Large, open back, home-use and/or portable, closed headphones - Suggestions??

Mar 11, 2012 at 12:14 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

oceansaber

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So I'm extremely new to the forums, and I can't say I'm much of an audiophile as I'm relatively new to the scene of headphones.  Anyways, I've always wanted to have a combination of a pair of open headphones for home/studio use, as I hear the sound stage is usually much larger and it's more comfortable for prolonged listening, while I've also wanted a light, portable, closed pair of headphones on the go.  I'm on a budget where I'd be willing to spend up to $200 on the open ones, and around $100-125 for the closed.  Two things up on my checklist are comfort (I have a huge head and huge ears to boot) and a removable/detachable cable feature, as many a time my audio products have broken due to faulty wires (and I have no clue on how to solder/repair/replace, nor have I really had an expensive-enough pair that I deemed necessary to spend money on to replace).  
 
Just to give a quick summary, I have/had the Audio Technica M40fs, Kicker HP541, Marley Exodus, Panasonic RP-HTX7, Sennheiser HD 228 and HD238, Sony XB-500, along with a random assortment of in-ears like a truckload of cheaper SKs and a couple Klipsch.  I have the opportunity to purchase a pair of Sennheiser HD-25 SPII's for about $50+ (not too sure if there are such thing as fake Sennheiser HD-25 SPII's, so I'm a tad wary), and a modded, almost new Alessandro MS1 for $85.
 
As an FYI, I live in the frosty regions of the developed world some refer to as Canada, so everything is usually more expensive than the States.  Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and if I'm posting this in the wrong part of the forums or what not, please let me know, as I'm a complete noob still :D
 
Mar 11, 2012 at 7:29 PM Post #2 of 5
For open, the Sennheiser HD558 would do the trick. It's ultra-comfy, has tons of spacial depth, and  a removable cable if I'm not mistaken.
 
As for on-the-go, not many portables have great soundstage, so you may have to give up a little room there. However, that in no way means that there's no great portable headphones out there at your price.
 
Mar 11, 2012 at 8:25 PM Post #3 of 5
Haha, thanks a bunch, you're the only person so far that has recommended me anything.  And should I be trusting sellers off of eBay when it comes to headphones?  Especially if they're being shipped "from Hong Kong"?  
 
Mar 11, 2012 at 10:25 PM Post #4 of 5
I feel like the Ultrasone HFI-2400 could fit your open criteria.  I have a pretty large head and they're very comfortable for me (slightly clampy at first but the headband can be carefully bent to relieve clamping pressure). 
 
I'm still fairly new myself so I can't compare them to a whole lot, I think they're definitely worth a listen though.
 
Mar 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM Post #5 of 5
As for Ebay, only trust sellers with very good, long-time, detailed feedback. As for other marketplaces, Amazon and Head-Fi are better for spam.
 

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