[nuyhcbyuc]

Hi guys,
This is actually my first post here, and, as you can guess, I'm quite new to the audio world
The thing is I'm looking for a nice portable headphone that will be used mostly on buses on my way to school. I listen mostly to Classical, but to jazz and rock too. The headphones MUST be sturdily built or coming with a case, so I can throw them into my backpack. Note that IEMs aren't an option as I just can't get any size/shape fitting comfortably in my ears. I prefer the cans to have good isolation (Mostly used on buses as mentioned before). I was looking into the top choices for portable at this price (Bugdet is 200$) like the m50s, hd25 and m-80s, And the v-modas seemed a good choice, but I'm not sure about how do they cope with classical. Any suggestions for other nice cans will be appreciated
 
Thanks and have a good day

 

[GSARider]

I'd also consider a decent set of IEM's, as inevitably full size cans will take a bashing and start to look grubby after a while. With the advances in sound from Shure, Sennheiser, etc in IEM's, you can get phenomenal sound equal to a lot of big cans.
 
Personally I love my IE80's and wouldn't be without them.
 

 

[nuyhcbyuc]

Actually I really prefer to stay away from IEMs, I just can't stad them as they feel VERY unconfortable for me, no matter which size or shape.

 

[squallkiercosa]

Noise isolation? Get IEMs, no over the ear headphone can match an IEM. Check if you don't believe me. 

 

[flatmap]

I think the M50s are a very reasonable choice.  Mine have been durable and have used them for years, packed them in my bag for work, use them on the bus, in coffee shops etc.  
 
The HD-25 are said to isolate very well... and I might veer towards these as they are going to lighter/smaller the M50s.  I do like the look on the Vmodas... I think they have the best  visual style of this lot.
 
Have you already read Joker's thread on his experience with these -- and many others?  Very helpful:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-107-portable-headphones-reviewed-astrotec-as-100hd-as-200hd-added-12-02-12 

 

[RokBoks]

Just got some m50's and my local Ratshack has a set of m80's to try out so I compared the two. Of the two the m50's are definitely better for various genres, for rock, jazz and classical I think they are great. I loved the m80's but I listen to hip hop. Also the m50's are very large compared to the m80's. The m80's are over the ear but comfortable because they're so small and light. I also tried the hd25's and they're great very "fun" though so be careful with classical. Also they're vices on your head, making them rather uncomfortable for prolonged use. Look around and you can score some m50's for cheap (i got mine for 80 on craigslist!). Good luck sorry about your wallet

 

[Geek123]

m50s are not portable

 

[Deeman]

I don't think the m50 are portable. The cable on that thing is twice as long as my body...

 

[Kimx2310]

The coiled version isn't that bad, though it still hangs about ten cm (about 4 inches) under my belt and i'm 183 cm (6ft). I can tug that into my pocket just fine. Also i find the HD 25 to be pretty comfortable it is also the flattest of the headphones you mentioned (as in soundwise) as the others have more emphasis on the low end.

For the price I would also consider looking into the Ultrasone HFI 780, it has a bigger soundstage and instrument seperation than the M50 which is important when listening to classical
 
There's also the Soundmagic HP100 which i'm told probably has the biggest soundsstage for any closed back headphones, i can't say anything about sound and comfort because i haven't heard them. But they probably sound pretty good.
 
Lastly there's the Phillips Fidelio M1 which i also can't say anything about soundwise, but they look amazing and they also got pretty good reviews.

 

[StyleElements]

The M50s are a bit bulky as some have said, so do get the straight cabled version if you go M50. As far as I know, the M80 is a great can, and so is the HD25-II, but they are on-ear; while this means they might seal out noise better, they can get uncomfortable after a couple hours depending on your ears. Perhaps try and find a store where you can try them on first?
 
 
I suggest the UE6000. Although I don't own it (wish I did), I've auditioned it for a while and I really like its sound for most genres. It's $199, has noise cancelling (optional, it sounds much better in passive mode) for those bus trips, is circumaural and comfortable, fairly sturdy and quite stylish too. 
 
As for its sound, I don't listen much to classical, I guess it would be so-so for some classical, but good for other types such as orchestral (it has some great bass presence, both with and without NC). I think it would sound great with jazz and rock, though, as it's a warm-sounding headphone with non-sibilant highs.
 
This was an interesting read for me, perhaps it might help you. At $200, I think the UE6000 is a steal, given its features, styling and pretty good sound. http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/surprisingly-good-logitec-ue6000-and-ue9000

 

[291079]

ive read that m80s are bad at isolation.
hd25 is very good however (have tried).
the iso matches some of the iems i have