[DuxR]

Hi guys,
 
I've sought advice from other forums but have it on good authority that you guys know what you're talking about when it comes to headphones, so I thought I'd sign up and get your opinions as well!
 
I'm currently looking at replacing my 2 mid/low-end headphones with something a bit better, with a possible budget of around £200-£250. I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD 595's which I use pretty much only when listening to music, and a pair of RS 170's which I use for watching movies and playing games. The trouble is, I don't like the sound leakage from the 595's as it means I have to use the 170's late at night, and they don't sound as good. I don't really take advantage of the wireless nature of the 170's as much as I thought I would, so I wouldn't miss that.
 
So I'm thinking about replacing them both with a decent pair of closed-back headphones to consolidate into one multi-use set of cans, but I'm wondering: can closed-back headphones have as good SQ as open headphones, or is it simply dependent on which headphones you get? I'm currently looking at the following:
 
Audio Technica A900's for £250 (so top of budget)
...or the A700's for £190
Beyerdynamic DT770's for £130 (much cheaper, but for a reason?)
 
Would I really be out of my mind to go for say the AT's when I could get a pair of open AKG K701's for the same moneys? Would they really sound much better? Any thoughts on my selections or other suggestions for me to consider would be most welcome 

 
Thanks!
 

 

[goldy]

Hey there, I just got some closed back headphones myself (Shure srh440's) and can tell you from what I've heard, that the listening experience is completely different from that of open back phones. It's really just a hard comparison to make between the way they sound/SQ because they are essentially different. Though if you're concerned about leakage, which it seems you are, you should definitely go grab some good closed cans. I've heard good things about both the audio technica's and the beryldynamics, though I don't own either. You may also want to look into some denon's or shure srh840's. 

 

[Danz03]

Have you considered the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II? The SQ is very good and they have very little sound leakage. The main problem with close headphones is that they have very little or no sound stage compare to open ones. whether you'd like the K-701 depends on what kind of music you listen to mostly, as they seem to be a little bass light.

 

[DuxR]

Well, I suppose they don't have to be closed, they just need to have less sound leakage than my HD595's. Would a semi-open pair of headphones like the DT880's be better in that regard? From what I've read they seem to be the best of both worlds. If so, which one should I go for? Having a look around it looks like there are a couple of different models (a regular one and a 'Pro' one).
 
I mostly listen to rock and ambient/electronic music, so I don't think I'd like the lack of bass of the K701's.

 

[Sarkar]

You might like to try the Denon AH-D5000 closed back headphones? There are plenty of good on-line reviews for this product.