[tradja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Special K should I just go with the XD400 because they are cheaper and smaller?

Have you had a chance to go to a place like Best Buy and audition them?

 

[Special K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tradja I second the XD400 and second/third/whatever the A500. I greatly enjoy my V6 (listening to them right now!) but they are not in the same league as these other two, especially in refinement and soundstage. A500 or XD400 for all the right reasons: gaming(soundstage), rock, movies, and comfort. I find the XD400 and A500 to have a very similar sound and I find both very comfortable. Special K, if you are concerned about the huge CD-size earcups on the A500, the XD400 are much smaller, and IMHO are quite good-looking cans. At around $60, I think the XD400 is a slightly better value of these two excellent cans. HD201 and amp is also an interesting suggestion (wow, they can hang in this price range?), but I haven't heard the HD201.

Is the soundstage on the XD400 just as good as the A500 for gaming, in your opinion?

I will call BB/CC to see if they carry these phones tomorrow. I searched on their website today and couldn't find them, but I don't think their website listings are necessarily reflective of what's actually on the shelf.

 

[F355]

I have the Alessandro MS-1s an I use them all day at work.
let me see if I can answer your question regarding sound leakage.
short answer is YES. they do.
but to give you an idea of how much they leak, just keep your headphones on the table and listen to any song. the grado would leak maybe 80 percent of the sound OUTWARDS as much as it does inwards.

for me its not a problem. the MS-1s are pretty dynamic compared to the philips 890 I had before. so music retains all of the percussive detail even at lower volumes. I dont see the NEED to turn up the volume unless I come across a really rocking song. also, I can hear the phone ring even while playing music, thats a BIG plus point in my office.

to sum it up, it leaks sound, but it helps me keep the volume at reasonable levels so as not to disturb co-workers.
Helps me keep my hearing till I reach my mid thirties

I'd say go for the best 100 dollar phone, REGARDLESS of open or closed.
just my opinion of course.


EDIT: just re-read your original post.... if your roomie is in another room open headphones are NO issue at all..... trust me just go for the best phone within your budget, regardless of open or closed.

 

[3lusiv3]

Open headphones leak a fair bit.

The AT A500's are great. Just don't expect to use them for portable use.

 

[skybl4ck]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but what if we wanted to use them on the go, as well as at home? What headphone would you recommend?

 

[mrelwood]

I'm in search for closed cans also, but for a bit different purpose. I need them to listen to microphone positioning in a recording session while being in the same room. Therefore, the most important thing is the amount of blocking they do. The second is how well they stay in my head while I move my head in strange positions. So squeeze me, baby!

On my to-be-listened-to list I have gathered the following:

Sennheiser HD280 Pro / Silver (what's the difference?)
Beyerdynamic DT770 M
Sony MDR-XD400
Vic Firth SIH1 (yes, the drumstick brand)

Local AT dealer only has the ATH-D20/30/40 -models, so I can't get to listen to the A500. Senn HD25 has never waken my interest, the lack of squeeze and strange frequency balance I guess.

I'd love to hear any other model that might surprise me with an excellent isolation and a decent sound. And I don't mind if they were big as a helmet.

The way I think about the sound is that the marvellous sound of my Sennheiser HD580 wouldn't be the best. I think a straight, but slowly _falling_ EQ-curve (softer, darker sound, firm bass) would serve me better (as in Grado SR60, Koss SportaPro) so I can hear the low frequencies in a noisy enviroment but still get the whole picture.

Thanks!

 

[Special K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F355 I have the Alessandro MS-1s an I use them all day at work. let me see if I can answer your question regarding sound leakage. short answer is YES. they do. but to give you an idea of how much they leak, just keep your headphones on the table and listen to any song. the grado would leak maybe 80 percent of the sound OUTWARDS as much as it does inwards. for me its not a problem. the MS-1s are pretty dynamic compared to the philips 890 I had before. so music retains all of the percussive detail even at lower volumes. I dont see the NEED to turn up the volume unless I come across a really rocking song. also, I can hear the phone ring even while playing music, thats a BIG plus point in my office. to sum it up, it leaks sound, but it helps me keep the volume at reasonable levels so as not to disturb co-workers. Helps me keep my hearing till I reach my mid thirties I'd say go for the best 100 dollar phone, REGARDLESS of open or closed. just my opinion of course. EDIT: just re-read your original post.... if your roomie is in another room open headphones are NO issue at all..... trust me just go for the best phone within your budget, regardless of open or closed.

