Headphones for the EXTREMELY casual listener

[kemz]

Hello community,
 
This is my first post here, and I must say i had no idea the headphone world was so vast.
 
I'm an extremely casual listener. I listen to almost all genres of music a few times a day for no longer than an hour at a time, mostly from my iphone, and sometimes from my laptop.
 
I recently decided I wanted to upgrade my listening experience. I purchased a set of Bose triports a few years ago, and I was always impressed by them (not being an audiophile). But after looking around head-fi i realized I was probably missing a lot.
 
I would like to spend between $80-$150 on good closed back sealed, around ear headphones. I've been looking at ATH - m50, sennheiser HD 288 Pro, and other headphones, and I wanted to hear your guys' opinions on which would be best suited for me.
 
Now, I know I committed a horrible crime of converting all my music into MP3, and i WILL try to start building a FLAC library. But what i don't want is for my headphones to make my mp3 music sound like garbage because of compression. My standard iphone earphones are bad enough that I can experience my music without hearing the defects, etc.. I dont want to hear the defects with a new set of phones.
 
Thanks for your responses.

 

[RollerBall]

Chances are, without sounding snobby or anything (I myself have all my music in MP3), you won't even notice the difference between your MP3 and FLAC files.
 
Headphones in your budget are not going to show up artifacts from compression, nor are you likely to even notice the difference between your .FLAC and .MP3 files, presuming you've ripped them at a minimum 192kbps, preferable 320kbps.

 

[kemz]

So which headphones would you recommend for my needs?

 

[Katun]

You seem to be on the right track by mentioning the M50. They are a spectacular headphone. I owned them for about 2 weeks, and they sound very good. On top of that, nobody can hear your music, and it also provides quite excellent passive noise cancelation. They look great too! But the only reason I sent them back was because the comfort. They are pretty comfy, but I am so used to my AD700 that I cannot get used to the normal headband now. Also, with closed headphones like the M50 and such, there will be a pretty good clamping force, which is what they are designed to due. But Some people like me find that a bit uncomfortable, even after stretching out the headband.

 

[kemz]

Since I've never really used ultracomfy phones, I wouldn't have anything to compare to.
 
The downside of the AD700 you mentioned is that it's open air and i really don't want people to be listening to my "noise".
 
How tight does the M50 Run because i do have a larger than average head.
 
Edit: I also have this urge to spray paint them white everywhere. Would this be damaging? or is it mostly ok to paint them.

 

[loonacy]

I have owned the Sennhieser HD 280 Pro's for a couple years now and I loved them.  I currently have Denon AH-D 5000's so the Sennheiser's have taken a back seat for awhile but I still enjoy there sound.  The Hd 280's isolate VERY well, it is difficult to hear ANYTHING else but the music you are listening to.  The only down side is they are slightly tight and for longer sessions can cause some discomfort but since you only liten for an hour or so it should not be a problem.  The upside is you can find them very chaep now, well under $100.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Since I've never really used ultracomfy phones, I wouldn't have anything to compare to.
 

 
There are a lot of people who don't find a problem with it's comfort, so you may be okay. I just have an uber-sensitive head!
 
Quote:

The downside of the AD700 you mentioned is that it's open air and i really don't want people to be listening to my "noise".

 
That is honestly about the only downside I could think of for the AD700. It really does leak though, very badly. Sometimes I think their are speakers on the outside as well!
 
Quote:

How tight does the M50 Run because i do have a larger than average head.

 
They are pretty tight to begin with, as with all monitor headphones. They are designed to really "stick" to your head, so the isolation is effective. After about 1/2 hour at max, I would get sweaty ears, and my head would be quite fatigued from the headband. It's a GREAT sounding headphone, don't get me wrong, but it's not one of the headphones that I can really get lost in my music with, because I always feel it on my head. The AD700 on the other hand, just disappear. Although, if you put the M50 around a stack of books or on a some sort of device that stretches it out, the clamping force does loosen. But still, even the "loose" version of the M50 was still too much for me.
 

 

[kemz]

 
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Quote:

I have owned the Sennhieser HD 280 Pro's for a couple years now and I loved them.  I currently have Denon AH-D 5000's so the Sennheiser's have taken a back seat for awhile but I still enjoy there sound.  The Hd 280's isolate VERY well, it is difficult to hear ANYTHING else but the music you are listening to.  The only down side is they are slightly tight and for longer sessions can cause some discomfort but since you only liten for an hour or so it should not be a problem.  The upside is you can find them very chaep now, well under $100.

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I read comparisons of the sennhiesers vs the ath m50 and everybody seemed to agree that the ath's knocked the sennheisers out of the ballpark.
That's why I'm leaning towards the m50
 
 
Are there any phones that have a sort of happy medium so that they're somewhat isolating, the sound doesn't leak, and they're not too tight? Or is that asking for too much?

 

[loonacy]

Yes i have read the same about the M50 compared to the Sennheiser but I have them and they sound good and are cheap.  I have never actually listened to the M50 but have read that they are about the best you can get for the money.

 

[Katun]

I agree. They are phenominal for the money. They actually used to be $20-$30 cheaper, but then the demend skyrocketed, so the price increased to today's price. But still, excellent headphone for a very good price.
 
Don't worry kemz, they might be just perfect for you. And remember, you can stretch them out, and that really improves them. If you buy from somewhere like Amazon, you can return them if you don't like the comfort (like I did).

 

[kemz]

Thanks for all your advice everyone

 
I just ordered the M50 off amazon and I'm hoping i won't regret it.
 
Is there anything else i should know/buy? I'm new to the whole headphone thing. I know i don't want an amp because i simply don't want to carry it around.
 
But are there any mods, conditioning, tweaks, or anything of a sort i should know about or buy?
 
Thanks everyone!

 

[Katun]

Congrats! You will absolutely love the M50, especially if you haven't listened to higher end headphones before!
 
Nope. No mods, tweaks, or anything for the M50. The only thing you need to do, is burn it in, and possibly stretch out the headband like I've mentioned.
 
Amazon is tricky. In order to get the 30 day return period, you need to order from Amazon themself or a certified Amazon seller. If you order from one of the companies on Amazon, they may not have a return method. But that is just assuming you would want to send them back. If you are satisfied, then obviously they are yours, and you won't need to send them back. Regardless, I think you will highly enjoy them!

 

[kemz]

Awesome.
 
Thanks for the advice.
 
Also, what's a good place to buy music in FLAC format? I don't like the idea of buying in MP3 in case i ever do want to upgrade to much more expensive phones.

 

[RollerBall]

Yeah, you basically cannot take the AD700s outside the house. One, you'll look like a complete muppet and two, you may as well carry a boombox on your shoulder since everyone will be able to hear your music anyway.

 

[RollerBall]

Quote:

Awesome.
 
Thanks for the advice.
 
Also, what's a good place to buy music in FLAC format? I don't like the idea of buying in MP3 in case i ever do want to upgrade to much more expensive phones.

Buy the CDs and rip it yourself is probably the easiest route if you really are set on getting .FLAC. You will be really, really, really pushed to see any difference between a HQ MP3 and a FLAC though.