[Arctia]

I tried IEMs. Failed miserably because my ears get easily irritated. So I'm looking for non-IEMs for office and outside use.

1. Must have decent isolation. Definitely don't want to annoy my office mates with my loud music.

2. Must sound good without an amp. Just too much hassle to carry one.

3. Decent clamping force. Don't want to drop them while jogging. Keep in mind that I have a larger than average head.

4. Should look socially acceptable on my head. There are just way too many headphones that look sexy sitting on their stand, but looks ridiculous when put on someone's head.


I already have AD700 and AKG K701 at home, both are rather cold and analytical. So if possible, I'd like to have something drastically different than those in sound. Maybe something warmer?

Anything less than $250 is a possible contender.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Il Mostro]

I've been using D1001's at the office. Not the ultimate in resolution, but they are well balanced and musical phones that fit my needs at work. They have good, but not total isolation (I can still hear the phone ring if volume is not cranked up too much); little leakage; comfortable; and do not look ridiculous. Since I am not doing critical listening at work, the SQ is more than adequate for me.

 

[skidu]

Sennheiser HD 25-1 II ticks all the boxes.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I wouldnt recommend anything over 50$ for your needs. You are going to sweat and its going to get into the pads and totally ruin things very quick. The Denon 1001 is not a clamping headset, it can easily slide off your head. GREAT for the office, but a TERRIBLE IDEA to go run with.

Your solution is as follows if your budget is around 250$

D1k or even Senn HD 280. Both are around 100 bucks.
Buy a cheap pair of skullcandy that you wont care about, or the Phillips HN110 for like 20 bucks. The phillips is comfy and sounds pretty damn good compared to other brands at 20-30 bucks, the headband is open and wide so it wont fall off your head when you run, and it will not clamp.

 

[K_19]

I'd throw the Audio Technica ES7 into the mix. They're portable, clamp and isolate good enough amount (at least for the office), and is definitely socially acceptable (although you'll want to do the headband mod first). The sound is fun and exciting rather than analytical while still maintaining an acceptable level of clarity, all without needing an amp.

 

[Arctia]

Good point regarding the sweat. I'll just continue to use my KSC-75 for jogging.

What about just for office/outside walking then? There needs to be a good balance between how much noise I want to leak out and how much noise I need for leak in. Sitting in my office I definitely need to be able to still hear my phone. But if I'm sitting on a bus, I'd like to block out as much as possible.

 

[Dangermouse2003]

I'm on a similar headphone search. Audio Technica M50s sound good, and block out a good amount of noise (not enough for air travel) I found the headband dug in a bit after 30 mins or so. D1001s sound good, block out less than the m50s but ok for office use (less clamp and greater comfort than m50s). ES7s sound good, block out about the same as D1001s (from memory), possibly less comfortable than m50. Beyer DT250 (250ohm) sound good, can be driven by a decent mp3 player, clamp quite a bit - probably less comfortable than m50s, but velour pads are good.

I would personally not wear SRH840s or HD280s outside as I think they look ridiculous from the front.

 

[SoulSyde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skidu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sennheiser HD 25-1 II ticks all the boxes.

I owned a pair of HD-25's and they were nice, but not the strongest clamping force. They're also not that inconspicuous. Although the diameter of the driver/housing is small they stick out quite a bit from the head.

That being said, they sound great (even unamped); Definitely on the warm/dark side of things. They're also ridiculously durable and would be great bringing to and from work. Lastly, the isolation is unbelievably good.

If you can deal with the slightly bulky profile I would pick these as well. Plus they're in your budget.

 

[NormaJean]

Depending on what socially acceptable means, I would have you try out the Shure SRH440 and 840 some Ultrasones might also work for you, I personnally love my HFI780

 

[sLite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skidu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sennheiser HD 25-1 II ticks all the boxes.

They are durable, not that much clamping but splitband which fixes them pretty well.
Imo they are pretty ugly, but thats a matter of taste. For me their bass is what makes them unbearable, a lot (if not to say too much) of it + undefined + boomy -> no way.
Might fit if you like bass and primary hear to house, trance, techno and such, they are dj headphones after all and were made for stuff like that. For electronic music their bass is pretty ok.

I don't know the AD700, but if you are used to the K701 prepare for a really different sounding experience.

Best sounding (and closed) Headphone i heard so far is my Ultrasone, Ed8 though, if the lower priced models sound anything alike regarding signature and coloring i would recommend a look at the HFI or PRO Line.

 

[sLite]

If you still go for the HD-25 drop me a pm, i have one to get rid of, almost unused.

 

[kurtzi]

If you don't mind staying on the cheap side:

AKG K518DJ:
AKG Personal Audio - K 518 DJ


Denon AH-P372:
DENON UK | Home Audio Components

They are portable, they clamp, they sound warm and not analytical at all an they have big bass. P372 is better if you have a large head like me.

Cheers
K.

 

[Seidhepriest]

AH-P372. K-81 clamp terribly and are awfully bassy, and are less efficient.

 

[Seidhepriest]

K-81=earsqueezing boombox.

 

[Deep Funk]

The Creative Aurvana Live could work. It sits over the ears with great comfort and stays on the head because of the moveable joints of the headphones. Up to reasonable volume levels others won't hear your music while you can still hear the loud and odd sounds around you. They leak and let in sound.

The bonus, sound quality is sweet. Your music will sound detailed and balanced with a thin layer of warmth. They remind me of my MDR V6's but are more pleasant when just listening to music. Note the Creative can reveal if a recording is old or bad or produced in a very distinctive manner: when listening to Kyuss I also hear the recording sounds.

Test them once with some weird and tricky music, if they deliver you should consider them. I use them on the move.