[flightless]

Hi everyone! First post, but long-time lurker. I've been looking for a good pair of closed phones, hence the lurking. Problem is, every time I think I make a decision I read more reviews and change my mind...

My requirements:
1. Less than $100. I'm on a cheap student's budget, sadly.
2. No piercing highs or bass. My ears are a bit sensitive, and I've gotten headaches from boomy bass before.
3. Ships to Canada. (Actually, this should be higher on the list.)
4. Closed, circum-aural. I plan to take this to libraries and commuting, so this is pretty important.
5. Looks good. I know, this doesn't affect sound at all. So, I did look at the Equation RP-21s for a long time. But then something in my female brain snapped and I could no longer consider buying them (I'm sorry, I really can't!) I started looking at the Audio Technica ones, but bass on those might be overwhelming?

Anything that will work for me?

 

[jonathanjong]

Which Audio Technicas are you talking about?

I'm not sure there's anything I can think of at $100 that I'd recommend. The D1001s come to mind, but they leak a little. I'd wear them at work, but not in a real quiet library. The Q40s are better in libraries, but are $150. And they're pretty big. The ES7s are circum-aural for small ears, and very aesthetically-pleasing, but again they're more like $150. Any chance you'll up the budget?

 

[Tiemen]

Maybe you could check out the JVC HA-RX900 or JVC HA-RX700 ?
The JVC HA-RX7/900 is the same as the JVC HP-RX7/900.

 

[1Time]

If not dead set on circumaural, I suggest considering IEMs - posting and reading in the portable headphone forum.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

akg k-81 dj maybe

 

[TopPop]

I don't know how you may feel about the looks, but I'd recommend JVC HA-RX900.

Caveat: these have boomy bass... UNLESS you mod them properly (can be done quickly and easily, with few materials/tools, and next to no DIY knowledge). This will tone down the bass and bring out the rest of the spectrum, smoothing out the entire range quite nicely. They currently get more play time then both my DT-880s and MS-1s.

 

[REB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpha 1 Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif akg k-81 dj maybe

lots of bass in the 81dj though. Doesn't sound like the OP would like that. Ath ES7s are available on Ebay slightly over $100 USD: AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-ES7 BK ATHES7 PORTABLE HEADPHONES - eBay, Headphones Earbuds, For iPod, iPod MP3 Accessories, Electronics. (Eindtijd 20-nov-08 01:57:52 CET)

 

[tintin47]

The one that springs to mind is the ATH-A700, which is about $130. It meets all of your requirements for sure except budget (by a little) and i am not sure if it would ship to canada, but I am sure that you could find one on amazon or something.

 

[jonathanjong]

The ES7s don't block out sound enough.
The A700s are...ugly.

The K81DJs are supra-aural, but maybe that's OK if the isolation is the only reason the OP wants circums. These might work.
The HD280s are another natural choice, and I'm surprised 1Time didn't mention. I generally don't recommend these as I didn't like them that much, and opinions are pretty divided on these here.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD280s are another natural choice, and I'm surprised 1Time didn't mention.

The OP is cares about how she looks in public with this audio solution, and that rules out the HD280. IEMs would be best.

 

[Rednamalas1]

or sacrifice isolation and go with ES7s - they sound great and look really really good

 

[jonathanjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif The OP is cares about how she looks in public with this audio solution, and that rules out the HD280. IEMs would be best.

Oh right, you think the HS280s are ugly. LOL. I don't think they're too bad, but hey, different strokes.

The ES7s are pretty alright, but they're a little out of budget and not great for commuting. And they're not always circumaural.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh right, you think the HS280s are ugly. LOL. I don't think they're too bad, but hey, different strokes.

No, how they looked didn't bother me one bit when I used it almost daily at my job for over a year. I'm more of a function over form type of guy. But all of the comments that I received about it were unflattering and from ladies like big, ugly, and what the XXXX is that? And, many of the guys have posted similarly here about the looks of the HD280.

 

[flightless]

Actually, I've been looking specifically at the A700, ES7 and SQ5. Ah, I guess I could maybe (justalittle) stretch my budget a bit (Christmas coming up, after all) if I can get a much better sound and thereby justify the extra money.

Does either the A700 or ES7 tend to be boomy in the bass?

The JVCs look nii~ce. I'll look into it.

I've heard some good things about HS280...hmm. I'll keep it in mind.

Between closed and IEMs, I would still prefer closed. The sound seems more comfortable for me than the band-in-your-head sensation of IEMs. As for wearing them, I also like closed better. Of course, comparing to the icky ones they stick in the university libraries for listening to LPs, anything's better. I always have the sensation of "I gotta wash my hair!" after wearing them.

 

[jonathanjong]

Nope, no boomy bass with the ES7s.