[chewy4]

Quote:

Nvm just found that over-ear is the same as on-ear.

Over-ear and around-ear are the same, but on-ear is different. 

 

[richardallen08]

Quote:

Over-ear and around-ear are the same, but on-ear is different. 

Interesting....these people should be notified lol:
 
http://asia.cnet.com/choosing-the-right-over-the-ear-headphones-62215421.htm

 

[Zerofaith]

Quote:

Interesting....these people should be notified lol:
 
http://asia.cnet.com/choosing-the-right-over-the-ear-headphones-62215421.htm

 
 
First sentence in their on ear section
"Technical name aside, these are your basic sort of earpad headphones and merely rest on the ear instead of surrounding it."
 
First sentence for their around or over ear section
"These types are the largest out there and are generally designed to fit around your earlobes."
 
That is the basic difference.

 

[moali125]

Richard, at one point, I gotta say, I felt like you. I was thinking, what was the big deal with all this hi-fidelity stuff? Why do people spend thousands on equipment to listen to tracks that you can hear on ipod ear-buds? Why is there such a grudge against a pair of headphones (Beats)? And, in some ways, I still wonder these questions. Also, I do agree that for your tastes, open headphones might not suit you. Owning the Beats Solo HD, I agree that there's an unmistakable passive isolation that beats the isolation of open headphones, such as those Beyers. I'm kind of like you, wanting something with good sound quality on the go. Well, here's my opinion, Beats fit the bill for us two but isn't worth the price, really, it isn't. For the same price, the HD-25s look really good, but again, I'm just talking my taste. Try looking on amazon, or an online site, for closed-back headphones, at the same price point. Believe me man, the Beats got the isolation, bass and portability, but have been flimsy also, and I got £5/$10 headphones,I bought from the PC shop down the road, which sound better! I don't have a thousand posts to my name, or a collection of massive cans to support my point, but I do have what you're interested in 

.. up to you now. 

 

[blackmarket]

Quote:

 
Sweet, just figured out the quote function for my reply. Anyways, yea anything $100-250 is what I'm looking for. If it's more than $125ish I'll wait & shop around till I find it cheap. Any experience with the Fischer Audio FA-003? Any recommendations? Closed or IEM only is what I'm looking for. 

If you're looking for an isolating pair of IEM's with foam tips, might as well get a pair of Shure IEM's as they generally come with their own foam tips. I haven't heard any of the new Shure IEM's so i wouldn't know which model to recommend, but i know that they generally isolate very well.

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

Interesting....these people should be notified lol:
 
http://asia.cnet.com/choosing-the-right-over-the-ear-headphones-62215421.htm

Hm, I guess I always considered over-ear to be the ones that wrap around your ears. I guess that term might just mean that it goes over your ear in any way, so that really applies to any headphone that isn't an earbud or IEM.
 
But just keep in mind that around-ear and on-ear are definitely different. On-ear rest on your ear, around-ear are the bigger ones that go around your ears and rest around them.

 

[Steely Dan]

You say you've done a ridiculous about of reading on this site and others, not sure what you were reading, but apparently none of it mentioned that open backed headphones in general are not what you want in a noisy environment.  At home I prefer open backed circumaural (around ear) headphones, but I definitely wouldn't consider them for commuting or anything else where there would be lots of environmental noise.  DT 880s are semi-open like a lot of higher end fullsized headphones.  
Since you seem to want closed on-ear portable headphones that isolate noise, wouldn't it make more sense to consider models which meet that criteria from any brand you're looking at?  For example, V-Moda M-80, Beyerdynamic DT 1350, Sennheiser HD-25, Sony ZX700.  Those are models you could actually use to make an apples to apples comparison with Beats.

 

[barid]

I would suggest just going with the beats if those are your impressions vs the beyers.  Personally I disagree and am a fan of the beyers, but just get what you like and you can always upgrade or change later if your tastes change.
 
Over-ear and On-Ear are different; On-Ear literally sits on top of your ear and I find them to becomes uncomfortable quickly.  Over-Ear will encompass your entire ear and not press on your ears, I prefer this style.
 
If you go the IEM route, the Sennheiser IE8's (new model is the IE80's, but you might be able to find the 8's for quite a bit cheaper) are an option I like and I would think you might as well.  They are very comfortable, have a large soundstage, with an elevated bass that lends some weight to the music.  It is an easy to like presentation if you are not into the flat, analytical sound. 
 
Like anything, people develop their own niche tastes and then defend them violently....take all recommendations with a grain of salt.

 

[richardallen08]

Quote:

 
 
First sentence in their on ear section
"Technical name aside, these are your basic sort of earpad headphones and merely rest on the ear instead of surrounding it."
 
First sentence for their around or over ear section
"These types are the largest out there and are generally designed to fit around your earlobes."
 
That is the basic difference.

