[cel4145]

For rock, demo a pair of Grados. The SR225i are in your price range. I have the M50s, and to me, it's a big difference with all kinds of rock music between them and the SR225i. They do an awesome job with electric guitar because of the excellent transient response. You probably don't need an amp to start as they are fairly easy to drive. But you could always pick up an FiiO E11 if you'd like a portable amp unit and still be within your budget.

 

[MrTheposter]

Will SoundMagic HP 100 headphones work well for all genres and nature recordings?

I want to buy a good pair of closed headphones that will sound good without the use of amps and be comfortable to wear for a few hours at a time if needs be. The headphones will be used for listening to many genres including most types of rock (but nothing to heavy such as Death metal), Jazz, Blues, Country, folk and so on.
 
I will also use the headphones for listening to nature recordings e.g. waterfalls, rivers and birdsong in particular. For birdsong it would be nice to be able to hear all the many sounds from different birds which often happen almost at once and also have a good sense of where the sound is coming from if at all possible. E.g close, far, above, below, left, right. 
 
So far the SoundMagic HP 100's seem like they fit the bill for most things perfectly. I was looking at a few other headphones including the AKG K550 which is just about too expensive and it looked like it didn't fit everyone perfectly.
 
The thing I am most unsure of is how the nature recordings will sound. Can anyone give me advice on whether these headphones will be good for me or perhaps even something else instead.
 
Here is a short 3 minute clip you could use for reference for the nature recordings (I own the full album of this one). The sounds change dramatically over the 3 mins so if anyone does use it please listen to the whole thing before telling me advice on what headphone to get.
https://soundcloud.com/listeningearth/native-birdsong-of-new-zealand

 

[Hifi Man]

Quote:

For rock, demo a pair of Grados. The SR225i are in your price range. I have the M50s, and to me, it's a big difference with all kinds of rock music between them and the SR225i. They do an awesome job with electric guitar because of the excellent transient response. You probably don't need an amp to start as they are fairly easy to drive. But you could always pick up an FiiO E11 if you'd like a portable amp unit and still be within your budget.

I'm thinking I want something more balanced, because rock is not the only genre I listen to. 

 

[cel4145]

I'm thinking I want something more balanced, because rock is not the only genre I listen to. 

You'd be surprised. They can sound very good with other genres, too. The only thing that they don't do is deep sub bass.

 

[Hifi Man]

Quote:

You'd be surprised. They can sound very good with other genres, too. The only thing that they don't do is deep sub bass.

Well, they appear to be on ear headphones (i.e. they would probably hurt). I listen to music every day for probably 10 hours. That's just a number I'm throwing out but I feel pretty certain that I do (I don't actually keep track). Over ear would probably be my best bet. I really like the sennheiser amperior headphones I got, because the sound quality is great (especially clearer than the bose AE2) but they can't be worn for more than a couple hours. 
 
I was looking at the AKG K240, but that one has a cord that's way too long for my iPod, and so does the aht h50. I was hoping for something I could plug into my iPod and walk around the house with. So something like the momentum, akg 550, or v-moda seem like they would be the way to go. However each one seems to have something I don't like about it. I hear the akg 550 isn't good for metal, and neither is the momentum. I also hear that the v-moda has tons of bass, which is no good because I don't listen to dubstep or rap music. 

 

[liquidzoo]

The AKG K240 has a removable cable, so you could always diy a shorter one.

For Grados, though, if you bend the headband a bit they're not too bad. I have the SR225is and I love them. There is zero isolation, though, if that's a concern.

I also have a new headband on the way from jinteddy which should help comfort wise. I haven't decided if I'm going to vent the drivers or not, though I am planning on modding a removable cable onto them.

 

[Hifi Man]

Quote:

The AKG K240 has a removable cable, so you could always diy a shorter one.

For Grados, though, if you bend the headband a bit they're not too bad. I have the SR225is and I love them. There is zero isolation, though, if that's a concern.

I also have a new headband on the way from jinteddy which should help comfort wise. I haven't decided if I'm going to vent the drivers or not, though I am planning on modding a removable cable onto them.

