[Polarctic]

Hi.

These are some earphones and ear plugs that I've used. I was hoping to get some advice from you on what I might look for when getting a new pair of closed back headphones based on this.

I'm going to be honest and say that I for the most part I use my headphones to listen to music that I download in the highest quality available from Spotify. Other than that I use phones to monitor voice over recording, when podcasting, as monitors when recording live unplugged music or when watching youtube. I use headphones a lot. Usually for hours every day. Here's a little music that I like just to give you an idea and maybe something to enjoy. In no particular order.

Billy Cobham - Stratus (FFW to 3:03)
Balloons - Tonbruket
Kevin Morby - Harlem River
From Gagarins Point of View - Esbjörn Svensson trio
Bob Dylan (Tell Tale Signs, is a good record)
Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin
Hendrix
Fleetwood Mac
Brian Eno - Regiment
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Talking Heads
Miles
Coltrane
And many more.


These are what I've used and how I liked the sound.

Sony MDR V700 (Made In Philippines version)
The loved, hated and much debated phones from the early 2000's. I love the sound in these, not the build quality though. I don't get fatigued by the audio in them as I do with many others. The bass goes deep without dropping in volume but they are detailed over all. I qould say that these are in fact the best sounding headphones I've ever tried. They are easy to drive and can even be used as speakers instead of using the speakers on a laptop. I think the later versions were made in China and then the market was also flooded with counterfiet ones. I actually suspect that many people who say that they don't like these actually have listened to fake phones. Is there anything like these today but with better build quality? When new the coiled cable on these was great. Although longer than needed the material used was soft and would not drag my Minidisc from the table if I accidentally stood up or moved around. Many coiled cables are way to stiff in my opinion but otherwise I like them.

Beyedynamics DT-250 80Ω
I hated these. They provide clear and detailed sound but no listening pleasure for me. Like a dagger in the ear. These might be amongst the best as monitors and mixing but to enjoying music these are worthless as far as I am concerned. On top of that one of the elements started fading out to quiet. It would sometimes wake up if I unplugged and plugged them in again. This became worse and worse until I gave up on them. Even though these are quite expensive they feel cheap somehow. The coiled cable is stiff plastic. I do believe that they are sturdy though and the plush earpads are kind of nice.

Koss Porta Pro
I have had many pair of these and still use them extensively to this day and like them a lot. In quiet surroundings I can really enjoy the sound in these. I have done some mods to them and soldered on better cables and also opened up the grill a little.

Sony MDR 7506
You all know these and what they do. To me these are in the same realm as the Beyerdynamics DT-250. Most of the music I listen to has probably been mixed using either of the two so there is probably something wrong with my ears but I can't stand this type of tuning.

Pioneer HDJ-2000
Stellar build quality, feel and fit but the sound was kind of boring. I changed the earpads to bigger ones from Brainwavz which made them even more comfortable. They have deep bass but the sound level in the lower frequencies drops off leaving me unsatisfied. I want to hear that!

BLON bl-03
I'm having trouble getting these to stay in my ears despite having tried a myriad of different ear tips. When they do stay in there I really enjoy the sound in these!

JBL Reflect mini (Wired, not Bluetooth)
With the original winged ear tips these fit my ears perfect. It's the only pair of in-ears I've ever found that fit and I guess that's why I used them. The sound quality is acceptable, not impressive. With some EQ these delivered hundreds of hours of podcasts on bicycle or on foot. The cable will transfer sound if it rubs against anything.

Jbl Reflect mini BT
No... no. The sound quality s****s. I was used to the wired version when I bought these and when the BT version broke I went back to the wired ones and realized how much better they were.

Audio Technica ATH-PRO700MK2
Didn't like these much. There was something I didn't like about the sound and they clamped too tight on my ears and hurt a spot on the center of my head. In comparison to the Pioneer HDJ-2000, the plastic feel of the PRO700MK2 don't impress. I believe they are quite sturdy and will take some abuse though.



My budget is $250. Even though everything has gotten so expensive these days there should be something out there.
As demonstrated by the Porta Pro and to some extent also the Blon BL-03 you can get good sound without breaking the bank.
To get build quality and comfort, like on the Pioneers, the price will of course reflect that.
What are your thoughts on what to look for or to try out if given the chance?

