[Vicious Tyrant]

I just saw the deal on Senn 201 and I thought they might be a fun toy to pick up.

My question is this: I like to bring my iPod to bed with me and listen to my Ety 6i's at night. I don't want sound to leak out, so as to not wake up anyone else in bed. However, the Etys are almost too sealed, because I can't hear if my kids come into the room because of a bad dream or a potty emergency or something.

Does anyone out there listen to 201s? I like to listen to opera and classical mostly, are they a good match? What is the seal like compared the Etys?

 

[TomH]

I can't say I listen to them a whole lot, but IME for leakage they are somewhere in between tighter sealing cans like the also-cheap EH150 and open cans like, well, open cans. At lower volumes you might be OK. For a full size don't-care-if-you-roll-over-and-crush-them-in-bed can they would be my choice from among those I own. I find them roughly comparable to the better earbuds I have used in terms of SQ, and also find they do better with a headphone amp.

 

[episiarch]

They don't block out a lot of outside sound. If an upset child comes into the room, you definitely won't miss it.

They don't leak a whole lot, but I wouldn't say they're dead-silent either. If you listen at loud volumes or your companion is a light sleeper, they're probably not sufficiently sealed. But if you're a quiet-ish listener, it shouldn't be a problem.

IMO the HD201 benefits from a bit of amplification and sounds rather dull when driven direct from an iPod. But if you have any sort of portable amp at all and drive it that way, I think you'll find this headphone really exceeds the expectations you'd have at this price point.

 

[Slaughter]

They are my bedside cans and an amp is needed for best sound, but my wife does occasionally complain even if I listen at below normal volume. I have been trying to get an answer but havent regarding upgrading the pads to a velour type which seem to be better at blocking sound. I am sure one of the other Senns use the velour of the same size.