[KG Jag]

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So, my budget's magically doubled, and my max limit is $100 (not a penny more).  With that said, I think again I've narrowed it down to two potential sets of headphones.
 
Creative Aurvana Live! vs Philips Citiscape Downtown
 
So, the criteria I'm looking for are: isolation (in terms of preventing leakage), good for 80s/90s music (must have a MEAN electric guitar), must be relatively portable, and should not overemphasize the bass EXCESSIVELY.  Good soundstage and instrumental separation would be a big plus.  Good looks would also be preferable.

 
In terms of isolation, the Philips win.  They are bassy.  The CAL! has a more natural balanced sound, although aren't exactly neutral.  See:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/philips-citiscape-downtown
 
and
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate

 

[Slivortal]

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In terms of isolation, the Philips win.  They are bassy.  The CAL! has a more natural balanced sound, although aren't exactly neutral.  See:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/philips-citiscape-downtown
 
and
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate

Thanks - I've looked at the same reviews, and found that the matchup is rather close.  Are the CAL!s as comfortable as the Philips purportedly are?

 

[KG Jag]

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Thanks - I've looked at the same reviews, and found that the matchup is rather close.  Are the CAL!s as comfortable as the Philips purportedly are?

 Can't compare them, but can tell you that the CAL! is very comfortable.

 

[devhen]

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Thanks - I've looked at the same reviews, and found that the matchup is rather close.  Are the CAL!s as comfortable as the Philips purportedly are?

 
Probably not. All on-ear headphones will cause at least some sort of discomfort to your ears during extended listening sessions.
 
Edit-- Sorry, I had that backwards. What I meant to say was that the Philips Citiscape Downtown probably isn't as comfortable as the CAL!, at least during long listening sessions, unless the CAL! are too small to fit all the way around your ears.

 

[Slivortal]

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 Can't compare them, but can tell you that the CAL! is very comfortable.

Alright, thanks.  So you enjoy the CAL!, then?  Would they be your pick at $100? (Everyone keeps telling me they go for $60, but I don't see where...)
 
Also, how bassy are the Downtowns?  Are we talking about a bit of extra bass, or an extremely powerful bass that drowns out the rest of your music?
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Probably not. All on-ear headphones will cause at least some sort of discomfort to your ears during extended listening sessions.

I assume you mean over-ears?  I've never heard bad things about the comfort of on-ear headphones...

 

[matko666]

Hi guys, I bought Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm version for producing & mixing progressive house, im doing this about a 2 months. So I came across this forum and read some reviews, do you think that I bought the right ones ? I love how they sound but I read that 990 PROs got better bass and sound stage, and in my country they are just slightly more expensive, only 10 €. So should I give them back and order 990s Pro ?  And when I dont produce I mainly listen to progressive house, dubstep and some classical piano tracks for inspiration.

 

[lostmage]

It appears that you are posting in the wrong place.  This is the full sized headphones section of the forum.

Oh, sorry about that. Would there happen to be a recommendations thread for the portable section?

 

[KG Jag]

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Alright, thanks.  So you enjoy the CAL!, then?  Would they be your pick at $100? (Everyone keeps telling me they go for $60, but I don't see where...)
 
Also, how bassy are the Downtowns?  Are we talking about a bit of extra bass, or an extremely powerful bass that drowns out the rest of your music?

I assume you mean over-ears?  I've never heard bad things about the comfort of on-ear headphones...

 
The CAL! has gone up in price, but is an improved clone of a now discontinued & well regarded Denon model that cost over $100.  I would select them over the Philips due to sound signature, but that will vary from person to person.

 

[devhen]

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I assume you mean over-ears?  I've never heard bad things about the comfort of on-ear headphones...

 
Its impossible to put pressure on your outer ears (the way all on-ear headphones do) without causing discomfort after a certain amount of time. I've never worn a pair of on-ear headphones that didn't start to hurt my ears after about 2 hours, sometimes after just 1 hour and sometimes even sooner based on their clamping force.
 
You're probably getting on-ear and over-ear confused. That's probably my fault because I initially misread your post. What I meant to say was that the Philips are most likely not as comfortable as the CAL!, at least during extended listening sessions, because they are on-ear while the CAL! are over-ear. Of course, that's assuming that the CAL! are large enough to fit completely around your ears.

 

[KG Jag]

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Oh, sorry about that. Would there happen to be a recommendations thread for the portable section?

 I'm sure it's still there in the portable IEM section of the forum.

 

[Slivortal]

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The CAL! has gone up in price, but is an improved clone of a now discontinued & well regarded Denon model that cost over $100.  I would select them over the Philips due to sound signature, but that will vary from person to person.

Have you had any issues with the CAL!'s durability?  The wires in particular look a bit on the flimsy side.
 
 
Quote:

 
Its impossible to put pressure on your outer ears (the way all on-ear headphones do) without causing discomfort after a certain amount of time. I've never worn a pair of on-ear headphones that didn't start to hurt my ears after about 2 hours, sometimes after just 1 hour and sometimes even sooner based on their clamping force.
 
You're probably getting on-ear and over-ear confused. That's probably my fault because I initially misread your post. What I meant to say was that the Philips are most likely not as comfortable as the CAL!, at least during extended listening sessions, because they are on-ear while the CAL! are over-ear. Of course, that's assuming that the CAL! are large enough to fit completely around your ears.

I've had on-ear headphones before (a rather poor Skullcandy pair), and didn't really have any irritation at all.  I have heard that over-ear headphones can cause ears to become hot/sweaty, though - thus the question.

 

[devhen]

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The CAL! has gone up in price, but is an improved clone of a now discontinued & well regarded Denon model that cost over $100.  I would select them over the Philips due to sound signature, but that will vary from person to person.

 
Its also manufactured by Fostex, if that makes you feel any better about buying a headphone from a computer peripherals company. I know it would for me.

 

[KG Jag]

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Have you had any issues with the CAL!'s durability?  The wires in particular look a bit on the flimsy side.

 
I haven't but they are not made for rough treatment.

 

[Slivortal]

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Its also manufactured by Fostex, if that makes you feel any better about buying a headphone from a computer peripherals company. I know it would for me.

That's good to know, thanks.
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I haven't but they are not made for rough treatment.

It wouldn't exactly be "rough" treatment, but could they stand being tossed in a bag, or haphazardly carried along with say a laptop?  I'd be mostly taking these wherever my computer goes (thus the need for no leakage).

 

[KG Jag]

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That's good to know, thanks.

It wouldn't exactly be "rough" treatment, but could they stand being tossed in a bag, or haphazardly carried along with say a laptop?  I'd be mostly taking these wherever my computer goes (thus the need for no leakage).

 
Maybe--but I'd pick up a cheap $10 to $20 camera bag or other case to put them in.  Probably a good idea for most $100 cans.  They come with a carry bag, which helps.