[Meetite]

Hello, I'm gonna be brief with this, so basically I am a big computer gamer but i also listen to music a lot and bring my headphones around with me to a lot of the places I go.  My current pair of headphones are the original sennheiser momentums (black) and i want a pair of headphones that stays at home connected to my computer while i bring my current pair around with me wherever i go and have come down to a few options:

The Sennheiser RS 165 Digital Wireless Headphone System ($219.95)

Pros:
Wireless
Stand is a charging dock (so I don't need to worry about the hassle of changing batteries or plugging the headphones in)
On board volume buttons
Will work well with my TV if need be (I have needed to use my headphones with my TV in rare occasion)

Cons:
Literally 0% portability, no phone usage if needed
Slightly above my allocated budget ($200), will need to set aside a little extra money
Leatherette earcups (The ear-cups deteriorate on any headphone I have ever had that has leatherette earcups)

Sennheiser HD7 DJ Headphones ($199.95)

Pros:
Swiveling earcups (the ability to use my headphones with one ear is really nice)
Looks FRACKING AWESOME
Fold up for easy portability if needed

Cons:
Wired (I kind of want to get away from wired headphones because I have a tendency to get them caught on things)
Closed design

Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones ($150)

Pros:
Nice materials, very luxurious
Not too expensive, leftover money to get a different cable for it
Open design
Best soundstage out of all my options

Cons:
Wired
Ends with a 1/4" plug instead of 3.5mm (need to spend extra money to get a different cable)
Velour cushions (any lint or dust really clings to velour cushions)

Sennheiser HD 558 Headphones ($109.99)

Pros:
Least expensive out of all of my options, can use leftover money to get a different cable
Looks nice, very subtle
Open design

Cons:
Wired
A little bit plasticy looking
Ends with a 1/4" plug instead of 3.5mm (need to spend extra money to get a different cable)
Velour cushions (any lint or dust really clings to velour cushions)

Audio-Technica ATX-M50x Headphones ($169)

Pros:
Not too expensive, have extra money left over
Look nice, very subtle
Leather earcups

Cons:
Wired
No on board controls

Also taking suggestions as long as they are <$220

So someone please tell me the order of from best to worst sound quality wise and which one would probably be best for me

THANKS

 

[Meetite]

Bump

 

[goodyfresh]

Hmmmm, it seems like you're ONLY considering headphones from Sennheiser.  If I were you, I'd branch out and explore other brands, as well.  Some very good brands other than Sennheiser are Audio Technica, Shure, AKG, and the newcomer on the scene V-Moda which I myself happen to love a great deal.  There's also Beyerdynamic, although I myself have never listened to any of their headphones so I can't vouch for them at all.

That being said, if you don't mind the lack of isolation (and it sounds like you don't) with the open-back design, the HD 558 and 598 certainly sound FANTASTIC, I myself have enjoyed listening to them in the past.  That being said, they don't have very accurate or tight bass, which is a major detractor for many folks, and the reason I myself opted not to buy the HD 598 and get some V-Modas instead (well, that and the fact that I like closed-back isolation).  You can see the looseness of the bass-response on the HD 558 and 598 if you look at graphs of their square-wave and frequency responses on a site like innerfidelity or headphone.com.

AKG makes some pretty darn good open-back models.  A good starter/beginner model is the K240.  I had a chance to demo it in a store the other day, and I thought it sounded great.

 

[Meetite]

Hmmmm, it seems like you're ONLY considering headphones from Sennheiser.  If I were you, I'd branch out and explore other brands, as well.  Some very good brands other than Sennheiser are Audio Technica, Shure, AKG, and the newcomer on the scene V-Moda which I myself happen to love a great deal.  There's also Beyerdynamic, although I myself have never listened to any of their headphones so I can't vouch for them at all.


That being said, if you don't mind the lack of isolation (and it sounds like you don't) with the open-back design, the HD 558 and 598 certainly sound FANTASTIC, I myself have enjoyed listening to them in the past.  That being said, they don't have very accurate or tight bass, which is a major detractor for many folks, and the reason I myself opted not to buy the HD 598 and get some V-Modas instead (well, that and the fact that I like closed-back isolation).  You can see the looseness of the bass-response on the HD 558 and 598 if you look at graphs of their square-wave and frequency responses on a site like innerfidelity or headphone.com.


AKG makes some pretty darn good open-back models.  A good starter/beginner model is the K240.  I had a chance to demo it in a store the other day, and I thought it sounded great.

The reasons for the brand isolation is that I really haven't had much positive exposure to other brands, every time I have tried headphones from other companies I didn't really like the audio quality I could get with one pair compared to another pair from Sennheiser for the same price, or they aren't as comfortable as sennheiser headphones.

