[paradime]

Hello all,
 
New to the forum and I'm hoping that people can give me some insight.
 
My "situation" so to speak:
My sister got me the Studio Beats by Dre for Christmas. I liked the sound, but the leakage was terrible. You could hear everything I listened pretty clearly. This is a problem because basically I only use headphones when I travel. Sometimes on a computer, but 95% on an airplane. So we returned them.
 
Now, I'm looking for new headphones for my sister to buy me. It's taken me a while because (1) I'm lazy and (2) every time I Google for reviews, I feel overwhelmed.
 
WHAT I WANT:
1) Closed ear, I think they're called? Basically I do not want earbuds under any circumstance. Hate those.
2) Little or no noise leakage.
3) Good sound (obviously). I mean the bottom line is I listen to mostly hip hop, so bass is somewhat important. I mean it's not the only thing, but good bass is something I'd like. Does that mean crappy everything else? No, it doesn't. But hopefully there's a happy medium somewhere. Basically, I'd love a set of cans that were good for hip hop. I know the Beats can't be my only option, right? I listen to high quality mp3's off my iPod, if that matters any.
4) Price: She spent $300 on those, so that'd be the max.
 
Thanks all. As you can tell, I don't know what I'm doing here, and I'm by no means an audiophile or anything. Just a random guy looking for some headphone insight.

 

[sysfail]

I used a Sennheiser PXC350 (closed, noise-cancelling)  for a long plane ride and it worked perfectly for me. No noise leaks unless you're turning up the volume super high, and the noise-cancelling blocks out most of the plane noise so you won't have to turn the volume up to hear the sound. Also, the sound quality is much better than the Beats and it's cheaper as well. I have them up for sale now since I won't be traveling again for a very long time. PM me if you're interested.

 

[paradime]

Thanks for the review, will look into those.

 

[Uncle Erik]

When you refer to earbuds, do you mean earbuds like the ones that come with an iPod? Have you thought about IEMs, that actually sit in your ear canal? They're different, and I prefer IEMs when I travel. IEMs block a lot of outside noise. Also, they can be used with various tips to suit you. Some can even be custom molded to your ear canal. I don't have customs, but lots of people here love them. I'd like to get some sooner or later.

As for full-sized closed headphones in your price range, I use the Sony MDR-7509HD. You don't hear about them too much around here, but I really like my pair. They're comfortable and have a nice clear, neutral sound. They run off an iPod just fine, too. They run around $200 (IIRC) and I think they're a good value. Not the best headphones I've heard, but they're plenty good, comfy and block out external noise.

 

[ssavage]

Yeah a closed headphone is one that don't leaks. Lacks soundstage but offers better bass and such in general.
If you want a closed pair then you should stay away from Sennheiser, since most of their headphones are open, Beyerdynamic sometimes too. 
For $300, you have a lot of options for headphones only but a lot of headphones benefit from something called an amp. All I know is it improves sq, hehe. 
So maybe a 200dollar pair and 100dollar amp?

 

[paradime]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[c3ns0rd]

Every time I see the beats by dre sound tester in the store I'm forced to giggle. They have a closed set up with the headphone cord going into the casing for the tester and then they have a "see the difference by plugging yours in here" mini plug. What they don't tell you is that beats by dre cans are being Amped by something worth at least $200 out of sight.

And in my honest opinion the Bose (omg I said it) noise canceling closed cans are much better sound than beats by dre. Not to mention they have to up the price for dre to sponsor the things.

 

[Kiwikat]

Check out a Sennheiser HD25-1 II and a portable amp (like my setup).  Closed, sounds great, blocks out other sound, and is solid as a rock.
 
Can do the HD25 + E7 combo new for $300.