Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ndbest
I problably am going to buy a Creative Zen Touch soon, and need some cans to go with them.
My budget is about 130 euros, and I was sort undecided between these cans:
-Sennheiser HD555
-Sennheiser HD280 pro
-Shure E2C.
Any other other recommdations are welcome too.
I currently don't have a decent headphone for my stereo, so please keep that in mind when giving some advice.
I mostly listen to Jazz/Classical and Indie rock/emo.
Portability isn't much of an issue, I just want what goes best with the Zen. I also was wondering if the Zen has enough power to driver either the HD 555's or the 280's since I won't be using an amp.
Thank you very much in advance.
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LOL, I own all of them...
HD555's are nice but they aren't really suited for portable usage. I've tried it a couple times and it was a pain in the neck to deal with.
HD280 Pros are even worse... there are very few headphones that would be worse in a portable situation.
E2's are excellent for portable usage and an excellent value for thier price. I paid $55 USD +tax for mine. They also happen to sound very good with my Nomad Zen (30GB non touch version). The one thing I'll warn you about. If you're getting a really good seal with them (a good thing) you won't hear anything around you, at all. If you're walking alone at night with these or in a high traffic area, they may not be optimal. In fact, the E2's provide better isolation than the E5's and I've set my car alarm off without realizing it until I had sat down and started taking the E5's out. My car alarm is bloody loud, btw.
Some other cans to consider if you need something portable that doesn't isolate as much:
PX200, good sounding with some isolation. The downside is that not everyone can get a good seal with them. If you don't get a good seal, the bass will pretty much vanish.
PX100, much darker than the PX200, but prefered by many (I'm not one of them though). These don't isolate at all though. If you're going to be using them in loud environments or environments where you have to be very quiet, they are a poor choice.
SR60, these leak like crazy in and out, but they're a fun portable can. The biggest drawback here is that the cord is very akward in portable situations. Again, don't even think about it if you need to have isolation or not leak sound.
MX500, these might be good in combination with one of the other headphones when you need to not leak sound out but want sound to come in. They sound damn good for earbuds, particularly with the Radioshack foamies. They do not, however, hold a candle to good IEM's (including the Shure E2).
Etymotic ER6i, these are going to make you look like even more of an iPod user but should sound pretty darn good. I haven't heard them though, so I can only offer heresay.
For the sake of completion, there are a few people who also prefer the Sony EX71's to some of the Shure line (I think E3). They might be a consideration for you as well. They're certainly less expensive. I have not personally heard them so I cannot comment on their sound one way or the other.
You may also consider some of the Koss line. The KSC 35's, PortaPro, PortaPro 2, SportaPro as well as the KSC 50 and KSC 55's are rather popular amoung portable users. I've heard the KSC55's but only breifly and fresh out of the box. I liked what I heard but have not heard them enough to really tell you what their characteristics are like
Other considerations that fall outside of your price range and may have other drawbacks as well:
Shure E5 (I love these things but they're around double your price range)
Etymotic ER4 (most likely the P if you're using them portably)
Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.