Secondly, the open vs closed back thing isn't TOO important, frankly it's like a pebble compared to sound quality, if the closed headphones have better sound quality then I really don't care that much at all (especially so with the DJ headphones since they have the swiveling ears which I will probably use a lot.

 

[goodyfresh]

Well if you're willing to consider closed-back phones, I definitely have a number of great recommendations.  First of all, trust me when I say that there are GREAT sounding headphones from brands other than Sennheiser, you just haven't been lucky enough to listen to any of them yet   That being said, here would be some good close-back phones to consider, in my experience:
 
Audio-Technica ATH-m50x:  A tried-and-true classic, beloved by many among all other headphones in its price-range, they have great sound.  Marketed as studio-monitor phones, they certainly have very good soundstage, separation, accuracy, etc., but the frequency-response is NOT actually flat, it is colored.
 
AKG K550, K551, and K553:  These are similar in many ways to the m50x I mentioned above, but have a more expansive soundstage.  On the other hand, I find the treble on them a bit more piercing than on the ATH-m50x, so there's that.
 
Shure SRH840:  These are quite good.  They are often compared to the M50x's.  Personally, I like the M50x more than the SRH840, and since the m50x is also cheaper, that'd by my own choice between the two.
 
V-Moda M-80, M-100, and V-Moda XS:  These little things are AWESOME.  Currently my portable headphones of choice are a pair of M-80's that I found for a steal used on Amazon (Make sure to buy from Amazon Warehouse Deals or a REPUTABLE seller if you buy used, there are lots of fake V-Modas out there apparently), and I could not love them more.  Before these I had a pair of Sennheiser Momentum On-Ears which, honestly, ended up disappointing me greatly. . .the sound-stage sounded pretty artificial, and even worse, brand new out of the box, THE RIGHT DRIVER STOPPED WORKING TWO HOURS AFTER USE.  I returned the Momentum On-Ears to Amazon for a full refund and proceeded to get the V-Moda M-80s instead.  The soundstage is (in my opinion) more natural-sounding, I like the frequency response a little better, and damn, these things have ABSURDLY good build-quality.  All the external wires and cables that they do have are coated in woven kevlar and rated for over one-million flex-cycles (that's 100x the industry standard) and the frame is solid metal, and they've got aluminum ear-shields that can also be customized with a logo of your own choice for a fee of 25 dollars sent to V-Moda.  When I feel these things, I get the sense they won't break unless I ran them over with my car or something.  And as I said, they sound AMAZING for closed on-ears.  The one gripe I have with them is the isolation. . .it's decent, at best.  And if you happen to have a really big head, you may not be able to get them to fit properly.  Anyway, the V-Moda XS are, from what I've read, basically an upgrade on the design of the M-80, and are supposed to sound even better, with a bit heavier bass but the rest of the frequency response through the mids and treble even flatter than the M-80, and with isolation extending lower into the mid-range.  However, I've heard some say that the treble on the XS sounds a bit "lispy," although I can't speak to that myself.  That being said, if they sound anything like the M-80, and have better isolation to-boot, then I'd say they're DEFINITELY a good deal for the price-increase from the M-80's.  And apparently the XS have a folding design and I BELIEVE they do have swiveling ears, which you say you would like.  Meanwhile, V-Moda also makes some over-ears, the M-100, which many people seem to love.  However, from what I've seen of their frequency-response graphs, they are pretty darn bass-heavy (possibly a bit much for my tastes) and the response through the low-treble isn't as flat as the on-ear models.  But, of course, they have far better isolation.
(Note:  I know it sounds like I'm some kind of shill being paid to advertise V-Moda, ahahahaha, but the fact is, I just LOVE my V-Moda M-80's, I'm listening Van Halen on them this very moment and it sounds SUBLIME.  And the isolation IS good enough that my roommate is watching the Yankees game right here in the room with me and it isn't affecting my listening experience except during the quieter parts of the music).
 
Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear OR Over-Ear (Why NOT to get them):  Based on my experience that I described above with the build-quality of hte wiring to the drivers in the On-Ears, I WOULD NOT GET THEM if I were you.  They don't sound as good as the V-Moda M-80's, anyway.  I've had a chance to listen to the Sennheiser Momentum OVER-Ears, and personally found them OVERRATED.  I think they sound boring. . .the ATH-M50x, Shure SRH840, and some others sound much better as over-ear closed-back phones than the Momentums.  Also, the ear-holes are TINY, so if you have medium-sized or larger ears, they won't even really work as over-ears, anyway.
 
