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In the market for new headphones - Need some suggestions

post #1 of 7
6/13/10 at 1:34am
Thread Starter 

My current headphones are nearing the point of being completely useless. I had some Skullcandy headphones, and I can't say I'd recommend them. I'm no audiophile, so the sound-quality was good enough, and they looked nice, so they seemed good, but the build was horrible. Both of the hinges snapped after around 7 months and now the right side is completely dead unless the cord is tweaked to the perfect angle. I thought I'd be making an investment that would last me years when I bought them but that clearly wasn't the case.

 

I put up with a single speaker of sound for a couple months, and now it's summer so I figured it was time to get another pair that would hopefully last a lot longer, but I'm not sure what to get.

 

Here's what I'm looking for:

-Strong, durable build - If it's reinforced with a little metal, even better

-A replaceable cord - so I can fix it easily if for whatever reason it shorts

-Good design - I'd like a pair of headphones that looks nice or interesting, but this isn't the most important.

-Minimal leakage - I mostly use headphones to block out the rest of the world, but I don't want to bother people around me as well. Some is okay, as I don't usually listen to music too loud.

 

I'm willing to pay a little under $100, maybe a little more if I can be absolutely sure they'll last me a long time. Of course, I'd look at anything cheaper, too.

 

I was looking around, and I found the perfect headset on Amazon: the Audio-Technica ATH AD-700 Open Air headphones. At least I thought I did, until I found out what "open air" meant, but they had everything else: looked durable, replaceable cord, interesting looking, and a (bonus) cloth-wrapped cord. But the excessive sound-leak is unacceptable. Why oh why couldn't they be closed.

 

Is there anything anyone can suggest? I might be being too picky, but surely there must be something.

 

Thank you

Psychtaygar


Edited by psychtaygar - 6/13/10 at 1:40am
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post #2 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:00am

ATH M50s are under $100 and do not leak sound,if they do it's hardly audible.  If I wasn't short on cash they'd be my portable headphone of choice.

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post #3 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:15am

Why aren't AD700's closed? Hard to get a good soundstage with closed headphones, especially at that price and for portable use. There is a A700 that's closed, not sure if they're any good, but the DJ/studio types - Shures, M50's, HD25-I-2's will be more durable anyways...

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post #4 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:24am

Are you sure you found the AD700? The AD700 does not have a cloth-covered cord, and the cord is not detachable (you can mod it, but it's not meant to be taken off).

 

I would suggest the Shur SR440 in your price range. It has a detachable cord, has a slightly emphasized bass that you may find pleasing, and are studio headphones so they are built for rugged use.

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post #5 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:36am

I haven't personally used the Shure 840's but am comfortable recommending them seeing as how they've become fairly popular. They have been compared to M50's (which in my opinion is a good thing, so far the M50's are my headphone of choice); the cord is detachable making it a hell of a lot easier to replace if need be; I personally like the look of Shure headphones so I'd say it meets your "good design" criteria; and, lastly, it's a closed can so leakage should not be a problem.

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post #6 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg View Post

I would suggest the Shur SR440 in your price range. It has a detachable cord, has a slightly emphasized bass that you may find pleasing, and are studio headphones so they are built for rugged use.


I'd have to disagree with the "emphasized bass" statement. I just recently sold my 440 for the very reason that the bass was extremely low to non-existent. If you enjoy bass I'd again steer you toward the 840's. It is a bit more expensive but worth the investment I'd say.

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post #7 of 7
6/13/10 at 2:44am
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:

Are you sure you found the AD700? The AD700 does not have a cloth-covered cord, and the cord is not detachable (you can mod it, but it's not meant to be taken off).

 

I would suggest the Shur SR440 in your price range. It has a detachable cord, has a slightly emphasized bass that you may find pleasing, and are studio headphones so they are built for rugged use.

 

Well you're absolutely right. I don't know where I got that. The A700s seem to have a cloth cord, but its still not detachable.

 

Can you suggest any websites where I might read up on modding something like that? That would open up my options a lot. The shorting of the right speaker is my biggest reason for ditching my current headphones, and why I want to do what I can to prevent it in the future. Atleast with broken hinges, you can still use the things.

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