[Sora]

Reposting from http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/h...rammer-427171/

Hi,

I've been doing some research, but now my head is swimming. I need some advice. My boyfriend's birthday is coming up and I'd like to replace his broken Bose's. He uses them to listen to his iPod and occasionally his laptop. He really needs a set that will block out noise at work. He is a programmer and works in a cube in a room with 4 other people, but often gets visitors and thus a lot of chatter while he's trying to concentrate. He listens to mostly indie-rock, stuff like Doves, The Decemberists, M83, Modest Mouse, The Moody Blues, etc. Also, he does not like in-ear phones.

My budget is around 150$-200$. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Morph]

Audio Technica ATH-ES7 does its job pretty good in the office.

 

[compuryan]

Sennheiser HD280 would be great. Isolates noise really well and is comfortable with it's circumaural (over the ear) design.

 

[plonkersaurus]

Depends on what he likes really. I'm a programmer, and I'm striving for something really airy and relaxing so I can still concentrate.

Sometimes programming can be very frustrating so how comfortable the headphones are seem to be really important.

I started with HD-280's, they do the job well, their sound is fairly decent for what they are but they clamp hard which tends to give me a head ache, however they don't over heat your ears which is quite important. They also isolate really well so external noise is no longer an issue.

I moved to Denon d1001's, these have too much bass for me, and they tend to amplify external noise which ended up giving me a headache. They were very comfortable.

I now have AKG k271's, these lack bass and have the most relaxing sound and are magical with some music, but they clamp and bit hard and tend to over heat my ears, I find myself ripping them off my head quite often. These headphones isolate (blocked out sound) quite well.

I have tried the Audio Technica ATH-A700 shortly, they seemed to be most of what I was looking for but haven't got to try them at work. They are comfortable, and a nice sound and blocked out sound.

Apart from that there are beyerdynamic DT770 2005 consumer edition (Not the Pro, or the M) that lots of people recommend, but I haven't heard them myself.

If I were to buy again I would go for the A700's but that could be with my dissatisfaction with the other headphones I have for work. They are very pretty though, if he doesn't like them you could steal them!!

 

[Ares]

As someone with similar music tastes and a great appreciation for object orientated programing, i recommend a used pair of DT770 2005. I think they sound wonderful if properly amplified, which can be accomplished at a desk, and they are comfortable and closed. I could wear these for an entire day at a computer.

I feel obliged to also mention ATH-M50s although I have not heard them. Ask others if you want to know what they sound like. While I am going to borrow a pair in a week or so, I do not know if they are good. They are just mentioned frequently.

I work much better with music and isolation; I hope he enjoys whatever he gets.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonkersaurus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I now have AKG k271's, these lack bass and have the most relaxing sound and are magical with some music, but they clamp and bit hard and tend to over heat my ears, I find myself ripping them off my head quite often. These headphones isolate (blocked out sound) quite well.

Add some velour pads and the bass and comfort issues are somewhat remedied. They do isolate less though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonkersaurus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have tried the Audio Technica ATH-A700 shortly, they seemed to be most of what I was looking for but haven't got to try them at work. They are comfortable, and a nice sound and blocked out sound.

x2
Well, if he isn't afraid of being asked WTH he's wearing.

They isolate less than K271s though.

 

[tapehiss]

I'm also a programmer. My favorite sets of closed headphones are Beyerdynamic DT770 2005, and Ultrasone Pro 750. I enjoy both of those very much when programming -- with a preference to the Beyers, because I find they are more comfortable (and aesthetically pleasing. Yes, programmers do sometimes care about that!). But both have great comfort and sound. Both of these are a little bit out of your price range, but not by much. It shouldn't be too hard to score a used pair within your budget.

 

[tapehiss]

Also, I briefly tried out the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 Ohms), and they were pretty nice as well. Not quite as good sound quality as the 2005 edition, but very reasonable (I'm willing to bet better than his old Boses). I felt they were extremely comfortable - Beyer knows comfort. And they are within your budget! You can get a new pair on Ebay for under $150. Maybe someone else who has had more experience with them could comment more, but I think that would be a good choice.

Plus it might be nice to give a new gift. Some people may be weirded out about getting a pair of used headphones (not me! But I'd be willing to bet a good number of people would be). In any case, I think it's really cool of you to be doing all this research for his gift.

 

[1UP]

If you can wait til July, get the Shure SHR840s - they're MUCH better than DT770s, and will be perfect for a programmer environment

 

[LeftyGorilla]

Audio Technica M50 (around $100 from a reputable ebayer)

They isolate great, fall under your price range and do not require an amp. (don't ask). They're portable (fold down and come with a pouch) and look a lot better than some of the above suggestions. Also very comfortable.

If he's really into gear, you can get him a portable amp like the Fiio E5 (~$25). Even better would be an external sound card + headphone amp that will give him better sound from the laptop (e.g. Nuforce Icon Mobile ~$100)



btw, you are a rockstar.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sora /img/forum/go_quote.gif Reposting from http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/h...rammer-427171/ Hi, I've been doing some research, but now my head is swimming. I need some advice. My boyfriend's birthday is coming up and I'd like to replace his broken Bose's. He uses them to listen to his iPod and occasionally his laptop. He really needs a set that will block out noise at work. He is a programmer and works in a cube in a room with 4 other people, but often gets visitors and thus a lot of chatter while he's trying to concentrate. He listens to mostly indie-rock, stuff like Doves, The Decemberists, M83, Modest Mouse, The Moody Blues, etc. Also, he does not like in-ear phones. My budget is around 150$-200$. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

I used to work in a cube in a room with 4 people.

I'd suggest: Beyer DT-770 (very bassy) AKG K271 (lighter bass, but nice midrange) or Beyer DT-250 (just right, especially the 250 ohm model). If he'll be on the go with them from time to time, Sennheiser HD-25-1, but it is less comfortable than the other three.

 

[plonkersaurus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ishcabible /img/forum/go_quote.gif Add some velour pads and the bass and comfort issues are somewhat remedied. They do isolate less though.

I have the K271 MKII which have the velour and pleather pads, I'm not bothered by bass much but the k271 seems to have even less than my k501's, my comfort issues are because the pads don't totally go around my ear, they press against the edges of my ears and the clamping force is quite strong, especially when new.

 

[REB]

Ultrasone hfi780s. They isolate extremely well, don't leak, have great sound quality and look snazzy as well

.

 

[Sora]

Ok, I went on a mission last night to get more information without raising any suspicion. I found his old Bose's (I think they're Quiet Comfort 2) and asked him why he didn't use them any more. He said that the wire needed to be replaced and also the ear pads were half flaked off and he just hadn't gotten around to finding replacements.

So now I have a dilemma. Try to get a new pair - OR get a new cable for it and new ear pads. And then I could toss in the amp and/or the external thing that LeftyGorilla suggested, for his macbook.

 

[Sora]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonkersaurus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sometimes programming can be very frustrating so how comfortable the headphones are seem to be really important.

Very true! He is often frustrated, mostly by interruptions and other people hassling him. He doesn't get to do nearly as much developmental work as he likes, and spends at least half his day fixing other people's mistakes (We both work for the same company, so I get to witness this)

Unrelated to audio, I'm also tempted by one of these CUBEDOOR.COM - a door for your cubicle