Sony MDR-1A:  I had a chance to try these in a hi-fi store here in town the other day, and boy, do they sound AWESOME powered from my Fiio X3 2nd Gen DAP.  I listened to several different genres. . .classic rock, blues, funk jazz and rap, and all of them sounded GREAT on those babies.  I'm considering getting them as a pair of upper-mid-range over-ears.  And, they have great isolation, and are INCREDIBLY comfortable.  Meanwhile, if I remember correctly, they have swiveling ears.  All that being said, then there's . . . .

PSB M4U 1:  These things sound AMAZING.  Like a choir of God's Angels in Heaven are the band playing for me live in the studio, or at least ALMOST that good.  I got to listen to them in the same store where I listend to the MDR-1A's and oh my goodness, those things are seriously sublime.  The isolation is also very good.  That being said, I have some concerns:  Many reviewers online say that these become very uncomfortable for those with medium sized heads or larger after anything mroe than thirty minutes of listening, due to their level of clamping force.  There are also some possible issues with wiring, as there seem to be an unacceptably high number (for headphones that cost 300 bucks, I mean) of reports of defective products with right-drivers that stop working after a few months of use.  Based on that, I myself am leaning towards getting the Sony MDR-1A's.
 


Well those are the recommendations I've got for ya as far as Closed-Back Over-Ears go.  A few more points:  The AKG 550, 551, and 553, as well as the ATH-M50x, have cables which are hardwired, NOT detachable, so If the cable poops-out (as tends to often happen eventually with headphones) you have to send them in to the manufacturer for repair.  This is opposed to all the others I listed, which have detachable cables which can just be replaced.  And my own personal choice among all of those that I listed would have to be either V-Moda's, or the Sony MDR-1A.  SOUND-QUALITY wise alone, I'd choose the PSB M4U 1, but I have some major concerns about their build-quality :-/

I know that was all very long, but I wanted to include as many details as I know about these!  If you want to see frequency-response and square-wave response plots and such for these phones and others, you can always check out sites like headphones.com and innerfidelity.com.  I hope this was of some help to you!

 

[MermaidMan]

I hate to recommend stuff I haven't heard but...... Check out the Yamaha mt220 thread and look at those. They were just discontinued so it may be hard trying to find a pair but I've never seen a negative review or impression about them and several people have said that they easily beat the M50 for around the same price range. Just a suggestion and it may be worth looking into comparisons between some of the cans listed here using the search this thread function on the MT220 thread. Best of luck.

 

[Meetite]

Well if you're willing to consider closed-back phones, I definitely have a number of great recommendations.  First of all, trust me when I say that there are GREAT sounding headphones from brands other than Sennheiser, you just haven't been lucky enough to listen to any of them yet   That being said, here would be some good close-back phones to consider, in my experience:

Audio-Technica ATH-m50x:  A tried-and-true classic, beloved by many among all other headphones in its price-range, they have great sound.  Marketed as studio-monitor phones, they certainly have very good soundstage, separation, accuracy, etc., but the frequency-response is NOT actually flat, it is colored.

AKG K550, K551, and K553:  These are similar in many ways to the m50x I mentioned above, but have a more expansive soundstage.  On the other hand, I find the treble on them a bit more piercing than on the ATH-m50x, so there's that.

Shure SRH840:  These are quite good.  They are often compared to the M50x's.  Personally, I like the M50x more than the SRH840, and since the m50x is also cheaper, that'd by my own choice between the two.

V-Moda M-80, M-100, and V-Moda XS:  These little things are AWESOME.  Currently my portable headphones of choice are a pair of M-80's that I found for a steal used on Amazon (Make sure to buy from Amazon Warehouse Deals or a REPUTABLE seller if you buy used, there are lots of fake V-Modas out there apparently), and I could not love them more.  Before these I had a pair of Sennheiser Momentum On-Ears which, honestly, ended up disappointing me greatly. . .the sound-stage sounded pretty artificial, and even worse, brand new out of the box, THE RIGHT DRIVER STOPPED WORKING TWO HOURS AFTER USE.  I returned the Momentum On-Ears to Amazon for a full refund and proceeded to get the V-Moda M-80s instead.  The soundstage is (in my opinion) more natural-sounding, I like the frequency response a little better, and damn, these things have ABSURDLY good build-quality.  All the external wires and cables that they do have are coated in woven kevlar and rated for over one-million flex-cycles (that's 100x the industry standard) and the frame is solid metal, and they've got aluminum ear-shields that can also be customized with a logo of your own choice for a fee of 25 dollars sent to V-Moda.  When I feel these things, I get the sense they won't break unless I ran them over with my car or something.  And as I said, they sound AMAZING for closed on-ears.  The one gripe I have with them is the isolation. . .it's decent, at best.  And if you happen to have a really big head, you may not be able to get them to fit properly.  Anyway, the V-Moda XS are, from what I've read, basically an upgrade on the design of the M-80, and are supposed to sound even better, with a bit heavier bass but the rest of the frequency response through the mids and treble even flatter than the M-80, and with isolation extending lower into the mid-range.  However, I've heard some say that the treble on the XS sounds a bit "lispy," although I can't speak to that myself.  That being said, if they sound anything like the M-80, and have better isolation to-boot, then I'd say they're DEFINITELY a good deal for the price-increase from the M-80's.  And apparently the XS have a folding design and I BELIEVE they do have swiveling ears, which you say you would like.  Meanwhile, V-Moda also makes some over-ears, the M-100, which many people seem to love.  However, from what I've seen of their frequency-response graphs, they are pretty darn bass-heavy (possibly a bit much for my tastes) and the response through the low-treble isn't as flat as the on-ear models.  But, of course, they have far better isolation.

