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After a relative amount of research I have narrowed down my search to these cans.
*HD25-1-II, Denon D1100, Shure SRH840, Audio Technica ATH-M50, Ultrasone HFI-580*
What I'm looking for
- Over ear
- Portability
- Durability
- Isolation
- Powerful driver
- No supplemental amplifiers
I primarily listen to hip hop, although I listen to all genres including jazz and classical. I'm looking for a pair of headphones under $200 that can be brought on a bus, plane, or sidewalk and be enjoyed thoroughly. I want something that can handle being put in a backpack and lugged around, while also providing quality sound that overpowers outside sound. I will be solely using an iPhone/iPod and computer jack to power whatever headphones I end up getting. Other suggestions are more than welcome as this initial finding is somewhat preliminary.
I use Grado SR 80's for home use or should I say I will be. Just had to send those bad boys into Grado as the rod got disconnected from the can. Couldn't handle the harsh realities of the streets.
Add the M80s to that list, and maybe take off the D1100s, SRH840s, and M50s, as they're a bit bulky and have long cables, so might not give you the convenience you want. Also, you could upgrade the 580s to 780s, as they're about the same price on Amazon.
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Headphones (In order of preference):
Modded T50RP
D2000
FA-011
HD600 (or HD650)
Anything you suggest
I'm also open to any suggestions of earphones if anything that meets my needs come to mind
Uses:
Mainly inside, so open/closed or isolation/leakage isn't an issue.
Music. I want something to bring my music to life, with a bit of weight/oomph. I like black/dark space between notes and separation. I like a nice soundstage, but I also like engaging, (relatively) intimate sound. I mainly want something to bring my metal to life, although I'll probably play some math/post-rock/instrumental on it if it sounds better than the HD448's I've already got (which have great mids and recreate voice beautifully). I want good bass, but I don't want it bleeding into other sounds, I also want realistic cymbals/highs, but I also want to feel the thud of the drums and, less so, the bass. I want more of the sub rumble than the mid kick with bass, although both are important to me.
I'm thinking I could buy the T50RP's/D2000's and the FA-011's or I can just get the T50RP's and an amp and then get the FA-011 when I've got the money, if I still feel the need for another pair.
Sorry for rambling, really I just want something to bring my music to life with a bit of weight behind it. I want something to colour my music in a psychedelically vibrant colour.
Amp:
I could get an E7/E9 combo if I only get 1 pair of cans.
I appreciate any comments.
You've asked like 3 times, already, and all I can say is, try some out, and return the ones you don't like, as I don't think you'll get a lot more advice out of this thread.
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Hi,
I am wondering if any kind of custom molded IEM (JH1x, UE, etc) could be irritating as
Etymotic earplugs ? Maybe it's my tiny ear canals but I can't stand wearing earplugs for more than one hour. I have to take them out, scratch inner ear and then I'm good. I suppose IEM will be no-no for me...
Any suggestions ?
Thanks.
At least from what I've heard, as long as your impressions are good, Customs should be pretty comfortable. However, if you're uncomfortable with stuff in your ear, maybe you should look elsewhere. Personally, though, I find multi-flanged tips to be particularly itchy, so that might be your problem.
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looking for a portable head setup been researching for a while now
the more reviews i read the more confuse i get
hoping someone here can give me some advice & direction
and ill have find a closest retail store and demo them out (if i can find them)
here are some sets that bought to my attention
*HD25-1-II, Denon D1100, Shure SRH840, Audio Technica ATH-M50, Ultrasone HFI-580, Beyerdynamic DT1350, Marshall Major, V-MODA Crossfade, B&W P5"
What I'm looking for
- Over ear
- Portability
- Durability
- Isolation
- No supplemental amplifiers
Music, Rock, Vocal Jazz/Blue sometimes trance (35,45,20) %
budget of $250
thanks alot
The Marshall Majors are a step down SQ-wise from the others, the P5s are out of your budget, and you're paying a premium for the usability, and the Crossfades tend to be a bit muddy.
