[uzziah]

what's your personal choice for the best unamped portable closed headphone? no iem's. and has to be small enough the you PERSONALLY would want to wear it out and about (of course that's different for each person, but i'll let you make that decision. what would you choose?

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uzziah what's your personal choice for the best unamped portable closed headphone? no iem's. and has to be small enough the you PERSONALLY would want to wear it out and about (of course that's different for each person, but i'll let you make that decision. what would you choose?

mdrv6

 

[sonic_rage]

px200.

 

[needmoretoys]

I would have to vote for the HD25-1 for the best sound in a sort of portable headphone. They don't look too dorky, unless you have switched the cable to a smurf blue one like I have. The right red wire is looped and zip tied to one of the headbands and looks stupid, so I only wear them around the house. If you use the standard cable they don't look too bad.

 

[creyc]

lol, i too would say Sony MDR-7506 (V6) headphones but they might be a bit big for portable use. Though I've never heard anyone say this while wearing them. Of course that has more to do with their isolation.

Maybe Sennheiser HD 201s? Unamped is a little tough but as long as you dont listen at ear splitting levels, it shouldn't pose a problem. Thats about all i can think of that actually fits this category.

 

[erikzen]

I've tried a few such as PX200 and HD 25 and I've finally settled on the PXC-250. They are a great combination of portability, noise cancellation, and decent sound quality. The HD 25 may have better sound with a replacement cable, but it's not that convenient to carry around. The PX 200 sounds pretty good but without the active noise cancellation they didn't cut it in noisy environments. I can take the PXC-250 on a NYC subway and still hear my music without causing ear damage. I used to try and get the best possible sound in a portable rig but got fed up carrying around all that equipment. Now I'm happy with an iAudio flash player and my PXC-250!

 

[NewMexiCat]

I agree with needmoretoys. I have the HD25-1 (with an aftermarket cable from headphile, and replacement velour pads for comfort), and they are far and away the best closed phones I've heard. Great isolation too--very good for airline travel. The only caveat is the portability. They are a bit bulky and harder to stash in a bag or backpack, but they are small enough that you won't look dorky wearing them out--well, my wife thinks I look dorky in them, but I think she'd probably feel that way even w/o the phones

Second choice would be the PX200. Much more portable, but not nearly as nice sounding as the HD25-1 IMHO.

 

[erikzen]

I don't mind wearing the HD 25 but it's just too bulky for me to carry around. Give me the PXC-250 so I can fold them up and stash them easily. But as far as sound quality goes yes they're much better (with aftermarket cable).

Incidentally NewMexiCat, don't you have trouble keeping the cables in the housing?

 

[NewMexiCat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen Incidentally NewMexiCat, don't you have trouble keeping the cables in the housing?

Some, but not too much. I have the blu-tack (or whatever it's called) that pretty much keeps the cables in place, but being the anal rentitive soul I am, I always give the cables a little push in the housing before I put them on to avoid a lost connection. Oh, the sacrifices one must make for high fidelity

You know, erikzen, I had the PXC-250 for a while, and my biggest problem with them was too many cables with the separate battery pack. I was always having to untangle.

 

[grawk]

ATH-W10VTG

 

[needmoretoys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewMexiCat Some, but not too much. I have the blu-tack (or whatever it's called) that pretty much keeps the cables in place, but being the anal rentitive soul I am, I always give the cables a little push in the housing before I put them on to avoid a lost connection. Oh, the sacrifices one must make for high fidelity You know, erikzen, I had the PXC-250 for a while, and my biggest problem with them was too many cables with the separate battery pack. I was always having to untangle.

How do you route the right cable to keep it neat, since it is longer than needed?

 

[redrich2000]

Having heard both, I think the Beyer DT-250/250s sound better stock than the HD-25s. Both are good but the Senns have a nasty harsh treble at times, the beyers are much more even sounding. I don't think they look too dorky either, maybe slightly more dorky than the senns though.

I was also quite surprised that my 250 ohm version sounds ok unamped. Volume was a little limited but loud enough and SQ was diminished but still very reasonable.

If you definately want to go unamped the DT-250/80 is meant to be very good.

 

[bizkid]

Considering price and looks, the new AKG K81 DJ easily beats all of the already named headphones in this thread

I prefer it over the following: PX100, KSC75, HD25-1, PX200, ES7 and maybe a few others i cant remember now. Sure HD25-1 is more detailed and has a tight bass compared to the K81 but the AKG got really nice mids which you can bring up even better with just a little EQ, the senns loose there big time. Also the AKG has a surprisingly enjoyable soundstage for a closed headphone, HD25-1 looses there again by far. Also the HD25-1 has really annoying highs, even with an OFC cable. Seriously, give it a listen guys. Beware that it does have a little bass bloat but im still burning in so i'm not sure where it'll end up

 

[NewMexiCat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by needmoretoys How do you route the right cable to keep it neat, since it is longer than needed?

My headphile cable has equal lengths for left and right. The earpiece is flipped over so the cables are inserted into the bottom of the housing. The only downside to this is gravity, which can make the cables fall out absent the use of some adhesive. I use the blu-tack stuff recommended by headphile--keeps the plugs in place but is not permanent.