Isolation is not an issue at all. If there's an open full size headphone with a short cord, that can be powered by my go dap GD-03 then that would be better. I hear the grado is kind of uncomfortable. Is there something comparable to the full size, and open design as the AKG K240 that has a short cord? I have a pare of AE2 bose headphones, those are full size and portable, yet have a short cord. There's got to be better headphones than those with similar design that deliver better sound. Would the AKG K240 or aht k50 even be an upgrade? I was thinking about aht m50

 

[jaycee1]

Quote:

Isolation is not an issue at all. If there's an open full size headphone with a short cord, that can be powered by my go dap GD-03 then that would be better. I hear the grado is kind of uncomfortable. Is there something comparable to the full size, and open design as the AKG K240 that has a short cord? I have a pare of AE2 bose headphones, those are full size and portable, yet have a short cord. There's got to be better headphones than those with similar design that deliver better sound. Would the AKG K240 or aht k50 even be an upgrade? I was thinking about aht m50

 
If you want great open sounding headphones, I suggest the koss sportapro's. I've burned them in for about 50 hours and use them with a fiio E6 and sansa clip+.
 
I like my sportapro's better than igrado's, koss portapro's and jvc harx700's. 
 
The sportapro's are very light and comfortable. My only criticism is that the range of adjustment is quite limited: the headband is not for folks with bigger heads. You could connect the drivers to a different headband, however. 
 
At $20, a great value. 

 

[Hifi Man]

woops, I accidentally double posted

 

[Hifi Man]

Quote:

 
If you want great open sounding headphones, I suggest the koss sportapro's. I've burned them in for about 50 hours and use them with a fiio E6 and sansa clip+.
 
I like my sportapro's better than igrado's, koss portapro's and jvc harx700's. 
 
The sportapro's are very light and comfortable. My only criticism is that the range of adjustment is quite limited: the headband is not for folks with bigger heads. You could connect the drivers to a different headband, however. 
 
At $20, a great value. 

I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm looking for over ear headphones, for comfort and a good sound stage. I have a pare of sennheiser hd25 amperior headphones (which I'm thinking about keeping if I can't find better full size headphones). I'm looking to just upgrade. It would be for use around the house. Isolation isn't an issue. I'm not thinking a pare of 20 dollar on ear headphones would match or be an upgrade from my bose AE2 or sennheiser amperior headphones.
 
Maybe I should add my current headphone I own, driver and last fm in my user signature. I was hoping they could be used for my iPod because that's my main source, because I don't sit in one place when I listen to music.
 
I have another question; would the sennheiser momentum or akg 550 sound better than the amperior or AE2? Which one is better for metal, the AKG or sennheiser? I thought I heard those headphones aren't good for metal. Here's my last fm (which I will add to my signature so I don't feel the need to keep posting it) http://www.last.fm/user/metaldiscussor

 

[Hifi Man]

Here's what I want to know. Do full size headphones just sound better as a rule of thumb? I want to know if the AKG k550 or Momentum would sound better than the Sennheiser Amperior headphones. If so, which one would be better for the music I listen to? Which one would be better for metal and using around the house?

 

[cel4145]

Isolation is not an issue at all. If there's an open full size headphone with a short cord, that can be powered by my go dap GD-03 then that would be better. I hear the grado is kind of uncomfortable. Is there something comparable to the full size, and open design as the AKG K240 that has a short cord? I have a pare of AE2 bose headphones, those are full size and portable, yet have a short cord. There's got to be better headphones than those with similar design that deliver better sound. Would the AKG K240 or aht k50 even be an upgrade? I was thinking about aht m50

It really depends on the person. Some people find the Grados uncomfortable. Some don't. The L-Cush pads on the Grado SR225i are more comfortable to me than many on ear headphones I have tried because they are big foam sponges.

As far as comfort for extended use, I prefer open headphones because my ears get warm with over ear closed. You might try the DT880s because of their semi open design and their velour pads. They really do need an amp, though.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

Here's what I want to know. Do full size headphones just sound better as a rule of thumb? I want to know if the AKG k550 or Momentum would sound better than the Sennheiser Amperior headphones. If so, which one would be better for the music I listen to? Which one would be better for metal and using around the house?

