[Pantocrator]

I am in the market for new headphones, HOPEFULLY around $250.
But I also have some questions... The style would be around ear, since they are usually the highest quality and most comfortable.
i would prefer noise canceling, but the most important feature is pure accurate sound. The problem is, it seems that noise canceling sets are not as high quality sound wise...
I am wondering if there are any good amped headphones as well, so I could use them with a line out from a portable player.
So I am asking for ideas in both amped and unamped, and noise canceling and not canceling. I have looked at Sennheiser and Bose, and I really can't tell the difference by looking at features and specs.

 

[Pantocrator]

bump for some help. If the op didn't do the trick ,what info should I include so I can get some help?

 

[Pantocrator]

I'll look into those- are they on ear or over ear? They look like on ear, but that doesn't make sense if they are noise canceling.

 

[Vaughn]

Pantocrator....

I will apologize in advance for all here (if I may be so bold)....

You have stumbled upon a labyrinthine, byzantine, and ultimately incredibly self-serving universe.....

If I make a suggestion as to an excellent unamped can(forget noise canceling)
such as .....Allesandro Music Series MS1 or Sennheiser HD595... the sound
will be good enough that you will be soon searching out suggestions for an excellent amp'ed headphone.

If you are wise, and I suspect you are

, follow my directions...

Step #1.

Find a Grado SR225, used preferably. Either way you will be spending from $150 to $200(new).

Step #2.

Purchase a Mini^3 from MisterX or Rockhopper Audio with the gain set to
+2 for this low impedance can.

Step #3

Enjoy for eternity

The sound will be so good you will be introduced to a whole new reality!


Good luck!

 

[ph0rk]

I'd avoid noise cancelling - they rarely work well for portable-type noises (bus, train, people talking, the like).

A nice quality closed headphone will often block out a good deal of sound.
Beyer tt-770, dt-250, sennheiser hd-25, and akg k271 are all worth checking out.


If sound blocking is a must, nothing tops IEMs.

 

[AudioCats]

Some 03' Beyer 770's, they can be had on ebay for $150 or so. Granted the 770's are not as clear as the higher end phones like 880/990 or senn 600/650 AKG701, they are still very good for entry level and provide some sound isolation (closed cup), and easy to drive too. After you obtain a better system further down the road, the 770 will still serve very well as computer phones, so no money goes wasted (you don't want to use high-end super-resolution phones for computer use, they will reveal all kinds of problems from your sound card

)

 

[azncookiecutter]

DT770s can't be even considered clear, it's quite heavy on the bass. Also needs something better than most built-in amps to actually drive them to decent levels. Something like the ATH-A900s from AudioTechnica would be more suitable.

 

[Pantocrator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vaughn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pantocrator.... I will apologize in advance for all here (if I may be so bold).... You have stumbled upon a labyrinthine, byzantine, and ultimately incredibly self-serving universe..... If I make a suggestion as to an excellent unamped can(forget noise canceling) such as .....Allesandro Music Series MS1 or Sennheiser HD595... the sound will be good enough that you will be soon searching out suggestions for an excellent amp'ed headphone. If you are wise, and I suspect you are , follow my directions... Step #1. Find a Grado SR225, used preferably. Either way you will be spending from $150 to $200(new). Step #2. Purchase a Mini^3 from MisterX or Rockhopper Audio with the gain set to +2 for this low impedance can. Step #3 Enjoy for eternity The sound will be so good you will be introduced to a whole new reality! Good luck!

I'm a little confused. Are you saying that the Grado requires an amp, but the Sennheiser doesn't? I would assume the Grado to be better, but I cannot find pricing at the moment. Also, who is MisterX? I cannot find anything on him/it on google, only the rockhopper audio place.

 

[ok computer]

The grados don't require an amp. The post was saying that you'd be better off getting an amp now, and getting out of here before you become addicted... I think.

 

[Pantocrator]

browser really sucking- sorry

 

[Pantocrator]

browser sucking, sorry

 

[Pantocrator]

I am looking at Senn. AKg, Bose, and Grado at the moment. Can anybody tell which of these companies has the best offering at my price range? goodcans.com has some ratings, but they are not extremely descriptive in their choices- they just give some recommendations. Is there a reason bose is not menioned much at this site or on other audio sites? Is it not up to snuff?
Features I would like
Comfortable
Around ear (for comfort and some noise canceling)
clear, uncolored sound
good sound stage
accurate in bass, mids, treble
basically just the highest quality possible at the price

Also, where would be a good place to find pricing? Is there a recommended site to buy these from?