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Mid-Fi Closed Portables

post #1 of 18
11/19/08 at 8:14am
Thread Starter 
Red's convinced me that I need some wood...in the form of ESW9s. Yessiree. Sadly, the NZD ain't what it used to be, so I'm going to have to hold it off. Also, I probably wouldn't use these as my workhorse portables. So, I'm in the market for some mid-fi portables, to avoid eating into my ESW9 budget.

As far as I can tell, the candidates are:

AKG K518 - ~$76
A.T. SQ5 - ~$80
A.T. ES7 - ~$96
Senn. HD280 - $99

(Prices quoted are based on the lowest I can find, let me know if you can find cheaper.)

Are there more in the $75-$100 closed portable category? Anyone have any insight on which of these I should get. Preferences and requirements summarized below:

Music - Alternative/Indie rock (e.g., Muse, Deathcab for Cutie), Classical (orchestral and camber)
Sound - Detail and wide soundstage would be nice. Not a basshead, but usually prefer darker rather than brighter headphones.
Isolation - Very important.
Comfort - Keep in mind I wear glasses.
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post #2 of 18
11/19/08 at 1:34pm
I recommend either M-Audio Q40 or Audio-Technica ATH-M50. Overall, I think that the M50s are superior, but when unamped they seem to lack a bit of control in the midbass - other than that they are amazing for the price though. The Q40s, on the other hand, have awesome, controlled bass even unamped, but have some problems handling the high frequencies IMO - the highs can get harsh and sibilant with the Q40s at times, although the detail in the highs is very good. Also, the M50s have better imaging and separation and are a bit more portable, comfortable and isolate better, but cost a bit more too.
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post #3 of 18
11/19/08 at 5:03pm
Stay away from HD280. Boring pair of cans with deathgrip.
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post #4 of 18
11/19/08 at 5:09pm
Thread Starter 
Mornin, Red. HD280 off the list.
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post #5 of 18
11/20/08 at 2:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonathanjong View Post
Red's convinced me that I need some wood...in the form of ESW9s. Yessiree. Sadly, the NZD ain't what it used to be, so I'm going to have to hold it off. Also, I probably wouldn't use these as my workhorse portables. So, I'm in the market for some mid-fi portables, to avoid eating into my ESW9 budget.

As far as I can tell, the candidates are:

AKG K518 - ~$76
A.T. SQ5 - ~$80
A.T. ES7 - ~$96
Senn. HD280 - $99

(Prices quoted are based on the lowest I can find, let me know if you can find cheaper.)

Are there more in the $75-$100 closed portable category? Anyone have any insight on which of these I should get. Preferences and requirements summarized below:

Music - Alternative/Indie rock (e.g., Muse, Deathcab for Cutie), Classical (orchestral and camber)
Sound - Detail and wide soundstage would be nice. Not a basshead, but usually prefer darker rather than brighter headphones.
Isolation - Very important.
Comfort - Keep in mind I wear glasses.
SQ5 - square look awesome, dunno about the sound, review said they were neutral though
AKG - look too DJ too me, sound similar to K26p or so I heard
ES7 - lots of research, apparently these are SUPRA aural and not much isolation
HD280 - fugly, i don't care how they sound, they are just fugly to me
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post #6 of 18
11/20/08 at 4:20am
Thread Starter 
So...that leaves me without options? LOL!
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post #7 of 18
11/20/08 at 4:23am
just sell some body parts that aren't necessary. you only need one eye, for example
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post #8 of 18
11/20/08 at 4:51am
or a kidney
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post #9 of 18
11/20/08 at 5:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 View Post
just sell some body parts that aren't necessary. you only need one eye, for example
Hey, quit recycling your jokes! Admittedly, the last time you said kidney. I think.
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post #10 of 18
11/20/08 at 5:12am
The HD280 Pro aren't that bad as people say. It's not a good option if you want portability. If you have an equalizer then the HD280 Pro sound real good.

You can try Sennheiser HD25 SP or HD25-1/II

Have a look at this:
Sennheiser HD 25 Professional Headphones - eBay Other Headphones, Headsets, Headphones, Headsets, Audio, Electronics. (end time 22-Nov-08 18:42:48 AEDST)
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post #11 of 18
11/20/08 at 5:32am
Thread Starter 
Is that an 25-1 II?
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post #12 of 18
11/20/08 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonathanjong View Post
Is that an 25-1 II?
It looks like a HD25 SP but the specs are HD25-1 II
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post #13 of 18
11/20/08 at 7:25am
akg k-81 dj out of budget??
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post #14 of 18
11/20/08 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 
K81 = K518, no?
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post #15 of 18
11/20/08 at 1:54pm
SQ5 is excellent.
I've had them for a couple of weeks now, and by my standards I can't find anything complaining about, considering the sound. The build quality, on the other hand isn't that glorious. it generates some frictional noise around the vertical axis, especially when i walk. I haven't got any silicone spray or any other lube at hands, but i suppose it would eliminate much of the annoyance. the aesthetics is super cool, and the SQ were way above what i expected for $80.
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