(Note:  I know it sounds like I'm some kind of shill being paid to advertise V-Moda, ahahahaha, but the fact is, I just LOVE my V-Moda M-80's, I'm listening Van Halen on them this very moment and it sounds SUBLIME.  And the isolation IS good enough that my roommate is watching the Yankees game right here in the room with me and it isn't affecting my listening experience except during the quieter parts of the music).

Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear OR Over-Ear (Why NOT to get them):  Based on my experience that I described above with the build-quality of hte wiring to the drivers in the On-Ears, I WOULD NOT GET THEM if I were you.  They don't sound as good as the V-Moda M-80's, anyway.  I've had a chance to listen to the Sennheiser Momentum OVER-Ears, and personally found them OVERRATED.  I think they sound boring. . .the ATH-M50x, Shure SRH840, and some others sound much better as over-ear closed-back phones than the Momentums.  Also, the ear-holes are TINY, so if you have medium-sized or larger ears, they won't even really work as over-ears, anyway.

Sony MDR-1A:  I had a chance to try these in a hi-fi store here in town the other day, and boy, do they sound AWESOME powered from my Fiio X3 2nd Gen DAP.  I listened to several different genres. . .classic rock, blues, funk jazz and rap, and all of them sounded GREAT on those babies.  I'm considering getting them as a pair of upper-mid-range over-ears.  And, they have great isolation, and are INCREDIBLY comfortable.  Meanwhile, if I remember correctly, they have swiveling ears.  All that being said, then there's . . . .


PSB M4U 1:  These things sound AMAZING.  Like a choir of God's Angels in Heaven are the band playing for me live in the studio, or at least ALMOST that good.  I got to listen to them in the same store where I listend to the MDR-1A's and oh my goodness, those things are seriously sublime.  The isolation is also very good.  That being said, I have some concerns:  Many reviewers online say that these become very uncomfortable for those with medium sized heads or larger after anything mroe than thirty minutes of listening, due to their level of clamping force.  There are also some possible issues with wiring, as there seem to be an unacceptably high number (for headphones that cost 300 bucks, I mean) of reports of defective products with right-drivers that stop working after a few months of use.  Based on that, I myself am leaning towards getting the Sony MDR-1A's.




Well those are the recommendations I've got for ya as far as Closed-Back Over-Ears go.  A few more points:  The AKG 550, 551, and 553, as well as the ATH-M50x, have cables which are hardwired, NOT detachable, so If the cable poops-out (as tends to often happen eventually with headphones) you have to send them in to the manufacturer for repair.  This is opposed to all the others I listed, which have detachable cables which can just be replaced.  And my own personal choice among all of those that I listed would have to be either V-Moda's, or the Sony MDR-1A.  SOUND-QUALITY wise alone, I'd choose the PSB M4U 1, but I have some major concerns about their build-quality :-/


I know that was all very long, but I wanted to include as many details as I know about these!  If you want to see frequency-response and square-wave response plots and such for these phones and others, you can always check out sites like headphones.com and innerfidelity.com.  I hope this was of some help to you!

Lol, thanks for the recommendations, but I think I'll pass.

And by the way I already own a pair of momentums and getting another pair wasn't really what I was thinking of (also the ear ups on them are a bit small and hurt my ears after long listening sessions) lol, kind of my point

 

[goodyfresh]

Well hey, you asked for advice so I gave it. . .you can take it or leave it, dude   But I definitely think you're MISSING OUT if you don't take the PSB M4U, Sony MDR-1A, Audio Technica ATH-M50x, and ANYTHING from V-Moda into consideration. . .SERIOUSLY missing out, in my opinion.  V-Moda in-particular, in my opinion, makes AMAZING products with incredible durability and very good sound-quality for the price.  And I LOVE the sound of the MDR-1A, they're probably what I'll get next for myself for portable use.

