headphones question

[hasafraker]

Greetings,

I've been watching Bottlehead for many years, since the second version of the foreplay was released. Over the last few years I've gotten back into DIY with a bit of a vengeance. Now I find myself wanting for a headphone amp and a set of headphones. I've built several projects from scratch, and a couple of Decware kits, I love the sound of my Decware stuff but the last kit was a bit of a fiasco. When you're spending good $ on a kit to the tune of several hundred dollars there are certain expectations with regards to instructions etc. Since I'm all about trying new things... and the wife just asked me what I wanted for Christmas which I replied with "I want some Crack" she was shocked to say the least, I may find myself in a 12 step program before I get my kit but that's beside the point. 

Here's my Question for the good folks who have and use this amp, I'm looking to spend about $100 on a set of cans. I was thinking about the Grado SR 80i's, I'm partial to Sennheiser's as I have some ear buds that sound really good from them. I've read some reviews but wanted to know what folks thought, what seems to work best, if there was anything I should be concerned with when shopping for headphones.

thanks in advance for your comments

[tdogzthmn]

The crack was my first experience with DIY audio kits and I have to say it was very easy to follow the directions and assemble.  I ran into some problems with cold joints likely due to the cheapo soldering iron I used but one the amp was up and running I was very pleased with the results.

Regarding your question about headphones, you should take a look over at Head-Fi.org  I know the crack is more suited to higher impedance cans so the SR80i (32 ohms) might not be your first choice.  For sennheisers I would recommend the HD600 which is a solid headphone.  I have tried and owned many headphones and recently I have been loving my AKG K400 and K500 headphones I bought for under $100 off ebay.de  These cans have great soundstage, detail, and musicality that I have yet to hear from other headphones.  It would be good to know what your musical tastes are as certain headphones work better with specific genres.

[hasafraker]

thanks for the reply, the vast majority of my collection is jazz, with some big band and classical thrown in for good measure I have some classic rock and alternative stuff too but primarily jazz.

[mrarroyo]

A few options are available like, Sennheiser HD580 or HD600 also the AKG K501 or K601

[hasafraker]

thanks mrarroyo I will check those out, much appreciated

[tdogzthmn]

I also second the K601 which is fantastic with Jazz.

[Dr. Toobz]

May I highly recommend the HD650? Lots of people claim they sound "dark" or "veiled," but on Bottlehead gear, I've not found this to be the case at all. They sound very balanced, in fact, and have great bass. Grados would probably be a no-no for the Crack, unless you did the Speedball boards and a 5998, in addition to bigger (300 or 400uF) coupling caps. Then, you might be good to go, but 32 ohm 'phones are not really what this amp was designed for, after all.

I know the 650's are more than $100, but I got mine used for less than $200. In new condition, in fact!

[levlhed]

I can also chime in on my love of the HD650 on Crack.  I had HD600 but found them a bit too "mid-rangey" for my personal taste.  Don't get me wrong, they sound fantastic.  My first impression was "WOW!!!" and I'd probably be happy with them in general, but the opportunity arose so I traded them for HD650 and found them to be just the sound I was after.

[tdogzthmn]

Recently I have spending most of my listening time with the K400, but I also have a 250 ohm DT880 which is great.  It has alot of detail and solid bass, however sometimes its a little too bright for my tastes.  I still miss my HD600 now and again.