[Megamorter]

I've owned simple ear buds and in ear headphones. i actually bought a pair of fake beats by dre in ear headphones. did the job for a couple weeks then broke but hey, i bought them for $5 lol
 
I'm definitely going to pick up some headphones. Very tired of ear buds and in ear headphones because they always pop out or are pulled off or whatever. I go to high school with a couple thousand noisy and annoying people so noise canceling is a must. I play my music moderately loud and mostly hip hop but with a mass amount of orchestra and piano incorporated into it (things like Kanye's new album). Sound quality, i would love, to be better than the qc15's but they are decent to me. And the look and style of the headphones is somewhat an issue because who likes giant, ugly headphones. (if anyone does, i don't mean to offend you; its just that i don't =]) i would really appreciate it if you guys can give me some suggestions. price range is up to $300. I'm such a noob at headphones, all i really know are some of the brand names like shure, sennheiser and bose. actually considering the qc15's.
 
I read a bunch of threads but all the different models and series names confuse me and you guys really seem to be pros when it comes to headphones. All help is appreciated =]

 

[Nubster]

If you are looking for great sound I wouldn't worry about the looks too much because some of the really good sounding headphones are not necessarily the best looking. You want style, go grab some Beats or Skullcandy and fit in with the rest of the herd.

 

[baka1969]

Welcome too Head-Fi. Ok! What music do you like? Do you need isolation? You mentioned the Q15. Is that because you need isolation or is it just something familiar? What are you looking for in a headphone? Clarity? Bass? Highs? Where will you be using them the most? What will you be plugging them into? What is the most important thing you expect from them?

 

[Leander7777]

I used to own the Beats and, while I like them, they definitely don't preform for their price. For 300, you should look into Grado ms2i, AKG K702, Sennheiser HD600 and Beyerdymanics DT 990 Edition. They all cost around 300 and will blow away any bose or beats headphone. The only problem is mobility. These headphones aren't really meant for portable use, as they are very large and need an amp. Portable amps cost money (a very good choice is the Headstage Arrow), but can easily be purchased. The bigger problem is mobility, if you want mobile headphones, you might want to get ultrasones, although they also require an amp. The only plus point for Beats and Bose, are their noise-canceling and built in amps. I'd still not get them though
 
If you want sound quality, mobility, and isolation, I'd suggest high quality earbuds. Their fit is incomparable to that of cheap ones. Check ultimate ears, Weston, Shure, and Earsonic. I have Ultimate ears Triplefi10 pros and they are close to flawless when it comes to finding a balance between mobility and sound quality. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
 

[size=1.05em] Leander[/size]

 

[Megamorter]

i'm not that much of a follower. lol if i was i wouldn't be here asking for help

 

[Megamorter]

Quote:

Welcome too Head-Fi. Ok! What music do you like? Do you need isolation? You mentioned the Q15. Is that because you need isolation or is it just something familiar? What are you looking for in a headphone? Clarity? Bass? Highs? Where will you be using them the most? What will you be plugging them into? What is the most important thing you expect from them?

Hip Hop music with a lot of orchestra sound and piano added in (kanye's new album is an example). something to block out 3000 teenagers screaming around me =] good sound quality and to be somewhat appealing. and i don't know about highs and mids. good bass and clarity. using them everywhere: school, sports practice, home, gaming. plugging into my ipod and computer. good sound quality and a good amount of noise canceling =]

 

[Megamorter]

Quote:

I used to own the Beats and, while I like them, they definitely don't preform for their price. For 300, you should look into Grado ms2i, AKG K702, Sennheiser HD600 and Beyerdymanics DT 990 Edition. They all cost around 300 and will blow away any bose or beats headphone. The only problem is mobility. These headphones aren't really meant for portable use, as they are very large and need an amp. Portable amps cost money (a very good choice is the Headstage Arrow), but can easily be purchased. The bigger problem is mobility, if you want mobile headphones, you might want to get ultrasones, although they also require an amp. The only plus point for Beats and Bose, are their noise-canceling and built in amps. I'd still not get them though
 
If you want sound quality, mobility, and isolation, I'd suggest high quality earbuds. Their fit is incomparable to that of cheap ones. Check ultimate ears, Weston, Shure, and Earsonic. I have Ultimate ears Triplefi10 pros and they are close to flawless when it comes to finding a balance between mobility and sound quality. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
 

[size=1.05em] Leander[/size]

thank you thank you thank you =]

 

[soundeffect]

I notice you mentioning QC15 and probable for their noise canceling feature.  I just want to put in a little input by saying don't dismiss the ability of a close headphone to block out the sound of your surrounding.  You be surprise at how well some can block out noise with a low level of music on.  Most likely not as well as QC15, but good enough. The only problem with noise cancellation headphone is that you will have to pay a premium to get good quality SQ and even then I think they have their limit.  It will probable be easier for you to find a good SQ headphone without NC. Although, I don't really remember how loud it can get at a high school.

