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Which headphone style is the best?

post #1 of 7
11/28/06 at 10:28pm
Thread Starter 
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of headphone? Does one format generally do better than the rest? I want to get a headphone that blocks out sound and is comfortable without paying alot.
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post #2 of 7
11/28/06 at 11:52pm
Open - Airy sound, usually bigger soundstage, usually the "format" used for flagship headphones (HD650, K701, DT990, GS1000, Quailia 010), lets in a good deal of noise, leaks quite a bit of sound

Closed - Noise isolating, okay sound as compared to open headphones (depends on how much you pay, the top closed cans, such as the R-10 and Edition 9s should sound really good)

IEMs - Great isolation, (supposedly) more accurate sounding, smaller soundstage

Earbuds - Not so good fit, cheaper to manufacture, usually bad sounding (there are exceptions, Sennheiser, Yuin and Audio Technica make some decent sounding ones), lets in a lot of noise

I'd say you go for an IEM. For about USD100, you could have the UM1, E2, ER6i, Super fi. 3, d-jay, iM716, etc.

If you don't mind bigger headphones, the K81DJ is another good deal (under USD100 if I'm not wrong). Slightly higher up the ladder, there's the A900 (Slightly below USD200 if I am not wrong).
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post #3 of 7
11/29/06 at 12:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregon View Post
I want to get a headphone that blocks out sound and is comfortable without paying alot.
An IEM is definitely worth consideration, but you get more bang for your buck in a closed full-sized can, IMO.
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post #4 of 7
11/29/06 at 12:08am
aaron-xp pretty much nailed it, there is a decent glossary here if you want to read up on everything: http://www.headphonereviews.org/glossary.php
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post #5 of 7
11/29/06 at 12:19am
personally, I <3 soundstage, which creates depth to the textures which can be produced by quality open air headphones.
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post #6 of 7
11/29/06 at 6:07am
Full sized open cans are the best bang for the buck IMHO.
There are a lot of full sized open cans under 200$ that sound very good, while there are very few good closed cans at the same pricepoint.
Earbuds are never as good as full size cans or iems, they are not to be considered if you want a high-quality sound.
Iems are very accurate but they lack soundstage and can be a bit sterile sometimes, plus they require maintenance with the issues from ear wax, worn tips, etc.
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post #7 of 7
11/29/06 at 10:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Hunter View Post
Full sized open cans are the best bang for the buck IMHO.
Agreed, just look at the flagships and the bang-for-buck budget models. Most are open. Though open doesn't work really well (read: doesn't work at all), when you need some form of isolation.

Also, forgot to add this, but it is generally agreed upon that while IEMs have the ability to sound as good as full sized headphones (with a smaller soundstage), you'll have to pay much more.
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