Another what headphone is best for me thread! Please help :)

[insanesanctum]

Ok, so I am in the market for a full sized headphone. I am used to listening to IEMs as you can see from my signature. I have a budget of under 200$ US, and the cheaper the better, also I am from Canada, so I have to consider things such as customs, duty, taxes and other such crap -_-

I listen to a a lot of indie rock and some rock, rap, hip hop. I also like ambient music, so I guess I listen to a wide variety of music. I love both bloc party and arcade fire, if that helps

Sound signature wise, i'd be looking at something similar to my PFEs with grey filters on, with slightly louder bass, something like what I get from using an e5. Maybe a middle ground between my monster turbines and PFEs. Not as overly exaggerated like the turbines and not bass shy like the PFEs. I'd really like to keep the clarity, detail and the great mid's and treble of the PFEs. However I am looking for increased soundstage, as I would also be using these for movies, games in addition to listerning to music.

The headphones would have to be closed back, and not leak sound, which I guess also means that it should give decent isolation, as I will be using these at the office. I am open to any sort of suggestions, and will be even happier if there and any promotional deals or sales that any of you know of. The cheaper the better

I also have the sr60, but leak sound sound like no tomorrow, so i can't really use them. Preferably I would want relatively easily driven headphones, but if that is not possible with what I am looking for, I could also consider buying a portable amp/usb DAC much later on when I have the money. I hope there are headphones within my price range that can satisfy my needs, and I understand that there may not be anything out there that has everything I want but at this price range, I am willing to compromise on some aspects. Thanks again for all of your help and I look forward to your suggestions.

 

[insanesanctum]

bump!

No one?

Is my description too long and complicated? lol

 

[insanesanctum]

bump

 

[dynamics]

Denon AH D2000

 

[Landis]

DT770s

Depending on which you go for, they may or may not be able to run off your portable rig.

The DT770 Pro/250ohm sounds like something that might fight your needs as it has a strong bass without being overpowering, good isolation, good imaging and detailed low end for games and movies. These cover rock pretty damn well and I have to say that although I'm not a fan of bands like Arcade Fire, their one song "Wake up" sounds quite nice on them (got stuck in my head after the Where the Wild Things Are trailer). Many recommend the DT770 Pro/80ohm for rap and such, but if you don't want an overpowering bass, then stay clear and go for the Premium or Pro 250ohm. Although, those 'phones shine best while amped! You can find the Pro/250ohm for around $160-$180 USD on the forums here and the Premiums will usually go for a bit more.

I hope this was helpful to some extent!

 

[Menisk]

I haven't had any experience with any of the IEMs you've used, but if you're looking for something closed back and isolating maybe you should have a look at the Shure full-sized headphones when they're out.

As I said, I have no experience with any of them, just think it might be something you might want to research.

 

[insanesanctum]

Hrm, from these comments here, im leaning towards the d2000 as the beyers seem to be quite hard to amp, amp id much rather not buy an amp... yet. Anyways, ive also been reading about those cheap jvc harx700 phones and they seem decent, would they fit me?

 

[cyberidd]

Its gotten to be pretty hard to get your hands on a pair of ha-rx700s recently so that may not really be an option, but if you can find them I guarantee that if you don't want them you'll be able to find someone else who will.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by insanesanctum /img/forum/go_quote.gif bump! No one? Is my description too long and complicated? lol

LOL, the description isn't complicated, what is difficult is recommending phones in your price range that are closed, leak little sound and offer good sound quality. I don't know the type of sound of your IEMs.

Apart from the already mentioned D2000 which I haven't tried, so I can't say if they could be what you're looking for sound wise, there are some other options into your price range.
My preferred one under those premises would be the Sennheiser HD25-1-II (not to be mistook with the lesser sounding HD25-SP). They offer good isolation from surrounding noise and leak little sound. You can use them straight from a DAP or PC card out and sound is quite decent. Bass a bit bloomy and treble in the bright side of things. IMHO more neutral and cleaner sounding than DT770. They are very well built and tough like a jeep, will last a lifetime unless you abuse them hardly.

Other interesting option, but you might need to look for it in the used market, would be the Audio Technica ESW9. They leak a bit, but unless you use very loud listening levels, it's quite unlikely you'll bother people around you. They're easy to drive and based on my experience with the ESW10 (I haven't listened to the ESW9 but they're said to sound quite similar) offer an enjoyable presentation of music, whatever genre you listen.

 

[insanesanctum]

hrmm, right now i'm between d2000 and the esw9. Seem to be what im looking for after reading some threads about them. Can anyone highlight the differences between these two?