Best headphones for portable use?

[slimmy jimmy]

I recently purchased an iPod mini (I didn't really wnat an apple product, but I didn't want to wait for the Cowon A2) and have been looking for a good set of headphones to go with it. I initially purched the Shure E3C, and although I didn't mind them once they were in my ears, I did not enjoy jamming them in my ear canals and spending several minutes adjusting them to get a proper seal and confortable fit. I sold them as a result and am now looking for a goodset of headphones to use with the mini.

I am looking for headphones that do not need to be amped, but other than that have no other preferences. After browsing these forums and several consumer electronics sites I have found the grado SR60/SR80 and the Sony MDR-E888LP Fontopia Earphone. These are incredibly different headphones. I have also considered others such as the Sennheiser PX100 and some of audio technica's earbuds.

I don't really care whether the headphones are open or closed or full-size cans or earbuds. What would headphones would you recommend? Does anyone have any experience with the headphones I have listed? I would like to spend less than $150; but want the best sound possible or best sound out of earbuds. What do you think?

-slim

 

[lmm]

Sennheiser PX100/200 are very portable and economical. That's as big as I (personally) would go with portable phones. If you're willing to go bigger, the Grados are a great deal (SR60 over SR80 if you're not amping, also consider Alessandro MS1). But they leak a _lot_ of sound. Closed phones in this range that don't need to be amped include Sony MDR V6 and Beyerdynamic 250-80, but for my taste they're just too big to carry around.

 

[kent1146]

For under $150, go with the Etymotic ER-6i. World of difference.

 

[Quacker]

probebly big but very cheep and I have heard great things about the hd 201s.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimmy jimmy I recently purchased an iPod mini (I didn't really wnat an apple product, but I didn't want to wait for the Cowon A2) and have been looking for a good set of headphones to go with it. I initially purched the Shure E3C, and although I didn't mind them once they were in my ears, I did not enjoy jamming them in my ear canals and spending several minutes adjusting them to get a proper seal and confortable fit. I sold them as a result and am now looking for a goodset of headphones to use with the mini. I am looking for headphones that do not need to be amped, but other than that have no other preferences. After browsing these forums and several consumer electronics sites I have found the grado SR60/SR80 and the Sony MDR-E888LP Fontopia Earphone. These are incredibly different headphones. I have also considered others such as the Sennheiser PX100 and some of audio technica's earbuds. I don't really care whether the headphones are open or closed or full-size cans or earbuds. What would headphones would you recommend? Does anyone have any experience with the headphones I have listed? I would like to spend less than $150; but want the best sound possible or best sound out of earbuds. What do you think? -slim

If your budget is truly up to $150 and you don't care open vs. closed, then there is a huge variety of cans.

Alot of it may come own to what you consider to be too big to be "portable". For instance the Senn HD280s are great closed cans for jsut under $100, and they do fold up nicely. But some people think they are too big to be portable. Have you read the reccomendations at TTVJ (http://www.toddthevinyljunkie.com/pr...ory=Headphones) or headroom (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/full-size/)? Those sites will give you a great and fairly unbiased overview of your options. The prices are competitive, but you can find cheaper prices out there.

Personally, i think the SR-60's are a great match unamped for the entire ipod family. They are pretty lightweight, too. For an extra $30 people love the MS-1's.

Edit: Oh, and welcome to Head-Fi and sorry about your wallet!

 

[kramer5150]

For $150:
K240s-55 + cmoy or PA2
SR60 + cmoy or PA2
SR125
KTXPro1/KSC75 + cmoy or PA2
MS1

I know youre ruling out an amp... but IMHO most cans (especially current hungry low impedence models) sound noticeably better when amped. And at $60 the PA2 is an incredible bargain that is well worth the investment (unless of course your player has the current capacity to match the PA2). Does that apple player have a line output? If so... then certainly take advantage of it and amp it into a good set of cans.