And yeah I did make note of the small ear-cups as ONE of the many reasons to not even bother with the Sennheiser Momentums   Honestly, the Momentum Over-Ears are one of the most overrated headphones in the world right now, as far as I'm concerned. And the On-Ears are pretty darn good for what they are but, you can get better for the same price, such as teh V-Moda M-80s.

 

[Meetite]

The issue is that every v-mods headphone I ever tried felt really tight on my head, like it was clamping down on my ears.

Idk, maybe my head is just too big

 

[goodyfresh]

Ah that's very unfortunate, then yes you just have a head which is too big to be suited for V-Modas, which unfortunately tend to be pretty small headphones >_<  That's SUCH a shame too, because as far as sound-quality-for-your-money and build-quality, as well as style, go, V-Moda makes some of the very best headphones out there!

I'd definitely consider the Sony MDR-1A, though.  They have great sound and are SUPREMELY comfortable for ALL head sizes.

 

[Meetite]

Ah that's very unfortunate, then yes you just have a head which is too big to be suited for V-Modas, which unfortunately tend to be pretty small headphones >_<  That's SUCH a shame too, because as far as sound-quality-for-your-money and build-quality, as well as style, go, V-Moda makes some of the very best headphones out there!


I'd definitely consider the Sony MDR-1A, though.  They have great sound and are SUPREMELY comfortable for ALL head sizes.

The Sony MDR-1A headphones do look pretty good and are critically acclaimed except they are $100 over my budget, setting aside an extra $15 is one thing, but an extra $100 can't really be done

 

[Shure or bust]

Beats by Dre Solo 2 Wireless. FYI wireless and sound quality don't go together. Get some cheap headphones for gaming and good wired ones for real music listening.

 

[goodyfresh]

The Sony MDR-1A headphones do look pretty good and are critically acclaimed except they are $100 over my budget, setting aside an extra $15 is one thing, but an extra $100 can't really be done

I understand completely.  Here's the thing though. .  .with something with build-quality as nice and sturdy as the MDR-1A, there's no reason to not buy USED from, say, Amazon, if you can.  And I know for a fact that depending on the day and time, you can find the MDR-1A used on Amazon, in either one of the two colors available (you wanna check the used prices for both, as well as for the international version) for as low as 200 or less from Amazon Warehouse Deals or from very reputable Amazon sellers with very high reliability ratings from customers.

That's how I got my V-Moda M-80s so cheap (65 bucks used from Amazon Warehouse Deals, as opposed to the usual price of 110) and I COULD NOT be more satisfied with them.

Not only that, buying headphones used, you can actually be MORE sure that you aren't getting a defective product.  What I mean is that if headphones have some defect where one of the drivers will, say, stop working after a few hours use, they wouldn't be getting resold by Amazon Warehouse

 

[Meetite]

I understand completely.  Here's the thing though. .  .with something with build-quality as nice and sturdy as the MDR-1A, there's no reason to not buy USED from, say, Amazon, if you can.  And I know for a fact that depending on the day and time, you can find the MDR-1A used on Amazon, in either one of the two colors available (you wanna check the used prices for both, as well as for the international version) for as low as 200 or less from Amazon Warehouse Deals or from very reputable Amazon sellers with very high reliability ratings from customers.


That's how I got my V-Moda M-80s so cheap (65 bucks used from Amazon Warehouse Deals, as opposed to the usual price of 110) and I COULD NOT be more satisfied with them.


Not only that, buying headphones used, you can actually be MORE sure that you aren't getting a defective product.  What I mean is that if headphones have some defect where one of the drivers will, say, stop working after a few hours use, they wouldn't be getting resold by Amazon Warehouse

I understand what you are saying and frankly I agree, however I made this thread a little short notice since I'm gonna be leaving the country in a little more than a week and the intention is to get it before I leave, and I don't want to worry about tracking prices and I just want to stick with what I picked out.

 

[goodyfresh]

I understand what you are saying and frankly I agree, however I made this thread a little short notice since I'm gonna be leaving the country in a little more than a week and the intention is to get it before I leave, and I don't want to worry about tracking prices and I just want to stick with what I picked out.

Ah well okay then, I can understand that.

Still, I kind of feel like if you're making a couple-hundred-dollar puchase that you are hoping will last you for years to come, it would have been wise to give yourself more time to figure out that purchase >_<