MAILING LIST Subscribe to our mailing list to hear about sales, new products, and events. Your e-mail:	HOW TO CHOOSE A HEADPHONE Today, there is a wealth of excellent headphones from a number of established brands. Prices for good "cans" range from only $99 to over $1000. Choosing a headphone is much like choosing a loudspeaker. The choice comes down to factors such as the kind of music you are listening to, the length of listening and the partnering equipment. As with loudspeakers, headphone brands tend to have a "house sound" which is predictable across the range. In this article we would like to highlight a few superb headphones at a range of prices. Beyerdynamic DT131 ($49.00) It's almost embarrassing how good these headphones are for the price. Compared to many of the mass-market brands at over a $100 and you will be shocked at how much sound you can get for so little money. Beautifully balanced tonality with a touch of bass warmth, excellent soundstage and a thoroughly refined treble. There are few speakers under $1000 that have this combination of attributes. Add to that a very strong design with no joints in the headband and a good quality cord and you can be confident that these will survive many bus trips or backpack jostlings. Lightweight and portable, these get our vote for best sub $100 headphone. There is nothing that sounds better for the money. Beyerdynamic DTX910 ($109.00) A full-sized headphone, these lightweight cans are supremely comfortable to wear and deliver class leading sound at the price. More expressive midrange, more extended bass and more detailed treble compared to the DT131 results in a more natural and expansive sound. Tonality is very well balanced with a slight warmth in the bass which flatters pop music but doesn't ruin well-recorded Jazz or Classical as so many "DJ/Consumer" headphones do at this price. If you've only ever listened to a mass-market Sony or Dr. Dre type heaphone you owe it to yourself to experience how neutral and accurate these headphones are. When you realize that the headphone is presenting things in a balanced way, you will hear things that were covered up on other headphones. You can listen to these for hours with all types of music and never get fatigued. Well built and they fold flat for traveling. Handily outperforms Grado SR60 in our opinion. GRADO SR-80i ($169.99) Grado is one of the best known headphone companies. American made, the designs have changed little in the past 15 years. The Grado sound is well-loved in the recording industry because of its very accurate and revealing character. The SR-80s have a phenomenally punchy bass which gives real drive to rock and hip hop. Listen the lead-off track to Led Zeppelin II and their strengths become obvious. John Bonham's kick drum has stunning power and weight and the energy brought to the rest of the track is infectious. In context of more expensive Grados and some of the other models discussed below, the SR-80s can be improved upon in degrees of detail and smoothness as well as soundstage but for those seeking an exciting listen with details placed forward in the mix, these are a superb choice. Beyerdynamic DT860 ($249.00) If you're stretching the budget to get into an audiophile headphone, this is the level at which it starts. Although the tonal balance is similar to the cheaper Beyerdynamics, you start to hear further into recordings with the DT860. They are able to reveal more of the fine details in regards to texture of instruments, soundstage and microdynamics. With an iPod or certainly with a good heaphone amplifier, these will introduce you to what your recordings really sound like. Things on recordings such as room acoustics, and the fine textures of instruments that let you know whether it's a Fender Precision or Jazz Bass are now able to be heard. The textures of voices and the breaths of performers and effects you never heard, now will catch your attention and you will realize there is more depth in most performances than you might have imagined. These are very well built as well so are sure to represent a solid long term investment. GRADO SR-225 ($299.99) The SR-225 build on the foundation sound of the SR-80 but represent a quantifiable step upwards in some key areas. The most noticeable improvement is a sensationally bigger soundstage. While the SR-80s can sound a little "in your head" the SR-225 more accurately recreates the space of the recording, however accurate that recording is. Unlike some headphones which artificially add space to all recordings, the SR-225 only show it when it is there. Next most noticeable is the extra extension and taughtness of the bass. While the SR-80s are good is this regard, the 225s transcend that line between presenting something "as it should be" to simply "as it is." There is more effortlessness here which allows you to forget the recording to a degree and simply "be" in the music. For our money, the SR-225 is the standout bargain of the Grado range. It absolutely maximizes the sound per dollar factor. Build is simple, functional and durable. Beyerdynamic DT880 ($349.00) We call the DT880 the "baby T1". It has a similar tonality and provides a taste of all the attributes of the T1 with none of the common errors most similarly priced rivals have. Frequency response is nearly flat with very good bass extension, good punch and correct warmth. Treble is well extended without being bright or noticeably forward. Soundstage far exceeds anything from Grado and is very natural, lending acoustic music a meaningful believability. Extremely well built, comfortable to wear and simply beautiful to listen to regardless of type of music. Most people will never own loudspeakers as good as these headphones. As good as the Sennheiser HD650 at half the price. Beyerdynamic T1 ($1249.00) Quite simply, the T1 is the finest headphone we have ever heard. This is said with full experience of the GS1000, HD600/650, HD800, K701, Denons, Audio-Technicas and the mighty Stax. With the exception of the 600/650, the T1 are cheaper than all the frequently claimed competitors, and they sound better than all of them. What we have here is a headphone that has no apparent flaws. The GS1000 is too bright, the HD600/650 is too dull, the HD800 is too expensive and the soundstaging is artificially large, the K701 is too thin, the Denons and ATs are both too reserved. When you're paying upwards of $1500 we expect no errors of commission. The T1 delivers. Perfectly judged frequency response. Extension which truly exceeds the range of human hearing, soundstaging which is as natural as the best speakers (and as close to real life as you can get). Drive and punch without being aggressive. Detail and nuance without brightness or "grit". These are the ones. A WORD ABOUT HEADPHONE AMPS Most headphone sockets on standard equipment sound terrible. You can find big dividends in upgrading to even the entry level Pro-Ject HeadBox MkII ($169) which is a good match for a similarly priced headphone. Up the ladder we can recommend the Graham Slee Novo at $449 which brings a better level of transparency over the Pro-Ject as well as much better soundstage, lower noise and better dynamics. The Lehmann Rhinelander at $599 provides a slightly more analog sound with more refined treble performance, while the Graham Slee Solo at $999 is a reference piece providing just the sound of your headphones with utmost purity.