From the ones you have left, the D1100s are the bassiest, the SRH840s and the DT1350s are brighter, and you could upgrade the 580s to the 780s for the same price. Oh, also, the HD25s and the DT1350s are on-ear, not over-ear, and might be a bit more uncomfortable, if that's particularly important to you. Also, if you like a more neutral sound, also add the Brainwavz HM5.
Maybe if you can provide more info on your sound preferences we can narrow it down more.
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Are the Denon D1100's good for public use? Do they isolate well? Do they leak noticeable sound? Are they comfortable? And mainly, do they sound good with electronic music?
They leak a bit more than other closed cans, but a lot less than open cans. They're comfortable, and the bassiness works well with electronic. However, they aren't the most portable, if that's a concern.
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I currently have the UE Triple.fi 10 and the Shure e2c. I much prefer the e2c's "I am sitting four rows up-signature" to the "I am standing in the middle of the band-signature" of the Triple.fi10's. And of course the fit of the Triple.fi 10's is a problem. So in conclusion I am looking for an IEM with similar signature to the e2c but with clearer sound. I have been trying out the other models in the Shure line but I would like some other alternatives as well... so i guess I am looking for for the best dynamic IEM under $200 with strong sub bass and that puts a little bit of distance from the listener and the music.
Yeah, I was going to suggest the GR07s, or perhaps the EX600s.
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I'm looking for either a new set of cans or new IEM's. My price range for these will be about $75ish. Right now I have the Grado sr80i's and I love them, however, I would like the IEM's to be noise isolating and the cans to be closed back. Other than those, I don't really have any requirements, just that they sound somewhat decent for their price points.
Thanks in advance!
for $75, you could get some MEE IEMs, or maybe the Etymotic MC5s, as far as IEMs go. There's really a ton of IEMs at that price range, and prices fluctuate a lot, so start there, and reference ljokerl's thread for more options.
If your main concern is isolation, I'd go with the IEMs any day, as moderately isolating IEMs attenuate as much as the most isolating full-sizes.
For on/over-ears, look into the AKG K81s, Koss DJ100s, and CAL!s.
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Music Genres: 95% Hip Hop, 5% any other kind of music. I like the old school sounding hip hop and hip hop that incorporates jazz into the beats. Also, I listen to a lot of jazzy/hip hop instrumentals (e.g. J Dilla, Nujabes).
Portable: These will primarily used for computer use, but I wouldn't mind being able to go out and about with them.
Price range: Up to $150 (Amp/DAC outside of this budget).
Amped: I am very new to this kind of stuff and would like to get some recommendations on what amp/dac setup to use with the recommended headphones. At first it will mostly be run through my on-board desktop audio and maybe an iPod, but later on I plan on purchasing something to get the best out of these headphones.
I've looked around and it seems like the ATH-M50s (perhaps the A700s?) would be the best for the type of music I listen to that is in my budget. I would just like some more opinions to solidify my choice. Thanks!
The M50 is definitely an option, but also add the Ultrasone HFI580/780s. Nothing in your price range will absolutely require an amp, but a good start would be the Fiio E10 for home use, or maybe a Fiio E17 for both home an portable use, but that'll cost you as much as your headphones will. The A700s are probably not the best option btw.
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Nothing in particular, I'm just looking for the absolute best sound quality I can get for ~$200-300. I wouldn't mind shelling out extra for an amp, so the only real restriction is that I have a fairly wide range of music I listen to.
Well, I sort of assumed you'd want closed cans for privacy, but I realized you didn't actually specify about that or portability. Is that at all important to you? If it is, check out the SRH840s, HM5s, M50s, and HFI780s. If not, you could get the HD598s, DT880s, or Q701s paired with a budget amp.
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Hey guys, so I wanted some advice on buying two things: a second pair of headphones and an amp.
