Closed headphone for RS1 Owner ???
Apr 5, 2010 at 8:12 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

madwill

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Ok this is a bit tricky to me.

My girlfriend is moving in and my RS1 are too leaky for late night listening or when we are trying to get some work done( i do tend to like it loud).

now i have to get a closed pair of headphone in order to keep an appreciable volume level in theses situations(still like it loud).

i've always been drawn to beyerdynamic and audio technica but i've just encountered the Shure SRH840 and the price is quite nice...

at work i use the M-Audio Q40 and they are not doing the trick(tho it might be because they need proper amping...)

i like the idea of SHR840 because i could get some around 200$ but then again i would love some inputs from some of you experienced with closed headphones

Any idea ?

Edit : Absolutly no IEM i just hate them thats all, plus i'll share with my gf because she does wakes up way earlier then me so its just out of the questions
 
Apr 5, 2010 at 9:35 PM Post #2 of 22
ultrasone pro900 have really good isolation and sound really good. much more bass presence than the rs1s but similar highs/mids. you can sometimes find them 300-350 new on ebay/etc.

sennheiser hd25-ii (not the SP version) have the best isolation of any closed headphone that I know of, dont require a good amp, are pretty portable/durable, and sound pretty good. darker sounding than rs1s but still good IMO. theyre 150-200 new
 
Apr 5, 2010 at 9:45 PM Post #3 of 22
If you can afford the Ultrasone Ed8's, I recommend them. They're a small form factor with excellent isolation. You won't be disturbing your girlfriend and they're quite Grado like in the way the mids are a bit forward.
smily_headphones1.gif


If the budget is too great, then the Audio Technica ATH M-50 may is another to consider.
 
Apr 5, 2010 at 9:45 PM Post #4 of 22
I would consider a pair of denon d2000's, I have just picked up a pair, and while they dont quite have the midrange of the RS1's I used to own, they are just as fun as the HF2's I have and can really get the feet tapping! They are not the best isolating closed can on the market though...
 
Apr 5, 2010 at 10:12 PM Post #5 of 22
akg k240 vintage variants, especially sextett. they leak some because they are semi-open but they are closed enough and come pretty close to grado sound.
 
Apr 5, 2010 at 10:17 PM Post #6 of 22
How bout some ear plugs? Your wife will barely notice them and you can get a pack of 100 foam ones for about 20 USD.

biggrin.gif
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 12:25 AM Post #7 of 22
haha i like the ear plugs solutions, i will have a look at Ultrasone, i hardly believe they can match grados in terms of mids but i guess the bass of good closed headphone would bring some interesting changes to some of my albums.

i find it curious that no one talked about the shure... i guess they are just not in the same range...

i might consider more budget then...
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 12:32 AM Post #8 of 22
wow the edition 8 are like 1500$.... sweet jesus i would buy hd800 and enough flowers to get a lifetime of disrupting sounds for the same price

Anyway currently looking for Pro 900 they looks sweet i will try to get a close look and feel at some audio shop if i can
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 12:56 AM Post #9 of 22
If you are considering Audio Technica, then may I suggest the ATH-W5000 "Raffinato" headphones? There is a comparison thread between the Grado RS-1 and ATH-W5000 here so do your searches.
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 1:20 AM Post #10 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by madwill /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Anyway currently looking for Pro 900 they looks sweet i will try to get a close look and feel at some audio shop if i can


As long as you do the Kees mod you will have yourself a pair of closed RS1's. You will also find they happen to do vocals a bit better than the RS1's.
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 1:30 AM Post #11 of 22
I recently did a comparison of 4 closed headphones and did like the SRH840 quite a lot. My favorite was the D5000, but it leaks rather badly and fails the girlfriend test. Sadly I haven't heard the Ultrasones or ATH so can't advise you with those.
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 2:01 AM Post #12 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you are considering Audio Technica, then may I suggest the ATH-W5000 "Raffinato" headphones? There is a comparison thread between the Grado RS-1 and ATH-W5000 here so do your searches.


Wow, I'd far from agree with that recommendation. Great headphones, yes, but definitely will not make for a quiet surrounding for your GF. Even at moderate volumes anyone else present in the room can hear them. At higher volumes you can be sure you won't be getting any, uh, .... favors, that night. Senn HD600's are more isolated to outsiders (though still not completely so, of course since they are open) than W5000's IME. Just because a can is closed does not mean it quiet from the outside, and just because it's open doesn't mean it's really loud to those around you (though generally one might assume as much). Even though you hate them with a violent passion hot as the sun, nothing will beat IEM's in this respect...absolutely nothing. I didn't understand about your GF waking up earlier and sharing....did you mean sharing headphones? One closed can that's a bit difficult to find now, that I found to be really quiet from the outside, with absolutely great performance from the inside (very versatile too - great with all kinds of music) are Sony's MDR-CD3000 headphones (out of production). I could listen at moderate volume laying next to my wife in bed and she was happy as a clam. Good luck finding a pair though. They do come up at reasonable prices, but rarely these days.
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 2:20 AM Post #14 of 22
Do you really want to spend a ton of money when you already have the RS1 and can still use them at certain times of the day still?

If it was me, i'd save myself some money and just get the Shure SRH-840. You can almost always find them in the USA for $130-$150. I got an Open Box deal on mine and they were basically new for only $135.

Some day the Beyer Dynamic 990 are better, but those cost around $260 I think. I think that was the closed version (or was it the 880?).

With my SRH-840 I can put them on a somewhat high volume level and then set them down (so the earcups are against something) and can't even hear it from a few feet away! These would be perfect for work too.

Out of the maybe a dozen headphones i've tried between $20 and $300 these are my favorites by far. The comfort for me isn't the best though because I guess I have a small head. They're a bit loose on my head.
 
Apr 6, 2010 at 2:40 AM Post #15 of 22
What i like from all the suggestions is how much i keep bouncing from one pair to another

It is true i will always have my Grados and i could save some money, that is why i was thinking about SRH-840 but i asked some questions because i really tough i could do a little better then m-audio Q40 by looking around, doing research and asking questions

and about the girlfriend waking up early and sharing, yes she will be using the headphone too so IEM i feel are "personnal"...

i had the Etymotic er4p for a while before they've let me down(started buzzing) and i can say they can sound pretty nice but to me the feel of surrounding headphones is something i like more

Right now Its a battle of Intelligence and restrictions(shure) vs Passion(another expensive headset)

i'm scrared my clumsy girlfriend would somehow drop them or start dancing and pull real hard on the wire which i find quirky and cute and i don't want to start worrying instead of enjoying her clumsiness... in this matter i hate owning expensive stuff (headphones,speakers and sources are my only material vice)

so Shure are the way to go... but this crazy voice.. the one that made me buy the rs1 wants enjoyment, it wants to listen to great sounds while working late or late movie listening... even Starcraft 2 is coming this way so i might suffer a few nights...

still thinking and still thankfull for your inputs
 

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