[captian73]

get the Senn HD25-1's. They do noise cancelling better than all the usual noise cancelling headphones!

 

[dub Beatz]

Most of the cans I'm seeing are rather below par in terms of standard sound quality. QC2? Unless you fly in a plane 24/7 I don't see why anyone would pay that much for Bose's sub par sound quality. Plus noise cancellation doesn't help the sound much either. In order to cancel noise effectively, I believe opposite frequencies are transmitted which clouds the sound. It also causes fatigue and many people report feeling pressure on their ears. I don't suggest any cans by Monster unless it's the Turbines. Beats by Dre? Gimmick. Plain and simple. For your price range you could pick up the Monster Pro Turbine Coppers and be blown away by their ability to produce any and all types of music effectively. Also look into Ultrasones, they produce Trance and Techno extremely well. Look at the Pro 750 or Hfi780. Here's the thing, for your price range you will want to add an Amp or DAC to drive those cans properly.The average quality headphone for $200+ will require power. If you use your iPod alot, try out the Fiio E5, I hear good things about it.

 

[Anthonym]

Quote:

The Phiaton's are pretty appealing. so i went to my local futureshop today and checked out some headphones. I ran into the bose qc2 (i think). They had pretty awesome noise reduction and sharp audio and i loved the soft cups and how it perfectly enclosed my ear. How does this compare to the Beats and Phiatons in the aspects i mentioned? (from best to worst)
Thanks

If it is the same bose that I've auditioned at futureshop, I find SQ terrible. It's bordering on shrillness. I don't have any full-size headphone to compare with but I did compare with IE7 that I was wearing at that time and IE7 SQ is way way better. I don't know if it is because of active noise canceling thing that makes its SQ inferior but still its incomparably inferior. That said, I gotta admit that they are pretty good at isolating noise.

 

[864646]

I think i'm gonna go with the Denon d1001's. Anyone object? or wanna add any comments to make me feel more confident in buying these? i mite get an amp later wen i get more $$$ but as of now i dont really need one cus i really just need em for portable use like on the bus or just walking. Thanks for everyone's contribution to my decision! I will tell you guys my initial reaction and experience with these. i'm so exicted.

 

[Anthonym]

Quote:

I think i'm gonna go with the Denon d1001's. Anyone object? or wanna add any comments to make me feel more confident in buying these? i mite get an amp later wen i get more $$$ but as of now i dont really need one cus i really just need em for portable use like on the bus or just walking. Thanks for everyone's contribution to my decision! I will tell you guys my initial reaction and experience with these. i'm so exicted.

Have you considered IEM? They are really portable and SQ is quite good.
 

 

[864646]

I have but i find them really uncomfortable. I dunno y. Maybe my ears are dumb lol but i have trouble finding a right position for them

 

[12345142]

Quote:

Most of the cans I'm seeing are rather below par in terms of standard sound quality. QC2? Unless you fly in a plane 24/7 I don't see why anyone would pay that much for Bose's sub par sound quality...Look at the Pro 750 or Hfi780. Here's the thing, for your price range you will want to add an Amp or DAC to drive those cans properly.The average quality headphone for $200+ will require power. If you use your iPod alot, try out the Fiio E5, I hear good things about it.

 
Quote:

If it is the same bose that I've auditioned at futureshop, I find SQ terrible. It's bordering on shrillness.

Uh, did you only read the first page of the thread? I said a mouthful about Bose myself. The OP does not like IEMs, is looking for good isolation, and hopefully a folding design, although feel free to correct me. Seems like the choices now are the aforementioned Ultrasones, HD25-1 IIs, or to just swallow one's pride and get the MS400s at a less discounted price.

 

[864646]

About the Fiio E5 (haha you've got me interested now). How much difference will you hear with the Denon D1001's? cus i've heard from other reviews that it doesnt do much. I'm interested in the E5 cus firstly its so damm cheap and secondly its so small -- perfect for portability. Any thoughts?

