The "goodness" depends on the statistics. No brand name is "good enough" if the frequency response isn't there.
The Sennheiser name is German, and German companies typically are extremely focused on accuracy, precision and quality. Their "personal" line of headphones has a top-of-the-line model (the 800s) with the following frequency response rating:
Frequency response (headphones) 6 – 51,000 Hz (- 10 dB), 14 - 44,100 Hz (- 3 dB)
This means that up to a volume of -10 dB, the frequency response starts at 6 Hz (which you would feel, not hear) and goes up to 51 kHz (which puts this headset at around double the maximum I have ever seen before on the high end).
At higher volumes (-3 dB) it has a different response, 14 to 44.1 kHz, which is still superb - the typical human can hear from 18 to 22 Hz at the low end, to sounds with pitches between 18 and 25 kHz on the high end. I am very impressed.
At what I expect is the low end, I see they have headsets with a FR of 22 Hz to 20 kHz. Definitely make it easy to know what FR you're getting. Not the cheapest headphones I ever saw, but you get what you pay for in this case, I suppose.
Oh, and don't expect much from the salespeople at Radio Shack. They probably won't have much of a clue. That's been my experience, anyway.
The Sennheiser name is German, and German companies typically are extremely focused on accuracy, precision and quality. Their "personal" line of headphones has a top-of-the-line model (the 800s) with the following frequency response rating:
Frequency response (headphones) 6 – 51,000 Hz (- 10 dB), 14 - 44,100 Hz (- 3 dB)
This means that up to a volume of -10 dB, the frequency response starts at 6 Hz (which you would feel, not hear) and goes up to 51 kHz (which puts this headset at around double the maximum I have ever seen before on the high end).
At higher volumes (-3 dB) it has a different response, 14 to 44.1 kHz, which is still superb - the typical human can hear from 18 to 22 Hz at the low end, to sounds with pitches between 18 and 25 kHz on the high end. I am very impressed.
At what I expect is the low end, I see they have headsets with a FR of 22 Hz to 20 kHz. Definitely make it easy to know what FR you're getting. Not the cheapest headphones I ever saw, but you get what you pay for in this case, I suppose.
Oh, and don't expect much from the salespeople at Radio Shack. They probably won't have much of a clue. That's been my experience, anyway.
Subliminal Audio Specialist & Administrator
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