If I were you (and lookng back this is what I should have done)...

KSC75 ~ $15 shipped
K240s-55 ~$80 ebay -OR- SR60 ~$75
PA2 ~ $65

Great rig that can be very portable, AND sound good at home.

Good Luck in whatever you choose.
*edit*
Welcome to the forum and sorry about your wallet
Garrett

 

[steel102]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kent1146 For under $150, go with the Etymotic ER-6i. World of difference.

He was having trouble getting a quick seal with the e3's. It should be very easy with the ultra soft/clear flex sleeves. It would take even longer with the triflanges/foamies of the er-6i's.

 

[socrates63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimmy jimmy I recently purchased an iPod mini (I didn't really wnat an apple product...

Same here... I didn't want an Apple product but I couldn't find anything else better, so if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em as they say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimmy jimmy I am looking for headphones that do not need to be amped, but other than that have no other preferences. After browsing these forums and several consumer electronics sites I have found the grado SR60/SR80 and the Sony MDR-E888LP Fontopia Earphone. These are incredibly different headphones. I have also considered others such as the Sennheiser PX100 and some of audio technica's earbuds.

I have most of the cans you listed above. Here're my short takes:

- SR60: very fun sounding cans, and a good way to see if the Grado sound is for you. Many Head-Fiers love 'em, and it's really hard to find better sound for the price (under $70). Couple of issues with the SR60 are that they leak sound and if you do anything more than walk with on, they'll slip off your head. But these points may be irrelevant to you.

- E888LP: when portability is the main concern, these are what I take with me. I'm not sure about their availability though. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't find them on the Internet, even on eBay (which is where I got mine).

- AT CM7: there's a detailed review of the CM7 in review section of the this forum. I was a little disappointed with the CM7 for two reasons. One, for the price (more than x2 E888), they should sound much better than the E888. They are better but not overwhelmingly better. Two, I found that they sound better when I rotated them slightly but because of their weight, the buds rotate back to their natural resting positions. Maybe the CM7 are not a good fit my ears.

- PX100: I haven't tried these with my iPod and usually use them on my PC. If you're willing to spend up to $150, there's no reason to look at these.

Since you're open to all form factors (except for canalphones), if you're after the best sound quality, then there's no question you should go for full size headphones. I bought my HD595 on eBay for around $185 shipped and these are highly touted... silky smooth sound. At your price range, you have many many choices to choose from. But if you're willing to spend $150 on cans, I echo kramer's suggestion and strongly recommend getting an amp. Generally, headphones in the $150 price range benefit from amps.

Another option would be to purchase a couple of cans with different sounds or form factors like the SR60 and E888 ($70 + $50 = less than $150). I find that I rotate the usage of the headphones as they all have their particular strengths and weaknesses. It's fun trying out different cans, and it keeps the listening experience fresh.

 

[Skylab]

Sennheiser HD437's also sound very good and are pretty cheap. They're not small, but not super-huge, and are very light. Ultra-comfy, too. There are better headphones, but not for $30.

 

[slimmy jimmy]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I have a few other questions. How does the MS1 sound unamped? Also, how does the E888LP compare to ear canal buds (such as the E3C and er6i)?

Several people have recommended the PCX100/200. How do these compare to one another? Is one better?

Thanks for all the posts.

-slim

 

[The Monkey]

used HD 25-1.

 

[dougmwpsu]

For portable use I’d just get a porta pro derivative, I just bought a porta pro 2 as a replacement for my ksc 50's and after not having listened to these little miracles for awhile, I can't believe I’d forgotten just how good they were. Buy a ksc 75 and you'll get way better sound than should be legal for 12 dollars. I almost feel embarrassed owning 400 dollars in headphone paraphenalia... almost

 

[spikygasby]

I have SR80 and I think it's not suit for portable use. It's great for home use.

 

[noahlapuz]

KSC75...

 

[hammerusta]

save your money and go with px100 !