 

[Anthonym]

Quote:

 

Uh, did you only read the first page of the thread? I said a mouthful about Bose myself. The OP does not like IEMs, is looking for good isolation, and hopefully a folding design, although feel free to correct me. Seems like the choices now are the aforementioned Ultrasones, HD25-1 IIs, or to just swallow one's pride and get the MS400s at a less discounted price.

I skimmed through it. May be that's why I missed that part.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

About the Fiio E5 (haha you've got me interested now). How much difference will you hear with the Denon D1001's? cus i've heard from other reviews that it doesnt do much. I'm interested in the E5 cus firstly its so damm cheap and secondly its so small -- perfect for portability. Any thoughts?

I don't think it will make much of a difference, especially for a sensitive headphone like the D1001s.

 

[864646]

O ok. What do u mean by sensitive headphones?

 

[dub Beatz]

D1001 wouldn't be a bad choice, however I tend to steer clear of Denon. I personally believe they are revered not because of the way they sound but because of the way they look and their relative comfy-ness. I think for the same price range there are many other pairs of headphones that would do just as good a job delivering quality reproduction of your specific music tastes. Heck, you can probably find some cans that would suit you for less than the D1001s, and they wouldn't contain a muddy mid range and loose bass. Check our the Turbines, they are the only product by Monster that Head-Fi loves. Also, UE makes nice IEMs, i just hear some of the models can be uncomfortable.

 

[12345142]

 
Ohh boy. Headphone sensitivity.
Well, from your time on Head-Fi, you've probably come across the concept of headphone amps. Every headphone is an electronic device in itself, and therefore needs power to work. Nearly all headphone jacks, through the plug, send power to the headphones. For portables like the D1001s, or in-ear monitors, usually little power is required. They can be powered, or 'driven,' satisfactorily through the jack of a portable player. However, headphone amps supply extra power to the headphones. This takes the strain of powering them off of the player, and the extra power supplied usually improves the sound quality to some degree. For some 'low sensitivity' headphones, a large home amp is usually required.
 
Now, some headphones are more sensitive than others. This is determined by the impedance rating of the headphones. Impedance is measured in ohms, which is a unit used to measure electrical resistance - same difference. Most headphones will range from 16 to 600 ohms. The portables you're interested in will likely never exceed 40 ohms, except for the HD25-1 IIs, which are 70 ohms. The higher the impedance, the less power gets through, and more power is required to 'drive' said headphones; thus, a headphone amp is required. On the other hand, low-impedance headphones, like the Denons, don't need as much power, because of lower resistance/impedance. They will play very loudly when plugged straight into your iPhone. There's also sound pressure level, but that's even more complex.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Quote:

D1001 wouldn't be a bad choice, however I tend to steer clear of Denon. I personally believe they are revered not because of the way they sound but because of the way they look and their relative comfy-ness. I think for the same price range there are many other pairs of headphones that would do just as good a job delivering quality reproduction of your specific music tastes. Heck, you can probably find some cans that would suit you for less than the D1001s, and they wouldn't contain a muddy mid range and loose bass. Check our the Turbines, they are the only product by Monster that Head-Fi loves. Also, UE makes nice IEMs, i just hear some of the models can be uncomfortable.

I'm pretty sure some people just aren't IEM people. Moreover, is Denon really that bad? It's probably true that they're easily matched in performance, but one has to remember performance must go in hand with ease of use. Now, I haven't heard the D1001s and I certainly don't want to come across as provocative. It's totally possible that the Shure SRH440s can match the D1001s, but the latter's lightness would probably be much more suited for portable use, which the OP must factor in their purchase.
 
So, 864646, you should probably go buy your headphones now before we dissuade you, see how you like them, and maybe return them or resell them if you don't. Remember headphones typically have a 'burn-in' period of 50 to 100 hours before their sound starts to settle down and reach full potential - you can play music through them at a decent volume 24/7 to accelerate this process. I look forward to seeing your impressions.

 

[dub Beatz]

Yes, this much is why I stated they wouldn't be a bad choice. Their portability offers a great +.