I currently have the M50's and I thought it was about time to get a different pair. I'm not that experienced in headphones, so bear with me here; I'm looking for something to compliment the M50 by giving me a wider range of listening. Since the M50's are closed, should I be looking for an open set of cans? I really enjoy sound stage, which I find the M50's to be lacking in quite a bit and I know open ones generally offer good sound stage. My budget for the headphones is 100-200$ USD. Main purpose would still be mostly music listening and the occasional computer/gaming use.
As for the amp, does a desktop amp offer a significant difference over a good portable one? I currently just have a E6, and I like it a lot for the most part, but I'm wondering if I want to buy something that will leave me tied to my computer chair. As for an amp, I'm looking for something in the range of 50-100$ USD.
Thanks!
For a complement, yeah I think open cans will work nicely. Some options for that would be the HD558s or AD700/900s. As far as amps go, the only desktop amp for $100 I've heard of that gets praise is the Fiio E9. For your uses, I'd say maybe a portable amp like the E11 might be the best fit.
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V Moda M80 Vs Arc Technica M50 Vs Senn HD 25-1 II
Which one is the best value? All of them are sub $200.
I mainly listen to artists such as eminem, rhianna, muse, cold play, adele, etc.
I will probably only the headphones for my iphone, computer, and sometimes gaming devices.
I'd like to take them out once in a while while I jog or lift. I would also like to use them on the bus.
Which one do you guys think is the best for my needs?
As far as value goes, I'd say the M50s are the best value, as they run about $60 less than either of the others. However, for your uses, either the HD25s or the M80s will work better, as they're more portable. They're both very durable, and have excellent sound quality, though the M80 will isolate slightly less, but might work better for classical or jazz.
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I have been using Superlux HD668b for 4 months and I'm thinking to buy a better headphone in April or May this year. I'm looking for a full sized headphone and I can spend $300.
I'm looking for accuracy, clarity, details and sound stage as I love to hear instrument separation clearly and reveal details in my music. I want to know how my music should sound and what's in the music but still want them to be pretty fun (
only if possible), no way listening to music without having fun, right? I willy only use it at home, and it's a quiet place so they need not to be isolating. I accept open, semi-open and closed headphone.
My source is a laptop with onboard sound card (Realtek ALC272) with
Fiio E10. Maybe I will use it at home with my iPod Nano 5th gen unamped, but that
will be a very rare occasion as I always listen to music with my laptop. So I need something that will sound okay unamped in case I have to use my iPod. But, if the headphone needs amping badly, I will save more money to buy it later. Headphone come first, amp later.
I listen to various genres of music such as Post-hardcore (Thrice, Thursday, Silverstein) Progressive rock (Pink Floyd), Rock (The National, Beatles, The Script, Coldplay), modern and oldies Pop/Vocals (Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, Jason Mraz), Instrumental/Acoustic (mostly guitars), and a little Hip-Hop/Rap, Electronic music and Classical (the Classical most likely to come from a reference/demo CD). I will use the headphone to play FPS games too, so I want to hear where the footsteps, gunshots, and explosions are coming from. Maybe I will need an all rounder hmm..
I was suggested a Sennheiser HD-598 before by a member here. Will that headphone fulfills all my needs? If not, please give me a suggestion of better headphone for my criteria. If I demand too much, I will lower my criteria.
Thanks in advance.
Anyway, why isn't this thread stickied? Still see many threads of people needing suggestion. Was unsure before whether to make a new thread or post here
The HD598 will certainly work, but also check out the Q701s.
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Ok since this is the recommendation thread!
Hi all! I am new here and here are my requirements!
Full-size (ears covered)
Amp unnecessary!
Closed back
Durable cable and attachment points (I see this is usually a failure point where braided cable seems to help a tiny bit, detachable would be a wonder then right!)
I have picked closed back assuming it just sort of isolates me from the world. the isolation doesn't have to be more than what a $20 headphone pair would give!
Now budget, I am writing from South Africa so I know the number in Rands. But the equivalent would be $80-$100.
So any suggestions? PMs would be much appreciated.
I want to exclude the following:
Beats by Dr. Dre or whatever...
