[pianoplayer88key]

I'd like:
wide frequency response - my hearing only goes up to 16KHz, but I do want a crisp, clear high treble, and a punchy low bass (under 40 Hz). For an example of what frequencies of low bass I'm talking about, listen to this short clip of a Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano (11KHz mono 8-24kbps(VBR) mp3). (I can't decide what's a good clip to pick from with high frequency content. maybe sometime I'll post in this thread a short clip from something.
circumaural headphones
decent passive noise reduction (i don't like any of the active headphones I've tried, and it'd probably be less quality on other parts of the headphones (for the price I'm willing to pay) if it DID have ANR). For example, I liked some Bose Triports I tried several months ago.
something that i can wear for an extended time without sweating around my ears.
something with which I don't have to crank the volume up high enough to damage my hearing in order to maintain an average 45 to 60dB signal to noise ratio. (I can settle for 30 to 40dB difference when I'm sitting near the engines in an aircraft).
a fairly long cord so I don't keep pulling my portable music/tape/radio/CD players off tables when I'm walking around the room. also a good durable connection is pretty much a must, too. I'd like wireless, but I don't know of any good ones that go at least 500 feet through just about anything with a clear signal and good frequency response.

I may be willing to make some sacrifices (except the price, but TOPS is around $175 to $200 including tax (and if necessary, shipping, but I DO want to try the headphones out in person before I buy them). I may be willing to consider not-new (but must be excellent condition), for example ebay, if I can get a very good deal that would bring headphones that normally go for, say, $300 or more, into my price range.

 

[averydonovan]

I haven't heard these sets, but maybe checkout the Ultrasone HFI-650 or HFI-700. They seem to come closest to your price range, isolation needs, cord length, and possibly sound. They can reportedly be driven off portables reasonably well. But for sub-40Hz bass, that's kind of tough. The Beyerdynamic DT770 can hit nearly 20Hz but has a steep rolloff under 25Hz (either that, or my hearing rolls off around that frequency). I did own a set of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro-250s a while back and they do very well in isolation and having deep bass and an extended treble but they have a very short cord, are not able to be driven by portable equipment at all, and may be a bit too bass-heavy (with good amplification, portable equipment generates little bass with these). The price might be slightly higher than your price range too.

 

[Taurui]

If you want to give active noise reduction a try, get the Sennheiser PXC 250. I own the similar PX200, and the bass there is very textured, detailed and goes pretty low. From what I heard, the PXC250 is supposed to sound even better.
Oh, and nothing wrong with mids and highs either, only downside is the small soundstage

But you can't go wrong with the Ultrasone HFI-700 too, if you can find it somewhere ^^

 

[Lisa]

And in the mean time (I've just seen a pic of your portables) do yourself a favor and get a pair of Sennheiser MX400 earbuds or Koss KSC-50 earclips ASAP!

 

[Tyson]

Beyer 250-250's are the best closed headphones I've heard and they fit your criteria precisely. They are better than the Ultrasone HFI-700's I used to own.

 

[Taurui]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyson Beyer 250-250's are the best closed headphones I've heard and they fit your criteria precisely. They are better than the Ultrasone HFI-700's I used to own.

Except you need a portable amp to drive them ...

The 250-80 would be a wiser choice without one.

 

[slchang]

Quote:

Originally posted by pianoplayer88key a fairly long cord so I don't keep pulling my portable music/tape/radio/CD players off tables when I'm walking around the room. also a good durable connection is pretty much a must, too. I'd like wireless, but I don't know of any good ones that go at least 500 feet through just about anything with a clear signal and good frequency response.

I think the relatively short coiled cord of the 250-80s won't really fit this criteria (although the connection is quite durable). I think it's a perfect cord for being plugged into heavy-ish equipment, especially at a table or desk, but I can envision light portable equipment being easily pulled off of tables.

The guys at headroom (headphone.com) like the Senn RS 65 wireless... if mobility is really a big concern, then they might be worth investigating, even if their range isn't 500 feet through obstacles -- it's certainly going to be more than you can get with any kind of corded gear.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I was reading this thread here, and apparently the mid/semi-high end Sennheisers (the $150 models - I saw the HD580 and "amp" used in the same phrase in one post in that thread) aren't for me, because, I will be driving them straight out of portable equipment without a separate dedicated amp, and occasionally out of a computer and/or home stereo system (but that one would be quite rare, although it will probably happen more often if the phones I get have a long enough cord).

Oh, and a note to the person who recommended the Senn HD400s - I don't like the way that type of phone fits in my ear. The KOSS might be ok, though. I like the way (for in-ear phones) the Sony that came with my CD player fits, but then it's not a very good sounding headphone.

&, as far as my musical tastes are concerned, I suppose the closest to what would describe what I like would be classical, and Radio Disney style pop/rock (in AM Stereo of course...)
medium quality Radio Disney example (a hour and a half approx at 80kbps 24KHz stereo, not encoded particularly well, but definitely listenable by non-audiophile standards)
higher quality (clipped) Radio Disney - this one's encoded at _kbps _khz stereo, and is the clip I recommend listening to (although the server's max upload speed is only approx 20 kbytes/sec))

I'll upload the 2nd clip later - it's late and I need to hit the hay.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

ok... here's that higher quality Radio Disney clip... it's about a half hour long and has been edited - the songs aren't full length, and some parts have been completely cut out.

hmmm... when I listen with my audio recording program (Goldwave) it sounds fine, but when I play it through Winamp it's very distorted, like it's mega overdriven.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

So... what should I use?

Originally, based on specs and a few other things, I had been thinking about the Senn 280s, then I tried a Bose Triport at Tweeter and I actually almost liked it quite well - good isolation and good bass (except the highs were just a LITTLE bit weak for my taste, but it probably wasn't "burned in" yet) but it was out of my price range at the time (but isn't now or in a month or two).
Other than those two, what would be something good to use without an amp with portable audio, like mp3 player, walkman, cd player, etc? I am often in a noisy environment, or in a place where I need to spare other people from being able to hear the music I'm listening to, and I do want good sound. I liked the Sony MDR-CD360s I had a few years ago but I think it's time for a step up (and they actually broke but I still have them) to something in the $100 to $150 (or up to $200) range.
As far as isolation goes - I don't like active noise reduction. I would like something that I don't have to crank up so loud to hear my music - I'm afraid I'm going to seriously damage my hearing if I keep using my current headphones too much, cause I have to crank them up so high (usually pretty much maximum on most things I have (except the AM Stereo Sony radio pictured in the pic of my portables (this is the unit the headphones are plugged into) - this puts out a TON of volume, and I'm very often having to be careful with the volume control on it - more than a few times I've accidentally bumped it and just about blasted my ears off my cabeza) to get my music to a satisfactory volume in relation to my surroundings.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

and saw several models -- could you guys maybe help me narrow the list down some?

Bose Triport (I liked these (except the high treble was a little bit too weak for my taste) but they were a bit out of my price range at the time, but aren't now)
Sony MDR 7506
Beyerdynamic DT 250
Beyerdynamic DT 280/290
Beyerdynamic DT 150
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro (what I've been looking at in the past, but I'm open to other suggestions)
Sennheiser HD 580
Sennheiser HD 495
Sennheiser HD 570
Denon AHD-550
Denon AHD-750
Denon AHD-950
Pioneer SE-DJ5000
Stanton Magnetics DJ Pro 2000 S
Beyerdynamic DT 231

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Also, what would be some places I could try some out?
Some places near me include, but are not limited to:
Tweeter
Fry's
Guitar Center
Best Buy
Circuit City
Any other suggestions?