[CaptainIndica]

I've hit my limit. I've read too much in too short a time frame and I fear my head might explode without a little guidance.

I might as well start from the beginning:

I am looking for a set of headphones to use every day for anywhere from .5-4.5 hours per day.
I will be using my headphones primarily during my commute to school which includes trains (relatively quiet), buses (relatively loud engines), and walking on semi-noisy Pittsburgh streets.
I listen to a lot of hip-hop and electronica so bass is very important to me. While bass is very important, I also insist on clarity in my highs and mids.
I prefer over-ear design.

I originally began my headphone shopping looking for a new pair of noise-canceling cans to replace my current Sony MDR-NC6. I felt noise canceling was a smart approach due to my noisy commutes. The reason I am looking to replace my current setup is because I am not satisfied with the loss of certain elements in songs (sounds I hear on my home theater that I never knew existed on my Sonys). The more I read, I noticed it seems my problem is pretty common among noise-canceling headphones.

Noise canceling headphones I had in mind - Creative Aurvana X-Fi, Sennheiser PXC 450

This realization led me to begin looking for noise-isolating headphones instead. Taking reported bass/overall sound quality into effect and also reported sound leakage, I've narrowed it down to the Denon AH-D2000.

Once I hit the sound-isolating phones, I started reading more and more about headphone amps. This is where I began to hit my breaking point.

Given my needs, would it make more sense for me to purchase noise canceling headphone or isolating + amp? I want to retain the most quality possible from my sound but I also don't want to be bothered by anything. ANYTHING. Headphone land is my beautiful dream land of isolation and I wish to keep it that way.

Choosing an amp is a frightening task for me because the more I read, the more it seems like I need to specifically match based on numbers and impedance and....ohhhhh....my head is starting to hurt again.....

I'll close this long rant (see: cry for help) with my budget:
If it is wiser for me to get noise-canceling headphones, I will spend the $350 on the Sennheiser PXC 450 and be done with it.
If I should get isolating + amp, I will get the Denon AH-D2000 for $250 and will be left with about $150 to spend on the amp.

 

[kurosuto]

Try looking into the UM3X. I think they sound absolutely perfect.

 

[ChroniCali]

D2000s are a very good choice, Markl mod them and recable them and you got yourself some very quality portable headphones.

 

[CaptainIndica]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurosuto /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try looking into the UM3X. I think they sound absolutely perfect.

Thanks for the quick response but I'm not interested in IEMs. I'm an over-ear kind of fellow.

 

[Currawong]

All the noise-cancelling headphones I've tried, to put it simply, suck. I think you need a pair of IEMs, as you'll get good isolation without needing an amp or anything else. Denon D2000s are huge and not the kind of cans you want to throw in your bag. As well, they aren't that good with isolation. If you were going to insist on buying full-size cans, I'd go for the Ultrasone Pro series, which have removable cables and fold up. They are low-impedence so can be driven easily, though are probably best with an amp.

 

[qusp]

x2; I love my modded recabled D2000, they sound amazing (one of the best soudnding dynamics that I have heard with woodies installed) but they are NOT goig to suit your purposes; even if I hadnt woodied them, I would not feel good about bringing them with me; they are quite large and TBH, they dont isolate all that well. I agre with the others about an IEM being the best solution to isolation and sound quality, but if you instaist on fullsize headphones, if I were you I would consider the ultrasone pro 780 or even the sennheiser HD25

 

[qusp]

x2; I love my modded recabled D2000, they sound amazing (one of the best soudnding dynamics that I have heard with woodies installed) but they are NOT goig to suit your purposes; even if I hadnt woodied them, I would not feel good about bringing them with me; they are quite large and TBH, they dont isolate all that well. I agre with the others about an IEM being the best solution to isolation and sound quality, but if you instaist on fullsize headphones, if I were you I would consider the ultrasone pro 780 or even the sennheiser HD25

 

[CaptainIndica]

Okay, so now for my next question(s):

When choosing a portable amp, will I need to specifically choose my amp based on the technical specs of my headphones? I read last night about someone using an 8ohm amp with a 2ohm headphone and it starting to smoke.

And with these portable amps, do people just stick this little contraption in their pocket? I have a leather pouch for my Zune which has a belt clip on it and I usually keep it tucked in the back of my pants. Would I be able to find something similar for a portable amp so maybe I could tuck it inside my hip or something?

I feel like I'm going to end up looking like batman with a full utility belt. Next purchase: grappling hook gun.