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Comfort and isolation under $200?

post #1 of 10
1/15/12 at 8:06am
Thread Starter 

I'm looking for closed headphones mainly for air travel. Comfort and isolation are my top priorities.

As for sound, I have TF10 that I really like, but they get uncomfortable after a few hours of use. I listen to mostly rock 'n roll, no electronic dance music or house, etc. 

Overpowering bass is out.  I tried the Sony XB500s and couldn't stand them. 

What I really like about the TF10 is the fast/tight bass.  I have been using The Police, Spirits in the Material World as a demo track. I want to be able to hear the separate notes in the bass line.

Over the ear is preferred to on-ear. I'd like to keep this around $100 but would go up to $200.

 

 

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post #2 of 10
1/15/12 at 8:24am

I was going to say the Bose QC15's but those are $300. Maybe look into some of their cheaper headphones?

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post #3 of 10
1/15/12 at 8:46am

The QC15 doesn't block midrange noise very well. Active noise cancellation doesn't work so well, and it messes up the sound. A closed headphone with good passive isolation will clamp hard, and it will make your ears sweat with extended use. A better idea is to get an in the ear canal earphone(IEM). A good IEM that isn't too expensive and that isolates well is the Etymotic HF5. The Etymotic MC5 also isolates well,  is cheaper than the HF5, but doesn't sound as good.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Portable-Earphones-Cobalt/dp/B000XP8DJC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1326645127&sr=1-2

 

http://www.headphoneinfo.com/content/Etymotic-Research-mc5-Headphones-Review/Isolation.htm#isolation

 

http://www.headphoneinfo.com/content/Bose-QuietComfort3-Headphones-Review/Performance.htm#isolation


Edited by JK1 - 1/15/12 at 9:16am
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post #4 of 10
1/15/12 at 8:46am
Thread Starter 

I don't think Bose is going to have the price to performance ratio that I'm looking for. Plus, ffrom what I've read they aren't exactly known for tight bass. 

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post #5 of 10
1/15/12 at 8:48am
Thread Starter 

I'm not looking for another iem. I'm very happy with the TF10 for anything under 2 hours. I want to give my ear canals a break!

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post #6 of 10
1/15/12 at 9:48am

Closed headphones have their own comfort issues, such as clamping force and making your ears hot with extended wear. Any closed headphone that isolates well will be uncomfortable with extended use.  Changing the earpads to velour ones increases comfort, but decreases isolation.

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post #7 of 10
1/15/12 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 

I know there are going to compromises, but there must be a decent, not overly bassy closed headphone out there. 

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post #8 of 10
1/15/12 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by posnera View Post

I know there are going to compromises, but there must be a decent, not overly bassy closed headphone out there. 



There are, however either they don't isolate that well, or they aren't that comfortable for extended use. The Sony V6 for example isn't overly bassy, however its isolation isn't great, and it makes ears hot, especially with the original earpads. The Sennheiser HD280 pro and HD380 pro have a very high clamping force. i guess the next one to try is the AKG K240 studio.

 

Perhaps some larger closed supraaural headphones don't make ears so hot, but then they don't isolate as well.

 

This is the reason that IEMs are so popular. People want isolation without hot ears.

 

I guess you might find an acceptable compromise, such as the Sony V6 with velour earpads, which isn't a great isolator, but gives enough isolation for some, and enough comfort.

 

Generally for comfort people choose an open headphone and forget about isolation.

 

Why isn't there a high tech headphone with an ear cooling design built in?

 

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post #9 of 10
1/15/12 at 5:26pm

A good all all-around'er is the HD25 1-II, which you can get on Amazon for $200 new. They're often on the FS thread for about $30-40 less though.

 

I just bought a pair, so I can give my first impressions sometime next week.

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post #10 of 10
1/15/12 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 

I'm liking what I've read about the KRK 8400.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/570501/the-krk-kns-8400-you-can-have-it-all

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