[Assorted]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blehmann /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am surprised that nobody suggested some of the really inexpensive, albeit quite different, popular listening devices around here. You can buy the koss ksc-75 for 1/10 of the price a900, the senn px100 for a quarter of the price, ditto the creative 630/senn cx300, and so on. These are very different from cans but all have very good sound that is suitable for riding on a bus to different degrees. Find yourself a good audio shop to try out some of the budget favorites around here. There are quite a few.

If he wasn't impressed by the 280 Pro, I wouldn't think he'd be impressed with other budget cans.

 

[JadeEast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindibadgi /img/forum/go_quote.gif And I was not all that impressed. I've been listening to them all the time since (barring 6 hours of sleeping last night).

While they may not have impressed you or wowed you the fact
is they were enjoyable enough to listen to for hours at a time
, that says something positive they have a non fatiguing presentation
and are comfortable while not immediately in your face impressive they
are still a good qualities in a headphone.

 

[The Pieman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif If he wasn't impressed by the 280 Pro, I wouldn't think he'd be impressed with other budget cans.

I disagree with this. Before I bought my A900's, I tried out some 280 Pro. I did not like them as I found them extremely muddy to my ears. The A900's are like chalk and cheese in comparison. But that is my opinion. I am sure that there are plenty of people out there that prefer the 280s. Too most people on the street spending $200 on headphones is not budget!

One other point is that even though I did not particularly like the 280s, they were light years ahead of anything else I had listened to at the time including Sony, Bose and others. I am relatively new at Head-Fi, but I have learnt quickly that the law of diminishing returns is very applicable to headphones.

To the OP, trust me, you will not be wearing A900's on the street!!

The best wine is the one that tastes best to you.

cheers
Simon

 

[bindibadgi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pieman /img/forum/go_quote.gif To the OP, trust me, you will not be wearing A900's on the street!!

But why? I've caught the bus with garbage bags full of shredded paper before and nobody looked at me strangely. I'm not afraid to look out of place!

 

[The Pieman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindibadgi /img/forum/go_quote.gif But why? I've caught the bus with garbage bags full of shredded paper before and nobody looked at me strangely. I'm not afraid to look out of place!

You weren't wearing the garbage bags!

But seriously they would not and are not the most practical headphones for the street. I would recommend the HD25-1s. Sure they are tight as in clamping, but I have an very big noggin and I got used to them very quickly. They are very good cans for any situation. They do loosen up after a while.

 

[toolhead]

I really can't believe the level of pretentious advice that has been given on this thread...

First, don't worry about not being impressed by the 280 Pro's. Everyone's ears are different. When you find the right set of headphones, you'll know it. I guarantee that it will impress you. It's not simply a matter of cost, but is a matter of your taste in music, sensitivity to particular frequencies (I can't stand bright sounding headphones or speakers) and matching with your source equipment. Like some of the other posters (ones that I consider to be reasonable), I would strongly encourage you to listen to as many different phones as you can before buying. Buying any audio equipment without listening to it is a complete shot in the dark.

People toss around words like low-fi, mid hi-fi and hi-fi with complete abandon here. If it impresses you, you can think of it as hi-fi, no matter what other meatheads may say about it. If you find that you love Bose headphones, then great! Since none of the rest of us on this site will ever be listening with you, it is only your opinion that matters.

As for the Audio-Technica phones, I was in Japan two weeks ago and had the opportunity to listen to the A500, A700 and A900 headphones. All had very different characteristics. The A500 had emphasized bass, good detail and smooth mids/highs. The A700 had a really emphasized midrange and was far too bright for my taste. The A900 had nice detail, good bass (not as big or emphasized as the A500), but was still a bit bright for my taste. After listening to them all on 3 seperate days, I decided on the A500 (GASP!). It really was the most pleasant listening experience of the 3. I listen to the phones every day and am extremely happy with my purchase.

As for wearing them out in public, yes you will be conspicuous. They are HUGE. I wore mine in the airport lounge and on the two plane rides home. I also had my Shure e3c phones with me, but really preferred the comfort of the AT's and was pretty geeked out on them, so I didn't care what I looked like. A couple of people laughed at me (they stopped just shy of pointing at me), but I didn't care. I don't know if I would wear them on the bus, but I will probably take them with me on my trip to China in a couple of weeks. I think the great advantage to headphones is their portability (even these phones).

Just for the record, I listen to a wide variety of rock/electronic music (particularly metal/hard/industrial and house/trip hop/slowgrind). My portable source is a Zen Micro, I don't amp it and I listen to MP3s ripped at 320kpbs). At home I prefer to listen to a speaker based system (to me there is no replacement for moving large amounts of air).

Good luck with it all. Have fun and enjoy whatever you buy!

