[locksbury]

Hello
 
I'm looking to upgrade to a pair of over-the-ear close backed headphones as my new noisy housemates/people yacking at work are ruining the music and I'd love to hear the opinions of fellow Head-Fiers for recommendations or at least thoughts on my list of potentials.

 
History: First pair of good headphones were Sennheiser 515s(?), but the headband broke and something in the ear cup kept rubbing on my outer ear. About 4 years ago I got and still have my Grado SR60s, of which I love the sound signature.
 
Sources: O2+ODAC combo, with a DAP if I'm out or listening at work (might get an X1 next!).
 
Music: Not a bass nut, so no DnB, Rap, etc... Although sometimes it's good to crank it up a bit and enjoy the bass line of AC/DC or Muse.

Otherwise I would say my taste is eclectic including rock, pop, jazz, radio shows, etc...
 
Tonal qualities: I'm preferably looking for a neutral sound signature/flat response where possible. Also I might be a bit deaf above 15KHz, which is why some of the 'bright' sound of the Grados that others describe may not affect me much.
 
Budget: I'm in the UK and thinking around £100 to £350 (probably going to sell my NAD/KEF hifi as I don't get to use it anymore 

).
 
Comfort: Can be watching films or listening to music for hours on end. So not looking for sweat boxes in summer and not looking to have my thick framed glasses crushed onto my skull! My 515s were good for that!

 
So far in my searches here I've shortlisted to:

-Sennheiser Momentums (more for it's potential for use when walking outdoors)
-NAD Viso HP50s
-Kef M500s
-B&W P7s
-Mr Speakers Mad Dog
-Fostex TR50P (Carcass of Mad Dogs)
 
So, any thoughts/recommendations/additions on the list above are welcome or perhaps people know where I can get a loan pair of phones to try em out for a while?

 
Thanks in advance!
 
locksbury

 

[Wolvebain]

I recall folks saying that the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro's were very pretty great.  I see Thomann UK is selling the 32 ohm versions of them [ brand new, boxed: £124.07 or B-Stock: £114.47 ]
 
The B&W P7 is also getting some good reviews too, but think that the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro is would be a safer choice for extended listening; The P7's look [not sure tho] like they may have a lot more clamping force, and they also only have leather ear pads [The DT-770's offer velour ear pads as well as softskin]
 
I used to own a pair of Over Ear Sennheiser Momentum headies.. but sold them very quickly... Sound was great, but the ear pads were way too small, [yes, the Over ear versions, not the on ear, were too small for me]
 
Another potential choice is the AKG K550, or the K551's..
 
Check if a near-by John Lewis allows you to sample headphones... they have a pretty large range.
 
Hope that helps...

 

[PraiseGabeN]

The Sennheiser SP-I II is said to have amazing isolation, great comfort, and it may be the most popular DJ headphones. I haven't used them myself, but people say they're neutral and very detailed. They're currently 134 pounds on Amazon
 
Amazon UK : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-Edition-Headphone-headband/dp/B00009ZSYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+25-1
 
Head-Fi product thread: http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-25-1-ii-professional-headphone

 

[PraiseGabeN]

The Sennheiser SP-1 II is said to have amazing isolation, and great comfort. They seem to be the most popular DJ headphones as well. I haven't tried them out, but people say they have a detailed, neutral sound. They're currently 134 pounds on Amazon UK

 

[locksbury]

Heh, realised most of my list were on-the-ear types! Thankfully the foam pads on my Grados means I get away with it, but I strongly suspect the clamping of the HD25s/Momentums/P7 etc... might hurt after a while. Any other suggestions for the bigger closed over-the-ear sorts?

 

[Za Warudo]

I wear glasses and I can wear the Soundmagic HP100 (HP150 is the updated model) for hours comfortably.  They are pretty balanced with elevated sub-bass and a somewhat dry signature.  However imo closed headphone don't isolate as well as a lot of IEMs so if blocking out sound is important you might want to check out some Etymotic IEMs.

 

[locksbury]

Za Warudo. Annoyingly, my ear canals do not play nicely with ear buds or IEMs.

But I'll add the HP100/150s to the list.

 

[locksbury]

$300 NAD Viso HP50s (Cheaper and sound better than momentum, but as durable?)
$350 Sennheiser Momentums (Good build quality, but comfortable enough?)
$300 Sony MDR-1R (More comfortable than Momentums)
$300 Mr Speakers Mad Dogs (too much for office use and hot in summer?) (UK STOCKIST?)