[econsumer666]

Hi everyone!
I've been recently trying to find a pair of closed headphones for pure musical enjoyment and still didn't succeed. 
I've ordered, tried and send back:
 
- B&W P5
Incredible build quality and very comfortable. Treble doesn't exist at all (I've tried the mods I found here). Can't live without treble.
 
- Beyer DT 1350
Very good, very natural sound without hissing "s" (see DT880), pretty uncomfortable, hard to find a good fit and the mechanism makes me puke, you look like your brain is being scanned.
 
If there is something with the quality of DT 1350 put in the case of B&W P5 I'll buy it in an instance.
 
- Beyer DT 880 600 Ohm
Sound was pretty good, unfortunately I can't live with hissing "s" at all: it makes my ears bleed. I thought "semi-open" could be heard to in the office: no, they leak too much sound, collegues sitting 4.5m away have been complaining. No deal here.
 
I've had Denon 5000 which I've sold. I bought them cause when I put them on in the shop I couldn't take them of for 30 min. that's how good they sounded to me, before that I only used 30$ crap. I didn't like the build-quality of Denon 5000 and for 600 EUR they were WAY overpriced, they cost around 400 now. They were the most  comfortable closed headphones I've ever had on my head though. I lacked a bit of treble though.
 
Shure 940 made me change my opinion about what I actually want. I used to believe that if I prefer listening to the philarmonic orchestra in the concert hall, it makes me like very natural, very detailed sound without any overwhelming bass and other enhancements. I ordered Shure 940. Listening to this headphones wasn't a pleasant experience at all. The amount of details Shure 940 provide is incredible. Very good build quality, detachable cables, a pair of pads in the package: all in all incredible. However.... not a single time did I get goosebumps listening with this headphones. The dissect the music completely, you hear everything separated and I lose any kind of joy. The sounded much better to me after I changed the EQ to "vocal booster". Probably it's very good if you're in the studio but for pure listening of music: not for me. It actually made me change my mind about what I actually want.
 
I've been heaving Sennheiser HD590 for like 5 years now. I actually bought them and didn't know the difference between closed and open design at all, so I've been using them with my digital piano. I've been listening to them lately looking for a pair of closed ones and I find them to be exactly what I need. I miss a bit of details but they provide me with excitement every time, I actually want to sing when listening with them (something I was completely missing with Shure 940). It made me understand the difference between musical and analytical headphones.
 
Is there anything like Sennheiser HD590 but closed? I search at Sennheiser but they seem to specialize on open design, didn't really find anything. HD25 feel crappy and isn't really all that comfortable for me.
 
I actually ordered Sony 7506, they are pretty difficult to get now but I did find a pair, I found them extremely comfortable but I'm not yet sure if I'm gonna like the sound.
 
Any ideas? I'd take comfort over sound quality (to some extent of course) any time.
 
 
 
 
 

 

[scoopbb]

have you tried the dt770s? i know the 880s leak like crazy. the 770s dont, and the treble isn't as sibilant, at least for me. uber comfortable. good bass presence

 

[mart1]

Id go with the DT 770s
But you may try Sony XZ-700. I know its a Sony, but the Sound is just enjoyable. Try listening to those. They may not be as detailed as other Headphones proposed here, but the overall Sound is amazing, especially at the current retail price

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

 
I actually ordered Sony 7506, they are pretty difficult to get now but I did find a pair, I found them extremely comfortable but I'm not yet sure if I'm gonna like the sound.
 
Any ideas? I'd take comfort over sound quality (to some extent of course) any time.
 
 

You actually made me post for a change.
 
I was going to say MDR-V6 for the comfort and because they are neutral headphones, with a bright shade, that you can EQ into whatever you wish
 
Grab some Pearstone velour pads and add some padding to the inside to really throw up the comfort level. Oh, and also bend the headband back to reduce clamping force.

 

[roBernd]

please, consider anything but the dt770s...
I can't understand how anyone would like the 770s if they even remotely like to hear mids. The 770s are comfortable and sturdy as hell though.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
AT A900X
 
That'll do it for you for your needs. All the glory of what you liked of the D5000, but the treble you're looking for.
 
Very best,

 

[econsumer666]

Hi guys,
thanks for the replies! Looking forward for Sony 7506, they are coming tomorrow, I actually ordered them without hearing how they sound I only had them on my head but they were broken and not connected. The idea with the velour pads is definitely cool, thanks for that. I wanted to order the MDR-CD900ST which seems to be the ultimate solution. Unfortunately they are only available in Japan, well at least I didn't find them here (Germany) and they also have the big plug, which isn't exactly super comfortable when using with laptop (I know they aren't meant to be used with laptop but still). So If I like 7506 I might start looking for MDR-CD900ST more seriously.

 

As for the DT770, I tried them, they are build like  a tank and gorgeous looking, however they kinda didn't blow me off, I found nothing special about the sound and they maybe isolate even too much for me, ears were sweating too. Also, maybe it's the form of my ears but I find oval pads to be much more natural. Can't understand why Beyer keeps making round pads. Ears aren't round! Sennheiser does a better job here I think.
 
I did consider ordering AT A900X or A900 cause they got very nice reviews for their musicality. Someone was complaining about the hard leather of AT A900X and that they were not in the same league as A900 as far as comfort concerns. I didn't see any of these live but they look kinda bulky and huge, maybe it's just the image. They are still on my list though. Denon 5000 enjoyment with better trebles sounds very seducing for me....
 
