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Which headphone do you think is the best one for the Yamaha CLP-585? (for the piano tones CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial)

Sincerely
Heaven

There are many threads about this question. It doesn't matter what DP you have, or what piano sound you're using.

First question:

. . . How much money can you spend?

At around $100, three recommendations:

. . . Sennheiser HD-280 (I own it, and like it) (closed-back)

. . . Sony MDR-7506 (closed-back)

. . . AKG K240 ("semi-open") in two varieties which I don't understand:

. . . . . K240 Mark II, and

. . . . . K240 Studio

If you are interested in "in-ear" headphones, I like my Shure SE215's. The sound from them is comparable to the Senn HD-280 -- maybe better.

The most important thing about a headphone is _comfort_. If it hurts, you won't like it no matter how good the sound is.

. . . and different people fit different headphones.

Take a look at some of the old threads . . .

. Charles

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (closed) DT 880 pro semi-closed reference class, DT 990 Pro (open)

I love the closed 770 Pro. Enjoy the full sound range of your DP without being disturbed from surrounding noise! And it's very comfortable. Beyerdynamic's studio headphone are #1 in germany.

Have a look at some webs specialized on it (i.e. Goear). Pay attention to their graphics, where they show how flat is the response of a model, or if the sound is too coloured in a certain range.
To my ears, those named mkII are boomy.
Most of generic headphones wich are for home use (hi-fi, pc) are not good for piano. They are going to alter the natural sound of your Yamaha.
Don't forget to buy one with a detachable cord.
Then it's up to your preferences which one to choose. Some like them opened (me), others closed. Everyone like them to be light and comfortable.

http://www.pianoworld.com/searchresults.html?cx=partner-pub-3828295670381575%3A8979922837&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=headphones&sa=SEARCH&siteurl=www.pianoworld.com%2Fforums%2F&ref=&ss=2815j1486497j10

I take things differently.

I pay no attention to the published response curves. They're taken under conditions that do not mimic a live user. Testing is done with a microphone. I listen with ears. They're not the same.

I take no heed of the flatness of the response curve. These curves are a roller coaster, with variations that don't correlate with live experience.

The position of the phones on your head is different from mine. And different from the test dummy. This grossly affects the net perceived sound.

The impedance match between the phones and the driving amplifier depends upon the latter. The testing is not done with my amplifier, so the test results are meaningless to me.

We need to understand that specs have little value. Very little. So don't be fooled. The only useful indicator is a live test.

True Mac, but it's very difficult to find shops where you can test cans before purchasing them. So you have to trust on other's experience or on these sites.
Those I bought behave as expected from the graphics/comments aside.

How about wireless headphones? If you don't mind me asking. . . wouldn't mind a pair to replace my cheapos bought in '98. ...

I tried these a few years ago, wifi not fm, ok for music but too much lag for piano. Maybe better now with g and ac standards.

Simply......take some Sennheisser......or closed headphones of Sony

Regards
Johan B

I disagree.

The best headphones for digitals are also the best ones for hi-fi systems and MP3 players etc (assuming, of course, that you're not among those who like to listen to music with loud boomy bass or shrill trebles).

I bought my second pair of headphones based on the 'Best Buy' in a Hi Fi magazine, and it's now my favorite, both for playing with my DP and for listening with my iPod. (BTW, I listen to, and play classical, and I'm looking for natural, unexaggerated sound and tonal character - like what I'd hear at a live concert).

Crikey. Twice in one day. I agree with bennevis! Hi-Fi (which literally means having a high degree of fidelity to the source) headphones are ideal. Decent Sennheisers, AKGs etc are fine. Grados if you don't mind some physical pressure on your ears (they hurt me after 20 mins). Philips Fidelio X1 are astoundingly good value for money and easy to drive without a headphone amp. They would be my choice if I was buying now although I own AKG 701 and Beyer DT 880 (AKG are the more neutral of the two).

FWIW. I recently got some grados as I was rather curious about them and could not resist to try them. The ones I got were are at the cheaper end, SR80e, so not reference/monitor quality by any means.

I've found them really nice for general music listening, also they work well with my soft piano, Ivory 2 American D provided I pick up the bass a little bit in the EQ, I really like then with the pianoteq demo also, but for the native Casio Celviano sound I didn't like them at all, not one bit.

I suppose it will depend on the digital piano sample, but in my Case the Grado sounds very thin for the Casio sound. While I don't know about the CLP 585, but many of the Cabinet pianos don't have an EQ option. The Grado Prestige series has a rather unusual frequency response, which is rather treble heavy and thin in the bass, that's exactly what I hear through them and the data here confirms.

http://www.headphone.com/pages/build-a-graph

When I hook up the piano through the audio interface and apply some EQ adjustments I can largely address that, but straight out from the piano it really alters the sound in a way that sounds very different to how the piano sounds through the cabinet speakers, very coloured I'd say, and this characteristic is common in the more costly prestige models too.

YMMV whether you like them for your piano or not. A Grado reference phones are very expensive but no doubt would be better I expect.

In the end I returned the Grado as much as I would have liked to keep them for music. I also found them rather hard to listen for longer periods, fatigue being a major issue after an hour or more.

Many online stores will let you try and return if not satisfied with your cans these days at no loss, which is what I did.

It was a very useful experiment though alongside my other phones to have tried them and learned quite a bit from that. I found the links below very useful. As it happens I do find the response curves actually a pretty good indicator how a phone is going to sound after digesting the useful background given here.

Background info

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurements-explained-square-wave-response

A quick sum up what the various test can tell you

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurements-explained-square-wave-response-page-2

Background to how the measurements are done to mimic the response of the ear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ClNJeHrAw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uBuxqDSJlA

Maybe if you had replied to the replies sooner we would have a clue as to your requirement?

We could go on and on describing many brands but many might be irrelevant if they are too expensive for your requirement.

Have you tried any headphones?

Ian

Or ... is the original poster simply trying to rub it in that they have a 585???

Many thanks to all!

The price must be under 400-500$.

I've tried the Beyerdynamic 770Pro, BD 880Pro, Sennheiser HD-558.
Of these three Headphones, I found the 770Pro the best one.

The Philips Fidelio X2 seems to be interesting.

Sincerely
Heaven