[traiven3d]

Hi Everyone,
 
A little background:
     I'm reasonably new to higher-end audio equipment and looking for some suggestions. My cheap, $20 pair of ear buds died a week ago and I've decided I'm overdue for a nice pair of headphones. I did purchase a reasonably good quality pair of Sony over-ear headphones a few years back but found that they leaked tons of sound and caused my ears to sweat. The pads started peeling, and now I rarely use them. After a few hours of reading the forums here yesterday I did use them to compare lossless clips to compressed mp3s and was able to distinguish them successfully using fubar2000 and the ABX plugin. I took a few sound production courses back in college, experimented with mixing in the studio, etc., so I have a fundamental understanding of sound.
 
Listening habits:
     -I'm a digital artist and spend 8-10 hours a day in front of a computer listening to tunes while working.
     -My musical tastes are eclectic: rock, indie, top 40, r&b, classic, acoustic, etc.
     -I work in a shared environment so they shouldn't noticeably leak.
     -I always appreciate high quality, however I am not an audiophile (...yet).
     -I stream a lot of music through Songza on a PC, but I also like to throw on high quality compressed mp3's on my phone (samsung galaxy 2). I'm interested in lossless formats too.
     -It would be great to use them for gaming, but it's not a priority.
 
     
     With those factors in mind I'm considering the COP and P7's. Both are in different price ranges. I'd justify the increased cost of the P7s not only for their big sound scape and isolation, but also for the fact that the pads are made of leather and won't flake and ruin like my last pair. However, I'm also new to higher end equipment and it's a big jump in price. The COPs allow me to figure out how flat of a response I prefer and still have been well rated for comfort. Both feature removable cables, and neither requires an amp.
 

If I'm considering the P7's, are there other competitors in that price range that would suite me better? ​

The opinion on the COPs seems to be that they're flexible, fun and a good fit for a newb, but do you think they're a good fit for me?​

 
Cheers!

 

[csnr]

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[Za Warudo]

The P7 is a bit V-shaped. A cheaper, more neutral headphone with similarly great treble and soundstage as the P7 is the SoundMAGIC HP100.

 

[traiven3d]

Okay, so I've been looking into different headphones. The big thing for me is a closed headphone that can be driven by a sound card. I won't be travelling with these headphones and can always pick up a Fiio amp for portable use if required.
 
I've been looking at the Beyer DT 770 80ohms, but I'm concerned that they're frequency response won't work well for Folk, Acoustic and Rock/Pop, which I listen to a lot. They do seem like a good fit for R&B tunes, which I also listen to, but I'd rather EQ the bass up than try to elevate the mids. Some have suggested Sennheiser as having a better curve for these genres. I'm looking in the $200-300/CAD range.
 
I haven't been able to find a local retailer that carries SoundMAGIC, in order to test before I buy.

 

[julzd]

Have a look at nad hp50, I don't have any closed cans at the moment but I demoed them briefly and was quite impressed. For what it's worth I didn't like the over ear momentums at all (I thought they were thick, slow and the ear cups were definitely more on ear)

 

[traiven3d]

Have a look at nad hp50, I don't have any closed cans at the moment but I demoed them briefly and was quite impressed. For what it's worth I didn't like the over ear momentums at all (I thought they were thick, slow and the ear cups were definitely more on ear)

 
Thanks for the reply. I read up on them and decided they were the best match for my entry into mid-level gear. I've got them on order and hope to receive them on Monday.
 
Thanks everyone!