[degygiiq]

Hi guys
 
So, my first post. I'm kinda stuck at selecting a headphone for my entry to the world of good sound.
 
I'm in no way an audiophile, nor will i ever be (probably, not enough time and money), but I am looking for some decent, closed on- or over-ear headphones. I would use them for listening in the office and on the train mostly so they should be fairly good at blocking outside noise. I listen to a lot of different music, from rock over metal and indie to electronic. I don't need anything accurate to record or evaluate music (I don't even know what accurate sounds like), but they should have good sq and be fun to listen to. I have a pretty big head and big ears if that makes any difference.
 
At the moment i have a clip zip as a source and use a philips shl5500 (on ear) and philips she3580 (IEMs).
 
My budget is around 200 Fr. but i would pay more if it is worth it.
 
The main problem is that i live in Switzerland and my options are somewhat limited (I don't want to deal with import taxes and stuff like that). I looked at Innerfildelity's wall of fame and read a ton of reviews. It boiled down to this (1Fr. is about 1$ but prices are pretty strange here):
 
-Sennheiser Amperior (229 Fr.)
 
-Onkyo ES FC300 (179 Fr.)
 
-Sony mdr-1r (185 Fr.)
 
maybe:
 
-Sennheiser momentum on ear (249 Fr.)
 
-Sennheiser HD 25-1 II (220 Fr.)
 
-Logitech UE6000 (139 Fr.)
 
My main question is (aside from which one to buy): how are the Sony, Onkyo and Senn Amperior compared? is it worth to pay the 50 bucks more or are the onkyos even better for casual listening? I heard the Sonys are freaking comfortable but the sound isn't that great?
If you know any other options I may have forgotten about, post them and i'll see if they are easily available here.
 
Thanks in advance for answers
 
regards, lukas

 

[Arcanegrove]

I have owned a pair Parrot Ziks for over a year now, and I must say that they sound amazing. While a little on the steep side, (I got mine on amazon for 260 francs, they had nothing wrong with them, just returned) these headphones are one of my best buys ever. I was still on the fence about whether to get the Sennheiser HD598's, but I ended up going with these because I wanted something with more freedom and versatility. I have had few times where I may have regretted not getting the 598's, but a few minutes looking around for reviews on the Ziks reminded why I bout them.
 
While not having any experience with the other cans, I have read up thousands of pages of reviews, and the Ziks hardly ever seem to do anything but impress. The freedom Bluetooth gives a person is almost unparalleled, and the sound quality is hardly compromised. Being able to get up and walk away from what ever your doing, and still listen to what ever your listening to is great.
 
Personally, I have done major testing on the EQ settings for the ziks, and can say that the music sound a bit dull until you tweak the settings.(I use Concert Hall silent room 120, EQ on club, and noise canceling on.) I realize some of these setting may be a bit weird, and maybe its just because I have been using these setting for a few months, but the music just sounds a bit compressed and muffled unless these settings are on. 
 
The touch controls are heaven; the only time I touch my iPhone 5s is when I want to check the track. I just wish there was a "like" button on the side also. 
 
It's hard for me to stress how amazing Bluetooth is, but it really is great. It may be a little inconvenient to switch devices ever now and again, but its worth it if you're mainly using one device. 
 
My only problem with the headphones is the battery life. Even though I always have all of the settings on, (I think it sounds better that way) I wish they lasted a bit longer.  
 
Comfort wise, I have a very sensitive head. I can't wear buds because they hurt my ears, and a friend of mine has a pair of beats that squeeze my head, giving me a head ache (And I think the ziks still sound better). I have worn these headphones for sessions of 16+ hours, and only a slight un-comfort on the top of my head, easily fixed by a little adjustment. I have easily put at least 1000 hours in the past year I have had them, listening to every genre of music, and I have only ever had trouble with very high violin pieces on my android device I don't have this problem with Apple. That or they just updated the drivers. 
 
