[grantdude]

Hi all, 
I am very new to the headphone world. My work recently moved to one of those "open concept" offices. There are no walls between departments, low partitions between cubicles, etc. So now when my co workers talk, I hear every word, which is killing my productivity. 
 
So I started thinking to myself, "I need some headphones to help me block out all the chatter so I can actually get some work done!"
And hence the headphone search.
 
I'm not ashamed to say that I started off by looking at Beats. Ok maybe a little bit ashamed. But as a rookie to the headphone world, Beats is the brand with the most visibility. I very quickly got over the Beats and started looking for something that actually sounds good.
 
Budget wise, I'm looking for something at or below $350.
And I do want to get a pair that looks somewhat good, which is why I don't want anything Bose because no matter how good they sound, they look like something my dad would wear.
 
Anyway, I narrowed down my choices to:
Sennheiser Momentum
Sony MDR-1R
V-Moda M-100
 
In the process I eliminated:
Audio Technica M50 (headband hurts my head)
Shure SRH940 (heard the plastic joint between headband & cup breaks easily)
AKG K550 (sounds good, but the earcups are SO big I'm afraid it might look unprofessional in an office environment)
 
1. Out of my short list, which ones do you guys like?
 
2. Do you have other recommendations that you think I'm obviously missing? And if you live in the Vancouver area, do you know where I can go to try them out?
 
I would really appreciate some help from the crowd here! Thank you!

 

[SoundFreaq]

Hi there,
 
What are you favorite genres of music?
 
And how do you like your bass? reach low, have impact, be more natural...
 
The M100 do have small vents which do leak a little sound more than the next closed headphone. But they still isolate pretty well, and leak sound minimally. Is that a problem that they might be a tad louder to others?

 

[Tman5293]

We need to know your music preferences before we can suggest a headphone for you. Of the three you listed, in my opinion, the M-100 is the best looking headphone. Whether or not it is the best sounding is entirely up to you and your music preferences.

 

[cel4145]

Have you seen the reviews linked to from the Innerfidelity Wall of Fame page: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-full-size-sealed ?

They may help you make your decision.

 

[reeshahn]

If you are so annoyed by your chatterbox coworkers maybe you should look for something with active noise cancellation. There is an article here about noise isolation/cancelling headphones: http://lifehacker.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-noise-cancelling-headphones-511026873

 

[grantdude]

Quote:

Hi there,
 
What are you favorite genres of music?
 
And how do you like your bass? reach low, have impact, be more natural...
 
The M100 do have small vents which do leak a little sound more than the next closed headphone. But they still isolate pretty well, and leak sound minimally. Is that a problem that they might be a tad louder to others?

 
The genre is a problem for me. I like all kinds of music so...
I like the V-Moda for its bass.
I like the Sennheiser for its clarity.
I like the Sony because for me it feels like a compromise between the V-Moda and the Sennheiser. And it is so comfortable to wear too.
 
So basically, all 3 sound good to me. I was hoping that the experts here can either point out something that a rookie like me may have missed with these 3, or recommend something that, based on the 3 I already picked, might also fit my needs.
 
For example, "out of these 3 I would pick A over B and C because A has a better <insert quality that I may have missed>"
Or "yuck I can't believe you're considering B because I bought one a while ago and I had to return it the day after because <insert problem>"
Or "you can also try headphone X from brand Y because it's very similar to one of the 3 that you've picked."
 
And your comment on the M-100 is very helpful. That's a point that I never picked up on. Next time I try the M-100 I'm gonna make my wife stand 3 feet from me and tell me if she can hear it. Because, yes, my whiny co-workers would definitely complain about something like that. *eye roll*

 

[grantdude]

Quote:

Have you seen the reviews linked to from the Innerfidelity Wall of Fame page: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-full-size-sealed ?

They may help you make your decision.

OMG the first 4 on its list are the ones that I've considered. Thank you so much for the link!

 

[grantdude]

Quote:

If you are so annoyed by your chatterbox coworkers maybe you should look for something with active noise cancellation. There is an article here about noise isolation/cancelling headphones: http://lifehacker.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-noise-cancelling-headphones-511026873

Thanks for the suggestion. I did look at noise cancelling headphones in the beginning, and decided against it (bluetooth too). I just don't want to deal with changing batteries or charging the thing. And they usually cost more

 

[grantdude]

Quote:

We need to know your music preferences before we can suggest a headphone for you. Of the three you listed, in my opinion, the M-100 is the best looking headphone. Whether or not it is the best sounding is entirely up to you and your music preferences.

Are you happy with your M-100? How long have you had it, and do you have any problems with it, subjectively or objectively?

 

[cel4145]

OMG the first 4 on its list are the ones that I've considered. Thank you so much for the link!

I was afraid you had seen it because of that. Yeah. Those are all three great headphones.

The genre is a problem for me. I like all kinds of music so...
I like the V-Moda for its bass.
I like the Sennheiser for its clarity.
I like the Sony because for me it feels like a compromise between the V-Moda and the Sennheiser. And it is so comfortable to wear too.

So basically, all 3 sound good to me. I was hoping that the experts here can either point out something that a rookie like me may have missed with these 3, or recommend something that, based on the 3 I already picked, might also fit my needs.

Nope. Your personal tastes trump almost anything we can tell you here. Many of the people on head-fi are trying to buy without hearing them. But that can only get someone about 80% of the way there. Now the choice is up to you because you have heard the ones you are considering. The only thing I would suggest is that comfort might win out in the long run if you plan on wearing them for many hours a day.

 

[Tman5293]

Quote:

Are you happy with your M-100? How long have you had it, and do you have any problems with it, subjectively or objectively?

 
I love my M-100. Exactly what I was looking for in a set of cans. I was looking for something durable, stylish, isolating, and good sounding. They are by far the best sounding headphones I've ever owned. I listen to a lot of electronic music as well as rock, classic rock, and alternative. The V-MODAs sound good on pretty much everything I listen to. I have no real complaints about them. They are built like a tank and sound great. I've had them for about 3 months and I've had no issues with them. 

 

[grantdude]

What does everyone think of the [size=12.727272033691406px]beyerdynamic custom one pro?[/size]