[Ceroth]

Greetings Head-fier! Im a new member here as you can see from my joined date. Im in need of help and suggestions in choosing a closed headphones. I have done days of research in this forum but still can't decide which closed can to buy.

Budget is <$650. It will be used unamped (i will buy an amp but not in 6 months time or even longer) straight out of laptop or my sansa Fuze. I will use the can in its stock config (no modding). Types of closed can (full-size, on-ear etc) doesn't matter as long as it is comfortable for long session use. Most of my music is progressive rock/metal. Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Riverside and Opeth are some of my favourites.

Right now im tied between Audio Technica esw10, Denon D2000/D5000 and Ultrasone Pro 900. Other headphones suggestion with competetive quality as the headphones that i have mentioned are welcomed.

AT esw10 - I am concerned about the sound quality compared to other full-sized headphones.

Denon 2000/5000 - Some say the sound quality of these are almost identical to each other. As far as i know, the D5000 has the better treble between the two . Main concern is whether the difference in price is worth the sound quality alone (forget about the wood housing).

Pro 900 - i used to own the proline 2500. While i like the bass presentation, im not fond of its mid quality which seems a bit recessed. The high can sometimes be tiring to my ears (again im only using the proline 2500 straight out of my laptop and portable dap). Main question is how different the PRO 900 is from the 2500?


Please shed some light to this already in abundance types of question and thank you in advance. (Sorry for my english).

 

[Acix]

1. GMP 8.35 D Monitor.
2. RS-1 very good unamped, but an open design .
3. Ultrasones, I prefer the golden drivers, even the pro-550.

 

[myk7000]

A fool (you, sorry) and his money are soon parted.
Just kidding, welcome to head-fi and sorry about your wallet.

I have this problem as well. However, be prepared to add the Shure SRH840 into the mix, they seem like worthy contenders.

I personally leaned towards the D2000 (due to the small difference between it and the d5000, especially unamped) and felt that they were the best bang for the buck.

 

[myk7000]

Also remember that the d2000/d5000 do not isolate very well, both in and out. I felt like it was one of the biggest problems for me as they are closed headphones.

 

[maanster]

Your budget is pretty high for standalone portable cans imho, meaning that you could probably get better results by getting an amp/DAC combo and a pair of higher impedance headphones to go with it. How important is portability for you?

You might want to take a look at the Beyerdynamic DT880 '05(very, very comfortable) or even the DT150(not so much comfortability, but great for their price), both within a price range allowing you to look for an amp to go with them right away. The Darkvoice 336 might be interesting together with one of HotAudio's DACs found on ebay.

But then again, if you absolutely NEED a headphone that goes well on its own with portables and unamped sources you may ignore my comments..

It just seems like a waste of budget to pigeonhole yourself into a certain range of low-impedance headphones when you could get a wider range of alternatives if you go amped.

Good luck with your purchase, wish I had some funds for upgrades..!

m

 

[trigg3rhappy]

I'm actually quite interested in the same thing as your posting. I was wondering what would be good closed headphones as well for classical music. I currently own Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm), but was looking for another headphone.

The headphones I seem to be looking at are the Ultrasone Pro 900, Ultrasone HFI 780, Denon D2000/D5000, and Audio-Technica W5000 and Audio-Technica ESW9.

I'm pretty much looking over the same brands/models.

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trigg3rhappy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm actually quite interested in the same thing as your posting. I was wondering what would be good closed headphones as well for classical music. I currently own Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm), but was looking for another headphone. The headphones I seem to be looking at are the Ultrasone Pro 900, Ultrasone HFI 780, Denon D2000/D5000, and Audio-Technica W5000 and Audio-Technica ESW9. I'm pretty much looking over the same brands/models.

For rock, I'm not sure whether the W5000 is good enough for the OP as the bass, although very well defined and textured, is on the lean side.

Now for classical, it's a different story, the W5000 is much better than the Denon series in this genre IMO. First of all, I wasn't very impressed with even a Markl modded D7000 as I thought the mids are sucked out and the treble's a bit harsh even though it's very extended. On the other hand, the W5000's very open sounding for a closed can and have very good soundstage depth even though the width isn't the widest. For classicals, I think the W5000's soundstage is much more suitable. I have not heard the other cans you mentioned.

