Ishouldbeking
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Posts
- 20
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- 0
Having managed to kill both my Koss Sportapros (snapped wire) and my KSC75 backups (one earphone died) in the same weekend (!), I am in need of something for my commute. Ideally I'd like to get something significantly better, at least in terms of durability, since I apparently kill headphones without meaning to.
Preferences: I listen to probably 50% extreme metal (black, death, doom, etc) and a random mix of post-punk, new wave, glam, prog, jangle pop, etc (mostly rock-based but the occasional classical and jazz as well). I currently have a lovely pair of ancient and slowly dying Audio Technica ATH-M50's (which I love for home listening; too bulky for portable use) and a pair of RHA MA-750i IEMs (which sound great, but I'm not really an IEM guy). All of these cans sound pretty great for my tastes (KSC75's are a bit thin for metal, but lovely for the lighter genres), so I guess I have pretty straightforward / mass-market tastes in cans?
My main considerations now are as follows: (1) must sound good, obviously. All the above cans qualify for my purposes, but I was thinking I'd take the opportunity to upgrade the sound along with the build quality. (2) Must be sufficiently portable. Folding would be ideal, along with being (preferably) lightweight. I don't mind open cans ala sportapros/portapros, so long as they're not offensively leaky (like, say, Grados). I've never had a problem with my sportapros in the library or on the subway, even (just adjust volume accordingly up or down). (3) And they must be DURABLE. I'm sick of killing headphones, really I am. Detachable/replaceable cables are a huge plus, as are good warranties, but build quality above all would make me feel much better about plunking down some cash.
Things I'm currently considering: V-Moda XS and Sennheiser HD 25 (which version of the Senn?). I'd love to hear thoughts on either of these cans, as well as any recommendations for other things to look at in this relative range (or cheaper! cheaper is always good too). Thanks in advance!
Preferences: I listen to probably 50% extreme metal (black, death, doom, etc) and a random mix of post-punk, new wave, glam, prog, jangle pop, etc (mostly rock-based but the occasional classical and jazz as well). I currently have a lovely pair of ancient and slowly dying Audio Technica ATH-M50's (which I love for home listening; too bulky for portable use) and a pair of RHA MA-750i IEMs (which sound great, but I'm not really an IEM guy). All of these cans sound pretty great for my tastes (KSC75's are a bit thin for metal, but lovely for the lighter genres), so I guess I have pretty straightforward / mass-market tastes in cans?
My main considerations now are as follows: (1) must sound good, obviously. All the above cans qualify for my purposes, but I was thinking I'd take the opportunity to upgrade the sound along with the build quality. (2) Must be sufficiently portable. Folding would be ideal, along with being (preferably) lightweight. I don't mind open cans ala sportapros/portapros, so long as they're not offensively leaky (like, say, Grados). I've never had a problem with my sportapros in the library or on the subway, even (just adjust volume accordingly up or down). (3) And they must be DURABLE. I'm sick of killing headphones, really I am. Detachable/replaceable cables are a huge plus, as are good warranties, but build quality above all would make me feel much better about plunking down some cash.
Things I'm currently considering: V-Moda XS and Sennheiser HD 25 (which version of the Senn?). I'd love to hear thoughts on either of these cans, as well as any recommendations for other things to look at in this relative range (or cheaper! cheaper is always good too). Thanks in advance!
