[dropxbear]

Hey everybody,
 
This is my first post here. I am looking for some around ear closed headphones under or around AUD$300. I will be using them from my iPhone 5 and my laptop/desktop. I would like some with a very balanced EQ as I listen to almost everything from Classical to Hardstyle. They also need to have a decent ear cup size and be comfortable enough to wear all day (about 10-12 hours). I have been looking at V-Moda LP2's and Bose AE2's, I like Bose, I am currently borrowing my friends QC15's and they seem good to me. Any suggestions on great all round headphones will be greatly appreciated.
 
Cheers,
Aidan

 

[GREQ]

The bose you're using do not have a balanced EQ - they have a bloated boomy unrefined bass that bleeds into the mids. 
V-Modas are even bassier. 
 
To suit your comfort and genre needs I think you should have a long hard look at the AKG K550.

 

[sientobente]

Running un-amped, try to take a good look at the Momentums.

 

[dropxbear]

[size=small]Unfortunately [/size]the AKG K550's seem a little hard to get in my area. I have seen the Sennheiser HD558's around though, would they be any good along with a portable amp/dac like a FiiO A07K?
The Momentum's are a little too pricey sadly.

 

[DrSheep]

The V-MODA M80/V80 is decently neutral.

 

[sientobente]

The HD558s will benefit greatly running amped. Been through different audio gears for a long time and the best advice I got was do it right the first time. If the price difference is just a little to get the Momentum, go for it. It will save you the cost from upgrading in the future and it will help you sleep better without thinking of "what if". 

 

[streetdragon]

Portables generally do not sound as good and refined as their fullsize counterparts.

 

[dropxbear]

Here are the Prices I found:
Sennheiser Momentum - AUD$399
Sennheiser HD558 - AUD$208
 
As for the amp/dac combos from FiiO,
A07K - AUD$99
E17 - AUD$139
 
Tell me whether I am wrong or not, but the 558's and one of the FiiO's should give better sound when hooked up to my phone or computer even though it is a cheaper solution right? 
 
Thanks for the help so far guys

 

[dropxbear]

Would the HD598's be an even better choice?

 

[dropxbear]

Scratch the 598's, they're out of stock

 

[sientobente]

For some reason, I wasn't really a fan of the HD598. I like the look and how ultra-comfortable it was but I find the sound a bit lacking. I used this extensively for about a week and tried different amps on it. From a Fiio E17, E12, ALO RX MK3, Ibasso D-Zero to a Hifiman EF2a. Source was a DXD file running Foobar over a Rega DAC and a Musiland DAC. My impression was, it will work great on classical music but if you are into techno, you'll find the bass poor. It rolls off quickly and it lacks the punch that makes techno music engaging. It also sounds very laid back to the point that it can sound unintelligible. But for classical music, it does very well with it's imaging and/or layering of instruments. My personal take, I'd choose the K550 any day over this.
 
Any other headphone choices in your area? Haven't tried that 558 though.

 

[GREQ]

As a side note about Momentums - you need to have small ears as a requirement for these to be comfortable for long listening sessions.
 

[size=small]Unfortunately [/size]the AKG K550's seem a little hard to get in my area. I have seen the Sennheiser HD558's around though, would they be any good along with a portable amp/dac like a FiiO A07K?
The Momentum's are a little too pricey sadly.
 

Those Senns are open-back and not suited very well for portability. If it's for home use that will work fine.

 

[dropxbear]

The only other brand I really have access to here are Pioneer, Panasonic and Sony.

 

[GREQ]

The only Sony I'd ever strongly recommend is the MDR-1R. 
It certainly ticks the comfort box and works as a portable too, but it has a smaller soundstage than the HD558. 
Otherwise it's one of the best value closed-backs and can sometimes be found at very low prices (a while back the new Xperia phone came with free MDR-R1's which many sold on ebay for around 100 euros each ($150 aus) and every now and then the same deal pops up again)
Might not be bassy enough for electronic music though.

 

[dropxbear]

The Momentum's certainly aren't for me then.
 
Portability doesn't really matter to me that much as I wouldn't really be carrying them around much even when I am out and about