[auburntigers]

so right now im a freshman in college and have a budget of up to 350 or 400.  i want some high quality headphones and from what little research i have done i can tell that beats and qc3s are a rip off and that i should get some sennheisers or beyers.
 
so right now i have selected a few which have had amazing reviews but unfortunately im not able to go out and try them out before buying them.  here are 2 that i have selected, i didnt pick a sennheiser pair to consider yet because i wasnt impressed by the reviews as much.
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-880---32-ohm.php
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/polk-ultrafocus-8000-nc.php#tabs
 
i chose the polk ones because they are apparently high quality noise canceling headphones.  any ideas on what i should get? right now im leaning towaords the beyer dt 880s

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

so right now im a freshman in college and have a budget of up to 350 or 400.  i want some high quality headphones and from what little research i have done i can tell that beats and qc3s are a rip off and that i should get some sennheisers or beyers.
 
so right now i have selected a few which have had amazing reviews but unfortunately im not able to go out and try them out before buying them.  here are 2 that i have selected, i didnt pick a sennheiser pair to consider yet because i wasnt impressed by the reviews as much.
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-880---32-ohm.php
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/polk-ultrafocus-8000-nc.php#tabs
 
i chose the polk ones because they are apparently high quality noise canceling headphones.  any ideas on what i should get? right now im leaning towaords the beyer dt 880s

What music do you listen to?

 

[auburntigers]

oh, should have mentioned.  i listen to pretty much anything.  electro, rap, country, rock.  im not as focused on any one part or music (like bass and rap) so i guess im looking for a more rounded headphone

 

[Farnsworth]

If your steadfast between the two, i would go for the Beyers.
 
But i would suggest going for something that works well in any application i.e portable and home. The 880's are not an ideal portable phone. Something like the Sennheiser Amperior, Beyer DT1350, AKG k550 or another headphone in this category might be more satisfactory and certainly more versatile. 
 
Do you currently have other phones and you are looking to build a home rig? or will this be you main headphone that you hope to use in any situation.
 
EDIT: also letting us know what kind of sound you enjoy would help with suggestions.

 

[Coolsax]

well i've heard some really good things about the Polk headphone but be aware that you have the use the self amping as they don't work as a passive headphone, the beyers are probably nice, but i don't have any experience with them.  I would also consider looking at the AKG K550, I listened to them a little at best buy this weekend, sounded pretty nice and are in your price range.

 

[auburntigers]

thanks, i have one more question/concern that i forgot to post earlier.  do any of these leak sound a ton? i would prefer some headphones that dont leak very much and also dont allow for much external noise as well

 

[auburntigers]

and i do have the akg k702 headphones at home as well. should i just ship them out to me? the only concern i have with those is that i dont want to annoy my roommate with all the leaked noise from those

 

[Farnsworth]

The 880's will leak just as much as the 702's. 
I used the my 702's through my fist 2 years of college with a roommate and with no problems. I wouldn't worry about bothering them with your sound, but rather them bothering you as open headphones don't seal out much, if any, outside noise as you probably know. So unless you know that your roommate is quiet i would suggest picking up a pair of closed headphones like the ones i suggested above. That will also give you more flexibility in taking them around campus.

 

[Tangster]

Is there a specific reason for choosing headphones and not IEMs? IEMs are my university audio staple, with my headphones kept in my room (I don't have a roommate).

 

[auburntigers]

thanks.  of the three that you suggested i am leaning towards the k550s.  would you recomend a different one over them? and why

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

thanks.  of the three that you suggested i am leaning towards the k550s.  would you recomend a different one over them? and why

I would say the Denon D2000's are close, but they might not be that suitable for student life. The K550's are a very solid pair of (properly) closed cans.