[SGMustadio]

Hello,

This is my first post and I can hear my wallet crying already

I am looking for a pair of closed, circumaural headphones that do not require an amp as I plan to use them with my portable player. My absolute maximum is $200, but the less money I spend, the better.

I have done a good amount of research on the following headphones, but any extra input is much appreciated. I am rating headphones based on the following criteria:

-- Isolation (Need a good seal - hate when my ears are pressed against the drivers)
-- Comfort (I like to listem for long hours)
-- Durability (While I'm careful with my stuff, I'm also pretty clumsy)
-- Portability (Not a major issue, but I do fly a good amount)
-- Sound quality (Duh. I'm looking for good, powerful bass, but not overwhelming)

These will be used as all-rounders with the following sounds/music:

-- Music (30% rock, 50% electronic/techno, 10% pop, 10% everything else)
-- Movies (all kinds)
-- Video games (FPS, RTS, RPGs, etc.)

I am leaning toward the Audio-Technicas, so I will use them as my base for comparison. Here is what I've found out thus far on the top headphones in my list:

1) Audio-Technica ATH-A500/A700/A900
Supposedly good, all-rounders. I don't have trained ears (yet), so the a500 will likely sound like the a900 to me at half the price.

- Recessed mids (bad for vocals)
+ Good for gaming (seems to be second to the DT77-80)
- Flimsy? (The 3d-wing design doesn't seem sturdy)
- Expensive repair and replacement parts (in the event I do break them)
- Big!!! (2 packs of 25 CDs on my ears? hmm....)
+ Comfortable (only complaint is the heating of the pleather)
+ Easy to drive (No amp. Sweet.)

2) Sennheiser HD280 Pro
Reported to have a flat frequency response as they are meant for recording. Good or bad?

- Lacking in bass (how does it compare to ATs?)
+/- Flat frequency response (I've seen mixed opinions on this)
+ Foldable (Definite plus, but does it affect...)
- Durability (Plastic headband seems prone to cracking)
+ Easy to drive
+ Really good isolation

3) Sony MDR-V6 (Or MDR-7506)

+ Good bass
+/- Flat frequency response
+ Foldable
- Leather reported to rip on headband
- Not full isolation (without Beyer mod)

4) Ultrasone HFI-550/650
Seems to be little info about these, but do seem to be well liked.

- Recessed mids
+ Small and portable
- Plastic headband (the joint socket looks flimsy)

5) Beyerdynamic DT770-80

+ Lots of bass
- Too much bass
+ Durability (looks like they would win a destruction derby)
- Not very portable
+ Comfortable
+ Great for gaming
+ Good isolation

6) AKG K 271 Studio
Seems to be out of my budget and...

- Requires an amp

7) Sony MDR-D66 "Eggos"

Seems to be a favorite starter model among head-fiers.

+/- Comfort (I've heard mixed reports)
- Durability (Headband cracking, wiring in headbands goes bad)
- Lacking in bass
+ Foldable

These are my notes so far. If anyone can prove/disprove any of my findings, if anyone can add anything, or if anyone can suggest another good, closed, circumaural, sub $200 headphones, I would be most grateful.

Thanks a lot. Searching through here has already been very helpful.

 

[koop]

seems like you are right on the dot with your beyer description.. i actually got them for xmas, and was intending on using them for gaming. but they have TOO much bass (IMO). my primary use was for gaming, and while using voice comm programs (ie ventrilo) peoples voices woud produce way to much bass for my liking. especially when the letters T and P were used.

as for gaming, the loud bass would drown out other sounds that i really needed to hear, ie foot steps at a distance.

taking them back to guitar center asap and i dont know what to get to replace them. as for music they were really fun to listen to. no complaints in that department. but then again im a noob

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Good to see that you did your homework. A900 would be my choice. Don't mind the mids being alittle and I mean alittle recessed. DT 770 bass is better but to much so. Those would be the two I would be interested in.

 

[9kRPM]

I'd say stay away from the HD280's. They were easily one of the most boring set of headphones I've heard. I started out with Sony MDR-V6's a few years back and don't regret the decision at all, they've been great and I don't plan on getting rid of them, so I could reccomend them.


If I were you I'd go with either the MDR-V6 or one of the Audio-Technica's.

 

[Whorehay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9kRPM I'd say stay away from the HD280's. They were easily one of the most boring set of headphones I've heard. I started out with Sony MDR-V6's a few years back and don't regret the decision at all, they've been great and I don't plan on getting rid of them, so I could reccomend them. If I were you I'd go with either the MDR-V6 or one of the Audio-Technica's.

i agree. but if you need ultra portability in a closed headphone, you can't go wrong with the Eggos.


9krpm: s2ki?

