Hello - great forum and posters you have here. Kudos on all of that.
I come to all of you, hat in hand, asking your advice before spending 10x more on headphones than I ever have in the past.
Nothing new around here, I'm sure. I currently have Senn HD201's and really like them.
Here's the breakdown:
Budget: $300 +- 10%
Uses (in order): Xbox360, TV/movies, music. (Sitting back about 12 feet or so from the tv, would like wireless)
Considering: Sennheiser 555/595 with Astro Mixamp 5.8, zalman clip-on mic
Music genres: interested in most things that aren't hip-hop, rap, techno, or country
I'm not a big bass-head, so that's not my main consideration, I don't want it to be missing, but I prefer subtlety I guess. The 201's lack bass, yes, I still like their sound but it would be nice to have just a tad more.
I'm afraid to pull the trigger though, am I getting the right multi-purpose headphone? Is the 595 worth $65 more than the 555? Their Amazon prices are $150 for the 595 and $85 for the 555. It's the same driver and housing aside from a little foam pad from what I've read. Are the earcups the same? Comfort level? Is the mixamp 5.8 my best solution?
I started out thinking I'd like to watch tv or play games at a reasonable level while my wife sleeps. After looking at other Senns online b/c I like my 201's, I found the 555/595. About to buy them and I noticed someone complaining about sound leak, then I learned what "open/closed" means and I've been digging through forums & reviews for a week straight. Everything I read suggests open is better, and my wife is a solid sleeper, so if what she hears is as loud as our tv at a reasonable level but what I'm hearing is loads better, then it's win-win. Better quality audio in the bedroom without having to bother with a surround setup. And I really like the idea of the surround processing and wireless nature of the mixamp 5.8. The other main reason for the mixamp is its ability to mix adjust the voice chat level independently of game audio. I've found that using headphones and selecting "send chat audio through speakers" on the xbox provides terrible results.
But you're the experts. What do you think?