Does anyone have any experience with ATH-ES10 ? They are really expensive, however seem to be pretty small, don't know about comfort. The thing is, I read they get scratched like crazy and paying the amount for something which is that scratchy and doesn't provide replaceble cables isn't exactly a steal... not sure about this one.
 
What about Bose OE2 or AE2. I know Bose is "buy other sound equipment" but are they really that bad? I found them extremely comfortable (probably the most comfortable of all I've ever tried really) and the sound was listenable but a bit strange, I can't really describe how the sound is, anyone has experience with these?
 

[size=1.4em]  [/size]

 
 
 
 

 

[econsumer666]

Tried DT770 now, borrowed it for a day. There are NO mids whatsoever, are you kidding me? When someone is singing it sounds like 5km away.
No way I'm gonna buy this one, very comfortable though indeed

 

[Kukuk]

Try the AKG K271's. They have awesome mids. Shame that you can't find the CD900ST's though, best mids I've ever heard. The K271's shouldn't leave you wanting though.
 
Which DT770's were you using? I think the "Pro 80 Ohm" model has really nice mids, but I've never heard the other models...

 

[econsumer666]

Quote:

Try the AKG K271's. They have awesome mids. Shame that you can't find the CD900ST's though, best mids I've ever heard. The K271's shouldn't leave you wanting though.
 
Which DT770's were you using? I think the "Pro 80 Ohm" model has really nice mids, but I've never heard the other models...

I was using DT770 80Ohm!
Don't break my heart, it's virtually impossible to find CD900ST here. So sick, I mean it is produced and you have the money but you kinda can't buy it, I'm shocked. Maybe there is a UK shop? Anything in EU would suit. Did you listen to Sony 7506, is the CD900ST a huge improvement? Thanks for the AKG suggestion!

 

[Kukuk]

I haven't heard the 7506 model, but I have heard the V6. Yes, they are a huge improvement in just about every way, but I think the most notable one is how much more natural they sound. While I enjoyed the V6's, they sounded a tad artificial, but these are just lovely sounding.
 
Have you tried to see if Audiocubes will ship to Germany?

 

[econsumer666]

Quote:

I haven't heard the 7506 model, but I have heard the V6. Yes, they are a huge improvement in just about every way, but I think the most notable one is how much more natural they sound. While I enjoyed the V6's, they sounded a tad artificial, but these are just lovely sounding.
 
Have you tried to see if Audiocubes will ship to Germany?

Well, yeah, they'd ship to Germany too, there is also an serious ebay-user, who offers them at ok price (I mean the price is high hence not fake) but I have no damn idea how much they'll actually cost cause you have to pay customs if you import something in EU-zone. I search a bit and found an interesting point: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/68842/cd900st-pics-and-short-review/45
 
I mean if the 7506 seem to be more enjoyable (have a look at how I perceived Shure 940) then maybe I don't even want the CT all that much

 

[Kukuk]

Not sure if I'd agree with that guy's thoughts on their sound, but maybe it's all the better that you're losing interest in them.

 
I guess in some ways a person would get more enjoyment out of the 7506/V6's, after all they do have more bass, with a little better extension. Other than that, I can't see why a person would sooner reach for them than the CD900ST's. Then again, I get a lot of enjoyment from an incredibly realistic vocal range.

 

[econsumer666]

I see! I love realistic vocal range too! Hmmmm... the 7506 is coming tomorrow, I guess I'm gonna try it and see if that's gonna be the deal for me or if I'm gonna search for the CD900ST.
 
Another question: I'd potentially want to buy something incredible for use at home, I now only have Sennheiser HD590 which is like 5 years old. Based on my preferences listed here, do you think Sennheiser HD800 will blow me off? I have Audio GD Fun at home and wouldn't want to upgrade anytime soon really so yeah that's the question: am I gonna be sitting with mouth wide open if I buy HD800, providing the best I've ever heard was Denon 5000? The HD600 costs like 4 times less, so sick but HD800 looks phenomenal and seems to be very comfortable too... Or maybe there is anything of closed type which is remotely as good as HD800 seems to be...?

 

[IEMCrazy]

7506 is a great set of cans depending on your use.  They were the ones I used constantly before I got my HD650s, but I'd never get rid of them.   They're my go-to can for monitoring purposes or when I need to detect a little detail.   The MDR-V6 is basically the same headphone with the same drivers as the MDR-7506 except one is the consumer model with a slightly bass-tilted voicing and the other is the pro audio version that is more neutral.   They're slightly bright, even sibilant at times, but they have detail like no other and, sibilance aside, they have a great airy presentation for a closed can.   They're meant as a live monitor (you'll see them hanging off the back of just about every picture of a cinema/tv camera, and on the boards at just about every studio as a monitor; they and 7509 are pretty much industry standards) so the overly bright/punchy presentation is meant to be heard over the ruckus of a production/event environment while still having a realistic air to them.  I like it, and for mixing it keeps you WELL below the clipping threshold with the sibilance issue, but for slightly hotter commercial albums it can get in the way.
 
Even if you don't like them, I don't think you'll want to let them go either.  If you're using it as a monitor for keyboard work, they're the perfect fit, that's the sort of thing they were designed for!  I do find they pinch the earlobes after a while though.  They're not FULLY circumaural in the way Senns and Beyers are.  They sit slightly on the top of the ear lobe.
 
Sennheiser HD590/595 were sort of the odd models out.  HD598, 600, 650 all have common elements.  700, 850 share common elements but are voiced very differently than 598, 600, 650, so it really comes down to preference there.  But if you're looking for a closed can at any price, Sennheiser doesn't have much to offer other than the Pro 380 which is more a sidestep to the 7506 than an upgrade.