[fo3nix]

I'm in the market for a pair of good quality headphones, under £80 if possible (under $150).

I'm working in a small office environment, so it needs to insulate really well.

They also need to be able to perform well from the output of a Macbook Pro laptop.

I'd also like them to be as comfortable as possible, as I may be listening to them for 5 hours+.

Any suggestions?

Looking through here, I see the Denon D1000's (don't insulate enough?), AKG K271's, Senn HD 25-1's (too expensive?), but they all seem to have drawbacks for what I want.

I'm not an expert here, and I'm thinking that a lot of them may require some amp or sort to get decent SQ. Is this correct?

 

[drews]

ATH-ES7 would be my first choice... I think the K271 needs an amp, and the HD25-1's are nice but I think the ES7s sound better. I haven't heard the D1000s but I'm extremely happy with my D2000s in the office...

 

[DBrim]

The D1000s don't isolate very well, but I'm happy with the performance out of my MBP.

Why do you need isolation in the office? I actually prefer having no isolation at work, since you can hear if somebody approaches or wants to talk to you.

 

[fo3nix]

I'm a student researcher at a university, and am in a very quiet room with 12 or so other researchers.

Any talking in there etc. is slightly frowned upon. It's meant to be very quiet so those there can concentrate when they want to. Hence, any music that I listen to can't interfere with anyone else.

There are no walls or partitions, so it's not even like the sound is blocked. Just desks with low backs to them.

 

[fo3nix]

anyone any other suggestions?

 

[BigAmish]

The Equation Audio RP-21s contain their sound well, but I've heard that they can be tough to get in England (distributor issues). They are a great buy at $99USD, assuming customs doesn't rake you over the coals.

Also, are you completely against IEMs? There are several popular IEM options in your price range.

 

[fo3nix]

I have a pair of Shure E3C's that give great sound. It's just that I don't fancy wearing them for such lengths of time most days of the week; I doubt it could do you any good, especially when you think about wax buildup etc.

 

[lostbobby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fo3nix /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a pair of Shure E3C's that give great sound. It's just that I don't fancy wearing them for such lengths of time most days of the week; I doubt it could do you any good, especially when you think about wax buildup etc.

I wear Westones, etymotic and Shures for many hours every day, there's no problem as long as they're comfortable initially, you take care not to snag the cable on anything (and have them ripped out of your ears), and you take them out every hour or so, let some air in there.

That's all i can offer, i don't have any closed cans, but I am also getting a MBP soon. I know that with my old G4 powerbook, the headphone output from the amp is pretty decent, and can get acceptable SQ for AKG K701's.

 

[DBrim]

Ahh okay, I misunderstood you. The Denons don't leak at all, from my experience.

 

[captian73]

my new favs are the JBL reference 410's. small portable and big, big sound.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6496374&sr=8-1

if you're looking for a more upper class pair, the Denon's will more than do he job. comfortable, stylish and fantastically open. they could do with a bit more on the low end, but they are magical.

you can now get them form under $120

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6496581&sr=1-1

 

[kwkarth]

Sony MDR-V6/7506 are fairly comfortable, listenable, and in budget. Worth considering IMO.

 

[iQEM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captian73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif my new favs are the JBL reference 410's. small portable and big, big sound.

it's look like you like your JBL ref 410 so much...

FYI i always used my K26p too at office + powermac G4...K26p isolate as much as JBL ref 410, burned in, portable and comfort on me...and got the same big-big sound too but more cheaper than JBL's, IMO...

 

[commando]

Audio-Technica A500. Good sound, very comfortable, they won't leak sound as long as you keep the volume at a reasonable level. There's a link from my website to audiocubes who stock it if you can't find it locally.

 

[captian73]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iQEM /img/forum/go_quote.gif it's look like you like your JBL ref 410 so much... FYI i always used my K26p too at office + powermac G4...K26p isolate as much as JBL ref 410, burned in, portable and comfort on me...and got the same big-big sound too but more cheaper than JBL's, IMO...

well i got them to test against my AKG K271's which are essentially the same headphones.

the price on amazon.com fluctuates from day to day. the thing is i wnated to try them, buy no-one ships to the UK. Luckily i found them on our friendly worldwide auction site.

the sound is the same as the AKG K27i's but the JBL fake leather headband thing, makes all the difference.

 

[ricmat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drews /img/forum/go_quote.gif ATH-ES7 would be my first choice.

Man, I have to double that!