 
If you're worried about long cables, why you are looking at the K550 is beyond me. Take it off your list. The Momentum, on the other hand, is a lot closer. Does it sound better than the Amperior? It sounds different. You'd need to try it. If you're looking into the Momentum, you should be looking at the MDR-1R and UE 6000. For this particular segment, I always recommend the MDR-1R for all-around use. I think it will work the best for you.
 
Check out InnerFidelity's Wall of Fame for more info on the closed-back, full-sized cans that appear on it (which all I recommended above do).

 

[roawh]

Hi, I am looking for some advice to narrow down the choices for some new headphones for the office. Here are my specifications:
 
-Comfortable. I usually listen to several hours of music / audio a day at work, sometimes more. I will be taking the headphones off, but I will want to wear them for at least 1-2hr straight.
-Portable enough. I am looking at some models that fold, but that's not an absolute must. I need something that is going to be light enough to carry around, lighter is probably better. I'm not absolutely against around-ear, but I have some full size headphones at home and I don't think I want that for work. I also have IEMs already so I am mainly looking at over-ears.
-Isolation. I would like some sound isolation, but not to the point of IEMs or noise cancelling. There is some ambient noise I would be fine blocking out, but I don't want to be totally in the zone since I will have people coming by from time to time during the day. That's the main reason I don't want to use my IEMs at work, they are more of a hassle to take on and off and isolate too much.
-Cost. I started this search when I saw the Bose OE (original), they have most of my wants in that they are light, comfortable, foldable, probably have ok sound for what I'm looking for. Problem is they are $110. I have found cans that might work ranging in price from $20 to $100. Let's stay in that range, but I won't complain if they are cheap.
-Durability. I'm good w/ light plastics, I just don't want something that is going to have a cord failure w/in a year or something like that (that's the main reason I haven't pulled the plug already on some of the Sennheiser portables). Need something that will be okay being moved around frequently.
-Music I listen to. I listen to IDM but I don't listen to a lot of bass heavy music (e.g. EDM), I like metal of various kinds, some prog rock, some classical (piano, so it would be nice if the cans I get are clear enough for that), then a bunch of pop/indie rock/folk/alternative/etc.
-Device: I will be listening on an iPod. As long as the cans can drive it then I'm fine. Most of the ones I've looked at are specifically for portables anyway.
 
I'm not an audiophile and I have only bought two pairs of headphones so far that are worth anything. I have ATH-T400s (full size) and CX-300-IIs (IEM). With that in mind I'm not going to be picky about particular sound profiles etc as long as the headphones are pretty balanced I'll be fine.
 
Some of the headphones I'm looking at are (price low to high):
 
Sony MDRZX300 - these don't fold, but are cheap and have positive reviews. I'm curious about the comfort
JVC HA-S400- pretty much like the sonys in look but they fold. I browsed the thread but I don't want to mod them. I am mainly concerned about their comfort level. One of the front runners due to value though.
Sennheiser PX100-II - like I mentioned earlier, a little concerned about the cord problems, and also how much noise they can keep out
Sennhsier HD229 - my main turnoff is the colors on these, and they don't seem to have a lot of following
JVC HAS500 - similar to the 400s, would have to import then from Japan and cost 2x as much, if these are comfortable enough they might be a good choice though since I've read a lot of positives on the sound.
Sennheiser PX200-II - they are closed so they might work a little better than the 100s, but same cord issue and now we are getting towards $60 in price
Ultrasone HFI-15G - i have read mixed reviews about the soundstage on these, but i am definitely considering them
AKG K422 - these seem decent for the price, just don't know much about them
Sennheiser HD239 - I like the look of these a lot, but they are $100+, barely cheaper than the bose, also they aren't as portable as some of the other ones on the list
Bose OE1 - again, trying to find something comparable for less
 
There are some well reviewed full size cans in my budget (e.g. M30s, AKG K240), but I think I'd like something lighter and easier to transport. I am definitely open to other suggestions
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[MarcoGV]

