[Lord Chaos]

My main headphone application is listening while lying on my back in bed. My old Sony MDR-CD6 'phones work well for this, with small earpieces that still seal well to reduce outside noise. The problem is that I can no longer get replacement earpads, and they come unstuck after a couple of years.

For a few years I've been trying alternatives. Sony MDR-V600 were too boxy sounding. Remote Audio's HN-7506 are uncomfortable for the long haul but work great for live recording. ER-4S and E500 both sound great when I'm sitting upright, but for some reason the bass goes away when lying on my back.

Opinions on closed cans generally say they're inferior to open designs, which I can believe. I'd go for some open cans except that I'm in a fairly noisy place and the sealed type reduces distractions. So, given that sealed cans aren't quite going to be at the top of the heap, what is a good choice for a set of 'phones that will stay in place on my ears when lying down?

My source is WMA lossless files on a PC, through a Squeezebox and then a Benchmark DAC1. To give you some idea of the sound I like, the E500 is the best-sounding headphone I've used. Ideally, the sound would reach into the deep bass without accentuating upper bass, and be smooth through the rest of the frequency range.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[tfunk408]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Chaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...ER-4S and E500 both sound great when I'm sitting upright, but for some reason the bass goes away when lying on my back. ...

I have found that to be true as well. I think there is some scientific literature regarding auditory processing and body posture- and if not, someone should study it.

Regarding headphones, I've found the Sony mdr7506 and Koss a130 to be adequate, with the sonys edging the koss in terms of my personal preference (better comfort and isolation with velour pads), though the koss has deeper bass IMO. Both are preferred over the Sennheiser hd201 that I also have, which lacks in comfort and fit.

 

[Mrvile]

For a rig like yours I would go with nothing less than a nicely done Darth Beyer. It has accentuated bass and mids (though not overly bassy like regular 770s) and should be decently close sounding to your E500's.

Another option is Proline 750...a very well respected headphone here.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif For a rig like yours I would go with nothing less than a nicely done Darth Beyer. It has accentuated bass and mids (though not overly bassy like regular 770s) and should be decently close sounding to your E500's.

X2. Available from head-fi sponsor headphile.com. I use my Darth Beyers in my Bedside rig. They make me VERY happy

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another option is Proline 750...a very well respected headphone here.

x2. Oh what a difference a few short months can make! You couldn't give them away until recently.

 

[analog'd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexdexter /img/forum/go_quote.gif x2. Oh what a difference a few short months can make! You couldn't give them away until recently.

wellll... it's mostly your fault ya know!

 

[platinum]

for perfect seal, i am thinking of qualias.

 

[brianth]

You might think these are too bass heavy, but the Sennheiser HD-25-1 is great for lying down. The sound isolation is great. I've also found that they're pretty good as earmuffs for walking in chilly weather.