[sporky]

A few months ago I started shopping around for a set of headphones to use at college. My criteria for choosing one was:

1. High comfort (I'll be doing homework with them on)

2. Great sound (obviously an important factor)

3. Reasonably affordable (I'm a college student after all)

4. Minimize sound leakage both in and out (I don't want to hear other people’s speakers blasting, or disturb my roommate late at night)

5. Aesthetics and portability are of no concern to me since I will be using then only at my computer.

Based on those points, I ordered the HD 280's online (without ever having tried them on). Now that they've been thoroughly burned in, I'm quite pleased with the way they sound. My problem, however, is that they are simply too heavy for me. The pressure on the top of my head seems to fade away after VERY long listening periods, but for short uses and studying they prove to be quite irritating.

Can anyone recommend any more comfortable/light headphones that meet my criteria?

Thanks!

 

[Tyson]

If you have a headphone amp - Beyer 250-250
If no amp - Ultrasone HFI-700

 

[Tyson]

Oh yes, and Ety 4S is very comfortable, once you get used to having something in your ear.

 

[sporky]

What about the Beyer DT250-80? I've heard some good things about those. How does their sound and comfort compair to the HD 280?

 

[ph0rk]

it takes several days for them to mold themselves to you. Have you tried adjusting the headband so it doesn't touch your head?

It will be hard to beat the 280's for isolation, bear in midn any possible replacement will probably have more leakage unless you consider canalphones.

 

[Patrickhat2001]

I'd say Sony D66 (Eggos). Personally, I like these more than the HD280s--to me they have a more balanced sound with more present (and groovier) bass, less strident highs and slightly better clarity. It short I find that they sound more realistic and enjoyable. That's just me, though, many people don't like the Eggos--just like the HD280s they seem to be a hit-or-miss phone.

As for your five requirements.

1. D66 are very comfortable--they have cloth pads that litterally rap around your ears.

2. No question here.

3. Hmm... might pose a problem. The cheapest I've seen them at is $90 at audiocubes.com but they don't have a return policy. They run $95 at outwardsound.com and $100 at minidisco.com--both of these places have no questions asked return policies. Watch out though, as minidisco's only lasts ten days--after that it's a 15% restocking fee. You could also try to get them used from on the gear for sale/trade forum.

4. D66s don't leak much at all but they don't isolate you as much from external sounds and they definately don't provide as much isolation as the HD280s. For normal ambiant sounds in a room they are fine but for roomate's blaring stereo not so much.

5. Even though aesthetics and portability don't matter to you the D66s are some of the best looking phones out there (a very sleek, minimalist look) and are portable.

As far as weight goes D66s are very light--much lighter than the HD280s.

I hope this helps--although it will likely just confuse you as it provides yet another divergent opinion.

P.S. Great name and avatar by the way.

 

[lindrone]

You can get the Eggos for $89 from AudioCubes, last time I checked. However, that might still be out of your price range anyway.

 

[HeadphonesNewGuy]

I went from HD280's to PX200's mainly because of comfort and I figured out that what I was really using them for (without an amp) I really didn't need the bulk either. Being a college student as well, evaluate what you really use headphones for and then make a purchase. I know you can get them for $30 at ecost.com.

Isaiah

 

[Patrickhat2001]

Yeah, thinking about it I little more I think you might just want to check out the PX200s as well. I like the D66 more than the PX200 but for only $30 at ecost.com (and a $5 rebate from Sennheiser) these are just too cheap to pass up. Overall the PX200 are great phones--they have great neutrality and detail especially when compared to other phones in their price range. My only gripes about the PX200 is that I found their soundstage to be very compressed (all the instruments seemed piled-on-top of each other) and I found them to be a little bass weak and to have a slightly off-color timbre in their midrange. But they are still very good phones and aren't all that large of a step down from the D66 especially when you think of the difference in price between the two. On the downside the PX200 actually isolate even less than the D66. But in closing I think both phones sound superior (others will disagree for sure) to the HD280s and you should be happy with either (or both) of them.