[karma]

So I'm getting an officemate soon and will be in need of some headphones since I won't be able to rock the speakers anymore. Suggestions?

I'd like to keep this as close to $100 as possible (the cheaper the better, of course). I don't have audiophile-level hearing, and I've other major expenses coming up soon, so the budget's tight. Cans will be used off of either a Rio Carbon or the integrated sound card of my office machine. Will be listening to all types of music, though primarily trance, rock, pop, hip hop.

I currently use the A500 at home and love it, but it's far too big for me to use at the office. I would use the e2 but it is too isolating; I need to able to hear people knocking on the door, calling, talking, etc. I'd use my KSC-35s, but the clip-ons start hurting my ears after an hour or two.

The most important thing here is comfort. I'll be wearing these things for a few hours at a time. I would prefer open cans so that I can still hear what's going on around me (my back is to the office door), but I guess some isolation would be nice for the sake of my officemate.

I was looking at the Sennheiser HD-555, and they look to be quite comfy. But how much sound do they leak? Is it comparable to the amount of sound the KSC-35s leak out?

Thanks for any other suggestions.

[Edit: accidentally submitted my post before I finished]

 

[fr4c]

grado sr60. best bang for the buck.

 

[setSuna]

I am going to reccomend MS-1s. They are solid (in build and preformance), sound great, they don't isolate as they are open, they aren't to big (in fact, in comparison to a500s they are damn small) and cost $100 shipped.
http://www.alessandro-products.com

Hope that helps.

 

[psychogentoo]

I don't think you can go wrong with the Senn PX100. Couple of my coworkers are using them and it sounds pretty good for the price.

 

[karma]

If I recall correctly, don't many people find the Grados uncomfortable? (Since the Alessandros are based off of the Grados, I would imagine that the same would apply to them?)

The PX-100 is something I was also thinking about, but I was hoping to get a regular-sized open can to round out my collection of phones (already have closed, canal, buds, clip-ons) rather than another portable use one. Its price is great though, and from what I've read the sound is similar to the KSC-35s, which I'm quite happy with.

 

[setSuna]

Yeah, some do, and will tell you right now: In comparisons to a500s they are horrible in terms of comfort. But, they are a solid pair, they can take a beating, they sound great and are fairly portable. Also, they are open so you will hear your surrondings.
My personal opinion is that if you aren't gonna be listening to the headphones 7-8 hours strait, they don't hurt, or really bother me at all.

 

[fureshi]

the sr60 or ms1 with the comfy pads are actually not too bad. certainly a lot better than the bowl or flat pads for comfort. as someone had mentioned earlier in the for sale section, alessandro is having a sale on their products. 25% off with free shipping, making ms1 $75. i'd take that anyday over the sr60.

 

[BigRobb]

are the ms-1 good without an amp from a portable player?

 

[karma]

Does anyone have a link to info on what and how to mod the SR-60/MS-1 with the "comfort pads?" I've done some searching, but I've only managed to find threads where people talk about how great it is but no details/pics on how it's all done. I'm curious to hear what so many people rave about, but I'm not too keen on modding my gear.

Any comments on the AKG 240S or Beyer DT440?

So far the list includes: HD 555, AKG 240S, DT440, MS-1/SR-60 (what's the real difference between these?), and the PX-100 if I decide to go cheap. I'm assuming these are all good, easily driven, unamped cans. How do y'all rank these in terms of comfort and sound?

(I think my choices are growing rather than narrowing!)

 

[commando]

Those are the worst recommendations i've seen in a long time. Open cans aren't suitable for an office, you need closed. Get another pair of A500s and don't worry how you look. Even V6's, my smaller recommendation, wouldn't be a hell of a lot smaller.

 

[karma]

Hey, Commando. Thanks for chiming in here; you're one of the main reasons I'm enjoying my A500 right now.

As I'm not working in a cubicle environment (regular, walled offices), the only other person within earshot would be my officemate. I imagine that he'll likely be sporting his own cans.

Plus, as I've said, I need to be able to hear what's going on around me so I can't be completely cut-off from the world.

What I'm thinking about doing is if the open cans I get for the office do turn out to be too much of a distraction, I'll just swap them with the A500 at home. That's why I'd rather get a regular-sized headphone as opposed to the PX-100.

 

[av98m2]

Depends on your office environment really. I need to be able to hear the phone ringing, carry on a conversation with coworkers, etc etc and open cans allow me to do that without constantly having to remove them from my head. I have Etys and I cannot use them in the office for those very reasons.

 

[Ferbose]

I think it really depends upon your work environment.
What really matters is what type of cans you need.
I think there are three key questions:
How conspicuous can it be?
How much sound isolation you need?
How much sound can you afford to leak?
Take myself for example, at my work place (scientific laboratory) I can't use full sized cans because that would make me look too focused on music instaed of work.
And people constantly walk up to me for discussions, and I think it would be rude for me not to hear them. I also want to be able to hear unusual sounds in the surrounding becuase my lab is a complicated environment. An open phone is preferred.
Since my lab is fairly noisy with lots of instrument and ventilation, sound leakage is OK.
Taking everything into consideration, PX100 apparently suits my need very well. Its price is reasonable and and its SQ is more than resonable. Highly recommended.

 

[3lusiv3]

I don't know what to suggest but I would NOT get any open headphones.

 

[TWIFOSP]

I use Shure E5s at work. The isolation can be a bit of a problem somtimes, but it's worth it.

I use a monitor mirror to see when people walk into my cube to talk to me, 2 seconds later, they are out. As for the phone, well who really wants to answer the phone anyway.

Just put up a nerf ball near your office door so people can throw it at you when they want your attention. Someone did that to me with my whiteboard eraser... I can't say I blame them, they were probably saying my name 7 times!

Yay for isolation!