 
Dude, you obviously missed the confusing point in the Titles. I read those sentences too, but then they went on to use the terms interchangeably. Reread it. Chewy, the guy I was posting the link to, understood what I was talking about. 

 

[Steely Dan]

Quote:

If you're looking for an isolating pair of IEM's with foam tips, might as well get a pair of Shure IEM's as they generally come with their own foam tips. I haven't heard any of the new Shure IEM's so i wouldn't know which model to recommend, but i know that they generally isolate very well.

My Etymotic ER-4Ps came with some nice foam tips too, and had the best isolation of anything I've used, like you I'm pretty out of the loop with current models though.

 

[richardallen08]

I appreciate a lot of the recommendations you guys are making. This is what I wanted to get out this post, so thank you. Here's what I know I want:
 

1. Around Ear (for comfort reasons)
2. Closed Back (for minimal sound leakage)
3. Isolation equal to or greater than the Beats (I don't like it "airy", I like it immersive)
4. Soundstage: Normal Lows with emphasis on Mids & Highs (I don't like a lot of bass - I like the soundstage of the Sennheiser HD 558/598 - 555/595 & 600 are also good)
5. Price: just post anything that meets ALL of the above criteria and I'll figure it out

 
Thanks guys, y'all have saved me a lot of money...but not necessarily time 

 

[richardallen08]

Quote:

Richard, at one point, I gotta say, I felt like you. I was thinking, what was the big deal with all this hi-fidelity stuff? Why do people spend thousands on equipment to listen to tracks that you can hear on ipod ear-buds? Why is there such a grudge against a pair of headphones (Beats)? And, in some ways, I still wonder these questions. Also, I do agree that for your tastes, open headphones might not suit you. Owning the Beats Solo HD, I agree that there's an unmistakable passive isolation that beats the isolation of open headphones, such as those Beyers. I'm kind of like you, wanting something with good sound quality on the go. Well, here's my opinion, Beats fit the bill for us two but isn't worth the price, really, it isn't. For the same price, the HD-25s look really good, but again, I'm just talking my taste. Try looking on amazon, or an online site, for closed-back headphones, at the same price point. Believe me man, the Beats got the isolation, bass and portability, but have been flimsy also, and I got £5/$10 headphones,I bought from the PC shop down the road, which sound better! I don't have a thousand posts to my name, or a collection of massive cans to support my point, but I do have what you're interested in 

.. up to you now. 

Thanks man, I checked them out but they're on ear which seems uncomfortable to me. I posted what I like below so if you know anything, feel free to share!

 

[blackmarket]

Quote:

I appreciate a lot of the recommendations you guys are making. This is what I wanted to get out this post, so thank you. Here's what I know I want:
 

1. Around Ear (for comfort reasons)
2. Closed Back (for minimal sound leakage)
3. Isolation equal to or greater than the Beats (I don't like it "airy", I like it immersive)
4. Soundstage: Normal Lows with emphasis on Mids & Highs (I don't like a lot of bass - I like the soundstage of the Sennheiser HD 558/598 - 555/595 & 600 are also good)
5. Price: just post anything that meets ALL of the above criteria and I'll figure it out

 
Thanks guys, y'all have saved me a lot of money...but not necessarily time 

Honestly, i don't think many full-sized closed backs will have the passive isolation to match a pair of headphones with active noise cancellation. That being said, the most passively isolating headphone i've tried are the sennheiser hd280, which most find uncomfortable due to the clamp, however the clamp is what makes it so isolating. If you're looking for a pair of active noise cancelling headphones, Logitech UE6000/9000 are some new noise cancelling headphones. What kind of environment will you be mostly using these headphones in? airplane, public transit, at work etc. It may be useful information for others to gauge how much isolation will actually be necessary.

 

[jorich]

You should try out some noise-cancelling headphones.  Sony makes some, so does Bose, and I have heard the noise cancellation on the Boses are really good, but the sound quality could be better.

I personally own the Bose QC15 and the noise cancellation is by far superior to pretty much any other headphone from my experience. I don't have the funds to try high end headphones but I really like my QC15's. I would recommend them for someone who is in noisy environments and when comparing them to beats, I find the sound quality to be much better as well. Things that bug me about QC15 though is that you can't play music if the battery runs dead because the noise cancelling has to he turned on for it to play music. I had somebody who didn't want them anymore just give them to me and it was a huge score for me because I have a lot of brothers and it gets really noisy. These completely drown all the outside noise and I don't even need to turn the volume up real loud. I really like the sound quality as well, but this may just be from my lack of experience from higher end headphones. One of these days....

 

[viralcow]

The Beats' ANC isn't that good to begin with. The AKG K272HD/K271MkII have very nice passive isolation. Neutral sound as well, no emphasis on bass.
 
Some others I can list off the top of my head:
Shure SRH840, SRH940
KRK KNS 8400
Ultrasone HFI-780
Audio-Technica ATH-M50
Ultimate Ears UE6000