[BRSxIgnition]

Hello everyone, first of all, thank you for the great list and detailed impressions of each headphone!
 
I'm in the market for a new full-size, sturdy, semi-balanced, closed portable, and only having demo'ed the H6, I was wondering what would best fit my tastes.
 
My main physical requirements are that the headphones be:

1. Full-Sized. (Around Ear preferred for comfort)
2. Portable. (Example: M50's are fine for me)
3. Sturdy & Stylish. (Metal/High Quality Construction is welcome!)

 
When it comes to sound, I want two things:

1. Neutral. I don't want heavily V-shaped or overly bright sound signatures. Bass is welcome but I don't want a recessed midrange. (A la M-100)
2. Fun. That said, I still want the sound to be dynamic, and not perfectly neutral or deadly flat. The ATH-M50's sound alright to me, though I would like more detail and a bit more balance. (MAybe a bit more punch in the lower end?)

 
My spending limit is $400 after tax - so discount codes or promotions are welcome. I'd like to keep the price to around $300-$350 if possible. 
 
I've been looking strongly at the AKG K845BT, and the NAD VISO HP50 (White) - I've also demo'ed the B&O H6, though it wasn't with my own music - and liked them more than I expected.
 
So I'm left with a question - which of the above would be best for me? Is there something else I should be looking at? Are the H6 REALLY worth the $450 in the first place? 
 
Any help is welcome. 

 

[BillsonChang007]

What you think about the H6? I find it to suit your needs very well

Hope it helps
Billson

 

[BRSxIgnition]

What you think about the H6? I find it to suit your needs very well

I liked the clarity and balance, but I think I need to try it out with my music before I know what I think about it 100%. Looks wise, they are very nice. 
 
I'd probably buy them right away to demo if they were closer to $299 than $399... 

 

[gofered]

The B & W p7 meet most of what you described. Some people don't like the treble but I do find it fun. Construction is amazing (metal and leather) and bass is very present but not overwhelming. They are portable in a backpack but you can't just throw in a jacket. You couldn't do that with the m50s either though, which you state as portable enough.

 

[elvergun]

  I liked the clarity and balance, but I think I need to try it out with my music before I know what I think about it 100%. Looks wise, they are very nice. 
 
I'd probably buy them right away to demo if they were closer to $299 than $399... 

 
Why are the Mikros 90s not on your list?   At around $70, what could go wrong?  They meet all the requirements you outlined above, except that they are not circumaural...and they don't cost $300.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

   
Why are the Mikros 90s not on your list?   At around $70, what could go wrong?  They meet all the requirements you outlined above, except that they are not circumaural...and they don't cost $300.

Well they're on-ear, they apparently have bad clamping force, and they likely don't measure up to the top three which I am looking at in terms of sound. 
 
 

The B & W p7 meet most of what you described. Some people don't like the treble but I do find it fun. Construction is amazing (metal and leather) and bass is very present but not overwhelming. They are portable in a backpack but you can't just throw in a jacket. You couldn't do that with the m50s either though, which you state as portable enough.

I've heard bad things about the comfort for the P7's though - apparently they dont have the memory foam anymore, and the clamping force combined with the headband makes them uncomfortable? Do you have any experience with them? 
 
If their comfort and V-shape signature aren't too bad, I may look into them a bit more.
 
Does anyone have any experience with the AKG K545 and one of the top three here? How does it stack up overall with the headphones included in this list? 

 

[elvergun]

  Well they're on-ear, they apparently have bad clamping force, and they likely don't measure up to the top three which I am looking at in terms of sound. 
 

 
How do you know they don't measure up if you have not heard them?    Sometimes a sound signature hits you in the right spot. 
 
The clamping force can be alleviated by stretching the headband.  
 
But hey...I hope you find what you are looking for. 

 

[subguy812]

I have the NAD HP50 black ($299.00)... Very comfortable, sound great. I also have the Momentum Black over ear($239.00) and many say it is a gamble with comfort but I just fell asleep for the last hour listening to Tribute to Jack Johnson, comfortable and sound great as well. Couldn't be happier with both. Both have detail and clarity. I listen to mostly FLAC files. Some feel the Momentum to be "bassy" and while I agree to a degree, most of what I listen too the bass responds when the bass is supposed to respond. It is not an overpowering bass.

If I had to return one, at this moment, it would be a very difficult choice factoring sound quality, price I paid, and comfort. I hope this helps...BSRx

 

[gofered]

Sound is better than h6, I tried both but obviously that us subjective. Fit as first is slightly uncomfortable but over time becomes perfect for me at least.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Sound is better than h6, I tried both but obviously that us subjective. Fit as first is slightly uncomfortable but over time becomes perfect for me at least.

... Which fit is better than the H6? The AKG's? The NAD HP50's?
 
Sorry, I'm a bit confused since it's not clear which you are referring to. 