 

[Nubster]

I think I would be too worried about my $300 headphones getting ripped off by some high school thugs.
 
The other day I demoed some Etymotic ER-4's. They are IEM's but I found that they were very secure in my ears and the sound isolation was incredible. The store owner was standing <6 feet away from me talking and clapping his hands aggressively and I could not hear anything. The music flowing from these tiny little units was pretty intense as well. I have no idea how well they would do unamped...I was using them off my Little Dot. I was very close to pulling the trigger on them but went home with the Grados instead. Best thing about them for your situation...they are the cheapest, most generic looking little boogers...lol...I swear they look like something you would grab at the checkout line at Walmart for $.99. Because of that I think they would attract zero attention and not be a target for thieves.

 

[disastermouse]

I'd go for IEMs too - get a bithead portable amp with crossfeed for better sound and to get rid of the 'music is in my head' sensation.

Like others have said, they're inconspicuous too (unless you get a 'style IEM' like heartbeats or turbines).

Another good thing about Etymotics is that you can later get custom fits at pretty much any time. You can use them with the included flanges and tips for a year or two or six and then bring them to a supported audiology shop for custom ear molds. Then you send them to Etymotic and for a charge - viola! You now have custom fit IEMs. The now look like weird wired hearing aides though - which may decrease the threat of theft.

Even though I suggested a portable amp for the crossfeed, most IEMs can be driven straight from whatever portable player you have.

 

[Leander7777]

Well, I gave it some thought and flashed back to when I got my first HQ headphones in highschool. I think you should leave the audiophile options for a future purchase and instead go for something that is both durable and mobile. For headphones I'd suggest the B&w p5, they have a very high quality construction, have great sound and isolation and even come with a mic. The etymotics are very good but lack durability. I take it that this a large investment, as you are a HS student, and thus I'd recommend something more durable with replaceable cables , such as the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 pro. The other advantage of choosing these phones , is that they don't require an amp. An amp might improve their sound but it's nothing manditory.
Cheers

Edit: you might also want to check out the Phiaton MS 400, they aren't amazing soundwise (still pretty good) and look really slick. They are made of carbon fiber

 

[soundeffect]

If you like the beats, vmoda crossfade LP seems to be getting popular and share similarity.

 

[DevanF]

I owned Beats for a week. Not a highpoint in my life, I listened to the wrong sources.
 
Here is the deal. I recently went through the same dilemma. You listed a few features here that you wanted, something with good bass, clarity, isolation, and mobility.
The problem is we start looking for the perfect pair of head phones and hope they fall into our price range. What you need to is establish the needs.
 
Such as whether or not you can live with your headphones not being mobile. If you can live with it you can find some great headphones, for a great price, but your lugging around your cans where they don't belong.
 
If mobility is an issue you risk incredible performance for what you can afford.
 
So though it is overwhelming to have all these people stoked out of their gourds for this and that head phone (cause every one has a different opinion) when you establish what you need you realize what you don't need. Maybe since your new HD Cans you start small, no matter what you buy for the most part is going to be better than skull candy, Beats, or what ever genero brand you were using before.
 

 

[Megamorter]

Thanks for all the advice guys. =] I'm probably going to end up picking up a pair of IEMs which I didn't even know existed lol I guess I'm destined to have earbuds rather than full size headphones but IEMs accomplish everything I'm looking for. I would love a pair of custom ultimate ears but thats wishful thinking lol. Probably keep doing research into different brands and models until I find the right one. And small IEMs do make a lot more sense to have at school. After reading all these comments, I really don't care about looks anymore. I just want a pair of iems with good sq. I'm definitely going to look into those etymotics because custom IEMs would be awesome to have. So I'm going to hold off on the cans for a while. Besides I couldn't sneak music through the ear the teacher cant see if I had cans =] thanks again guys

 

[dub Beatz]

Wait, why not the ES7? Portable, closed, good SQ, good with hip hop, they have stellar mids. They even look pretty sexy!