Really? You don't think it would bother someone in an adjacent room? The walls are thin enough that we can hear each other's telephone conversations enough to discern a lot of what is being said.

Right now all I have are some Altec Lansing acs45.1 speakers, and he complains about the bass from those if he's trying to sleep or something, so then I have to switch over to my crappy $20 aiwa phones.

 

[mrelwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrelwood Sennheiser HD280 Pro / Silver (what's the difference?) Beyerdynamic DT770 M Sony MDR-XD400 Vic Firth SIH1 (yes, the drumstick brand) The way I think about the sound is that the marvellous sound of my Sennheiser HD580 wouldn't be the best. I think a straight, but slowly _falling_ EQ-curve (softer, darker sound, firm bass) would serve me better (as in Grado SR60, Koss SportaPro) so I can hear the low frequencies in a noisy enviroment but still get the whole picture. Thanks!

Any comments on this one? I'd love to hear more suggestions.

-Aki.

 

[johnjac]

I have ms-1 and AT A-500 and consider the ms-1 better for rock music. However if you finally decide you want a closed back phone the A-500 sounds very nice also.

 

[HeadLamp]

The Bose Triport blocks a lot of noise from outside and vice-versa. Though they are somewhat expensive as $149. The other choice at a similar budget would be HD-580. They are awesome for the price is what the reviews say.

 

[niftymatt]

Don't go for the Bose Triports, they are a ripoff when the v6s are better. Here is a list that are better than them, must be in your price rane otherwise there would be tons of headphones listed. "these cans are better than triports" list:

HD280/580
EX51/71
MDRV6 / 7506 / F1(used) / CD870
KSC75/35
Porta/sporta pro, portaproII
UR40, KTXPPro1
K240s/m, K501, K271
SR60/80/125/225 (used)
e2c, e3c

disregard some of them becasue they might be too much or require an amp.

 

[IHaveNoSpaceBar]

I am in the same boat as you. Looking for closed cans for gamming and music. Stay away from open..I bought my grado's SR-60's like 2 months ago and now I am selling because they are not practical for gamming or sharing the computer vicinity with others.

To me I am looking at the choices everyone posted above, mainly the following:

1. Audio Technicha A500

2. Sennheiser HD-280's

3. Sony MDR-V6....well after reading this thread, the sony xd400's sparked my interest as well.


Theres one problem with the Audio Technichas, it will probably exceed the price of all the other headphones by 30-40 bucks. I noticed that they are rare on ebay and Audio Cube is the only E-retailer that carries them. Anyone else knows where to buy em?

 

[gremlin]

I've been listening to my 280s all day. Kids go running by, I can see them shreiking, but I can't hear them. The sound is so neutral, nothing added, nothing taken away. Rap tracks make me feel like I've got a sub strapped to my head, Bjork vocals come through clean and clear, and guitars are so clean I can hear the fingers moving on the strings. All this being driven by my Zen touch at less than 50% volume. No leakage, and great comfort. I bought these after trying the Sony V6 at Bestbuy. The V6 is a more comfortable headphone, it doesn't clamp as hard, but it also wouldn't stay put if I lounged back, the sound was also more 'busy' for lack of a better term. I haven't tried the A500, but I also don't feel the need for more another full sized closed can either.

Oh, BTW. The SR80s are a great headphone, I love listening to them. The earpads don't bug me at all, but the sound is very energetic, it keeps me from listening to them for more than a couple of hours. I don't think you'd need to worry about leakage into your roommates room unless he can hear the person on the far end of your phone conversations.

 

[glac1er]

I think you should consider the Ultrasone HFI-550 also. People sold some used ones at this forum around $75.

A very good headphone. Its biggest strength is its clear sound and very tight punchy bass. I am quite surprised the HFI-550 reveals a bit more detail than my HD595 although not neccessarily a better headphone. Good isolation, very comfortable and light. Its weakness is that it doesn't have that airy sound.

If you don't need the sound isolation. I suggest going with the Grados. I had Grado SR80 and it gave me my first eargasm when listening to rock music. Has lots of impact, bass, and very lively presentation. Missed them so much

It doesn't sound as clear as the HFI-550 though.
Both have minimum soundstage IMO.