I'll start with saying I am very famaliar with a lot of headphones, I just want a couple opinions before I go run and buy another set (I have HD600s, SR60s, MX300s, Koss Plugs, and KSC-50s to start with).

These headphones are for work, I'll be listening to them on a Karma, and I am not fussy about amplification, I will not be adding an amp and don't give a damn if the headphones are "hard to drive", and the only bit about their sound quality I care about is the general tonal balance, I don't want something with very strong mids (a la PX200) or super bright, I'd prefer a slightly dark, warm sound, but if I have to get something a bit bright, it's okay - basically, nothing super fautiging.

If you guys have heard the HD500s, they sound like crap (Dark and way too warm), the way they sound, however, would be perfect for me at work because it's entirely non fautiging.

I'm going to be listening to these for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in a rather loud environment (About half the time there is a 75-95db blast of sound, depending where I am working). Comfort and sound blockage are the #1 priority, I'm willing to put up with something that dosen't sound so great in order to gain comfort or sound blocking.


Max price is $100, I'm pretty solid on this unless there is something well worth a couple extra bucks. I need at least 20db of sound isolation here, preferably 25db or more. I have used Etymotic ER4ps extensively, and that much sound blocking is preferable. I would get ER6es, but they do not fit in my ears. I don't want to risk that with the Shure canalphones either, as I wouldn't want to have the Ety 4s in for 8 hours at a time either.


So, bascially I want a <$100 comfortable closed headphone that blocks 25db+ and isn't fautiging. Something a bit smallish would be nice too, but isn't totally necessary.

Sony V6es don't block enough sound, so they are out. Also, they are too fautiging.

Beyer DT-250-80s would be nice, but are pricey and don't block
enough sound.

Sennheiser HD 25/25SPs seem to be my best bet so far, they are a bit dark IIRC (I heard them once) and block out a good bit of sound, and are also compact, although I don't remember for the life of me remember if they are comfortable or not, especially keeping in mind that I will be using these things 8 hours a day.

HD280 Pros are an option, but I have seen people say they are uncomfortable (However, I have worn quite a few full sized Senn headphones and they all tend to be comfortable, so perhaps I am unnessicarily worrying myself about it). Also, I don't know if I'd find them too fautiging or not as I have not heard them. I don't mind if they have some force on my head (A la HD600s, which I find quite comfortable), but

I'd really like something nicer than Senn HD212s, but if they block out a lot of sound and are comfortable, they are an option. I have a feeling they don't block enough sound though.


So, are there any options I have missed, I don't think Beyer or AKG have a <$100 headphone that blocks much sound out?

Hell, after typing this post, I'm leaning towards the 280 Pros.

HD280 is extremely tight when you first get them, way more than any other Sennheiser headphone when they're new. You need to stretch them on a stack of books or something when you first receive them, for at least a couple of hours before they become wearable.

Their sound is also extremely tuned towards the high-end... nothing but trebles, trebles, and more trebles. In fact, without a good warm amp, the trebles will be tearing through your ears. They are very revealing for high-end definition, but nothing remotely close to a more warm, darker response. It came as a surprise to me when I got them as well, I was really expecting a more smooth, Sennheiser type of sound.

They are definitely *not* a good choice.

Ironically, there are probably more consumer oriented headphones that might suit you... for example, V600 is warm, muffled, and although somewhat bassy, not really all that disturbing. They don't produce much fatigue.. in audiophile terms they are horrible headphones, but for wearing a long time without fatigue, they're actually pretty nice. They don't isolate that much though.

In fact, canalphones are usually rated at blocking around 25db or so, and canalphone blocks more sound than *anything else, period*. HD280 has a rating of pretty high blockage, I dont' even know how they arrived at that number, in real world usage their isolation is pathetic compared to canalphones.

V-600s? Uh, no thanks, I'm plenty famalir with them, I'd sooner kill my hearing by using my mx300s. The V-600s don't exactly isolate much on top of being plasticky feeling. Ick.