 

[Ceroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. GMP 8.35 D Monitor. 2. RS-1 very good unamped, but an open design . 3. Ultrasones, I prefer the golden drivers, even the pro-550.

I have read the review you made on the GMP 8.35 D Monitor. It is interesting that it can isolate very well. It is ugly imo but perhaps that contributes to its supposedly good sound quality?

Open design headphones is not an option for me unfortunately.

Can you elaborate on why you prefer the golden drivers of Ultrasones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by myk7000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A fool (you, sorry) and his money are soon parted. Just kidding, welcome to head-fi and sorry about your wallet. I have this problem as well. However, be prepared to add the Shure SRH840 into the mix, they seem like worthy contenders. I personally leaned towards the D2000 (due to the small difference between it and the d5000, especially unamped) and felt that they were the best bang for the buck.

Who cares about the wallet when you can have all the fun with headphones.

Shure SRH840 is coming out in july i think. I am leaving this country at the end of this month so its not an option.

Quote:

Originally Posted by myk7000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also remember that the d2000/d5000 do not isolate very well, both in and out. I felt like it was one of the biggest problems for me as they are closed headphones.

How is the isolation compared to open headphones? If it only improves a bit then i don't see myself getting one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maanster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your budget is pretty high for standalone portable cans imho, meaning that you could probably get better results by getting an amp/DAC combo and a pair of higher impedance headphones to go with it. How important is portability for you? You might want to take a look at the Beyerdynamic DT880 '05(very, very comfortable) or even the DT150(not so much comfortability, but great for their price), both within a price range allowing you to look for an amp to go with them right away. The Darkvoice 336 might be interesting together with one of HotAudio's DACs found on ebay. But then again, if you absolutely NEED a headphone that goes well on its own with portables and unamped sources you may ignore my comments.. It just seems like a waste of budget to pigeonhole yourself into a certain range of low-impedance headphones when you could get a wider range of alternatives if you go amped. Good luck with your purchase, wish I had some funds for upgrades..! m

Portability is not really important as i would be using the headphone more at home than anywhere else.

I will definitely look into headphones with dac/amp combo as long as the sound quality is as competetive as the ones i have listed. I have read on the Beyer DT880 and they say it leaks sound quite like open headphones.

I will buy an amp and dac in the future but i am building my setup slowly (just because i enjoy doing so).

 

[Ceroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif For rock, I'm not sure whether the W5000 is good enough for the OP as the bass, although very well defined and textured, is on the lean side. Now for classical, it's a different story, the W5000 is much better than the Denon series in this genre IMO. First of all, I wasn't very impressed with even a Markl modded D7000 as I thought the mids are sucked out and the treble's a bit harsh even though it's very extended. On the other hand, the W5000's very open sounding for a closed can and have very good soundstage depth even though the width isn't the widest. For classicals, I think the W5000's soundstage is much more suitable. I have not heard the other cans you mentioned.

I can't find W5000 here that is within my budget. Ebay is a no go for me as i had encountered problems in the past. Regarding the bass, as long as it is well define and punchy then i wont have a problem liking them.

 

[s_nyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trigg3rhappy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm actually quite interested in the same thing as your posting. I was wondering what would be good closed headphones as well for classical music. I currently own Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm), but was looking for another headphone. The headphones I seem to be looking at are the Ultrasone Pro 900, Ultrasone HFI 780, Denon D2000/D5000, and Audio-Technica W5000 and Audio-Technica ESW9. I'm pretty much looking over the same brands/models.

Count me in as well - and apologies for the thread-jacking. I am also interested in a good pair of closed headphones for which I plan to buy a $100-200 portable amp. For my part, they just need to deliver on SQ and isolation (but only in the sense that sound cannot leak OUT of the headphones at all, I do not mind about external noise coming in).

I have very briefly tried the following over the weekend:

- DT 770: seemed nice, were comfortable, did not isolate that much. I would need to use them for a longer time to make myself a clear opinion. For what it is wirth, they seem to have been around for quite some time (2005?).

- Denon D2000: Great sound and apparent build quality but the fit and isolation was really inappropriate for me (too much leakage due to the insufficient "clamping" of the headphones - I even had to force the cups on my ears...)

- Some AKG closed headphones (171?): Less my cup of tea compared to the above 2.