Quote:

Hi, I am looking for some advice to narrow down the choices for some new headphones for the office. Here are my specifications:
 
-Comfortable. I usually listen to several hours of music / audio a day at work, sometimes more. I will be taking the headphones off, but I will want to wear them for at least 1-2hr straight.
-Portable enough. I am looking at some models that fold, but that's not an absolute must. I need something that is going to be light enough to carry around, lighter is probably better. I'm not absolutely against around-ear, but I have some full size headphones at home and I don't think I want that for work. I also have IEMs already so I am mainly looking at over-ears.
-Isolation. I would like some sound isolation, but not to the point of IEMs or noise cancelling. There is some ambient noise I would be fine blocking out, but I don't want to be totally in the zone since I will have people coming by from time to time during the day. That's the main reason I don't want to use my IEMs at work, they are more of a hassle to take on and off and isolate too much.
-Cost. I started this search when I saw the Bose OE (original), they have most of my wants in that they are light, comfortable, foldable, probably have ok sound for what I'm looking for. Problem is they are $110. I have found cans that might work ranging in price from $20 to $100. Let's stay in that range, but I won't complain if they are cheap.
-Durability. I'm good w/ light plastics, I just don't want something that is going to have a cord failure w/in a year or something like that (that's the main reason I haven't pulled the plug already on some of the Sennheiser portables). Need something that will be okay being moved around frequently.
-Music I listen to. I listen to IDM but I don't listen to a lot of bass heavy music (e.g. EDM), I like metal of various kinds, some prog rock, some classical (piano, so it would be nice if the cans I get are clear enough for that), then a bunch of pop/indie rock/folk/alternative/etc.
-Device: I will be listening on an iPod. As long as the cans can drive it then I'm fine. Most of the ones I've looked at are specifically for portables anyway.
 
I'm not an audiophile and I have only bought two pairs of headphones so far that are worth anything. I have ATH-T400s (full size) and CX-300-IIs (IEM). With that in mind I'm not going to be picky about particular sound profiles etc as long as the headphones are pretty balanced I'll be fine.
 
Some of the headphones I'm looking at are (price low to high):
 
Sony MDRZX300 - these don't fold, but are cheap and have positive reviews. I'm curious about the comfort
JVC HA-S400- pretty much like the sonys in look but they fold. I browsed the thread but I don't want to mod them. I am mainly concerned about their comfort level. One of the front runners due to value though.
Sennheiser PX100-II - like I mentioned earlier, a little concerned about the cord problems, and also how much noise they can keep out
Sennhsier HD229 - my main turnoff is the colors on these, and they don't seem to have a lot of following
JVC HAS500 - similar to the 400s, would have to import then from Japan and cost 2x as much, if these are comfortable enough they might be a good choice though since I've read a lot of positives on the sound.
Sennheiser PX200-II - they are closed so they might work a little better than the 100s, but same cord issue and now we are getting towards $60 in price
Ultrasone HFI-15G - i have read mixed reviews about the soundstage on these, but i am definitely considering them
AKG K422 - these seem decent for the price, just don't know much about them
Sennheiser HD239 - I like the look of these a lot, but they are $100+, barely cheaper than the bose, also they aren't as portable as some of the other ones on the list
Bose OE1 - again, trying to find something comparable for less
 
There are some well reviewed full size cans in my budget (e.g. M30s, AKG K240), but I think I'd like something lighter and easier to transport. I am definitely open to other suggestions
 
Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with many of the headphones you mention.  I use the HA-S400 often, mainly as a portable headphone.  (I keep it in my backpack.)  You may also consider the Beyerdynamic DT-235 which may be a little more comfortable.  (Remember, however, that comfort is a very subjective thing.)  The DT-235, however, has a long cable and is less efficient than the HA-S400.  All considered, it seems that you may want to try the HA-S400; it is priced lower than almost all your other choices, it is knows for its transient speed and good dynamic contrast (which should help with IDM), and it is portable.  You strategy may be to get it and decide whether to complement it later with something more substantial but less portable (like a CAL!).