[Jazzman347]

I'm a jazz listener who travels frequently and have been looking for a GREAT set of headphones to plug into my iPhone when in the airplane. I'm a former studio musician and loved my AKG K240s for the studio, but am unwilling to lug them on the road. I've been using in-ear (V-Moda and Monster Miles Davis—which I lost on a recent Delta flight) and have been only moderately happy. Would be willing to go with an on-ear or over-the-ear model with noise canceling, but have never been impressed with anything Bose.

Any suggestions?

Many thanks.

 

[CJG888]

HD 25-1 IIs (pleather pads), iBasso P4 amp (using the AD797s and the discrete buffers) plus a decent LOD. That's what I use for jazz.

The Sennheisers give god enough isolation for inflight use (as long as you're not on a turboprop.....). Generally speaking, active noise cancellation is more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Jazzman347]

Thanks for the recommendation. Would the Sennheisers work w/o the extra amp? I like to travel light.

 

[CJG888]

Just about, but it sounds muddy and ill-defined (at least, it does on the iPod Classic -I presume the iPhone's output stage is no better!).

I presume this has something to do either with the HD 25s' need for current, or with the output impedance of the iPod. However, there are some decent small amps around (e.g. Fiio E11). The P4 is far from huge, though, and the combination works extremely well.

I have found the only way to get satisfactory results from an unamped iDevice to be the use of IEMs (Ety HF5s, in my case). I still don't like them in my ears for more than 20 minutes though - especially with varying cabin pressure.....

I have given up on the GR07s. Whichever tips I use, they are just too darn uncomfortable!

 

[ZARIM]

The Philips Fideleo L1, Ultrasone Pro900, Sony Z1000, ATH-ES10 are recommended and they all sound great for these genres music.........

 

[Currawong]

In what manner haven't you been happy?  On a plane it gets pretty noisy, so IEMs with good noise isolation will be beneficial. So far, out of my iPhone, the IEMs I've liked the most have been the new Sony XBA series. Others I've tried either sounded terrible without a good amp and/or had excessive bass or treble, making them respectively inappropriate or fatiguing.

 

[Anthony1]

I  listen to Jazz as well and for my travelling/flight/hotel I take P5s and IE8's as these sound reasonably good straight out of an iDevice but even better with a small amp. 

 

[Rilkal]

I  listen to Jazz as well and for my travelling/flight/hotel I take P5s and IE8's as these sound reasonably good straight out of an iDevice but even better with a small amp. 

How are the P5s for planes? Everyone who isn't an audiophile raves about them.

 

[CJG888]

The thing is, in an aviation context, absolute SQ is only about 50% of the equation. Isolation is equally important (Coltrane doesn't sound quite as good with a couple of RR Trent in the rhythm section ).

The HD 25s were designed as a broadcasting tool, for ENG and outside broadcast work, so they need to offer good isolation in noisy environments (e.g. out in the street or in a football stadium), and they have to offer a high level of wearing comfort over long time periods (typically several hours). This is why DJs use them.

 

[Anthony1]

Quote:

How are the P5s for planes? Everyone who isn't an audiophile raves about them.

They are good.. not like an IEM though.. if you want total isolation then you need a decent IEM or custom IEM or a set of full sized closed cans.
 
Its all relative to what you want... Im just sharing what works for me in a similar environment. Since getting the DX100 though I find the P5s a bit like a doughnut with good bass and relatively good highs but a tad muffled in the mids. The P5s are comfy and soft and you do get a reasonable seal.
 
Good luck on your search 

 

[Rilkal]

They are good.. not like an IEM though.. if you want total isolation then you need a decent IEM or custom IEM or a set of full sized closed cans.

Its all relative to what you want... Im just sharing what works for me in a similar environment. Since getting the DX100 though I find the P5s a bit like a doughnut with good bass and relatively good highs but a tad muffled in the mids. The P5s are comfy and soft and you do get a reasonable seal.

Good luck on your search 

See I tried the P5s in the middle of my local Apple store which is in a shopping centre and was incredibly noisy and really struggled to hear anyone around me, even without music on. Magic ears maybe? I was 100% Set on a pair of P5s till I came to this damn website now I am unsure.

I'm not sure on IEMs, I had a pair of 300cxs and they annoyed my somewhat large ears by falling out.

 

[Anthony1]

]Thats the thing with sourcing new headphones... You can only do so much research but at some point you just gotta bite the bullet and take a punt. If you dont like them.. Sell them ASAP. I like the P5s as they sound half decent for when and where I use them. You can wear them flat around your neck.. They come with a mic for your iphone and they are comfy and the quality is high. But I rarely use them at home if at all.

 

[CJG888]

If you don't want to use IEMs (and I can understand why that might be), I think you will need to get used to the idea of having an amp. They can, however, be extremely compact and unobtrusive. Something like this:

http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=75

with a low-profile LOD shouldn't cause a massive increase in your hand luggage.....

 

[Rilkal]

If you don't want to use IEMs (and I can understand why that might be), I think you will need to get used to the idea of having an amp. They can, however, be extremely compact and unobtrusive. Something like this:
http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=75
with a low-profile LOD shouldn't cause a massive increase in your hand luggage.....

An amp doesn't bother me. I'm probably going to buy the PA2V2 for traveling.

]Thats the thing with sourcing new headphones... You can only do so much research but at some point you just gotta bite the bullet and take a punt. If you dont like them.. Sell them ASAP. I like the P5s as they sound half decent for when and where I use them. You can wear them flat around your neck.. They come with a mic for your iphone and they are comfy and the quality is high. But I rarely use them at home if at all.

I would be using them everywhere I am (home, commuting, out and about and traveling). I'm not willing to buy home only headphones at this point in my life.

The Apple store near me lets you return all headphones within 14 days whether you've opened and used them or not, so I'll be buying from there. Limited choice but the return policy is worth it.

 

[Jazzman347]

Thanks, everyone. The P5s sound interesting.

I understand the appeal (and practicality) of IEMs, but I never had a great experience with IEMs....never seem to fit right and were uncomfortable when worn longer than 20-30 min.

Anyone have any experience with Inspirations?