Unless someone has a solution to the fit/isolation issue with the Denon, I will probably have to consider the following models/brands and would be happy to receive your feedback on these ones:

- Ultrasone 780 (or another closed-back Ultrasone... I am a bit at lost, there seems to be so many)

- Audio-Technica ESW9: look great but what about the isolation?

- Sennheiser HD380

- Shure 840 (I am raring to go but would be happy to wait until July if they are really worth it)

Thanks!

 

[Rakooon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceroth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you elaborate on why you prefer the golden drivers of Ultrasones?

Gold drivers handle high freq better.
Better presentation , less fatiguing as it doesn't shrill like titanium's.And to me , differents cymbals and guitars altogether seem a bit more .... "textured" as it really hit instead of just sounding, witch make a better separation between em.PRO900 (Titanium) seem to be a bit less accurate in "untangling" lot of alike high freq. together.Personally i think that where PRO900 is perfect in every aspect is in House and Hip-Hop music.Great and very enjoyable for trance but probably not the BEST. This is my impression after auditioning a couple of Porcupine Tree song , like Signify (You tube).May not be my style but actually a nice tune !

 

[trigg3rhappy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_nyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Count me in as well - and apologies for the thread-jacking. I am also interested in a good pair of closed headphones for which I plan to buy a $100-200 portable amp. For my part, they just need to deliver on SQ and isolation (but only in the sense that sound cannot leak OUT of the headphones at all, I do not mind about external noise coming in). I have very briefly tried the following over the weekend: - DT 770: seemed nice, were comfortable, did not isolate that much. I would need to use them for a longer time to make myself a clear opinion. For what it is wirth, they seem to have been around for quite some time (2005?). - Denon D2000: Great sound and apparent build quality but the fit and isolation was really inappropriate for me (too much leakage due to the insufficient "clamping" of the headphones - I even had to force the cups on my ears...) - Some AKG closed headphones (171?): Less my cup of tea compared to the above 2. Unless someone has a solution to the fit/isolation issue with the Denon, I will probably have to consider the following models/brands and would be happy to receive your feedback on these ones: - Ultrasone 780 (or another closed-back Ultrasone... I am a bit at lost, there seems to be so many) - Audio-Technica ESW9: look great but what about the isolation? - Sennheiser HD380 - Shure 840 (I am raring to go but would be happy to wait until July if they are really worth it) Thanks!

Sorry for originally somewhat thread-jacking from my earlier post as well.

I recently purchased an Ultrasone Pro 900, but have yet to really listen to them. I'm hoping that they don't sound too much like the DT770 Pro I already own in terms of bloated bass. I was hoping for a new unique sound signature for a closed headphone as an alternative to use when on the go. I was hoping to some day try out the Audio-Technica closed and Denon closed cans as well.

 

[mikenyc]

s_nyc,

I can only address the esw9 question. In terms of leakage out, there is very little. I listen to these in bed and it does not bother my wife. In terms of sound in, they relatively good, but do allow some background noise. I have had times that my kids came into the room and I did not hear them at all (and they rarely move around quietly). I was really surprised at this given the small size of the phones.

Overall, I really like the sound signature of these and listen more because they are just easier (light, managable cable, non-fatiguing). I also think that they are better every day phones than my SR225i. I mainly listen to rock, jazz, and classical.

On the isolation points, I should also add that most of my previous listening has been on Grados so I may not be the best judge of the limits of isolation.

 

[padam]

I would go for the ESW10, I had the D2000 as my first headphone and the AT was way better.

 

[s_nyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikenyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif s_nyc, I can only address the esw9 question. In terms of leakage out, there is very little. I listen to these in bed and it does not bother my wife. In terms of sound in, they relatively good, but do allow some background noise. I have had times that my kids came into the room and I did not hear them at all (and they rarely move around quietly). I was really surprised at this given the small size of the phones. Overall, I really like the sound signature of these and listen more because they are just easier (light, managable cable, non-fatiguing). I also think that they are better every day phones than my SR225i. I mainly listen to rock, jazz, and classical. On the isolation points, I should also add that most of my previous listening has been on Grados so I may not be the best judge of the limits of isolation.

Excellent, I am also planning to use these late at night and do not want to bother my wife (who has an excellent hearing). I'll be looking into these as well, even though they would be at the top of my budget.