 

[Kukuk]

What aspect of a closed-back headphone are you looking for? Isolation or bass response? If it's bass response the only recommendation I have is the Hifiman HE-R9.

They have, hands down, the best bass I've heard in a headphone, regardless of price. It's high in level, to be sure, but it retains that power well into the extreme low frequencies.

Overall they're certainly not a reference-level headphone, but they're not wildly unbalanced either. They're sorta Harman curve ballpark. I've heard people complain about their treble been a little too down in level, but I don't hear that myself.

The only real fault with them is their isolation. They keep sound in well enough, but they offer essentially no isolation from the outside world. You might take issue with build, as they feel cheap, but I think that comes more from the fact that they're light, rather than being made from poor materials.

They also fall well below your budget. They run $109 these days, which is funny because a couple years back I paid $360 or so and felt I got more than my money's worth.

 

[Polarctic]

What aspect of a closed-back headphone are you looking for? Isolation or bass response? If it's bass response the only recommendation I have is the Hifiman HE-R9.

They have, hands down, the best bass I've heard in a headphone, regardless of price. It's high in level, to be sure, but it retains that power well into the extreme low frequencies.

Overall they're certainly not a reference-level headphone, but they're not wildly unbalanced either. They're sorta Harman curve ballpark. I've heard people complain about their treble been a little too down in level, but I don't hear that myself.

The only real fault with them is their isolation. They keep sound in well enough, but they offer essentially no isolation from the outside world. You might take issue with build, as they feel cheap, but I think that comes more from the fact that they're light, rather than being made from poor materials.

They also fall well below your budget. They run $109 these days, which is funny because a couple years back I paid $360 or so and felt I got more than my money's worth.

Thanks. I haven't heard of these before. A quick read and a review on the tube it sounds like these are quite good. Their gargantuan size and appearance probably limits their use quite a bit though. I probably wouldn't take those outside my home. Otherwise a very good suggestion.

I might add that as a speaker of Scandinavian language, you have a very funny alias. Did you know that?

 

[Kerry56]

Since you like the Porta Pros, I'd suggest the Creative Aurvana Live!. It has a warm, immersive sound, and has been a highly recommended headphone for many years now. Last time I looked, it was under $50 on Amazon.com. There are some down sides to this headphone however. The pads are a little too small for most people, so it feels more like an on-ear headphone than one that fits over the ears. Since the pads are very soft, this is still fairly comfortable. The other problem is the build quality. They just aren't built to last. Like the Porta Pros, you have to be careful not to yank on the cord.

Personally, I'd give a hard pass to the Hifiman HE-R9. The bass is boomy beyond belief, and overwhelms everything else. I had to do some major modifications to mine in order to get something worthwhile.

 

[Polarctic]

Since you like the Porta Pros, I'd suggest the Creative Aurvana Live!. It has a warm, immersive sound, and has been a highly recommended headphone for many years now. Last time I looked, it was under $50 on Amazon.com. There are some down sides to this headphone however. The pads are a little too small for most people, so it feels more like an on-ear headphone than one that fits over the ears. Since the pads are very soft, this is still fairly comfortable. The other problem is the build quality. They just aren't built to last. Like the Porta Pros, you have to be careful not to yank on the cord.

Personally, I'd give a hard pass to the Hifiman HE-R9. The bass is boomy beyond belief, and overwhelms everything else. I had to do some major modifications to mine in order to get something worthwhile.

Thanks for the advice Kerry.
It seems like the Creative Aurvana Live has been discontinued. At least I can't seem to get it in Scandinavia. The reviews are very intriguing but the build quality would be a dealbreaker even if I could get them. The tight earpads can usually be exchanged for something else though. I've used Brainwavz memory foam pads on many different phones and they have always been a good upgrade.
I'm pretty careful with my equipment but of course I do the old cord snag about once a week, actually it's usually on the same knob, walking out from the kitchen. Or forget to take my headphones off when walking away from my PC, zoom H4 or phone. I prefer coiled cords for this reason.

