[Zapa]

Hey guys and gals,
 
A little info on me so y'all can (hopefully) help me out. I am a college student-athlete that loves to listen to all types of music except classical! Never been a fan of it. So here is where you all can help me out. I have around $700, of my own money, and I am deciding to get my first nice set of headphones. I am familiar with car audio but not headphones. So I have many concerns with trying to pick such expensive headphones on my own. 
 
I will be traveling a lot playing tennis so a comfortable pair of headphones is a must! I have been reading up on open vs closed headphones and I have a feeling an open set is not going to work for me because of the sound bleeding and disturbing others around me. 
 
So what is the best set of closed headphones can I get for the money (I am not against buying a nice used pair if they are in great condition). There are just way to many options for me to possibly make a decent informed decision without the help of all the headphone experts on here.  
 
I understand I am not going to be able to power these headphones with just an iPhone or I will just get crapy sound quality so I also need a good portable amplifier that I can take with me. I could be using these headphones for over 6 hours straight. I have no idea how much battery life these amplifiers have.
 
In short $700 need closed headphones and portable amplifier!
 
Thank you in advanced and I am excited to get my first nice set of headphones!!
Zack

 

[b0000]

if you can somehow get a pair of denon d5000's i highly recommend that headphone.
 
Unfortunately i'm not too knowledgeable on closed headphones at this price range but, the mrspeakers Alpha dogs are getting a lot of attention lately, so you should check that out.
There's also the denon d600, which is technically the successor of the d5000's so you should check that out too.
 
The only other headphones i can recommend are the vmoda m100 for a bass heavy sound or the sennheiser momentum for a balanced sound.
 
best of luck

 

[billybob_jcv]

Hmm - what about IEMs? Is that an option? They are much easier to travel with, and also much easier to drive from a portable DAP. There are some excellent IEMs from Shure, Westone, Etymotic, Logitech/UE and many others.

 

[Zapa]

  if you can somehow get a pair of denon d5000's i highly recommend that headphone.
 
Unfortunately i'm not too knowledgeable on closed headphones at this price range but, the mrspeakers Alpha dogs are getting a lot of attention lately, so you should check that out.
There's also the denon d600, which is technically the successor of the d5000's so you should check that out too.
 
The only other headphones i can recommend are the vmoda m100 for a bass heavy sound or the sennheiser momentum for a balanced sound.
 
best of luck

 
Thanks for the suggestions I will look into them for sure. 

Hmm - what about IEMs? Is that an option? They are much easier to travel with, and also much easier to drive from a portable DAP. There are some excellent IEMs from Shure, Westone, Etymotic, Logitech/UE and many others.

I should have specified before that I can not stand IEM's. I find them to be extremely uncomfortable, I just don't like anything in my ear  

 

[JR4599638]

if you can somehow get a pair of denon d5000's i highly recommend that headphone.

Unfortunately i'm not too knowledgeable on closed headphones at this price range but, the mrspeakers Alpha dogs are getting a lot of attention lately, so you should check that out.
There's also the denon d600, which is technically the successor of the d5000's so you should check that out too.

The only other headphones i can recommend are the vmoda m100 for a bass heavy sound or the sennheiser momentum for a balanced sound. For portable amps, look into the fiio e11 or e07k.

best of luck

I was just going to recommend the Alpha Dogs! I personally don't own them, but I have read that they are comfortable, have great instrument separation, supreme sound quality for the price. I would also recommend the mad dog 3.2's, or DT770 pro's, which are extremely comfortable, and a good bang for the buck for their price. For portable amps, I would also recommend the fiio e07k, e11, or e12.

 

[davidsh]

Will you actually use them as portable headphones or just general use, mostly sitting? Because some of the headphones mentioned aren't exactly ultra portable..

 

[Zapa]

  Will you actually use them as portable headphones or just general use, mostly sitting? Because some of the headphones mentioned aren't exactly ultra portable..

I will be using them as both. I will be using them while I study in my room and when I am on the go. Could you please explain what makes some of them not ultra portable. Still trying to learn what makes a headphone good for certain applications. 

 

[davidsh]

Fairly big, bulky and heavy

 

[Zapa]

Fairly big, bulky and heavy

I am not bothered by those sorts of things… I am all about comfort and quality in this circumstance.

 

[davidsh]

Then I guess I second the alpha dog and a portable amp.. Dunno.

 

[OJdaJuiceman]

The Fostex TH600 is another option, though I don't think they have very much noise isolation, despite being closed.

 

[Zapa]

  The Fostex TH600 is another option, though I don't think they have very much noise isolation, despite being closed.

Ive been looking at the fostex's but I can't find any in my price range sadly. I do like a little past neutral bass but I am not a bass head if that changes what people recommend.  

 

[Zapa]

So I ordered a fiio e11 which should be here wednesday thank you amazon prime  
 
now to find the right headphones I am looking hard into the Shure shr1540's

 

[Gnomeplay]

I'd probably also throw another vote in for the alpha dogs given your circumstances and needs.

 

[Zapa]

  I'd probably also throw another vote in for the alpha dogs given your circumstances and needs.

does anyone know where i could get some without waiting 6 weeks