[lippi]

I am looking for some new closed cans for use when I am out (with ipod), but I cant seem to find ones which tick all the boxes for me, so thought I would come here to see if anyone can provide some inspiration about which ones may fit the bill...
 
I currently have:
 
Sennheiser HD595
Westone 3
Beats Studio
Ultimate ears super fi 5 pro extended bass
 
I also have fiio e7 and e9 combo.
 
I use the Senns at home and Im happy with them as my open phone for now and Westone 3's get use, although I just prefer full size phones. So I got the beats studios for cheap and I mostly use them whilst out / in uni. I think they sound ok, I like the bass and for what I paid for them they do the job. However I know that I can do much better than the beats as a closed can, so I have been looking to replace them as my on the go headphone. After much research, I have already bought and returned:
 
Beyer DT770 pro (80) - They sounded great on my pc through E7/E9, but too underpowered straight into ipod and didnt work well amped just off the E7 (bass and vocals sounded wobbly / almost like underwater when amped through it). They were real comfortable, but for me, too big to wear in town / uni.
 
Ultrasone HFI 580 - These sounded good (preferred the beyers through the E9/E7 combo, but straight from ipod or through E7, they were good). However, I shave my head and they have a ridiculously big headband that stick out a mile and just look stupid.
 
So, although sound quality is paramount and I want a can with good bass impact, I also dont want to look like a pleb wearing them in town / on bus / in uni.
 
So my question is, are there any other closed phones of similar quality to the beyers or ultrasone (or better!), that are good all rounders, have as much bass as possible and arent ridiculously big in terms of how they sit on the head? I will happily spend a bit more than the beyers if possible, but Im runnning out of ideas. I considered ATH M50's, but it seems that they are inferior to the ones I have tried, so not really feeling too confident about getting them.
 
I listen to all types of music, from rap / edm / rock / metal / folk,  anything but classical / jazz etc really
 
Any ideas!?!?

 

[lippi]

Just saw the huge reccomendations thread, so posted on there, apologies, this can be deleted?

 

[obobskivich]

I'd probably suggest the Bose QC15 - they aren't as "wompy" as the Beats or other bass-head cans, but have a healthy amount of low-end. The ANC also works very well (better than the Beats), so that's a plus, and they're relatively compact and will drive from the iPod. They'll do good with a range of music too - metal is the only genre I'm somewhat unsure about (I don't listen to it very often, and the QC15 are rather polite IMO (then again, from what I recall the 595 are fairly polite too)).

Any other decent closed headphones that I can think of will fail at least one of your criteria; just for thoroughness though, the top-three I'd otherwise suggest (and why they fail):

- Kenwood KH-K1000 [fails because: massive, over budget]
- Koss MV1 [fails because: hard for the iPod to drive, might not be bassy enough]
- Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 [fails because: might not be bassy enough, might not be a good match with some of the music you've mentioned]

You might still look at them, but don't be surprised if you aren't getting any of them.

Finally you might look at the Koss TBSE (aka DJ100), I think they're superior to the M50, and a lot of other stuff in and above their price range for that matter. They don't provide tons of isolation or bass though, but otherwise should be fine (they'll do fantastic with rock, metal, folk, etc imho - EDM is probably the only place I'd pause and think about it). They're easily driven and not huge, and they fold-up for transport, so they're certainly ticking those boxes. They also don't tend to cost very much, so it'd be worth a shot if none of the above four do anything for you.

 

[lippi]

hey thanks for your reply. I will take a look at the Koss, but again, Its looking like they just arent going to be exactly what I want!
 
out of interest, based on my needs would you reccomend any of the following:
 
M-Audio Q40
Sony MDR1R
Sennheiser HD25 2
V-moda crossfade LP or M-80
Logitech UE6000
 
It seems likely that one of these will be my next choice and I dont want to keep sending headphones back to Amazon!
 
thanks

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Look into:
 
Vmoda M100
Sony MDR1R
 
Hugs nicely. You won't look like a "pleb."
 
Equalize for whatever bass level you prefer.
 
Very best,

 

[lippi]

Hey Malveux.
 
Thanks for the reply.
 
Ive gone for the sony MDR1R. Hopefully they will do the trick. If not I think I will give up until I have a bigger budget for better amp and choice of headphone!