[Mansize_tissue]

I'm pretty new to the world of audio, high-end audio anyway; compared with a lot of you guys, at least!

I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros (80 ohm) and a Corda Move which I've had for a little under half a year. However I fancy something new, a little different.

Now, I use my DT770s for both gaming and music listening, but I'd like to get something more portable.

I'm thinking I should probably go with an open pair of 'phones, to make a change from the closed sound I get with my Beyers. I don't really want to spend more than £200 (although I'd rather spend around £150), and whatever I get will have to be used with my iPod Nano. I'd rather not have to carry my Corda Move around, plus I'd have to buy some kind of IC and a rechargeable battery. However, if absolutely necessary I'll consider it.

I was thinking about getting some HD650s or something, but these aren't exactly very portable. I'd rather have something which I can easily just put around my neck (which I suppose is possible with the HD650s, but I'd still have to carry my Move around with me). The problem with my Beyers is that I can hardly move my neck when they're around my neck, so I'd rather have something like the PX100s which are nice and small and discrete, only with better audio quality.

So basically, I'm looking for a pair of 'phones (supra aural would probably be more suitable due to their size) which can easily be hung around my neck when not in use. This means they can't camp too hard as, if they do, they'll probably close up around my neck so I won't be able to move my head down.

Thank you, in advance. I look forward to you advice.


EDIT: Oh, I thought I'd add what sort of music these are going to be used for. I usually listen to Placebo, Muse, Junior Boys, CSS, Beck, Daft Punk, Primal Scream, The Prodigy... stuff like that.
So a fair variety!

 

[PieRat]

Maybe Grados?

 

[Mansize_tissue]

In particular, what would you suggest PieRat from the Grado range?

Any other suggestions?

 

[legcramp]

lol I bought my beyers 770pro's a couple weeks ago and a headsix to go along with it, after I sold my HD555.

I find myself going back to my KSC-75's especially when amped and now looking at something with the ksc75's sound but better... and ran into the Goldring DR150's. Now just looking for somewhere/someone to buy it from.

 

[autosound]

Coming from the dt770s, do you expect your next headphones to be bass heavy as well? Or is bass not an issue to take into consideration?

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Since I'm used to the bass-heavy Beyers I don't really want a pair of cans which are considered bass-shy. If possible, I'd like to cap the budget at £150 because at the moment I can't justify spending much more.

Thank you very much for your help so far guys.

 

[lighttrix]

im in the same boat, use will be for music and games.

So far thinking of

HD650'S, Ultrasone Proline 750's, Akg k701 or the ATH-A900

was also recommended the ATH-A900ti Limited Edition Titanium Headphones found here

AudioCubes.com - Audio-Technica ATH-A900ti Limited Edition Titanium

while they look great , these are outta my price range

overall starting to lean towards the hd650's as they have more reviews than most. Still like the proline 750's - just the all plastic nature of them kinda out me off as not sure how robust they are and a robust set would be ideal.

 

[SBD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansize_tissue /img/forum/go_quote.gif In particular, what would you suggest PieRat from the Grado range? Any other suggestions?

Whatever you can afford. I got the baseline sr60 and I love them.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Ok, change of plan.

I've decided I want a more portable pair of 'phones instead. Now, the budget still remains the same but I want something a little more discrete and that looks pretty decent. I'd prefer to be able to just run them straight from the headphone-out on my iPod as I don't really want to have to buy an IC and a rechargeable battery for my Corda Move.

What do you guys suggest? I want something like the Senny PX100s, but... better, if possible. Maybe HD25s?

 

[paulb09]

AKG K81DJ / K518DJ (same headphone, just 518 is newer and darker colour scheme). Can be found around £30 - £50, so perhaps a bit cheap for your budget, but they look okay. They are very bassy (assuming the ipod has an equalizer you can sort this out somewhat if it's a problem, or look for the big K81 topic on these forums where people have a few mod suggestions), but otherwise they still keep some of AKG's average style with a fair sized sound stage and fair quality in the mids and highs, and does pretty well for a cheapish headphone if you ask me.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Thank you, Paul. I hadn't even considered these AKGs until now, thank you for bringing them to my attention.

The main reason why I don't want to use my Beyers portably is because I can't put them round my neck very well when not using them. This is because they clamp tightly around my neck and don't allow me to move my head down or anything. These AKGs look like they won't fair much better in this regard since the cups look surprisingly large for supra aural 'phones and they look like they come together quite close when not being used, similar to my Beyers.

This is why I think some HD595s might be a viable option since they can be hung round my neck easily when not being used and still allow me to move my head around! Same goes for the PX100s. However, both of these are very common and I think I'd prefer something.. different.

 

[paulb09]

To save me installing my webcam I had the idea of using Head Room's images. How close this head is to the average I don't know, but it gives a way of comparing sizes. As you can see, the K601 (first) looks to be fairly close to the size of the DT770 (second), and wearing the K601 round my neck feels like having a neck brace on

The K81 (third) is very similar size to the HD25-1 (fourth), and it should be in practise too, because I have used the HD25 velour pads on my K81 before. The final picture is the PX100, which is considerably smaller.

Still, I find I can hang the K81 around my neck easily. If I have the head band extended as far as possible, I can angle the ear-cups out a bit and move my head pretty far down to look at the ground. not extending the head band, there is enough gap between the ear cups to get my chin on my chest. Of course this will vary from person to person, but I reckon most people would be able to hang these around their neck without massive discomfort.
On another note, the K81 isn't the most comfortable headphone in the world to wear. It can clamp quite tightly at first, but many people leave it to stretch a little over books before they use it majorly (some whilst leaving them to "burn in" sound wise). You can also get the HD25 velour pads if you find the pleather ones too stiff, but recently I took the HD25 velour pads off because they were really itching my ears, and I was surprised at how little the softness gap between them and going back to the pleathers felt to me.

After that, if you're still worried about size, other than the PX100 the K414P / K26P (if they differ I don't know, but the K414 looks like the old K26) could be worth a look. It's closed like the K81 so will isolate to a certain extent, but as far as I've read on these forums it's not up to the sound quality of the K81 so take that in mind (I believe it is somewhat cheaper, though).

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Thank you very much, Paul. I really appreciate your help!

So the HD25s and K81s are very similar size-wise. Is there much difference in sound quality? Ideally, I'd like something that supersedes the HD595s in sound quality, but this may not be possible with my budget and requirements. Will the HD25s match the HD595s in this respect? Also, do you know if they clamp tighter than the K81s? If not, they'd probably be easier to just put round my neck?

Sorry for all of the questions. Also, can anybody else suggest any decent 'phones within my budget that are suitable to just hang around necks when not being used?

 

[Mansize_tissue]

I edited my original post with updated information with regard to my situation.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

The Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 is really suitable for this job IMHO.
If you want a cheaper alternative, give the ATH-ES7 a look.