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Precision, Jazz, Comfort, and Thrift---unfeasible?

post #1 of 7
11/27/11 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 

Hi All,

 

I spent some time perusing the recent threads in this forum, however, not enough to know if I am re-posting a trite inquiry. I am acutely aware of the fact that there is a significant subjective aspect to most headphone comparisons, but I suppose that is the part of the fun. I am currently listening to music on a combination of cracked airline ear buds (of course, just about anything will be a step up), and occasionally, a friend's Bose OE2 (to my unenlightened ears, these sound pretty good!).  

 

Below are my constraints and virtues that I am seeking in headphones. The primary constraint is that I am looking to stay around or below $150. 

 

1) I listen to music from an ipod touch, Ipad, or Lenovo work issued laptop (with presumably a sub-par sound card)

2) I primarily listen to Jazz (think: Miles, Chris Potter, Cannonball Adderley, some big band like Buddy Rich) and Indian classical music (to those who are in the know, Rashid Khan, Zakir Hussein, Ram Narayan, etc). I also am very into Norah Jones. On occasion, I enjoy listening to rap albums such as Chronic 2001 and Illmatic. I realize I mentioned a pretty wide range of music (and headphones in my price range will not be able to cater to all genres), but I primarily listen to Jazz, Indian Classical Music, and artists such as Norah Jones. 

3) I think I will require closed headphones (I only use the headphones in coffee shops and libraries). I do NOT however listen to music on very very loud volume, so perhaps there might be some open headphones that don't leak too much--but I'm not sure. I do not intend to purchase an amp.

4) I do have a pretty large head and do generally wear glasses. Comfort is crucial as I will be using them in long spurts. I don't want to trade off of  a lot of comfort for a marginal increase in sound quality. But of course, I would prefer not to compromise sound quality either. 

 

I hope I have been comprehensive enough to allow those in the know about headphones to make informed suggestions. 

 

Warmest regards,

V

 

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post #2 of 7
11/27/11 at 1:25pm

Heya,

 

Sounds like you just need a neutral headphone. At first I was thinking shure SRH940. They're very comfortable, do jazz and classical very well, and are pretty much perfect for Norah Jone (I also listen to her, and she was a benchmark for me for the review on the SRH940). But the SRH940 wouldn't be ideal for rap albums (it's rather bass shy). It's also out of budget unfortunately.

 

Fischer Audio FA-003 would be my first overall pick for you at this price range. It's neutral, good extension, has both leather and velour pads, great for all genres, closed and isolating, comfortable, big ear cups, and look nice too. If you were willing to push budget up a bit, you could get the FA-002W's which are a woodback version of the FA002 which is an open version of the FA003, and it's a very warm, lovely, phone, and the woodback version makes it a closed back headphone.

 

A used AudioTechnica A900 would be a good option for you too, if you can find one used to fit your budget, or are willing to push it up a little.

 

The Shure SRH840 is a good neutral closed option, but has smaller cups than the above two listed.

 

Though I will also say you will probably get a better set of IEM's for $150 than most headphones and the isolation, if you like IEM's.

 

Very best,

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post #3 of 7
11/27/11 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 

Hi, 

 

Between the SRH840 and the FA-003 did you find that the primary difference is that the latter is more comfortable (is that what is implied when you state the Shures have smaller cups)? And are they similar in terms of sound quality?

 

Thank you for your input.

 

- V

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post #4 of 7
11/28/11 at 10:27am
Thread Starter 

And also, the SRH840 and the BoseOE head phones are both similarly priced--is there a drastic difference in sound quality? The Bose seem pretty comfortable. 

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post #5 of 7
11/28/11 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by racerv123 View Post

Hi, 

 

Between the SRH840 and the FA-003 did you find that the primary difference is that the latter is more comfortable (is that what is implied when you state the Shures have smaller cups)? And are they similar in terms of sound quality?

 

Thank you for your input.

 

- V


Heya,

 

The FA-003 is more comfortable to me. Better isolation. Bigger cups, better sound scape/staging. Similar in quality. The FA-003 has a bit more detail to me in treble. The impact of the FA-003 is better. And the FA-003 scales with amplification. Between the two, honestly, I see no reason to get the SRH840 other than availability.

 

Very best,

 

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post #6 of 7
11/28/11 at 2:48pm
I listen to all those artists. I used to have Fischer Audio FA-003 until I got Beyers dt880 600 ohm.

The FA-003 as mentioned by others is the best option IMO. They shine with jazz too.
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post #7 of 7
11/28/11 at 5:13pm

Save some money and get a used K702 + a sweet hps amp out of FS forum.

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