Sony, Panasonic, all those normal consumer brands
Bose (apparently over priced)
And on a slightly separate note, your opinions about Corsair Vengeance 1500 (yes its not an audiophile headset but still)
One question: why are you excluding sony and panasonic? Sony, for one, makes some excellent headphones. The V6, for one, would fit your requirements nicely. Also check out the Koss DJ100 and Creative Aurvana Lives, if you can get them. Never heard of the Corsair btw.
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does Denon DN-HP700 sound good with metal and dubstep?
I've never heard them, but from what I've read about them, probably. Perhaps go ask ljokerl on his portables thread.
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Could use some advice! I listen to mostly classical, powered by vintage receiver. Comfort of paramount importance. Hat size 8! Isolation not important at all. Price under $200. Thanks.
Audio-Technica AD900 fits your bill, though a tad over budget. Also look into the Senn HD558/598s. Something like the Q701 would be ideal IMO, but it's over by about $50.
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I really need some help -_-
I've been on the search for some headphones under $400-ish(may go up to $500 if I'm really interested) that will satisfy my audio needs for quite a while.
Requirements:
Over-ear
CLOSED
Not too bass-heavy
Needs to be able to be driven well by a FiiO E7
Somewhat Durable
Somewhat aesthetically pleasing
Music I listen to:
Chillwave
Dubstep
Hip Hop
Rap
Some Classical
Rock
TBH, there aren't a whole lot of closed cans at your price point, let alone ones that are not bassy, or can be driven by an E7. I think you'll probably be able to fit your requirements for about half the price with something like the M80s or HD25s, though they're both on-ear, or the HFI780s or Denon D2000s.
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(First paragraph is my life story! Skip that if you don't care!)
Hey everyone, new guy and total newbie here who has done a lot of lurking this past week to get a grip of some knowledge about headphones. I already came into this thread knowing the mainstream headphones such as Beats, Bose, and SkullCandy are overpriced and overrated. Heck, I can sort of feel it when I compare them to my Koss Porta Pro. Anyways, this is the second time my Porta Pro have "broke" on me, and even though it's a lifetime no questions asked warranty, shipping + return shipping costs about 13 dollars, and having to pay that twice in 2 years is essentially paying for another set of Porta Pro (I bought them for 30.)
As of now, I am using my friend's Sony MDR-V150s. He has lent them to me since he owns a Beats Studio something majigger. They are alright, but hurt my ears after 30 minutes or so. Not as good as the Porta Pro that are still in need of repair. Here are the things I'm looking into, priortized in order...
1. Budget. 50 or less. I am willing to spend 60, if the jump is big enough.
2. Warranty. Something like Koss' warranty would be great!
3. An "upgrade" over the Porta Pro. Basically, I like the sound of my porta pro, so I want something like that, but better! After making the jump from my ipod ear buds to that, it's amazing how I could hear so many subtleties in a song. Of course, nothing compared to the more expensive stuff, but it was impressive!
4. Lack of leaking + isolation. I know I'm cherry picking here, but I will be using these everywhere around campus. Whether it's walking the bustling streets of downtown, to the gym, to my apartment, and of course to the quiet library. I will also be using these on my bus/flight rides back, and those can especially get loud.So I want something that won't leak too much to bother others, but at the same time sort of block some stuff from coming in.
5. The X-Factor: My mom is traveling to Pakistan next week and won't be back until May. Chances are, she might be able to find a legitimate pair of Bose or Beats headphones (since they are the most popular brands around) for around the same price when you translate currency rates. So if this is the case, would it be "worth" it to say, own a pair of Beats Solo HD for 50 dollars or the Bose pair for 60?
Overall, I'd say my music tastes are everywhere, but I generally listen to Alternative Rock and Rap. Groups I like include Kanye West, Bad Meets Evil, Lupe Fiasco, Oasis, The Offspring, Sum41, and One Republic should give you a good idea of what I'm into. I also mentioned I would prefer something with an "upgrade" over how the Porta Pro sound like. Here are some headphones I've come across after doing some research...though it's hard to retain information on which ones I like more than others, so I've compiled them here. Though I guess I should be taking notes...
