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Hello guys,

I'm new here and I wanted to which headphones
are best for my Yamaha CLP-575. I'd also like
to use these headphones for listening to music (iPhone) etc.
My budget is around €400 which is about 450 dollar.
I'll also consider those above my budget so please share them.

Any advice?

A lot of us here like the Sennheiser HD 598.

Headphones are personal. It's always better to live with them for a week or two before you buy them, if that's possible.

Thank you, I'm currently considering the new Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over ear. I've read a lot of reviews, so I'm not doubting the sound quality for normal use. Wondering if anyone has used it for their digital piano? I'm not talking about the first Sennheiser Momentum, I've read those are not the best for digital piano's.

I'd second this recommendation. Very comfortable for long periods. Easy to drive (will play loud with run-of-the-mill headphone amps such as those in digital pianos and iPhones). I don't think you need to spend as much as you think. The Senn HD-598s provide a very good price/performance/comfort benchmark that is hard to beat for your purposes.

I didn't like the Senns. I do like Beyers. Lots of people here recommend AKGs.

But what should these opinions mean to you? NOTHING.

Try 'em, like 'em or dislike 'em, and buy what you like.
Recommendations don't mean much.

I have an AKG K702 on my CLP150. It is fine, BUT, I have to dial the volume at 100% to use them: they are not easy to drive. (I have tried a cheap headphone amp, Behringer MA400... But it is unusefull. I guess it is sold as a LINE-to-easy-to-drive-headphone and I should pay 100€ min. for a real amp).

I like the fairly inexpensive Grado SR-60s. They're open ear, so they won't be completely quiet (and never use them with a mic sending the signal back to the headphones), but you'll still be able to hear room around you. For a lighter, more work-out friendly over the ear headphone, I like the Koss Porta-pros.

I have tried much more expensive ones from a number of brands, especially in my audio engineering days, but for personal use I rather like the not-too-costly Grados (and Kosses for listening while being active).

Saying the budget is not enough.
Open, Semi-Open, Closed?
On-Ear, Over-Ear?
Sound signature: flat, warm, bass-heavy, piercing highs, etc?

We can suggest you anything but that doesn't mean you will be satisfied with the choice.
The best thing you can do is to try different pairs if you have the chance.



I stick with cheap stuff...

I have a pair of Superlux HD-681 EVO, price around 30-40€. Bassy, warm sounding, semi-open headphones. I didn't really want this sound signature (although I saw the graphs). On a forum there were people talking about how balanced they were... in another almost everyone pointed out the bass emphasis. A bit of simple mods and here comes the treble. Overall they do sound good, but I would suggest these for the bassheads and those who like a warm sound signature.

The new HD-662 EVO are the closed version at the same price; apparently they're better than the 681... after some very easy mods they are very good.

Although they're ridiculously cheap compared to your budget, I'm also a happy owner of the Superlux HD-681 EVO mentioned above (priced at 29 euros / 33$). People with 200-300 euros headphones have listened to them and concluded they sound surprisingly good for the price.
I also feel they have a dark sound, unfortunately bought them based on reviews and a preference for the style/package (detachable cables, velour pads), only having tried other similar models from Superlux and Samson (same stuff) but with different sound characteristics. With a little modding they become a bit more open and balanced, but I still plan on getting the Samson SR-850 as well, which sound a lot more open and better balanced, better suited for classical, jazz and playing the piano.
Both are semi-open and are relatively easy to drive so the can be used with a phone as well.
If you're willing to experiment, you might discover these will easily please you, before spending a couple of times more than this.
Wish I could've tried some Grados as well, since I keep hearing about them, but they're not easy to come by in this part of the world, and they still cost 2-3 times more even for their cheapest offerings.

After starting with 30-40 EUR Sennheiser HD 205, I switched to Sennheiser HD 598 on Christmas. I did not test much. They were recommended here and they were on sale just before Christmas and that sealed it. They are a whole other dimension than the HD 205. I am really happy that I have them.

Now I know that the HD 205 actually do DPs a disservice, they add "brilliance" in the middle to high end that does not help.

So if you want to compare, it is quite important that you compare on DPs or at least with music created on DPs I think. So if you can not test them at home, bring a recording of something that you played at home.

Having gone through a lot of headphones in my time all I can really say is that beyond the 200-300€ range the returns start to diminish quite rapidly. When you get to the high-end range you are paying as much for the casing, build quality (like all metal finishing etc.) and brand as for the actual sound. That being said I currently run the Sennheiser HD-800s on my piano, which go well into audiophile territory. The main reason for this is build quality and comfort rather than sound quality. I've owned Grado RS-1s and really cannot wear any Grado phones for long periods. I've also had Audeze LCD-2s which I can wear for 15 minutes max before getting a headache. Beyond this I've had top of the range models from Denon, AKG and Sennheiser. Out of all these I personally prefer the Sennheiser sound for classical music, but it cannot be stated enough that this is a personal choice. And really having owned HD-650s for years I do prefer the 800s beyond them. A more "budget" option could be the HD-700 which can be had for 400-500 euros, but I have not tried them personally.

