[PR3570N]

Hey guys!
 
I'm trying to find some portable (or at least semi-portable) headphones. But I have a situation that's kinda tricky for me to find some good cans.
 
I find in-ear and on-ear headphones extremely uncomfortable, so I need a pair of over-ear headphones. But I need to be able to carry them around in a bag and listen to them in a work environment of absolute silence without any sound leaking at all. This is typically something that can only be done with in-ear, but I need to be able to listen to a 21 gun salute without my neighbors being able to discern a single gunshot, if possible.
 
I've tried a borrowed pair Bose QC15's, and they do a decent job at this. Only at very loud volumes could my music be heard at all. But I'm looking to get a little more bang for my buck potentially. I'm looking to keep it under $300, but I'm willing to stretch a little on that if it's worth it. I listen to a wide range of music: rock, electronic, pop, hip-hop, the occasional metal. Strong bass is important, but not a deal breaker. I would prefer not to, but I can get a portable amp if I need to.
 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[PR3570N]

Any suggestions? I'm thinking about just going for the Bose, but I'm sure there are better alternatives that I'm not aware of.
 

 

[wolfetan44]

Sony MDR-1R or a Mad Dogs with a FiiO E12(this ones preferable but it'll be way over your budget.

 

[PR3570N]

Quote:

Sony MDR-1R or a Mad Dogs with a FiiO E12(this ones preferable but it'll be way over your budget.

Really? Maybe I'm looking at the wrong headphones, but the Mad Dogs look like they're about the same price at $300. Or is that FiiO way expensive? Also, do the Mad Dogs really not leak? I could've sworn I heard the opposite.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

Quote:

Sony MDR-1R or a Mad Dogs with a FiiO E12(this ones preferable but it'll be way over your budget.

Really? Maybe I'm looking at the wrong headphones, but the Mad Dogs look like they're about the same price at $300. Or is that FiiO way expensive? Also, do the Mad Dogs really not leak? I could've sworn I heard the opposite.

No leak, and yes the FiiO makes it more expensive.

 

[jessthebest]

Hi, I'm going to bump this because I'm looking for the same thing! I, too, like to listen to gunfire-levels of sound, but as a student I need to be able to do this in a library so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
My budget is about the same as PR3570N's, though I could stretch further if necessary... Also, someone has suggested that doing a custom mod might be the answer - does anyone have any thoughts on that?
Cheers in advance and sorry PR3570N for jumping on board your post! x

 

[WeirdG]

Audio-Technica ATH-M30. They do a really great job isolating sound. With an amp they sound decent, without they're a little flat. They can also be had for around $75. I'm sure there are several better options, but for significantly more money.

 

[Tsujigiri]

I'd recommend the Beyerdynamic DT770's in 80 Ohms with the Fiio E12. It's a setup that I'm using right now and it sounds great. It would also be within your budget. You really will need an amp at some point, and this one works quite well. The Beyers are very comfortable so they should give you no problems there, and the 80 ohm version has a bit of a bass boost. But the bass doesn't ruin the sound signature, and has some pretty good texture and impact. I got them for the same reason jess wants closed headphones and I think they work pretty well for that. I put them on my girlfriend with the volume cranked up decently and I couldn't hear the music, whereas you would be able to hear my HD650's from the next room at that volume.

 

[jessthebest]

Thanks very much for the advice!
The beyer dt770/80ohms were my number 1 choice, I've just been worried that the leak will be too much...But you say not? Do you think, when you tried the phones out on your girlfriend, that if she'd been sitting in a really super quiet library and you'd been studying next to her you could have heard anything?
The only other suggestion I've had (I put my request on the recommendations thread too) is to buy a pair of akg k167s and mod the ear pads to shure 750 pads, which apparently improves the comfort and the seal. Does anyone have any experience of this? There's such mixed views surrounding the sound of the k167s that I'm wary... :S

 

[jessthebest]

Also, would the fiio e11 be a suitable alternative to the e12? I don't think we have the e12 over here (uk) yet...correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[bbophead]

I've been recommending DT660's for a while.  Tight seal, some sub-bass and not expensive, very easy to drive, no need for a special separate amp.  Buy them on amazon, could be refurb, with ability to return if they don't work out.

 

[sofastreamer]

thought dt660s are bass light and overly bright, so recommended for classical music only!?

 

[bbophead]

Quote:

thought dt660s are bass light and overly bright, so recommended for classical music only!?

I wouldn't say that.  I've owned them for about a year.
 
Get a pair with return privileges and decide for yourself.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Quote:

Thanks very much for the advice!
The beyer dt770/80ohms were my number 1 choice, I've just been worried that the leak will be too much...But you say not? Do you think, when you tried the phones out on your girlfriend, that if she'd been sitting in a really super quiet library and you'd been studying next to her you could have heard anything?
The only other suggestion I've had (I put my request on the recommendations thread too) is to buy a pair of akg k167s and mod the ear pads to shure 750 pads, which apparently improves the comfort and the seal. Does anyone have any experience of this? There's such mixed views surrounding the sound of the k167s that I'm wary... :S

I suppose if it was really quiet and the music was turned up really loud and everyone around you was straining their ears to hear something, they would know that music was playing. I could hear it if I put my ear really close. But I don't think that it would be enough to be distracting to other people.
 
Quote:

Also, would the fiio e11 be a suitable alternative to the e12? I don't think we have the e12 over here (uk) yet...correct me if I'm wrong!

I haven't tried the e11, but I've heard that it's a very good value for the price. The e12 has 4x the power and better quality amplification, but for these headphones I don't use the bass boost. One of the neat features of the e12 is that the bass boost boosts a little sub bass, not a mid bass bloat. That's good for cans like the hd650's, which have a low end rolloff. But the dt770-80's have a healthy amount of bass and good extension already. I got one of the preorder e12's; they said that full production will come in March, and about 200 more units will be sold before that.

 

[jessthebest]

Sounds like the e12 is superior to the e11...do you think it's worth the extra money? Considering I'll probably be able to pick up a second hand e11 when the e12 comes out it'd have to be significantly better for me to justify spending the extra cash...

And I think that you've convinced me about the low leakage of the dt770s