[Mercuttio]

So here I am, fresh out of college and spending my life in a studio working away. In the past several months at my new job, I have spent almost no time at all with my home rig, and I'm not so sure when I'll be able to do so again. Since I'm in a work environment, my open (even moreso after my mod) Grados simply don't work very well for those around me, and I find myself in need of a drastic can-lifestyle change.

It's important to note that I seem to do only three things... work, sleep, and ride on the subway. I don't care how silly I look with huge headphones, if the sound is good, that's all that matters.

Firstly, I may or may not sell off my Beyer DT880s and my home amp. I simply don't know if I will or not yet, we'll have to see how much they are used in the time to come.

My deal is this: I need something large that sounds good and is easily driven. I will probably end up with a Headroom bithead amp for home usage when I need it, and on the road when I wish to have more clarity.

The ATH 900 has caught my eye as a solution to many of these problems... but I've got a few concerns;

1.) What do they sound like? I can't audition them (unless someone knows an NYC shop that stocks them for some reason), and if they're to become the cans that I listen to the most, I really don't want to end up with something I don't fully enjoy. I know they'll be different from my DT 880s, that's not a problem. Are they bright? Are they dark? What do they sound like if they're only coming out of a smaller source, say an iPod for a little while?

2.) Are they durable? Granted, I won't knock them around unintentionally... I take good care of my things. I will be wearing them pretty much everywhere though, and I'm sure co-workers / friends will want to try them on. Does Audiocubes have any sort of replacement plan or warranty service if something should happen to them? I have heard conflicting reports on their durability...

So those are my questions. Many thanks in advance for offering me a little advice on this subject.

 

[guvnor]

as I've learned:

the A900 and protability is a no-no. imagine 2 CD players on each ear....

 

[Mercuttio]

I gladly wore the DT 770-80s around when I had them. I'm not really concerned about how I look with these on. If they stay on my head when I'm walking, then they're fine.

 

[guvnor]

 

[Mercuttio]

Eh, that isn't too bad. I'd still wear those around.

Given the current state of my bank account though, I may give the Sennheiser 201 a test drive for a while. Maybe I'll come back and consider the ATH 900 again when I'm a tad less poor. A local place seems to have the 201 in stock... I'll probably post my impressions of them a little later today.

 

[okay_player]

i own a pair of ath-a500's, and they definitely are not suitable for portable use. they sit pretty loosely on your head and are also deceptively light. this translates into frequent adjustments when you're mobile.

at least, that's been my experience. i don't take them out in public for those reasons.

 

[Elephas]

.

 

[Mercuttio]

I don't think anyone else had a problem figuring out that I meant the A900, as you'll note from the posts before yours.

Sits loosely eh? Well, that would be a problem. The size isn't an issue, as long as it clamps down on my head pretty well. If it sits loosely, then no go.

I'll probably just stick with the 201s I shall procure today, and hopefully those will get the job done to some degree.

 

[RedLeader]

for the $20 you pay for them, you can't go wrong

 

[mahlerfan]

I really can't imagine walking around with them-- the headband is meant to not give pressure to the head since they are heavier aluminum cans instead of plastic. I think that walking around they might easily fall off.

They are great cans and very easily driven, but I would say either exclude the walking around part or find other closed headphones!

There was this awesome survey on closed headphones someone posted as a pdf file on another thread, don't recall the thread now.

 

[Fidel]

I actually knew someone who used the A900s with an ipod portably. The sound was surprisingly good just out of the ipod headphone jack (punchy bass, very warm sound), but I would never use the same setup in a portable environment (I thought it was too big to carry around). And yes, people did give me a weird look while I wore those in public.

Do you like the DT880's sound a lot? The Beyers are superior and I think the A900s sound quite different from them...you might want to try Ety's or Shures since they are more portable (you may have comfort issues though). Have fun~

 

[Mercuttio]

I do like the sound of my Beyers, and on second thought there is just no way that I could part with them. They sound too good.

I sure would like to try a pair of A900s someday though...

 

[Mercuttio]

Oh, nobody really addressed the stability of these headphones yet... are they durable? Metal earpieces are nice and all, but what about that headband? How's that plastic hold up over the years?

 

[Rodent]

other alternatives are Sennheiser HD25-1 and Ultrasone HFI650/HFI700 (or almost any other model, they are similar physically).

 

[phosfiend]

if portability were an issue, the ATH-PRO700 could be an option. Foldable (not a huge space saver, but handy), comfy around the neckwhen not in use, good sound, and very isolating. I've had them for a little over a month, and am very satisfied.