[size=1.7em] Sennheiser HD201[/size]
[size=1.7em] Sennheiser HD 202[/size]
[size=1.7em] Shure SRH240 (these look sexy!)[/size]
[size=1.7em] Superlux HD 681 (heard great things, but also heard it leaks?)[/size]
[size=1.7em] Studio Pulse High Velocity[/size]
[size=1.7em] Audio Technica ATH-SJ55[/size]
[size=1.7em] [/size]
[size=1.7em] Thanks a bunch! If you need more info, feel free to ask. Remember, you're talking to a low budget, noobish guy who doesn't really understand a lot of "terms" in this field =).[/size]
I don't really think you'll find a huge upgrade from the Porta-Pros for $50. I don't really want to list everything that's available at that price point, so maybe go check out ljokerl's portables thread to narrow it down. However, something like the Audio technica M30 might work well.
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I'm looking for my first closed over the ear (circumaural?) headphone recommendations in the $50 range. I've done some research and have narrowed my choices down to the following. I did consider some others such as JVC and Sennheiser's lower priced headphones and they seemed a little too bulky or I didn't like the looks.
Right now, I'm using Thinksound TS-01 IEM's, Sennheiser PX-100 both of which I like the sound of. I think I probably like what's considered "fun and/or warm" sounding headphones.
Audio Technica ATH-M30's or M35's (foldable)
AKG K-44MII (I'm not too thrilled about the headband though)
Creative Aurvana Live (a little bit out of my price range but the reviews seem pretty good)
source - Cowon s9, flat eq
genres - rock, pop, classical
comfort - I have a shaved head...
isolation - semi-important
decent frequency range - highs, mids, bass w/o bloat
Anything else I should consider? Thanks for any advice! Oh, I'm in the US if that matters..
Again, you'll not find a ton of upgrades for $50, given that the PX100 msrp is above that, but your choices seem solid, and the CAL!s will probably do nicely.
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Hello everyone, this is my first thread here and I was wondering what headphones you would recommend to me that are under £100. I am looking to use these mainly for listening to music at home and also gaming, so I don't really mind if they aren't portable, and I don't mind if they are open or closed.. I want them to look decent, and I want them to have heavy bass whilst remaining clarified. I don't know much about amps, but if I can get the total to stay under £100 I don't mind getting one if necessary. They need to be long lasting and comfortable too.
I have been looking at Sennheiser mainly because I have, owned a pair of CX-500's and I loved them but they broke, so I now own IE7's and I like how they sound too.
The model I was planning on getting was the HD 555's but they aren't available anywhere that I can see.
Denon look good also.
So if anyone can recommend me something, then please help me out, I don't know what I should buy.
Koss DJ100, CAL!, maybe the Denon D1100.
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I have been looking to grab a pair of over ears for a few weeks now, the last I had was a pair of Triports back in high school. I have mostly used earbuds, or in-ears since they broke a while back (of course). The Triports never sounded that bad, just horrible build quality and not worth the $150 price tag.
Anyway, I mainly listen to my TF10s now, which are fantastic, but I want some closed over ears for home listening. Lot of Hip Hop and Rock, but I listen to just about everything from that to Classical so I'd like them to be somewhat versatile, or as much as one can expect. I'm not necessarily a bass head, but the three below all have decent bass response from what I've read (580s in particular are bass heavy). I'm looking for something in the $150-200 range and have basically narrowed it down to these three, I was actually planning on ordering two of them to try them out, may not be able to get a decent burn in on both, but hopefully enough to make a proper decision.
