[Fortune]

Hi All,

I'm trying to find a comfortable closed phone for extended use (6-10 hours a day). I enjoy mostly rock, classical and trance/trip-hop.

I will run them directly out of a cowon x5 as I don't want to use my amp and chew up batteries. I also don't want to carry an amp/batteries and cords back and forth everyday.

I have some iem's but don't like to use them for these long periods of time.

Isolation is also important.... as is lack of leakage so as not to disturb people around me. Cost is not so important, I will happily pay for a good set of phones that sound good and don't give me cauliflower ears

I currently use the k26p but they absolutely KILL my ears. I stretched, bent, molested, etc. the headband but to no avail. I really like the reviews of the k81 but I'm real scared of the head clamping. These k26's have me real gunshy...

Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

I forgot to mention that I'm currently living in a 3rd world country and don't have the luxury of buying, trying and returning. It is worth it to me to pay up front and get something good the first time.

 

[zyxwvutsr]

budget?

I'm thinking something in the audio technica lineup. ax00?

 

[Fortune]

Around $300 or so is the upper limit.

 

[muckluck]

Go with AT-Ax00s or even the W1000.

 

[dgs]

The least fatiguing closed can I have used is the beyer 250-80. The treble is a little rolled off, but this disappears after a few minutes, and they are very comfortable and non-fatiguing.

I think the sony v6 will probably be recommended by some others, but I find that can more fatiguing, and also lacking presence. It's like having the loudness button active on your system all the time--lots of highs and lows, but no meat.

I don't much about how well your portable will drive the beyer 250-250, but they are a better balanced sound than the 250-80.

I have been absolutely unimpressed with all the cheap Senn closed phones that have come out in the past year or so. The Senn hd25 is pretty nice, though, but I think the beyer is more musical sounding. I am a big Senn fan, having both the 650 and the 580 (with Equinox), and I have never been a huge beyer fan, so the fact that I like the 250-80 is saying something.

Forgot to mention that the beyers sound pretty good with both classical and rock. Haven't really listened to much trance on them, but their bass response is excellent, so it should be pretty pleasing.

 

[zyxwvutsr]

does portability, durability matter? ath-ax00s lose in these categories.

 

[Fortune]

Portability is less important than durability. I will be lugging these things around in my backpack every day so they'll probably get banged up a bit.

 

[Fortune]

I like the suggestion of the beyer 250/80's, they were one of the models I was considering.

I owned some about 5 years back and used them with both a meta and unamped out of my sony md909. I liked them, but at the time I was also listening to the ath-w700's and the HD600's with the equinox cable out of a micro-zotl so they really didn't get me too excited.

They are comfortable and very rugged from what I remember. The sound was good although I remember not really being overly impressed. It was some time back and I don't remember the sonic signature very well.

 

[muckluck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fortune Portability is less important than durability. I will be lugging these things around in my backpack every day so they'll probably get banged up a bit.

Ignore the AT suggestions then. They are built well and everything, but I doubt they can take that.

 

[Fortune]

I think the major problem I'm having is that I don't know much about the new cans out there and I'm not sure about how some of these phones will sound unamped.

Looking strictly at impedance, the 250/80's seem hard to drive with a portable player. There are other phones with a lower impedance, the akg k271's for example, that are said to NEED an amp to get good sound.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fortune Portability is less important than durability. I will be lugging these things around in my backpack every day so they'll probably get banged up a bit.

Aside from the MDR-V6 and HD280, you won't find any full-sized closed cans that are portable enough to carry in a backpack The rest of the full-size closed can line-up is most definitely NOT portable, and trust me, you don't want to be seen walking around in public wearing Audio Technica's ATH-Axx mega-monsters (they take up half of the average human head) or the AKG K271S (slightly smaller but still large). The Beyer DT250 and DT770 are somewhat hefty too, but can take whatever kind of physical beating you choose to give them.

Also the AKG and Beyers almost need an amp.

I recommend going with the closed supra-aural design, like the Audio Technica ATH-FC7/FC5/ES7/ES5 or Sennheiser PX-200. There are a few similar ones out there too. Supra-aural closed cans also tend to have lower impedances (to match up with the portable devices they're designed for), usually 32 Ohms, which will give much better results from your iAudio X5.

 

[Fortune]

thanks ASR....

I'm having such a problem finding the right phones unamped that I may have to dust off my old portable amp and go for the best sound quality I can get.

I'm leaning in the direction of the 250/250's but also am thinking of the 770/80's.

Maybe even the k271's though they seem to be a bit finicky as far as source/amp pairing.

Another huge factor is finding someone who will ship to me internationally. I only have a PO box and a local bank debit card and am finding apprehension with sellers so far.

we'll see what happens

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I don't think that you'll be able to wear a set of closed cans for 6-10 hours at a time. You need to take a break. I'll second the HD280s though, they're not very fatiguing.

 

[The Smokester]

If you are carrying a pair of large headphones around it may not be too much more to also carry a small, relatively inexpensive amp like the HeadRoom Total Airhead.

 

[timmins]

I've owned the 26ps and I now own 81 DJ's, the comfort of the two is very similar, they both make my ears tender within about two hours.