 

[gofered]

Sorry, the p7. I was saying fit improves significantly over time. The H6 was comfortable too.

 

[wallaby1170]

  Hello everyone, first of all, thank you for the great list and detailed impressions of each headphone!
 
I'm in the market for a new full-size, sturdy, semi-balanced, closed portable, and only having demo'ed the H6, I was wondering what would best fit my tastes.
 
My main physical requirements are that the headphones be:

1. Full-Sized. (Around Ear preferred for comfort)
2. Portable. (Example: M50's are fine for me)
3. Sturdy & Stylish. (Metal/High Quality Construction is welcome!)

 
When it comes to sound, I want two things:

1. Neutral. I don't want heavily V-shaped or overly bright sound signatures. Bass is welcome but I don't want a recessed midrange. (A la M-100)
2. Fun. That said, I still want the sound to be dynamic, and not perfectly neutral or deadly flat. The ATH-M50's sound alright to me, though I would like more detail and a bit more balance. (MAybe a bit more punch in the lower end?)

 
My spending limit is $400 after tax - so discount codes or promotions are welcome. I'd like to keep the price to around $300-$350 if possible. 
 
I've been looking strongly at the AKG K845BT, and the NAD VISO HP50 (White) - I've also demo'ed the B&O H6, though it wasn't with my own music - and liked them more than I expected.
 
So I'm left with a question - which of the above would be best for me? Is there something else I should be looking at? Are the H6 REALLY worth the $450 in the first place? 
 
Any help is welcome. 

You can't go wrong with the NAD VISO HP50.  I own both the H6 and the HP50.  Between the two, the HP50 is a better value.  You could easily afford to buy a hard carrying case with the money you would be save buying the HP50.  Also the HP50 has more of the sound signature you are looking for.  Not only does the HP50 have more bass but it also puts out more volume without making the midrange sound recessed.  I haven't demo'ed the AKG K845BT so I can't advise you on that headphone.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

  You can't go wrong with the NAD VISO HP50.  I own both the H6 and the HP50.  Between the two, the HP50 is a better value.  You could easily afford to buy a hard carrying case with the money you would be save buying the HP50.  Also the HP50 has more of the sound signature you are looking for.  Not only does the HP50 have more bass but it also puts out more volume without making the midrange sound recessed.  I haven't demo'ed the AKG K845BT so I can't advise you on that headphone.

Apparently the AKG K545 (K845BT by extension) sound like a mix between the HP50's and the Sennheiser Momentums, According to this video.. This is good, because I prefer their more rounded look compared to the HP50's very square profile and cups.
 
I'll wait for the K545's to be added to this comparrison before making a final decision, but it seems like they might be what I'm looking for. If not, the HP50's may be an alright second choice. 

 

[Dratino]

Apparently the AKG K545 (K845BT by extension) sound like a mix between the HP50's and the Sennheiser Momentums, [COLOR=FF4400]According to this video.[/COLOR]. This is good, because I prefer their more rounded look compared to the HP50's very square profile and cups.

I'll wait for the K545's to be added to this comparrison before making a final decision, but it seems like they might be what I'm looking for. If not, the HP50's may be an alright second choice. 

Don't have the HP50 to compare against, but i can offer a quick companion between the K545 and P7.

The first thing that struck me in the K545 was the bass, as it was more impactful that I had expected, which was a nice surprise as I have heard that AKG headphones tend to be bass light. That said, the bass was never overpowering , although it could be a tad tighter (the P7 bass is tight and well controlled for me). Doesn't extend as deep as the P7 as well, but still good overall.

After getting over the initial bass surprise, the mids started to come out nicely. The mids are quite rich sounding, with a similar tonality to my AD900x, which is an open back headphones. I'd imagine the mids being not as forward as the Momentums (based on impressions of listening to Momentums in store), but definitely not as backward as the P7s. This also gives the impression of a large wider soundstage than the Momentums. Soundstaging sounds pretty much on par with the P7.

Treble is quite well extended, slightly rolled off compared to the P7, but nothing really to complain about.

Fit and comfort wise, I was happy to find that it was extremely easy to get a fit with this headphone. Clamping force is lighter than P7 and exerts no excessive pressure on your ears. However, the earpads are slightly thin, so some people may find parts of their ears touching the inside surface of the driver section. Not a major concern though. The K545 feels a lot lighter than the P7 too. Isolation is not as good as P7 due to thinner earpads and lighter clamp force. While I have no major comfort issues with the P7, I would imagine this being a more comfortable headphones for most people.

Overall i think K545 offers good value, considering it's almost half the price of P7 and about $100(?) cheaper than HP50. Not too sure about prices you can get, but this is based off my memory of Amazon prices. Build quality is pretty good too, with a good mix of plastic and metal.

 

[dweaver]

That is an excellent analysis of the K545 in my opinion. I have been remis at getting my K545 to MH, something I will rectify this week.