[JamesB123]

Yes it's another one of those "find me a headphone" threads...have read around this place for ages but frankly it goes in and then straight out of my head; it may as well be Chinese.

Basically I've never really bought headphones before (apart from the cheap rubbish, though I do have Sennheiser CX500 earphones which I like) so I'll probably be blown away by any good headphones. The closest I've got to good headphones is my friend's £40 Sony ones which I thought were pretty good but probably weren't even in the same league as others...

I realise my budget isn't the greatest, but from reading around there does seem to be some good ones about for that price and I'm willing to stretch it a bit if it's really worth it; by the same token I'm also willing to wait a while if there are a pair which will come down in price etc...

I'd preferably like the over/on ear headphones and preferably closed so no sound in but no sound out. (I think that's right) They'll mainly be used on my laptop at home/in public places (I can use my earphones for walking etc) and I'm quite paranoid about whether people can hear my music and not hearing your surroundings is obviously more enjoyable. I'll also be watching some films and general PC use.

My music really does really does range with everything from classical to heavy metal and Paramore to Eminem on there. The actual music is your run of the mill MP3 on iTunes and the bit rate also moves about a bit; thought most of it is 320kbps.

If the headphones can fold that would be a plus, but not essential, though I wouldn't like them to be too bulky and the size of bin lids and as a result of my complete ignorance modding and using amps is a complete no-no.

I know it's another thread you lot get every day but any help would be great.

If there's anything I've missed out (and I have a feeling I have) then just ask me...

 

[c64]

Goldring dr150 or goldring ns1000.

 

[murfy]

DR150 are open so not what the OP is looking and the other ones have active noise cancelling don't they? Aren't they a bit over the £55 as well?

How about AKG K518 as I imagine you'd like plenty of bass coming from cx earphones? They are available for around £50 or less and fold up, are closed and isolate quite well.
The only thing you'd have to watch out for is that they tend to clamp quite tightly to your head so you might find it uncomfortable to wear them for any length of time.

 

[JamesB123]

I have actually looked at the AKG amongst others (Creative Auvana Live and JVC HA-M750 for example) but frankly I don't really know which one is better and why.

I only got the CX earphones because I saw them on offer and thought "why not?". I only really like the song to sound how it should ie: how the artist made it.

As I say though, the most important thing apart from sound quality is probably keeping sound in and keeping noise out.

Thanks for the replies btw.

 

[JamesB123]

Anyone else?

 

[LordZip]

I also have the AKG 518 and love them. They blow my dad's Bose Triports out of the water on every account except for comfort. I use them outside a lot and they reduce the annoying sound from cars to mere background noise.

 

[JamesB123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordZip /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also have the AKG 518 and love them. They blow my dad's Bose Triports out of the water on every account except for comfort. I use them outside a lot and they reduce the annoying sound from cars to mere background noise.

I think comfort is a bit of an issue; the more comfortable the better obviously.
I know the only way to find out would be to actually wear them myself, but how long can you normally last with them on before it gets too uncomfortable?

How do they compare to the Creative Aurvana Live and JVC HA-M 750? They seem to be others that fit the bill quite nicely... both a little more expensive but worth it?

 

[LordZip]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesB123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think comfort is a bit of an issue; the more comfortable the better obviously. I know the only way to find out would be to actually wear them myself, but how long can you normally last with them on before it gets too uncomfortable?

I can wear them for about 2 hours straight before I start to feel some discomfort. Alot of owners of the AKG K518 recommend stretching the headband which should allow you to wear them longer. I personally didn't do this since the comfort is not big issue for me.

 

[JamesB123]

I'm sure I could cope with that.

I'll add them to the list.... which I just made now.

 

[c64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by murfy /img/forum/go_quote.gif DR150 are open so not what the OP is looking and the other ones have active noise cancelling don't they? Aren't they a bit over the £55 as well? How about AKG K518 as I imagine you'd like plenty of bass coming from cx earphones? They are available for around £50 or less and fold up, are closed and isolate quite well. The only thing you'd have to watch out for is that they tend to clamp quite tightly to your head so you might find it uncomfortable to wear them for any length of time.

he says preferably closed so I thought he might put up with open for the sake of sound quality he simply isn't going to get better than goldring dr150 or ns 1000 for the budget next best is like £100 + the AKG K518 will be launched in to orbit by the far superior dr150 and ns1000.

He should get the ns1000 they fit his criteria perfectly they even kind of fold away in to their case.Ns1000 are £50 delivered he should 100% get those.

 

[Ra97oR]

The CAL! is a D1001 with a different case. Very exciting sounding and does not make low quality recording sounds painful to listen to. However the isolation is only average, but if you really want isolation, IEM is the way to go.

 

[JamesB123]

It's not a main issue, as long as the isolation is good enough and my music stays in them I'll be happy.

I'll take it the D1001 is a good headphone to be similar to (the same as)...

 

[JamesB123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif he says preferably closed so I thought he might put up with open for the sake of sound quality he simply isn't going to get better than goldring dr150 or ns 1000 for the budget next best is like £100 + the AKG K518 will be launched in to orbit by the far superior dr150 and ns1000. He should get the ns1000 they fit his criteria perfectly they even kind of fold away in to their case.Ns1000 are £50 delivered he should 100% get those.

I have read about the NS1000s but also read that they leak a lot of sound. I don't listen to music particularly loudly, but as I say, I do get paranoid about whether others can hear it.

At £50 they are about £10 cheaper (a little less than £10) than the CAL!s. Would these two work in an MP3 player (Samsung P3) without an amp? It wouldn't be the main source (that'd be the laptop) but it would be nice to be unrestricted.

 

[JamesB123]

Sorry to bump this again, just don't want it to fall in to the abyss.

 

[Deep Funk]

The CAL! is nice but I didn't like its 'fuzzy' bass. I replaced it with a Sennheiser HD428 which has a very neutral, sometimes natural sound for whatever you throw at at musically combined with a pleasant soundstage. I paid about 50 euros for it, in the U.S. it should be around 50-60 dollars.

Soundwise very true to the recording yet forgiving and light and tight on bass although the bass extends a bit with a good burn in and daily use.