HEADPHONE Guru's - What headphones should I buy for:

[Scriptor Carpe Diem]

@ mrarroyo

I hate Iem's, so no worries there...

Also could you tell me more about ear "health" when it coems to listening to music through phones, I take my body and it's health very serious, ears and music are no exception~

 

[Happyprozak]

Just wanted to say that you should watch out for comfort. I was considering the esw9's until I read reports that they were uncomfortable to wear and had durability problems. Often times comfort is low on the last in these forums. Right now for my next set of headphones I'm looking at something similar to what you're looking for.

1. Sound great without an amp
   Are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time
   Open or closed does not matter to me, I'll take whichever sounds better

So far I'm considering the Ultrasones 750 or 2500 or the Sennheisers 595's. From what I've read I'm strongly leaning toward the 595's as some people say that while the Ultrasones are uncomfortable, they aren't super comfortable either. Also, several people on the forums have stated that the 595's sound good without an amp, but with an amp they sound a little better. The 595's are supposed to be very comfortable though.

 

[EugeneK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happyprozak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just wanted to say that you should watch out for comfort. I was considering the esw9's until I read reports that they were uncomfortable to wear and had durability problems. Often times comfort is low on the last in these forums.

The problem with comfy cans is that they're generally large, over-ear designs that aren't meant to be portable.

I love the AKG and AudioTechnica suspension system. Senn 6xx, Denons are pretty comfy too.

Uncomfy cans for me: Grados, Stax Basic, Ath-NC7

 

[Scriptor Carpe Diem]

You see, I'm actually getting away from the ESWs now because I don't think there really portable?

When I think of portable headphones I think I'm gonna be able to walk around, be in a jeep, be on a train and not only will they offer good sound quality during those periods, but they will be durable in the long run, not break and so on.

To me personally a great portable can is (besides sound quality):

- It will be comfortable in the portable sense, if I'm sitting on a train or on foot walking. And the comfortability will last for extended wearing periods. Or if I'm taking a doze by a tree, it will snug my head firm and gentle.

- It will be durable, not delicate or fragile, and with my care will stand the test of time.

- Closed I think, so honestly- you don't but bother others, but THEY don't bother you.

- And finally I'm thinking, yeah no amp? -self-explanatory...


@ Eugene,
Why can't I have comfy over-ear designs- closed that are comfortable and walk around in them, I mean will they not stick to my head or? What?

@ Happy
What would you choose for closed though? I'm actually thinking about Koven's other suggestion Shure SRH840, I've saw alot of joy with them from another thread... but considering Eriks MDR-7509HD's PS the Senn 595s look great, but I just don't know about open phones for me, more consideration I need to put in I guess

I don't know though, those are the three I'm really thinkin about the ESWs, the Shures, and the 7509HD's, there all closed so, I dont know, I'm sorta leaning away from the ESW's the honestly look less durable to me for the road then the others for whatever reason.



Also btw, what type of player do you recommend? Cause I need something big to hold all my songs, I was htinking Ipod Classic 120 GB, what do you guys think? or the 160GB if i can find it?

Thoughts on all this? THANKS FOR THE ADVICE everyone!!

 

[AudioTroll]

no one said Sennheiser HD-25 ?

It cover several requests
-sturdy (and replaceble parts)
-closed
-stays on the head,by spliting the headband apart they fit tighter

-easily driven

but I´m in love whit mine, wear them 10-14 hours a day

so I´m partial

good luck

 

[Happyprozak]

scriptor, I was considering the shure srh840's but people have said they are uncomfortable.

 

[Scriptor Carpe Diem]

I spent a good part of my day really trying to research and figure out what headphones I would purcase and aquire for my backpacking travels...

I took a really BIG liking to the Shure SRH840s, I thought for sure they were the ones, then I saw a post from someone saying, although they loved the phones for most everything, he said he wasn't happy enough with them as portable cans, and ultimately called them not good for portable headphones...

What am I asking? Are the SRH840s not suitable for portable headphones, whether I'm walking around, or sitting in a vehicle of sorts? Are they good enough or are they just to big and heavy to be portable? Am I better with the MDR 7509s or ESW9As?

I'm in such a pickle...

 

[Scriptor Carpe Diem]

Bumpin~

I'm leavin in a couple days, really need to figure out and purchase my phones...

 

[applaudio]

No matter how much you research, the sheer variety of information and opinions available to you can become extremely confusing and overwhelming. The best way to deal with this is to pick a couple pairs of headphones that you've been interested in and give them a good listen. This will help you to figure out what is or is not sufficient for your needs, and to figure out how your specific tastes relate to those of the people whose reviews you are putting so much stock in. So even if you can't listen to a pair you really want, you can at least get an idea of where you're at, and where you want to go. It's all about putting things into context. Head-Fi is pretty good this way to begin with, because a lot of people here have a lot of experience with a lot of different phones, so they have more perspective than most of the reviewers on, say, Amazon... but nobody's infallible, and everyone has slightly different tastes, priorities, etc., so you should still take anything you read with a grain of salt.

If you simply can't get any good ears-on time with any of your target headphones, I find it helpful to look at measurement graphs (such as those at Headroom) when comparing different headphones, just to get a rough idea of how they sound -- particularly if you can directly compare a pair that you're considering, to a set of cans you are quite familiar with (or better still, own). But be sure to read their guide on interpreting the graphs first, here. You can also find (albeit, short) reviews at Headroom.