[enm260]

I recently decided to get a good pair of headphones for use in the office, hopefully someone here can recommend a pair.  Up until now whenever I wanted to listen to music in the office I would use the klipsch reference s4, but I stopped because in-ear headphones just aren't very comfortable for all day use, plus the sound quality isn't quite where I'd want it to be (lacking bass, mid range not very clear).
 
First, a closed back is a must, I don't want to bother anyone around me.  I don't mind if it blocks outside sound, headphones (even noise cancelling ones) are common where I work, so people will generally walk over to your desk if they need to talk to you.  Also, it has to be drivable either directly from a pc sound card or from a cheap solid state amp.  The genres I listen to (in order of priority): blues, blues rock, hard rock, metal, acoustic rock (or soft rock, whatever you want to call it), and occasionally psytrance (this is the least important, so while big thumping bass isn't unwelcome, bass MUST be tightly controlled and musical enough for blues).
 
After some reseach, one pair I'm considering is the ath-w1000x but I have a couple concerns.  First, I've seen a few comments saying that the bass is very disappointing and I'm not sure whether this is coming from people who are primarily concerned with bass or if their bass really is too weak even for genres other than electronic, hip hop, or pop.  Also, it seems like most people (much more than people who complain about the bass) say they have a very small soundstage.  I know closed headphones in general can't compete with open ones in terms of soundstage, but is the soundstage small even for closed headphones?
 
Any input would be appreciated.  If you have a suggestion other than the w1000x I'd be glad to hear it.  the w1000x is pretty much the most I can spend on the headphones alone (so $500-$600).  Any higher than that and I wouldn't have anything left for an amp, even cheap ones.  Thanks in advance.

 

[enm260]

Any suggestions?
 

 

[Sir Tmotts III]

Lets save you some money without losing quality. For you, I'd pickup a pair of AKG-550s, fantastic cans for about $200 on amazon, less if you buy from them used. they'll be well driven by your PC (although you will need to let them "burn in" so the drivers can sound their best). If you want to pickup some better amplification than the PC, grab a Magni/Modi combo from schiit.com (and get the rca and usb cables they sell there so everything hooks together quite nicely).

 

[Akyama Mio]

Go with Denon D600 which could be easily driven by your PC sound card or portable devices. Good sound with no doubt. Of course the closed design will prevent your music from disturbing others in your office. In my view it is unnecessary to spend that much as around $500 if you don't plan to drive your headphones with AMP. 

 

[gelocks]

I would pick up:
 
Shure SRH840s
MrSpeakers Mad Dogs
 
They should play most of your genres without problem and be comfortable enough to boot.

 

[Kid 1]

SoundMAGIC HP100 is a closed back headphone you might want to consider. about $200 on amazon. here is a link for a review of them.

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/616201/soundmagic-hp100-review/270

 

[enm260]

Quote:

Lets save you some money without losing quality. For you, I'd pickup a pair of AKG-550s, fantastic cans for about $200 on amazon, less if you buy from them used. they'll be well driven by your PC (although you will need to let them "burn in" so the drivers can sound their best). If you want to pickup some better amplification than the PC, grab a Magni/Modi combo from schiit.com (and get the rca and usb cables they sell there so everything hooks together quite nicely).

 
Thanks, I'll check them out.  And at that price I would most likely be getting an amp too.
 
Quote:

Go with Denon D600 which could be easily driven by your PC sound card or portable devices. Good sound with no doubt. Of course the closed design will prevent your music from disturbing others in your office. In my view it is unnecessary to spend that much as around $500 if you don't plan to drive your headphones with AMP. 

 
At $500 for the headphones alone, I would have about $300 left over for an amp.  Would that be enough for an ss amp that can power the w1000x?  Would it even be worth it or would you still go with the D600?
 
Quote:

I would pick up:
 
Shure SRH840s
MrSpeakers Mad Dogs
 
They should play most of your genres without problem and be comfortable enough to boot.

 
I just checked the shure page for those, and it says they're monitoring headphones.  I have the sennheiser hd280pro and those are described as monitors too, and while they're definitely not bad, the midrange just isn't very detailed at all (plus they're pretty uncomfortable, which is another reason I'm not using those right now).  Does the srh840 have a similar "hollow" sort of sound?

 

[enm260]

Quote:

SoundMAGIC HP100 is a closed back headphone you might want to consider. about $200 on amazon. here is a link for a review of them.

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/616201/soundmagic-hp100-review/270

Thank you.

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

 
Thanks, I'll check them out.  And at that price I would most likely be getting an amp too.
 
 
At $500 for the headphones alone, I would have about $300 left over for an amp.  Would that be enough for an ss amp that can power the w1000x?  Would it even be worth it or would you still go with the D600?
 
 
I just checked the shure page for those, and it says they're monitoring headphones.  I have the sennheiser hd280pro and those are described as monitors too, and while they're definitely not bad, the midrange just isn't very detailed at all (plus they're pretty uncomfortable, which is another reason I'm not using those right now).  Does the srh840 have a similar "hollow" sort of sound?

 
Denon D600s are not $500... --> http://fumfie.com/product/122.58/ah_d600-_Denon_Music_Maniac_AH_D600_Over_Ear_Headphones_AHD600_-/

 
D600 and W1000x are pretty sensitive headphones. You could buy a Schiit Magni amp for $100 and it would drive both of these with ease! Heck, that little Schiit drives my Mad Dogs and even the Sennheiser HD600s so...
 
Anyway, I've had both the HD280 and Shure 440/840/940/1840 and all of them sound different than the HD280 (and better in my opinion).
 
All in all, we can recommend a hundred headphones and in the end your ears are the real judge.
If you have the budget, buy a couple of the headphones suggested and try them yourself (try searching the "For Sale" boards here first, you might get a good deal)
 
Oh, and let me add another headphone to the list: Sony MDR-1R
 

 

[enm260]

Quote:

 
Denon D600s are not $500... --> http://fumfie.com/product/122.58/ah_d600-_Denon_Music_Maniac_AH_D600_Over_Ear_Headphones_AHD600_-/

 
D600 and W1000x are pretty sensitive headphones. You could buy a Schiit Magni amp for $100 and it would drive both of these with ease! Heck, that little Schiit drives my Mad Dogs and even the Sennheiser HD600s so...
 
Anyway, I've had both the HD280 and Shure 440/840/940/1840 and all of them sound different than the HD280 (and better in my opinion).
 
All in all, we can recommend a hundred headphones and in the end your ears are the real judge.
If you have the budget, buy a couple of the headphones suggested and try them yourself (try searching the "For Sale" boards here first, you might get a good deal)
 
Oh, and let me add another headphone to the list: Sony MDR-1R
 

 
Yeah I know the d600 isn't $500, I was just referring to where Akyama Mio said it's unnecessary to spend $500 on headphones if I won't be buying an amp (meaning for the w1000x).  I do still have some room in my budget for an amp even if the cans alone are $500.  It sounds like your suggestion for the Schiit Magni is exactly what I'm looking for from an amp though, thanks!
 
I'm kind of leaning toward the shure 440/840/940 (1840 isn't an option since it's open).  Out of those three, which one would you say improves on the midrange clarity of the hd280 the most?  I know everyone has different taste, I'm just trying to get an idea of what people think before I buy a pair.

 

[Focker]

I take these guys to and from work every day....would be lost without 'em! http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/awesome-beyerdynamic-dt-1350