[jmulv]

Hello all,

I am a new member on this website. I am looking to purchase high quality headphones (or earbuds) for mainly listening to electronic music. I will be doing so within an office setting and do not want my cubemate or surrounding cubes to be able to hear the music if I am playing it loud. I also want the headphones (or earbuds) to remain comfortable over long periods of time (8 hours or so). I recently had SONY Fontopia's that would grow very uncomfortable in the ear after a few hours of usage and do not want this to happen. I am really big on bass but I would also like the rest of the sound to be high quality. I was looking at the Sennheiser 595's (for $200) but I read a review that said there is a lot of noise leak and that they are kind of like speakers (this is bad, because I do not want people around me at the office to be able to hear the music).

I am looking to spend up to $250. I look forward to some help as I do not have much knowledge in this domain.

Thanks!!
John

 

[MaloS]

I personally think Westone UM2 works well for electronica without leaking any sound as they are in-ear. I've worn em for quite a few hours at a time without problems - foam is fairly comfortable as opposed to the silicon used by Sony.

I am not a particular fan of closed phones within this range for use for electronica ...

 

[feh1325]

audiotechnica ath a900

 

[mwallace573]

I will also recommend the UM2. Great for both Rock and Electronica. They are also extremely comfortable. Unfortunately they are a little above the price you have sent (street price @$300). There are a bunch popping up on the FS forums, and probably will be for a while with the upcoming release of the Westone 3. If you don't mind buying a used IEM, then this might be the best route.

Also, about the leakage of the HD595. They don't leak as bad as some other open phones I have tried. They leak only a little more than my KSC75s, which isn't all that much.

 

[flamerz]

Well you can buy used UM2's for $250 shipped from American Techpushers (a Head-Fi sponsor) on eBay. If you're going for used, may as well buy of the FS forums for a cheaper price, though.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif audiotechnica ath a900

lacks the impact that really fares well in electronica.

 

[link]

But I recommend 5 pro......it must better than that 2s if you listen Rock and Electronica.......

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by link /img/forum/go_quote.gif But I recommend 5 pro......it must better than that 2s if you listen Rock and Electronica.......

How can it possibly be, 5 pro is more bassy while UM2 is at the line where one step further than its too much.

 

[jmulv]

Thanks for all the advice...however, one of my friends told me today that a big factor is the device that I will be playing the music on. If I am just using a cheap MP3 player or the headphone port of my laptop, will it be worth it to buy $300 headphones?

Also, can anyone recommend something in the $150-$200 pricerange that will be really good for electronica and will not be heard by people around me?

 

[SilverPilot]

AKG K81DJ
It block out a lot of outside noise, the bass is insane, and it is semi-portable.

 

[jmulv]

what about noise leakage? Also, I just read some reviews that these headphones can get fairly uncomfortable pretty quickly. WHat do you think about that?

 

[jgonino]

Beyerdynamic dt770. They have GREAT bass, and are very very comfy. 150-200 USD

 

[jgonino]

you would want the 32 or 80 ohm model

 

[dogday]

I would not want to wear IEMs in an environment where people would want to talk to me; the E3c's I had took quite a bit of time so insert/extract. Also, people might find your deafness annoying. However, the UM2's might be easier to use (and maybe you don't have much interaction with your colleagues).

Anyway, I'd recommend closed headphones. Little sound leakage in and out, comfier than (most) IEM's and easy to remove if your colleagues wants to chat. On the cheaper end Sennheiser HD-280, Philips HP1000 (might be semi-closed though); more expensive Beyer DT-770 or Audio Technica A900. Of these I have only heard the HD-280's but I've spent quite a few years lurking here and would like to believe I've learned something... You might want to find out which ones need an amp before buying, though.

Regarding sound quality from MP3 player: Apple, Iriver, Sony and Creative DAPs are generally deemed to have "OK" SQ. Of course, there are better sources but if your headphones are easy to drive, I think you'll be fine (unless you have high demands on SQ, but those tend to develop after time). Just be aware that the DAP will limit the performance of $200 phones.

As for the notebooks: My Macbook is fine, no hissing and OK SQ, but notebooks in general have a reputation for bad SQ with hissing from electrical interference... So how your model will sound is hard to say. Perhaps you should consider buying a portable amp with integrated DAC later on? Headroom, Meier Audio and Headphonia all have offerings for ~$200.

Anyway, don't worry too much about your source right now. The headphones should be highest priority, as they make the biggest difference. If you spend your money on a good source before you buy good headphones, you will be disappointed.