[snoshreddax21]

Quote:

I hated the S4 and the Beats. The P5 has more mids than both. I didn't think the Inspirations were badly veiled, but definitely veiled, like every M50 I've used. Actually, my favorite headphones at the moment are the super-bright Sony SA5000, so I'm not sure why I didn't rip either off my head. QC issues make some pairs better than others?  I definitely wouldn't pay more than $150 for either, but I didn't find them bad at all.

I'll have to try them all out in the store, I don't think it'd be fair to judge them without trying them first. Hopefully they'll have a good enough selection on display.

 

[snoshreddax21]

Alright, I've been furiously researching and I'm kicking myself over whether to get the Audioengine A5+, Audioengine A2, Klipsch ProMedia, or bookshelves with a small speaker amp.
 
Also, could anyone take a stab at IEMs that would work for me keeping my first post in mind? Thanks for all the help so far by the way

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Alright, I've been furiously researching and I'm kicking myself over whether to get the Audioengine A5+, Audioengine A2, Klipsch ProMedia, or bookshelves with a small speaker amp.
 
Also, could anyone take a stab at IEMs that would work for me keeping my first post in mind? Thanks for all the help so far by the way

Shure SE215
UE600
Westone UM1

 

[esposito123]

As far as things go at best buy, I didn't find anything that was really in the same league as the ESW9's. They are just a wonderful sounding headphone to my ears. I have always been opposed to the on ear design but I found them to be quite comfortable as well. I totally understand if the design is a deal break though. I'd say the A900x were my second favorite pair at best buy. Unfortunately they do not fit my head well. If you are willing to look outside of best buy, I look into beyer's dt 770's. I think they would be great for what you want. Amazing passive isolation and extremely minimal leakage. I think you will find the sound signature very pleasing as well. 

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

Alright, I've been furiously researching and I'm kicking myself over whether to get the Audioengine A5+, Audioengine A2, Klipsch ProMedia, or bookshelves with a small speaker amp.
 
Also, could anyone take a stab at IEMs that would work for me keeping my first post in mind? Thanks for all the help so far by the way

 
Do you find anything wrong with your RE262s? 

 

[DivergeUnify]

Best Buy carries the AKG K550 so grab those 

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

Best Buy carries the AKG K550 so grab those 

 
They're not warm though. They're the Greenland to the OP's Morocco.
 
Maybe not Greenland. They're closer to Canada.

 

[snoshreddax21]

Quote:

Shure SE215
UE600
Westone UM1

 
Those UE600's look nice to me. I'll look into all of them though, thanks!
 
Quote:

As far as things go at best buy, I didn't find anything that was really in the same league as the ESW9's. They are just a wonderful sounding headphone to my ears. I have always been opposed to the on ear design but I found them to be quite comfortable as well. I totally understand if the design is a deal break though. I'd say the A900x were my second favorite pair at best buy. Unfortunately they do not fit my head well. If you are willing to look outside of best buy, I look into beyer's dt 770's. I think they would be great for what you want. Amazing passive isolation and extremely minimal leakage. I think you will find the sound signature very pleasing as well. 

 
Best Buy does carry the DT770, what do you think about them over others in that range? How would you say they compare to, say, the Bose QC15, Bowers & Wilkins P5, Shure SRH840, or the UE 6000?
 
Quote:

 
Do you find anything wrong with your RE262s? 

 
Well, they're much better than anything I've had before them. But I do have my share of complaints, such as:
 
They're not durable at all. I've had to file warranty claims twice for broken drivers and frayed wires and I've had them for less than a year. I find them a bit lacking when they're not plugged into an amp. I find the sound too cold/analytical and would like something slightly warmer as I usuallly end up using an EQ when using my phone/iPod. And on top of all that I find to be uncomfortable for any listening period longer than a few minutes.

 

[esposito123]

I find the DT770 to be more comfortable than the other headphones you listed. I wouldn't call the other phones uncomfortable, but for me, they can't touch the DT770 in comfort. I owned the QC15 for awhile (gift from my med school to compensate for loud construction). My experience was similar to yours. They are comfortable and the isolation is good, but the sound quality is not where it should be for that price point. What I found truly shocking however, was the DT770's passive isolation is very close to matching the QC's. Not only is the isolation great, but there is very little leakage as well which your roommate will appreciate. I'm not much of an active noise cancelling guy so I haven't tried the UE6000. I avoid blanket statements but i feel this one is true: active noise cancelling causes sound quality to suffer. I always chose good passive isolation over good active noise cancelling. 
 
The 840's might be a good fit for you. In fact, you might like them better than the DT770's. I'd say you really need to try those two out to see which you like better. I like both, but prefer the DT770's overall because they are simply more fun to listen too. The 840's are more analytical but still have an overall warm sound sig. I think you would be very happy with either of these phones. Give them a try if you can. 
 
I have very little experience with the BW's but have listened to them once. Unfortunatley for the BW's, I listened to the ESW9's right after to compare. I found the BW's slightly more comfortable but the ESW9's blew them away in terms of sound quality. Full, warm, tight. Man they sound great. 

 

[snoshreddax21]

Quote:

I find the DT770 to be more comfortable than the other headphones you listed. I wouldn't call the other phones uncomfortable, but for me, they can't touch the DT770 in comfort. I owned the QC15 for awhile (gift from my med school to compensate for loud construction). My experience was similar to yours. They are comfortable and the isolation is good, but the sound quality is not where it should be for that price point. What I found truly shocking however, was the DT770's passive isolation is very close to matching the QC's. Not only is the isolation great, but there is very little leakage as well which your roommate will appreciate. I'm not much of an active noise cancelling guy so I haven't tried the UE6000. I avoid blanket statements but i feel this one is true: active noise cancelling causes sound quality to suffer. I always chose good passive isolation over good active noise cancelling. 
 
The 840's might be a good fit for you. In fact, you might like them better than the DT770's. I'd say you really need to try those two out to see which you like better. I like both, but prefer the DT770's overall because they are simply more fun to listen too. The 840's are more analytical but still have an overall warm sound sig. I think you would be very happy with either of these phones. Give them a try if you can. 
 
I have very little experience with the BW's but have listened to them once. Unfortunatley for the BW's, I listened to the ESW9's right after to compare. I found the BW's slightly more comfortable but the ESW9's blew them away in terms of sound quality. Full, warm, tight. Man they sound great. 

 
I'm going to have to see if I can get my hands on a pair to try out. From all that I've read, they seem like they'll fit my needs pretty well.