[heimlicManuever]

Hello everyone,
Recently, I had raised interest about buying a good headphone and after some research online, I found this amazing forum.
I really need your recommendations to decide which headphone to buy. I am really uncertain about which one to buy. I think specifying my preferences can help you to figure out what kind of a headphone I am interested in. So,
 

1. Unfortunately, budget is important. I cannot afford over 200 euros (I currently live in Germany and I am considering to buy one here. If you know, any suggestion about where to find a good deal in Germany or where to buy one will be much appreciated.)
2. I want to experience everything about my music. So to speak, I want to hear every instrument clearly. I listen to rock, indie, house and dubstep mostly. I think it is more important to have a balanced headphone rather than a bass-oriented one. Because I dont listen to rap or hiphop so much.
3. It can be over-ear or on-ear.
4. I am a student and I stay at a dormitory. I also want to use it while watching movies, playing games or listening to music for hours from my laptop. So a little bit comfort would be great. And isolation is important too in this case.
5. Portability is also a deterministic one. Because I travel a lot and I want to use it with my iPhone to listen to music.
6. I am not thinking about buying an amplifier for now because of financial issues.

 
I feel it is going to be a good start for me to jump into this world. I may consider these stuff as my new hobby because I am studying electronics which can make it easier to understand consepts here.
 
Thank you very much in advance

 

[niic]

Hi heimlicManuever,
 
Welcome to head-fi! I'm quite new to the head-fi scene as well, after having read tons of posts on this forum which helped me in my first purchases.
Despite being a newbie to the audiophile-world, I can give you some tips:
- A good store in Europe to buy headphones is: www.thomann.de
- You might also want to read through the following thread here on head-fi: http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-102-portable-headphones-reviewed-panasonic-rp-htf600-added-04-29-12
Of course not all portable headphones are reviewed in the thread, but it really helped me with orientation on the market.
 
Hopefully more experienced head-fi'ers will be able to help you more!
 
Good luck!

 

[iDriveFerraris]

ATH-M50 + Fiio E6. Under $200 for both and pretty portable and they offer great isolation as they are closed headphones. The amp is just an extra.

 

[heimlicManuever]

Thanks nicc for great links!
 
iDriveFerraris,
ATH-M50 is one of my favorite option. But i was worried about its comfort and portability. What do you think if you compare it to Sennheiser HD598?

 

[valerianaoff]

If u r new, its definitely
 
+1 for the M50s...
 
and another good option
 
Phillips Uptown...
 
Cheerz !

 

[Eric_C]

HD598 has no isolation. It's no point considering them.

 

[theeyealtering]

What do you think if you compare it to Sennheiser HD598?

I'd forget the HD598 if you want isolation.

The M50 is a great choice.

I also like the Shure SRH840, which similar price/size but a little more neutral sounding than the M50.

 

[heimlicManuever]

Looks like I will go with the M50s.
 
Thanks everyone for your remarks

 

[Negative818]

If you haven't purchased a new pair yet, then I would consider V-Moda M80. They come with a travel case, isolate well enough and sound fantastic. Also consider the Sony MDR7506. These are lightweight and fold up nicely. In my opinion they sound better than the M50s and can be found on amazon for under $100 USD. I owned the M50s and ended up returning them as they did not provide the sound I was looking for. Also, consider the Shure SRH440. I love these cans and they too can be found for under $100 USD.

 

[heimlicManuever]

Hmmm OK... Anyone agrees with negative818? I will definitely look into these cans before I buy. Thanks 

 

[novusordo76]

Sony MDRs are a reliable choice but boring and flat. V-Modas are good. Sennheiser HD 25 are really fun and probably the most balanced portable closed can you can get and at 32 ohm you definitely don't need an amplifier, and you can drive it from laptops, iPods or Sansa Clips. Regardless of which can you choose, I would highly recommend you get a cheap DAC/AMP for your laptop though, because onboard sound is usually crap and often picks up alot of EMI/RFI noise. Even using a $20 Behringer UDAC UCA 202 you will hear a difference.

 

[NimbleTurtle]

Quote:

Thanks nicc for great links!
 
iDriveFerraris,
ATH-M50 is one of my favorite option. But i was worried about its comfort and portability. What do you think if you compare it to Sennheiser HD598?

HD 598 offers no isolation. The M50 has decent isolation. 
 
Comfort wise, the 598 is far more comfortable. The M50 isn't bad but some people do complain about about its comfort. Portability wise, the M50 wins because it's the right size, folds up well, and has better cable suited for that purpose. Sound quality wise though, the 598 is just far superior. 
 
There are other portable cans out there. Big reviews dedicated to portable cans... you should look for them. 

 

[Negative818]

I agree the 7506s are a little flat with a bump in the bass, however, for <$100 I find they offer more value than the M50s.

 

[delusionist]

Quote:

Hmmm OK... Anyone agrees with negative818? I will definitely look into these cans before I buy. Thanks 

 
 
The V6 does indeed sound better than the M50 to my ears. However the V6 is not portable due to the coiled cord. Consider the Sony MDR-ZX700

Also if you plan to listen on your laptop I recommend a USB DAC/amp such as the Fiio E7. Most onboard laptop audio is poor.

 

[heimlicManuever]

I am really really impressed by reviews and style of v-moda v80. And sennheiser hd25 seems fantastic too. Thank you for these great recommendations guys. I really appreciate it. However, it is hard for me to decide which one to pick 

 and I could not forget M50s. So I am between these three. If i look at the price, M50s is the best deal. V80s are a bit expensive but I've read so many things about its fascinating sound quality. It's versatile. It can go with every genre. However, I've read some complaints  about its comfort and isolation which I think I can deal with. HD25 would be the best choice compared to others regarding isolation and comfort but it is the most expensive one in this comparison. I also guess that HD25s and V80s have similar sound quality.
 
Yeah, it is really hard right now to decide which one to pick...