I know how canalphones work, I have listened quite extensively to Ety 4ps, and would love to get that kind of isolation with full sized headphones.

I guess I can also deal with brightness, the Karma has a nice EQ (5 channel fully customizable).

Do the HD25s have a similar amount of isolation compared with the 280 Pros? My hearing is the most important thing here.

How do the 280s compare with V6es? The V6es aren't that bad, just a bit too bright. I could tame it with some EQ easily.

My ears found the V6 more tolerable, because at least V6 has some tonal balance to its brightness. HD280 after a hundred hour of burn-in was still nothing but high-end, piercing trebles. The bass is unimpressive... pretty much just a few notes of it, no fullness nor any tonal qualities.

Can't say how HD25 compares.. never tried them..

Anyway, my point is, if 25db is all Ety and Shure are willing to claim on their canalphones.. anything more than that from closed headphones is impossible. In fact, if you can get about 13db from most closed headphones, you should be glad.

Sennheiser claims 32db for the 280s, and while Etymotic claims 25db, in the real world, it's close to, if not 32db.

I used to wear Bose QC1s all day. Not being a head-fier yet, I thought they sounded pretty good too. They're sealed and have active noise cancellation. I wear Ety's now- and I find that I can pretty much wear them as long as I ever get at a time without having to talk to someone. They're a bit of a pain to put in and pull out though. The QC1s (I cant speak to the QC2s, but they're out of your pricerange anyway) do block a good deal of sound when they're off, and almost all low frequency steady noise (engine, a/c) through the active cancellation. I didnt like them for portable use because of microphonics and the permanently attached at a not-ideal distance amp/noise unit. And, I guess, since they only run on batteries, they're probably not the phones for you.
But I already wrote all this- they are on the dark, warm and bassy end of the spectrum and were very unfatiguing for me. Also, though I havent heard a lot of phones, they're probably the most isolating cans you'll find in your pricerange (or maybe at all). And I'll sell em to ya for $100

Edit: I just checked- thats a good price, though I got a fair bit of use out of mine, and some ebay auctions are going for about $175 "like new"

If the 280 doesn't cut it these might be the only pair of headphones on headphone.com that isolates enough for you

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020270000

Oh and long time no see Xevion!

Guess I'll just get some 280 Pros, those Remote Audio ones are a wee bit expensive.

Joe - I don't spend much time here because it saves me a *lot* of money, my headphone collection *was* big enough already

/me runs off and orders some 280 Pros, but Headroom wont' have em for 2 weeks+, I want em sooner. Got to find another place.

I would say the 280s are probably the only phones that fit your budget and isolation needs. Just make sure you burn them in for ATLEAST 100 hours before judging them too bright.

I have never heard a difference from burn in, ever. At this point I don't care if they are too bright, as I have a customizable 5 band EQ that will fix it, I wasn't thinking about that originally

The headphones will see 100 hours of use in 2 1/2 weeks on my ears.

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Look at me, 3000+ posts and all I ever bought are etys, HD580 and one amp

What about the days when you were EQing some earbuds to sound like the 580s? I remember that stuff. I thought you had something different then.

Fairly recently I decided that I won't be upgrading any of my audio equipment at all unless something eargasmic comes along (Not gonna happen next to my HD600s, sorry), or if I run across a need to get a new pair for some functionality (Like noise blocking).

If I spend time here it makes me feel like I need to upgrade my headphones to enjoy the music, all while forgetting that it's still the same music, and I'd rather have 40 new CDs than a pair of HD650s.

No body has mentioned noise-cancelling headphones yet. Maybe the px-250 could fit the bill. They're on sale for 79.99$ at ecost right now. Just a suggestion.

dj_digital

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I could've sworn that a few days ago they were $69.99...and they're not necessarily in stock. While ecost has some good deals, they sure are screwy with their pricing and their "in stock" indicator...

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Yeah, I had Aiwa HP-X225 and the thing I was EQing, Sony EX70. But those I bought before I joined head-fi