 

[uraflit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolhead /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really can't believe the level of pretentious advice that has been given on this thread... First, don't worry about not being impressed by the 280 Pro's. Everyone's ears are different. When you find the right set of headphones, you'll know it. I guarantee that it will impress you. It's not simply a matter of cost, but is a matter of your taste in music, sensitivity to particular frequencies (I can't stand bright sounding headphones or speakers) and matching with your source equipment. Like some of the other posters (ones that I consider to be reasonable), I would strongly encourage you to listen to as many different phones as you can before buying. Buying any audio equipment without listening to it is a complete shot in the dark. People toss around words like low-fi, mid hi-fi and hi-fi with complete abandon here. If it impresses you, you can think of it as hi-fi, no matter what other meatheads may say about it. If you find that you love Bose headphones, then great! Since none of the rest of us on this site will ever be listening with you, it is only your opinion that matters. As for the Audio-Technica phones, I was in Japan two weeks ago and had the opportunity to listen to the A500, A700 and A900 headphones. All had very different characteristics. The A500 had emphasized bass, good detail and smooth mids/highs. The A700 had a really emphasized midrange and was far too bright for my taste. The A900 had nice detail, good bass (not as big or emphasized as the A500), but was still a bit bright for my taste. After listening to them all on 3 seperate days, I decided on the A500 (GASP!). It really was the most pleasant listening experience of the 3. I listen to the phones every day and am extremely happy with my purchase. As for wearing them out in public, yes you will be conspicuous. They are HUGE. I wore mine in the airport lounge and on the two plane rides home. I also had my Shure e3c phones with me, but really preferred the comfort of the AT's and was pretty geeked out on them, so I didn't care what I looked like. A couple of people laughed at me (they stopped just shy of pointing at me), but I didn't care. I don't know if I would wear them on the bus, but I will probably take them with me on my trip to China in a couple of weeks. I think the great advantage to headphones is their portability (even these phones). Just for the record, I listen to a wide variety of rock/electronic music (particularly metal/hard/industrial and house/trip hop/slowgrind). My portable source is a Zen Micro, I don't amp it and I listen to MP3s ripped at 320kpbs). At home I prefer to listen to a speaker based system (to me there is no replacement for moving large amounts of air). Good luck with it all. Have fun and enjoy whatever you buy!

wow. the a500/a700/a900 with these (big?) differences? i would've never known! but yea, you'll never know what you'll like til you try it. that's why i suggested you get a $20 pair of headphones... ksc75s... then come back and tell us what you like/dislike about them. at least, that way you can be pointed into some sort of direction

 

[catscratch]

There's nothing wrong with your hearing. The HD280 lacks bass. The highs and mids are quite nice but there's no weight whatsoever in the lower registers unless you really amp them with something that blows the bass out of proportion. The very deep bass is quite audible however; it's the mid and upper bass that's lacking. I would consider the HD280 decent for a $60 headphone, but it's not a good headphone overall; the defective headband only adds to the problem. I got them for a friend's birthday, and I'm wishing I didn't.

The A900 will sound much, much better overall. It will put the bass back in and will give you a much wider soundstage. It can be a touch bright at times and the midrange is a bit brighter/more nasal than what I would consider natural, but it's a solid $200 headphone. There are better sounding ones out there at the price but they require amplification and dedicated systems, whereas the A900 will sound good out of just about anything.

The only impediment to using these headphones outside is that they're huge! Two massive cushy pillows on your head. You'll look like an alien walking around with them in the street, and having them around your neck is fine... if you're a giraffe or have one of those extendable E.T. style neck deals. Otherwise, they're a tad too big for the purpose.

If you don't like them, you can always sell them here in the For Sale/Trade forums, and get something else.

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif If he wasn't impressed by the 280 Pro, I wouldn't think he'd be impressed with other budget cans.

Notice the odd one out in this graph? They start rolling off at 300hz! It's unbelievable. The 280 Pro is a headphone I would think twice about recommending to anyone, least of all recommending them to someone as their first taste of hi-fi.

Note that all the other headphones compared in that graph are budget phones.

 

[bindibadgi]

Thanks again guys. Today I got a chance to briefly (my wife was waiting) try out the Senn HD 25-1 and the Beyerdynamic DT-770-80 Pro against the 280s. My conclusion was that the Beyer really needs an amp, so it's unfortunately out (it was really comfortable), and I didn't really find the 25-1 to be that comfy. If I thought that after the short time I had them on, I'm not sure about long listening.

Do the 25-1's stretch out and get more comfy? Would velour pads make a huge difference (or would they ruin the isolation)?

Any thoughts on how the ATH-ES7 would stack up here? That's really what I'm considering if I can't justify the a-900s.

I still think I'd like the a-900s though. If it helps, I see no reason at all why I wouldn't go out and about wearing the DT-770s, and I could wear them around my neck as well. How do the a-900s compare to those in the portability stakes?

 

[EsJee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cylanes /img/forum/go_quote.gif Step 1. Get good music Step 2. Get in a good listening position (Very comfortable chair) Step 3. Get some liquids to keep system fluent Step 4. Dim the lights in the room Step 5. Start the music Step 6. Listen to it like you never listen before. Step 7. Relax Step 8. Enjoy Step 9. Enjoy Step 10. Do NOT fall asleep

after step 5 i was waiting for step 6 to be "gaze deeply into her eyes and tell her how beautiful she is"

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EsJee /img/forum/go_quote.gif after step 5 i was waiting for step 6 to be "gaze deeply into her eyes and tell her how beautiful she is"

LOL.