[agiataze]

Hey guys,
As I will soon be going to college, i'm thinking of getting some headphones to replace the earphones I have. I've had lots of recommendations of Sennheiser headphones. People have also told me to stay away from "Monster Beats by Dre".
 
In a nutshell, i'm looking for something that's:
Good for daily casual use. (travelling, studying, relaxing)
Portable. (not too bulky but not too skinny)
Good sound quality.
For use with an iPod Touch (mainly 256kbps)
Looks good and is a good build.
No more than $200. (as cheap as possible)
Available in the UK.
 
It doesn't have to apply to all of the above, but a majority will do.
After looking around myself, I have found the Sennheiser HD25-1 II kind of fit the category of what i'm looking for. will these be good for my use and if not, what other headphones can you recommend for me?
 
Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated. (I don't really know much about headphones)
- Jono
 
 

 

[chronostorm]

what kind of music do you listen to?

 

[5370H55V]

Have you considered the vmoda m80? I prefer IEM's for portability and convenience but if you're after supraaurals then the m80's get my vote.

 

[drummer81]

Take a look at the Philips Citiscape Downtown. I paid around £50 for mine from Amazon and am really pleased with them as an everyday workhorse headphone. I've only had them a week but they sound great and have good isolation so listening at quieter volume is possible without being interrupted by outside noise. The build quality seems excellent also. 
 
If you want to spend a bit more then I don't think you can go far wrong with the HD25. I've had mine for around 10 years and they are a very solid, great sounding headphone.

 

[jaykay]

I'm not sure how the pricing of this headphone is in the UK, but the Ultrasone DJ1 seems like it would meet pretty much all of the criteria you have set forth. It currently is going for ~$120 on amazon.com in the US. Ultrasones are pretty darn durable in my opinion, and look pretty modern and sleek to me. The DJ1 is a closed headphone, which would be ideal for traveling and listening to music without having much leak out to the outside world. It has a fun and forward sound signature, and great punchy bass. I haven't had any experience with the HD25, but in my 6+ years on this forum, I've read that they are built like tanks more often than not. So I think those two would be great choices for you

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

Take a look at the Philips Citiscape Downtown. I paid around £50 for mine from Amazon and am really pleased with them as an everyday workhorse headphone. I've only had them a week but they sound great and have good isolation so listening at quieter volume is possible without being interrupted by outside noise. The build quality seems excellent also. 
 
If you want to spend a bit more then I don't think you can go far wrong with the HD25. I've had mine for around 10 years and they are a very solid, great sounding headphone.

Agreed. The Uptown works too, for a little more. Also, watch out for the upcoming Fidelio M1 (not L1). Philips is often a mixed bag when it comes to sound, but the Citiscape line and the Fidelio line have been very well-received.

 

[UCLA 15]

V Moda M80

 

[Yggdrassilious]

No need to spend more than $50 on headphone for 256kbps files.... If you do, you will start wondering how much better 320kbps will sound, and eventually fill your touch with lossless songs. And then you'll feel that your Touch isn't powerful at all to drive your M80/HD25-1 II properly, and decide to get an DAC, amp, and eventually a better player, but by then you'll want to experiment with other headphones....
 
Guess what I'm trying to say is, sorry about your wallet. 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

No need to spend more than $50 on headphone for 256kbps files.... If you do, you will start wondering how much better 320kbps will sound, and eventually fill your touch with lossless songs. And then you'll feel that your Touch isn't powerful at all to drive your M80/HD25-1 II properly, and decide to get an DAC, amp, and eventually a better player, but by then you'll want to experiment with other headphones....
 
Guess what I'm trying to say is, sorry about your wallet. 

I think the Touch should be perfectly capable of driving the M80s, otherwise, it wouldn't come with a three button remote and mic that is functional with it...  I do get what you're saying (he'll fall down a slippery slope), but spending more than 50 dollars on headphones is fine for 256k files (my music collection is mainly iTunes+ 256 AAC quality).