Beyond speculation there is one actual budget headphone that I would like to add to this list as a recommendation: Sennheiser HD-25s. They can be had for around 100 euros and are a closed design originally meant for DJing. I have a pair on my computer and have always liked the sound.

One feature that has nothing to do with sound but usually appears with the more expensive models - cables that can be easily removed and replaced.

I've accidentally destroyed headphones in the past by catching the cable on something which either broke the cable or messed up the connection. I've tried to solder headphone cable and it's not easy.

All my headphones now have cables that can be easily removed or simply pop out if the cable catches on something. It would be great if all headphones had that feature.

Go for a headphone with adjustable volume.

I own a Beyerdynamic DT 880, one of the best headphones there is (use it since many years with my Hifi eq) - but it turned out it didn't work well with my (recently purchased) Clavinova; something with too many Ohms, resulting in too low volume on the headphone.

That's why I decided to go for a headphone with adjustable volume - so you can make the volume with headphone the same as the volume without. That's my recommendation.

By the way, I ended up with a very cheap Konig Onstage NRG100. It has adjustable volume and works sufficiently with the Clavinova, but it's clearly not as comfortable and good sounding as the Beyerdynamic.

Dave, that's why I went with the untested HD681 Evo (30 euros), based on reviews, rather than the SR850 which I tested. It is very convenient to have two detachable cables in the package (1m and 3m long).

Lemon, for the DT 880 you'd normally buy a headphone amp, which will generally have adjustable volume. Cheap headphones with adjustable volume aren't that great. I wouldn't make it a criteria for choosing headphones.
Also, a rather convenient feature of Rolands (not sure about other manufacturers) is the digital volume control which makes it possible to set the speaker volume at one level and the headphone volume at another, thus having separate volume settings for the two, which are remembered by the piano and automatically change any time you connect/disconnect your headphones.

But this has a cost (100$ min ? 200$ ?) and should be included in the criteria. I have tried the Behringer MA400 but it has not enough power for my ATK K702.

Of course it does, but that's what you get when you really want break the bank for the sake of quality.
Fortunately, I have no such problems and I'm very pleased with what I get out of my (surprisingly) low-cost headphones. And I'm not the only one who says it. I've read very many opinions that state the same.
Certainly, the mid to high range offers from top manufacturers are better, but the difference isn't big enough to justify the many-times higher price for me.

I encourage anybody who comes across them to give them a try, they do surprise.

First off, thank you all for your reactions.

@f3r: You're right, I haven't given you much info although
regarding your options, the only thing I really need is for
the headphones to be over-ear. My ears are too big for on-ear
(I've tried them) which results to being oncomfortable for long use.

I appreciate all the recommendations, especially the low-budget ones.
What makes it hard is the fact that I'm not going to buy these headphones
for 1 purpose only. As much as they need to sound great on my piano, they
also need to be awesome for listening to music. And I listen to all kinds of
music (Classic, Film scores, Rock, Rap, Pop, Dance). My brother owns a B&W P7
and they sound phenomenal, but on the piano, it needs the volume to be put on
90-100%.

Regarding my budget, it's really not an issue. I'd be more than happy to pay
extra for the building quality. I don't like headphones made from rubbish plastic.
I value headphones a lot. I really do.

Again thank you all and I hope I don't sound too picky xD.

EDIT: There are stores nearby who offer the HD 598. I'll definitely check them out.

I've read some really good things about the ATH-M50x, which is around $150. Perhaps someone who has tried this pair could comment? I think these are good for everyday use as well, as they are low impedance headphones that can be used without an amp.

I'm thinking of maybe getting that pair but will definitely check out the others that are recommended here.

I have the ATH-M50 (predecessor to M50x).
They are great headphones, versatile for everything.
I use them for my digital piano now, and they are really good for that.

I also have the AKG K550 that I use at work. I think they might be a bit better suited for diigital pianos and I am thinking about getting an other pair of those for my DP (and keep my ATH-M50 for my computer, so I don't need to take them back and forth between rooms).

The AKG K550 give a bit more experience like listening to speakers. In my opinion they are better suited for classical and jazz, while the ATH-M50 are better suited for Hip-hop and electronic music, since they have a bit more "oomph" and sound closer.

So I've bought the HD 598 and I absolutely love the sound. The store said that I could return the headphones if I didn't like the sound
on the piano. I can tell you the sound on the piano is great altough it makes a little noise while playing bass notes or very high notes on high volume (75-85%). Could this be because the headphone is new and need warm up? Does anyone have experience with this?