[SurfWax]

I thought about upgrading outside Grado to get a feel for other sound signatures...like the Senns 600, Hifiman 300, but nah, I'm so set on a used pair of RS1i's, I just love the Grado sound too much and those wooden cups....just gorgeous to me. I don't think I'll ever have to upgrade again after the RS1s and Asgard, which I'll most likely get too

 

[scott5526]

If you ever plan to upgrade outside of the grado sig definitely try out amazon, their return policy is amazing. Who knows, a year ago I felt the same way about my 225i until I tried my K702 ^_^

 

[SurfWax]

Thanks, I love amazon, I've used it for every IEM I've bought, the Grados were the only pair I picked up from a small local audio shop in Pasadena

 

[scott5526]

L> local hifi shops lol. Next time I go out of state I'll have to be sure to go somewhere with a nice one

 

[SurfWax]

There aint many, had to scowl the Grado dealers list on their website and call every number in LA. Not many had any in stock, the shop I went to just had 1 pair of the 60s, 80s, and 125s. Id like to visit more small shops as well, hard to find!

 

[Euxaes]

Quote:

I'm looking for something that I can use in my dorm for only listening to movies/youtube with a 300$ish budget . My priorities , in order of priority, are:
1: Isolation
2: Comfort
3: Durability
4: SQ
Right now all I've found that might fit what I'm looking for are the Sennheiser hd:25ii, the vmoda v80/m80, and the beyerdynamic dt1350. The Ultrasone ed 8s look like what I'm looking for, but I'm not spending $900 on portables right now especially after buying my w3000anvs. Any suggestions?

Hmm, if it is for movies/youtube then vmoda m100 would be fine and is just around your budget if you go the amazon way. If sometime you want the same qualities you listed for music listening, I suggest checking out AKG K550. IMO, it fits all qualities on your list plus you get superb sound stage and mids to enjoy. By the way, it is a balanced headphone and doesn't follow its fellow brothers in the K-series line (bassy).

 

[scott5526]

Thanks all for the advice for the vmodas. I think somebody going to an upcoming meet is bringing them so ill wait until then to make a decision for sure. Im still curious about the differences between the fostex t50rp and the mad dogs though. Are the mad dogs worth the 3x premium of the fostex for what im looking for? I understand comfort and sq are to be improved, but where do they stand in terms of isolation? If isolation is improved at least moderately and I choose against vmodas then ill try the mad dogs.

Edit: ill also look into the k550. Too bad 8 missed their 99$ sale from a couple months ago!

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Thanks all for the advice for the vmodas. I think somebody going to an upcoming meet is bringing them so ill wait until then to make a decision for sure. Im still curious about the differences between the fostex t50rp and the mad dogs though. Are the mad dogs worth the 3x premium of the fostex for what im looking for? I understand comfort and sq are to be improved, but where do they stand in terms of isolation? If isolation is improved at least moderately and I choose against vmodas then ill try the mad dogs.
Edit: ill also look into the k550. Too bad 8 missed their 99$ sale from a couple months ago!

From the reviews I've read, mods completely change the sound. Of course some aspect of the sound signature may be there but even headphones from different companies can often sound quite similar. If you've read some of the reviews on here, the Mad Dogs are preferred by many over some headphones like the LCD-2/3, HE-400/ 500, T1, etc. That speaks volume about how good it is, and its great performance to price ratio.Out of all the headphones listed here, it is probably the best in terms of sound quality. Isolation, from what I've heard, is very good on the Mad Dogs. It should be better than the V-Moda M80 in isolation but not sure about the M100.

 

[PANGES]

It depends from person to person, but if comfort is of high priority, I would consider the M80 over the HD25. My HD25's get a bit uncomfortable after a few hours of use, but they isolate well and sound great. When I tried the M80's, they seemed to have less clamping force, which is good. I use the HD25 mostly for movies, etc also. For movies, I personally like to use headphones with a slight bass emphasis, especially for action movies. hehe. 

 

[devoker]

You can also consider B&W P5. It is behind the others in terms of sq maybe but comfort and durability is the best of all.
 

 

[Moocher]

I haven't read about headphones for quite a while since I'm on an IEM kick, so I don't know what the current thinking is, but you might look at the Beyer DT770 80 ohm version. Excellent isolation.

 

[scott5526]

Tried the fostex t50rp stock, the mad dogs (didn't hear them, just got to try them on), and the m100 at a local meet yesterday and I went ahead and ordered the stock t50rp with a mad dogs comfort strap. I preferred the pads on the stock t50rp over the mad dog ones for comfort, but the comfort strap on the mad dogs definitely made the headband MUCH more comfortable. The isolation the the t50rp stock was AMAZING. On moderate volume placing the pads over my arm I couldn't hear anything wheras the isolation on the m100 was below average.

 

[PanamaHat]

Just get the tried and true ath-m50's. They have a very fun sound signature, sweet mids, slightly elevated bass, and sparkly treble. Sound leakage is a bit above average, but they isolate pretty well. The long cable is a detractor but you can always get a cable tie. With the money left over from your budget you could also grab a decent amp/dac for your computer 

 

[JK1]

You will get the best isolation with an IEM. An isolating headphone that isolates well will be uncomfortable(sweaty ears or from pressure against your head) for extended use. Get an IEM under $100. Decide whether you want a neutral sound , or one with extra bass. Even some IEMs that are around $20 are decent enough for many people(ones like the JVC HA-FX40, JVC HA-FX101, or Panasonic RP-HJE355. Even though I have some much more expensive earphones and headphones, I enjoy using these).

 

[scott5526]

Not looking for an iem atm, was looking for a headphone for movies.  Ended up with the fostex t50rp, excellent isolation, borderline no leakage, and average comfort.  Bought the mad dogs comfot strap as well since the headband has no padding, at all.  Pretty satisfied with them especially at the 100$ mark