A few points on how it sounds: With my settings, (Clear with a bass/exciting presence) the bass is punchy, makes you want to dance, but doesn't drown out the mids and highs. I tried to tweak the EQ until I had it as I had exactly what I wanted. 
 
I don't want to exaggerate the sound these cans provide, because while its impressively good, its not as good as you might get from the HD598's. But for what I do with these headphones, the noise cancelling, impressive sound, and Bluetooth make it the perfect headset for me.

 

[degygiiq]

Thanks for the recommendation. Well i would consider them them, if I had the cash and could justify the purchase. I probably won't find the same bargain as you and they are way out of my range. Another thing is that my music player doesn't have Bluetooth and my phone not enough space to store the music. I know i could connect it via cable but then I'd pay for a feature I can't use.

 

[iHelp]

I don't know about any of the other headphones on that list, but I can tell you that the Amperior is a great headphone; I enjoy its portability and strong, punchy bass.
 
I feel like you really can't go wrong with any of those. I've learned that, the more you research, the less happy you'll be with your final purchase. Just sayin'.

 

[degygiiq]

  I don't know about any of the other headphones on that list, but I can tell you that the Amperior is a great headphone; I enjoy its portability and strong, punchy bass.
 
I feel like you really can't go wrong with any of those. I've learned that, the more you research, the less happy you'll be with your final purchase. Just sayin'.

Thanks for the answer. That's what I was afraid of, no clear choice. Best thing would probably be to try them but switzerland doesn't have a general return policy and it could become tricky to find them in a store. 
 
How are the Amperiors in terms of comfort? Can the speaker piece be rotated or tilted to fit ears that are sticking out a bit?

 

[Claritas]

How are the Amperiors in terms of comfort?

Amperior and HD25 have very strong clamping, which is why they provide such good isolation.

 

[sinnottj]

How are the Amperiors in terms of comfort? Can the speaker piece be rotated or tilted to fit ears that are sticking out a bit?

 
I had the Amperiors but got rid of them due to the (low) comfort.  As Claritas said, they have a very strong clamp, too much for me

  The headband is plastic too, so can't be stretched to reduce the clamp.
 
If you can deal with the clamp then they might actually be quite comfortable as the pads are nice and soft, and the headband splits so you can adjust it to the shape of your head to get a more secure fit.
 
The earcups have some freedom of movement so they should be fine with your ears.

 

[Trunks159]

You did a good job choosing the cans you'd consider. I'd easily put the FC300 at the top of the list. Very addictive sound signature.

 

[degygiiq]

You did a good job choosing the cans you'd consider. I'd easily put the FC300 at the top of the list. Very addictive sound signature.

My main concern with them is the comfort. I read a few reviews of people not finding them very comfy. How big are the ear pads exactly? And what is the diameter of the thing where you put the pads, just to compare with the ones I have now. They actually are on top of my list at the moment.

 

[Insayn]

The amperiors are surprisingly comfortable for what they are. They have a fairly high clamping force, but the nice velour pads are soft enough that it wont give you any uncomfortable pressure until 3+ hours of constant listening.

 

[Trunks159]

Moderately comfortable. The size of the pads isn't the problem actually, it's the thickness of them. More comfortable than on ear cans, not as comfortable as over ear cans like the 1r, but they sound better.

 

[kraken2109]

I enjoy the sound of my amperiors but as mentioned, comfort is poor.

 

[degygiiq]

Moderately comfortable. The size of the pads isn't the problem actually, it's the thickness of them. More comfortable than on ear cans, not as comfortable as over ear cans like the 1r, but they sound better.

Would it maybe be possible to change the pads with some of some other headphone? What is the diameter of the pads so maybe i can see if any others fit them.

 

[Trunks159]

I was planning on exchanging mine for a new one so I can't measure now.
Google it, or ask Beagle since I believe he has them.

 

[degygiiq]

I was planning on exchanging mine for a new one so I can't measure now.
Google it, or ask Beagle since I believe he has them.

Why are you exchanging them?