HFI-580
HFI-780
M50s
I would really like to try the M50s, from reading they seem to fit my needs, decent for the price and fairly versatile. I've heard a lot of good things about the Ultrasones too and many like them over the M50s. I can't really seem to pick between the 580 and 780 despite reading numerous comparison threads. From looking at the graphs at headroom (which only mean so much without hearing them) it appears the 580s are more similar in sound to the M50s than the 780s are. So the way I'm leaning is buying the M50s and the 780s to get a bigger contrast in sound to compare. Seems like a good idea to me, but quite possibly doesn't make much sense if the M50s and 580s are both closer to my needs? The price of the 3 are mostly within about $25 or $30 so that doesn't matter a whole lot, unless the 580s are easily a better value.
Thanks so much for your help, lots of great knowledge always floating around this place.
From what I hear at least, the 780s tend to be a bit less bassy than the 580s, and more detailed. I think the M50/780 combo you suggested would be ideal, so you can see whether or not you like the S-logic soundstaging.
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I'm looking to buy a good pair of headphones, and I need some suggestions. The headphones I've owned previously have been a pair of Skullcandy Hesh (which broke and were not that good) and now I have a pair of Philips O'Niell The Snug on-ear headphones which I use currently, because they're pretty durable and comfortable. But I want to upgrade to a better pair, and all my research has left me uncertain as to what I should really buy. So I'm just going to list what I want and see what you guys think I should buy.
On-ear / Over-ear - I'm leaning towards over-ear because I listen to my music at low volumes so I want to block out as much outside noise as possible.
Portable - I want to use these at school, so ideally I would like something I can put in my bag or just leave around my neck when I'm not using them.
Comfortable - I would like these to be fairly comfortable for at least an hour at a time, preferably longer though
Durable - The more durable the better. I don't throw my stuff against the ground, but they will inevitably take a beating now and again
Music Preferences - I listen to lots of music, but mainly grunge and indie, with everything from trance to metal thrown in.
Source - The source will be almost always from either my laptop or my phone, sometimes from my desktop at home. So no amps I'm afraid
Budget - $150-200. I can go higher if it would really make a difference in how happy I would be, but that would require me using some of the money I have saved up for a Fujifilm X10, so unless it's a case where I would be a lot happier spending an extra $50 or $100, I'd rather not
I don't really have any music experience other than Bose and Beats are overpriced, so all input would be really useful!
$200 will get you the HD25 or M80, which fit your requirements admirably.
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Would the B&W P5's leak more or less sound than the Audio-Techinca ATH-PRO700 MK2?
Maybe a tiny bit more, but not enough to be bothersome.
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Hello users,
my really basic Sennheiser headphones just abandoned me, and I was willing to replace them with something a bit more high-quality.
I'd really love to buy an over-head model, but I still haven't figured out its real handiness for my kind of usage. Those are the most important parameters:
- Budget: roughly around 50-60 EUR
- Over-the-head
- Mostly used with my iPod outdoors in a quite noisy environment, or in the library, anyway no amp
- I listen to kinda every music but techno and classic
- Pretty passionate about bass
- I use to carry them in my backpack, therefore quite durable & resistant
- A replaceable cable would be great, since I usually replace headphones because of it
- Cable length less than 2 mt
- No problem with availability, I'll buy them online
Thank you in advance for any possible suggestion.
Cheers,
Daniele
AKG K81/181 or CAL!?
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This is for a friend of mine:
Budget: $40 maximum
Music: Decent with mids (she will mostly be using these for webcasts/online lectures/seminars, lesser for music)
Comfortable to wear for long periods
Decent noise isolation
I looked through ljokerl's portable can shootout and so far I have these on the list (no particular order):
dB Logic HP-100
MEElectronics HT-21
JVC HA-S700
Maxell DHP-II
Panasonic RP-HTX7
Denon AH-P372
I was going to suggest the PortaPro's of course, but those have very little noise isolation and that was something she wanted. Do you guys have any other suggestions for her?
Thank you!
Your list looks good, I don't really have anything to add, except maybe the K81s. Maybe run those choices by her to see if she has a preference. If she's just going to be listening to podcasts, I'd say prioritize isolation and comfort over everything else.
I've decided to go with the Q701.
