[rage3324]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed. I spent a few years looking for an ideal, portable, folding pair of closed headphones for air travel and finally gave up on them when I looked into cheap IEMs and realized that they worked rather well and were extremely portable.

Well everyone seems to be saying to get IEMs.. grr.. another thing is that I want to have a set of cans I can use while at my hotel.

So I am being told there is no comparable set of closed air portable cans comparable to my ad700s in that price range? I paid 104 for my add700s and love them..

 

[Voltron]

Why don't you try on of the Audio Technica A500/A700/A900 closed lineup? If you like the AD700 then I imagine you would like the overall sound of the A700 even though it is different because it is closed. A700 is $126 on Amazon right now. Otherwise, for the money you want to spend, I would look for Senn HD25-1 IIs.

 

[rage3324]

Do the a700s or sd hd25 fold?

 

[Uncle Erik]

How about the Sony MDR-V6? They're closed, fold up (even come with a storage bag) and sell from $50-$75 or so. They're widely used for studio and professional work, too. I had a pair for years that I really enjoyed. Isolation is fairly good, but not as good as an IEM. You might be able to find a pair at a bricks-and-mortar store, too. Take along your iPod and give them a listen before you buy.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rage3324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do the a700s or sd hd25 fold?

The A700 are not compact at all. The HD25-1 don't fold, but they are pretty small and come with a carry bag. I don't really know them, and have not heard them, but there are some newish portables from both AKG and A-T that you could check out.

If you want to consider noise cancelling cans, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 get a lot of love and come ready for travel.

 

[scompton]

I had the same problem as PuffyElvis with active noise cancellation. It creates pressure on your ears that, at least for me, is no less comfortable than comfortable IEMs. I currently use the UM1. I recently used them on a 7.5 hour flight without a problem. They really don't go far in your ear so they're not uncomfortable. I spent a couple of years looking for a full sized headphone that isolates good enough for my subway commute. The HD280 was the best I could find and it isn't good enough. Even though the UM1 is one of the worst isolating IEMs, it isolates better than the HD280.

I did hear the ATH-ANC7 at a meet and they cut almost all of the sound of the meet. From what I've read, they work well on planes.

 

[rage3324]

What about the Beyerdynamic DT770.. they come with a case. How tough are they and how big are they?

 

[felichella]

try Sennheiser HD-205

 

[BruteFM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rage3324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What about the Beyerdynamic DT770.. they come with a case. How tough are they and how big are they?

They're pretty big. Look at my avatar.

I wouldn't recommend traveling with them.

 

[ph0rk]

I'd suggest the HD-25.

The problem is, no headphone small enough you'd want to either carry it around on trips or be seen wearing it will isolate more than ~15db - IEMS dominate the isolation category.


Why not a pair of IEMS for the plane and a small pair of phones for the hotel?

 

[rage3324]

Quote:

Originally Posted by felichella /img/forum/go_quote.gif try Sennheiser HD-205

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruteFM /img/forum/go_quote.gif They're pretty big. Look at my avatar. I wouldn't recommend traveling with them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd suggest the HD-25. The problem is, no headphone small enough you'd want to either carry it around on trips or be seen wearing it will isolate more than ~15db - IEMS dominate the isolation category. Why not a pair of IEMS for the plane and a small pair of phones for the hotel?

I thought about getting a pair of IEMS and then a set of grados for the hotel/home and selling my ad700s. It is just that I will be listening more on the plane than in my hotel and do not want to miss out on the sound quality and sound stage of cans.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rage3324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought about getting a pair of IEMS and then a set of grados for the hotel/home and selling my ad700s. It is just that I will be listening more on the plane than in my hotel and do not want to miss out on the sound quality and sound stage of cans.

IEMs have no deficiency in terms of sound quality, and someone else would have to speak to soundstage, as I never hear one (I don't hear one with speakers either, only the real world). At least not a soundstage that overrides the knowledge I have a pair of two channel headphones on. Then again, I don't get the blobby in my head feeling with headphones without crossfeed, either.

You are going to have to either compromise on the plane, compromise on the room, or spend more - there is no magic bullet headphone that is small, compact, isolates like an IEM and sounds like an open headphone. If there was, it would probably cost more than a pair of IEMs and a room headphone put together.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

If not using my IEM on planes, I can't imagine not using active noise canceling. I have my ATH-ANC7 for that, and they do a good job on planes when I don't want my ears all stuffed up. They did take over 200 hours to burn-in and open up and lose some of that "closed" sound (but not all). In the end, they are still better than my old Bose QC and QC2 were, but not as good sounding as the HD25-1 or HFI-780 which would be my other choices for non-NC phones that isolate well.

 

[psyllium]

I've used some AKG K81DJ (now K581DJ) on plane trips and they work quite well at isolating. Comfort is the major drawback... this problem can be slightly alleviated by getting a pair of velour pads made for the Senn HD25 - they fit straight on. They are very bass heavy with recessed mids, but to my ears they still sound good, especially for the price and portability aspects.