Headphones for College

[p_hp_fan]

Hello, all. I'm headed off to college this year and am looking to buy some headphones that can suit me well. The three main things I am looking for are good sound quality, comfort for extended listening, and a good noise canceling/sound isolation system to keep out the extraneous noises of dorm life (without blasting the volume).

My budget is about $200 to $400. Also note that I plan to use use these without a line out or amp for portability.

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

[jgardhouse]

Westone UM1's.

I use my IEMs everywhere, be it biking, in the library, walking to classes etc - you WILL break them sooner or later, the UM1's at 110$ result in less tears.

Comfortable as a 80's couch - I've had SE110s, E2s, E3s etc - the comfort is the sex.

[moonboy403]

I posted this on another thread:

"With $350, you have many options. Here's a brief list in no particular order

1) SA6($250),
2) SA6 customs($300),
3) Livewires($250),
4) FreQ Show w/ MM crossover($350),
5) RE1 ($170) <- definitely needs an amp to shine,
6) Triple Fi($300+)
7) ER-4P (~$180)
8) Q-Jays ($??)

These are considered to be the best in the market within your price range. I believe ClieOS did a comparison between all the above with the exceptions of the customs. You should definitely look into it."

[p_hp_fan]

Thanks, guys. I've been looking around a little bit and have found some other possible IEMs. Would anyone recommend any of these:

Tier 1
- Shure SE530
- Triple.fi 10

Tier 2
- Denon AH-C700
- Shure SE310 or SE420
- Super.fi 5

Basically I want to find something that's going to be my best value. I'd prefer the price of a tier 2, obviously, but if they are going to be far inferior, then I might go ahead and pay a little extra. Also, I'm definitely still open to other recommendations as well.

Thanks!

[penger]

I actually got my E500's (SE530 equivalents) for less than $300 and those I would recommend.

[FaRKle]

+1 for the Livewires. I used'em A LOT this year in college since my roommate didn't like hearing my music coming out of my HD580's.

[moonboy403]

IMO, best value would actually be something like RE1 + amp or SA6 because an amp gives you flexibility with other headphone purchases and the RE1's and SA6's sq are highly regarded. These 2 iems definitely rank in the tier one category as you put it.

[tonyfiore75]

I'd love to give you a straight and direct answer but it's very hard with IEMs because a lot of the time it comes down to how they fit and what kind of music you listen to.

Personally, I still find my UE Super.Fi 5 Pros to be very fun/comfortable/isolating phones to listen to. I normally use my UE10s but occasionally I am put in a situation where I'll use the 5s. They still rock. Like I said, though, comfort is always an issue with IEMs. Seal is everything.

Good luck in your search, though. If you have any questions feel free to pm me any time.

-TF

[western120]

Originally Posted by penger

I actually got my E500's (SE530 equivalents) for less than $300 and those I would recommend.

where did you get them from ?

[p_hp_fan]

Hey, I've been taking some advice and have looked into some custom IEM's. What would be the best value considering I'm not a giant audiophile but just want something solid that can run well UNAMPed?

Right now I'm looking at around $250 so:
- FreQ of Nature
- Super Freq
- Tour de Freq
- Livewires

Any more recommendations?

Thanks.