[Meta-Fi]

Hey everyone, I'm a somewhat long time lurker of this site and I finally decided to make a post.

..so hi
Anyway I have about 300$ to burn right now,(which I attained through a series of VERY fortunate coincidences) and I'm looking for the best possible pair of Over-ear cans with good isolation and bass.
I'm upgrading from a pair of ksc75's and sony mdr-v6's(which i personally did NOT find too sibilant, but felt were slightly lacking in bass.)
Anyway I know asking for the absolute best pair is sort of like asking for a shirt that fits everyone, but are there any phones out there that are generally regarded as near perfect at this range?
atm 300$ is my price cap
Thanks in advance and cheers
p.s.: I really wish I had the luxury of trying things before I buy them, but here in Hawaii(at least on the particular island i live) there are no hi performance audio dealers anywhere near me, so i'm counting on your trained and honed ears, and experience.
(I will be using these with my cowon d2 as well as anything else i can find lol)
edit: I know there are about a million of these type threads, so for that I apologize, but it seems like its hard to base a consensus off of the other threads. And the stickied buying guide doesn't have detailed descriptions.

 

[roxxor]

Open or closed? Do you want them to be portable? Amped or unamped? What music do you listen to? You'll need to consider these things before committing yourself. Since you already mentioned isolation, I'm going to guess closed. In that case a pair of recabled D2000's would fit nicely within that budget... but (a) they're not exactly portable, and (b) not sure how well the D2 can drive them unamped.

 

[Meta-Fi]

closed. Un-amped. portability is not an issue I don't mind lugging huge phones around with me
Oh and I listen to quite a plethora of music so I didn't list that simply because I figured it wouldn't help determine anything.
Everything from black metal, to jazz, to underground hip hop.

 

[Meta-Fi]

I was considering akg k701's but I've heard that they are pretty much dependent on an amp to really get much out of them.
Any other suggestions?

 

[J.D.N]

AudioCubes.com - Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 Sovereign Wood Headphones -

Only $10 over your budget, they get some great reviews and you can use them out and about, or at home.

 

[nff]

buy an amp first. thats all i can say. because 70% of the phones out there need an amp to drive properly. then with the money left over you can get a fairly good set of phones.
and this all so leaves room for you to upgrade to better phones. like some hd 600's or k701's later on in life. if you want closed. go for a used pair of d2000's after geting an amp first tho.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nff /img/forum/go_quote.gif buy an amp first. thats all i can say. because 70% of the phones out there need an amp to drive properly. then with the money left over you can get a fairly good set of phones. and this all so leaves room for you to upgrade to better phones. like some hd 600's or k701's later on in life. if you want closed. go for a used pair of d2000's after geting an amp first tho.

I was hoping not to have to crawl down that rabbit hole, but If an amp is what it will take I guess I'll have to >.>
It hurts now but it'll be worth it in the end right? lol
any chance you wouldn't mind pm'ing me some good introductory amp suggestions? In the mean time I'll be searching around.
Oh and also thanks to j.d.n for those audio-technica's i will be checking them out.

 

[nff]

sure ill try and find some cheap amps but first are you going to be useing a portable?
if so here are a couple amps. (i know jack about amps personaly but these should get you started)
http://z-audio.com/epsilon.html
http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplifiers.html
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...?item=SP-HBA-2

 

[fraseyboy]

You could get alot more for alot less if you went with IEM's.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif You could get alot more for alot less if you went with IEM's.

I'm actually considering it at this point, but i much prefer the look, comfort, and over all feel of full size.
+ I mean it's only a matter of time before I succumb to getting a fully amped rig.
only trying to prolong the inevitable for the sake of my wallet. >.>

 

[Townyj]

I use JVC FX500's for my portable IEMS and they are great

Nice wood finish and if your looking for a lil more bass then they are also perfect in that area aswell.

 

[PhoxHound]

I agree that you would be better off by purchasing a small, inexpensive amp (such as the Z-Audio Epsilon or the PA2V2) then spend between 200-250$ on the actual phones.

The Beyerdynamic DT770 are great headphones and also closed, but only go for them if you're into absolutely monstrous bass. You could also try the Ultrasone PRO 550.

 

[dd051]

you could try d2--s and mod them. you might have some left over to buy an inexpensive something, too.

what will be your source?

 

[dd051]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoxHound /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree that you would be better off by purchasing a small, inexpensive amp (such as the Z-Audio Epsilon or the PA2V2) then spend between 200-250$ on the actual phones.

ppa2 will probably run him a decent bit more than 100

 

[nff]

if you wana go iems why not get a pair of freQ costoms once they open shop back up. ?