Hi all
 
I am looking for a pair of comfortable closed headphones that I can wear in the office while working. Some days I will have them on all day, so I am thinking over ear is going to be the most comfortable for me. They will need to be closed/sealed, as I mainly listen to music to help me concentrate (I also don't want to distract others by leaking sound). Portability isn't massively important, but I guess it'd be a plus.
 
I have been lurking and reading lots of threads on here and I have been considering some of the following:
 
- NAD HP-500
- Sennheiser Momentum
- Focal Spirit Classic
- Sony MDR-1R
 
My ideal budget is sub £200 ($330), ideally around the £150 ($250) mark would be good. As you will know, most of the headphones I have listed are slightly out of this price range (save for the Sonys).
 
I listen through Spotify on my phone or through my work laptop, so no amp.
 
At work I mostly listen to ambient music (e.g. Brian Eno) or classical. Outside of work my tastes are pretty varied (rock, hip hop, house).
 
Which other phones should I be considering?
 
Thanks
 
MV

The NAD Electronics VISO HP50 is very difficult to beat in this price range.  Your music files/delivery chain probably won't get the most out of them.
 
While almost everyone finds them to be comfortable, that is a very individual thing and your mileage may vary.

HP50 and MDR-1R have more normal-sized earcups than Focals and Momentum, but try to find something with larger earcups than all of those and with velour earpads (or replacement pads) for long hours of wear such as DT770, K271-II, A900x.

If you want to save a bit of money, consider the Creative Aurvana Live (original version)
 
A very well regarded headphone, based on the now discontinued Denon 1001. Extremely comfortable too.
 
Good review here:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate

sinnottj said:

If you want to save a bit of money, consider the Creative Aurvana Live (original version)

A very well regarded headphone, based on the now discontinued Denon 1001. Extremely comfortable too.

Good review here:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate

Click to expand...

It didn't isolate well when I tried it (like many other Denons). Good thought though.

I found isolation to be reasonable myself, as good as the Momentum for example. (I've not tried the other headphones the OP lists so can't compare.)
 
I think they'd be OK for office use, so long as the OP doesn't expect to be totally sealed off from external noise (and is not working on a noisy sales floor / call centre ...)
 
They don't have the bling of the other headphones listed, but for 1/4 the price of the Momentums, they offer very competitive alternative.
 
(I don't work for Creative BTW )

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply - what a great forum this is!
 
Some really interesting suggestions here. I was actually looking at the DT770s last night - even from just viewing photos online they look dreamy comfortable! You can get a very good deal on them too (£118). They do look very large though - are they significantly larger than, say, the Momentums?
 
Thanks for the tip on the Creative Auvana Live! too. What a bargain they seem to be. I'll have to track a pair down and have a listen. As for sound isolation. I think just having headphones on with music is enough to block out distractions in my fairly quiet open office. I just didn't want to be leaking too much sound and driving my colleagues mad, but we are not exactly packed in close to each other.
 
The Sennheiser HD-598s look like they'd be a good choice for me, but I'm just not sure about that cream colour scheme...
 
I'm going to the States in a few weeks time (Las Vegas) - could I make a significant saving on the headphones in my OP over there?

DT770s are pretty large, yeah - quite a bit bigger than the Momentums. (I have the DT880, which are the same size/shape) They are a studio headphone really, not specifically designed as a portable like the Momentums. They also stick out some distance from your head - I'm wearing my DT880s now and can actually see the earcups in my peripheral vision!
 
That said, the DT770/880/990 headphone family are some of the most comfortable ever made ...
 
HD598 are open headphones so wouldn't be suitable for office use.
 
I'd expect you should be able to pick up most headphones cheaper in the USA, assuming you sneak 'em back through customs