 

[muckluck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whorehay i agree. but if you need ultra portability in a closed headphone, you can't go wrong with the Eggos. 9krpm: s2ki?

Just out of curiousity, how small are the eggos exactly?

 

[episiarch]

I think you'd really like the A900. It's super comfortable, easy to drive, and very good sounding. If you don't have refined ears (yet) you will probably not mind its (to me) rather odd midrange coloration. But, while it's not exactly flimsy, it is definitely breakable and if you are tough on your equipment, it's not going to last.

I agree with the "boring" description of the HD280, and will add that I find it really uncomfortable (welcome to head-vise, sorry about your skull). It's sturdy, though, and provides more isolation than any other non-IEM headphone I've tried.

The K271 is pretty neutral and good-sounding, but really not much fun. That is, I find it "objectively" good but subjectively rather blah. Since you're inclined against it anyway for reasons of cost and amplification, I think you can cross it off with few if any regrets.

Have you considered splitting your purchase, and buying an HD201 for the times you need a circumaural headphone, and an IEM for the times you want best fidelity and/or highest isolation and/or greatest portability?

 

[AdamWill]

muck: folded up you can fit a pair of eggos in the pockets of a pair of cargo pants pretty easily. Wouldn't work with jeans, though. That should give you a ballpark idea.

 

[aeowap]

I can't say anything about the other headphones you mentioned (I've never had the pleasure of hearing them), but as for the 280s, the bass does get a whole lot better with a good looooonnnnnnnngg burn-in. If you want to burn headphones in for such a long time. I love'em but if you want portability, then you should look elsewhere. They do provide excellent isolation; I've used them at work on occasion and I could barely hear the sewing machines. It takes all the sounds around you and moves them all out into the next room if that makes sense.
They're not for everyone to be sure.

 

[SGMustadio]

I know this thread sorta died, but I thought that people might like to know how this turned out. I decided to get the ath-a500s (marginal cost outweighed the marginal benefit to upgrade to the a900s - and being a newbie, I would likely not be able to tell the difference apart from the color).

Being too eager to try them, I did not want to wait for a burn-in. So, I plugged them into my portable media player and started up something encoded at 320 kbps. Much to my surprise, they did not sound all that great. A little disappointed, I tried another song. It was this techno song (Bass-hits: Bass 'n Breaks if anyone's heard of it) that my roommate gave to me as it has some of the lowest frequencies I've ever heard. Most low-end equipment won't play those notes and the floor will rumble with large, good subwoofers. That's where I got my first surprise - these headphones easily handle very low frequencies

so much so I had to turn the bass down. However, the bass is not overwhelming, which is definitely a good thing.

After that experience, I started listening more carefully and could pull out individual guitar strings vibrating and such. I know it's nothing much, but I'm still learning

The headphones have definitely grown on me, but I'll do my best from catching upgrade-itis. However, I have a few minor complaints. First, they are HUGE...and I was well-aware of this before buying. The size of the cups is mostly due to the large pleather pads - which leads to the next problem - my head gets a bit sweaty after 20 minutes of listening. I had a pair of Bose Triports (*runs and hides*) before these, and they never made my head this sweaty. Oh well. Finally, the mids are a bit recessed, but a little EQ tweaking helps that to a certain extent on certain types of songs (like those where the vocals are the most important).

On another note, they are extremely comfortable and I think the cloth-like cord is pretty sweet. I have them hooked up to an X-Fi card at the moment, but I haven't tried much gaming. COD 2 seemed to do quite well with decent positioning, but the real test will come when I try something like BF2 or CS.

In the end, I like them a lot - and hopefully more after a good burn-in. My roommate nabbed some Sennheiser HD600s from eBay, and he plans to build an amp for them in a few weeks. Maybe I'll be able to do a side-by-side comparison of the two (but I have a feeling the open 'phones will win).

 

[imported_t_s]

how did these compare with the triports?

 

[SGMustadio]

Unfortunately, I lost my Triports around Thanksgiving, which prompted my search for new headphones - so I can't compare them at the same time. I remember the Triports having a good amount of bass, but it was often overwhelming and seemed kind of muddied. I don't think they could reproduce the same low frequencies that my a500s can, either. But since I don't have them with me right now, I can't really say with any certainty. I do know that they cups were comfy, and the headband wasn't bad for the week or so it wasn't wrapped in electrical tape (I had 2 sets - RMA'd the first for the second - both headbands broke after about a week of normal use).

 

[incognitoedleon]

I'd add another vote to strike the HD280's off the list.

 

[DrOctagon]

Considering your music preferences, and that you'll be using them for gaming and movies, you simply cannot go wrong with the Beyer DT770-80 IMO.