Are there seriously NO hi-fi isolating headphones?
Jun 28, 2012 at 3:32 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22
ac500

ac500

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I've been looking around and it seems unusually hard to pinpoint a good headphone that both isolates (at least somewhat) and sounds really good. I am aware of a fair number of closed headphones, but they either seem too low-fi or too polarizing.
 
For example I'm aware of M50, SRH840, KNS8400, DT770, HD25-1ii, Ultrasone Pro 900, AKG K550, and that's about it.
 
Denons don't count because Denons don't isolate at all. The Ultrasone Pro 900 is eliminated for me because they don't fit my head and the highs are painfully sibilant to me. The rest all seem rather low-fi, which is disappointing (or maybe I'm misinterpreting reviews). The K550 seems the only one with the potential to exhibit mid-fi qualities, but reviews on it seem extremely polarized. I'm probably going to end up trying the K550 blind and hoping the return policy online works if I don't like it.
 
Is there something I'm missing? Are there seriously no hifi isolating headphones?
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 3:40 PM Post #2 of 22
Quote:
ac500 said:
I've been looking around and it seems unusually hard to pinpoint a good headphone that both isolates (at least somewhat) and sounds really good. I am aware of a fair number of closed headphones, but they either seem too low-fi or too polarizing.
 
For example I'm aware of M50, SRH840, KNS8400, DT770, HD25-1ii, Ultrasone Pro 900, AKG K550, and that's about it.
 
Denons don't count because Denons don't isolate at all. The Ultrasone Pro 900 is eliminated for me because they don't fit my head and the highs are painfully sibilant to me. The rest all seem rather low-fi, which is disappointing (or maybe I'm misinterpreting reviews). The K550 seems the only one with the potential to exhibit mid-fi qualities, but reviews on it seem extremely polarized. I'm probably going to end up trying the K550 blind and hoping the return policy online works if I don't like it.
 
Is there something I'm missing? Are there seriously no hifi isolating headphones?
Click to expand...

Referring to the HD25-1II as low-fi? That's uh ... that's something. 
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 3:43 PM Post #3 of 22
I feel you, would be nice with some focus on more higher quality closed headphones with good isolation at say $499 (as I doubt closed design will compete well above that, Denons isolate too poorly to count).
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 3:50 PM Post #4 of 22
Quote:
ninjames said:
Referring to the HD25-1II as low-fi? That's uh ... that's something. 
Click to expand...

 
Well my HD800s are hi-fi, DT880s mid-fi, so that would put HD25s in lo-fi, correct? I suppose terminology is somewhat relative. Actually now that I think of it, "entry-fi" would be a better word probably. Maybe I'm rating these wrong though, in which case.... Great! If so, please (seriously) feel free to order these headphones in a list in terms of their relative quality, because this is what I'm trying to figure out. I really have no idea how some of these rank. As far as I can tell from reviews:
 
K550 ?= HD25-1II > SRH840 ?= M50 ?= KNS8400
 
In short... What is the best isolating headphone, period?
 
Tyll says it's the K550. If it's not the K550, then the only other I can think of is the HD25. Am I missing anything?
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 3:52 PM Post #6 of 22
Ultrasone Signature Pro
Ultrasone Edition 8
Audio Technica w1000x
Shure SRH940
 
I'm pretty sure there should be more...
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 4:07 PM Post #8 of 22
DT1350, Ultrasone Ed8
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 4:27 PM Post #10 of 22
Quote:
ac500 said:
Quote:
 
Well my HD800s are hi-fi, DT880s mid-fi, so that would put HD25s in lo-fi, correct? I suppose terminology is somewhat relative. Actually now that I think of it, "entry-fi" would be a better word probably. Maybe I'm rating these wrong though, in which case.... Great! If so, please (seriously) feel free to order these headphones in a list in terms of their relative quality, because this is what I'm trying to figure out. I really have no idea how some of these rank. As far as I can tell from reviews:
 
K550 ?= HD25-1II > SRH840 ?= M50 ?= KNS8400
 
In short... What is the best isolating headphone, period?
 
Tyll says it's the K550. If it's not the K550, then the only other I can think of is the HD25. Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...

On what planet are the DT880s an entire class above the HD25? That's what I want to know. That's like saying  LCD 3 > LCD 2 > HD600 so the HD600 is lo-fi. 
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 4:46 PM Post #12 of 22
Z1000
The up-coming M-100 should be promising.
ES10 (although they don't isolate as well as the HD25).
 
OP I feel for your pain. I'm still looking for a pair of cans that can isolate as well as the HD25 and sound much better while still remaining very portable. A new can I recently came across is the PSB M4U 2. The one I'm most looking forward to is the V-MODA M-100 however.
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 4:49 PM Post #13 of 22
Let us not forget the "amperior"
 
JVC HP-DX1000
 
Sony R10 (obviously not in current production)
 
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