the gaps of everything that was missing on the 570s. There may be better cans out there, but I'm quite happy with these for now. All I can say is that you should give each set a try with your choice of music - only your ears can tell you what you'll like.
 
i wish i could try them out, but i cant seem to find any places where i can test these out =/ thanks for the input though! i decided against the 590s because the price i quoted ended up being refurbished. i went ahead and bought the 555s over the 280s.. i figured, like you said, they shouldnt leak THAT much and should sound bit better (right?)
 
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