On a side note. I've re-soldered my Koss porta pro wires many times after hard snags. Up until the point where the copper plate on the element itself gets ripped away. Then I've discovered that Koss Lifetime warranty actually steps up and keeping their word. You just got to dig a bit to find out how to use it but they will send you new elements or headbands or both if you have snagged on something and destroyed your porta pros.

 

[Polarctic]

Do I need to step up in price? What if I could splurge $350 or even $400. There's gotta be something out there..

 

[xeizo]

Closed cans you say?

If not wanting to break the bank I would recommend both Shure SRH840a and even the old workhorse Audio-Technica ATH-M50x as clean but powerful sounding and also sturdy, both under 200$. The SRH840a is more "HiFi" imo and the treble is less pronounced.

Beyerdynamic DT700 ProX is also a good bet, slightly more expensive, but good reviews and very sturdy. I have the DT900 ProX which is the open variant and I can confirm it do not have piercing treble and generally sounds likeable. Also very easy to drive.

 

[Polarctic]

Meze 99 classics or even the meze 99 neo could be the sound I'm looking for, according to reviews. Although the physical design doesn't make them audio bag friendly or back packable.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Fiio JT1

For the price and more bombastic sound, IEMs are probably the better option.
You could ask for a recommendation on the "Discovery" thread. DISCOVERY

I don't know where you are from ..but if you can snag these:
Monolith 1060C
I love them!

Good luck!

Cheers!

 

[Polarctic]

Fiio JT1

For the price and more bombastic sound, IEMs are probably the better option.
You could ask for a recommendation on the "Discovery" thread. DISCOVERY

I don't know where you are from ..but if you can snag these:
Monolith 1060C
I love them!

Good luck!

Cheers!

Thanks Fidgeraldo.

In ears can be great it's just that I can't find any that fit my ears. This is not even an exaggeration, I wrote about it in the OP.
I have very small ear canals, probably from surfing above the arctic for a few too many winters which causes a condition called surfers ear. This is not something I made up, it's a real thing and I know three people who have had to get surgery for it. I'm not sure if this is my diagnosis or if I'm just born with tiny little ear canals but in ears are basically not an option. I've done a lot of testing and the only one I ever found that would work was the wired JBL reflect mini with the original M eartips (the ones that were almost impossible to get a hold of and once sourced would cost almost as much as a complete set of earphones including a pair of eartips). So yeah. Sticking with over ear phones.

 

[chesebert]

ETA Mini Closed. My impression here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eta-mini-closed.963861/post-17017931

New is $500 but you may be able to find a used one

 

[fidgeraldo]

Thanks Fidgeraldo.

Not a problem,
if you can get Monolith 1060C grab one.
I have TOTL headphones, and I still enjoy listening to 1060C, the same as with any other expensive headphones.
I also found out that they sound amazing with Zishan Z4 ($100), a cheap Aliexpress DAP.
Where do you plan to buy/order headphones from?
Head-Fi Classifieds is a good option too for used.

 

[fidgeraldo]

JM Hifiman

This is in Classifieds...John Massaria makes headphones sound good...check this out.
It could be right for you...

 

[Polarctic]

The ETA mini closed is the closest thing to what I had imagined. I can't get them anywhere in Scandinavia though and they are outside of my budget. They kind of fit the bill otherwise and I really appreciate the fact that they fold up. I've always felt that headphones that do that seems to handle being stuffed in bags much better since they are protected by the headband. Some of the other phones suggested probably sound great but they are behemoths. The girth renders them as home/studio use only phones, at least for me.

 

[chesebert]

The ETA mini closed is the closest thing to what I had imagined. I can't get them anywhere in Scandinavia though and they are outside of my budget. They kind of fit the bill otherwise and I really appreciate the fact that they fold up. I've always felt that headphones that do that seems to handle being stuffed in bags much better since they are protected by the headband. Some of the other phones suggested probably sound great are behemoths. The girth renders them as home/studio use only phones, at least for me.

they only sell direct. You can email them or DM them in Discord or SBAF. You can always try your luck on the used market.