[ac500]

I think I caught the "Head-Fi" virus.... because I have an urge to buy some more headphones now :O
 
Honestly I love my current Sennheiser HD 650's. However being open backed I think some nice closed ones would be good also as a secondary pair when I want isolation. Also if I get a second pair I'd kind of like them to be almost an opposite sound style, because otherwise what's the point of having two pairs
 
How good is isolation on Ultrasone Pro 900's? Does much of the sound bleed out? Also, how would you describe them vs. Senn HD 650's? Is the fidelity much lower in quality? I think another nice benefit to a second pair would be if they were a bit more analytical -- but not too much -- to nicely complement my 650's laid back which I'll always use for easy listening.
 
Any other suggestions? I'm thinking about the same price range ~$350-$500 ish. Also nothing is certain and I might not buy soon, but I'm interested in researching some nice closed back ones to complement my HD 650's . Also I wish there was a good place to listen to Ultrasones and other good headphones in the CA Bay Area. It seems all stores have are junky Bose, Sony, and Monster headphones on display.
 
Also keep in mind my amp is an NFB-12, hopefully that's not insufficient.

 

[BotByte]

In all reality the HD650 is quite balanced and has decent enough bass for anyone.
 
The HD600 would be the best companion to them.
 
The Pro900 wouldn't be a big setup at all. Maybe a little hop, but nothing to compliment the HD650
 
Problem is, is that as you go up the scale on headphone, they all start to sound the same. You're already half way up the scale and the sound synergy between cans in your prices range about 15%. Where $100 cans can very from 25% to 75% diference.
 
IMO: Get some IEM's. Really? Yes. $300-500 is a great price to get some Custom IEM's. Isolation, leaking all that is nothing to a Custom. Check out the Kozee and 1964 ears for budget customs. Only problem is, is that you'll hit your price ceiling pretty hard if you want bass. EDIT: lower, lower bass I mean. They all play good bass, but it varies from Grado sound to Pro900 level

 

[ballfan]

Before I decided to purchase headphones recently I did a lot of research and talked to a friend who has been a sound engineer for over three decades and he highly recommended that I go in the IEM direction. If you want supra-aural cans Denon's line are supposed to be great.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Yes, IEMs can be wonderful, but I know very little about them. A good pair is my next step.

As for closed headphones, my favorite pair for travel is the Sony MDR-7509HD. They don't get much attention here. I like their neutral response, comfort and good build quality. They don't attenuate as much as an IEM, though.

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Yes, IEMs can be wonderful, but I know very little about them. A good pair is my next step.

As for closed headphones, my favorite pair for travel is the Sony MDR-7509HD. They don't get much attention here. I like their neutral response, comfort and good build quality. They don't attenuate as much as an IEM, though.

I spread them around a lot. Just they get buried under celebrity cans.
 
The 7509HD have nice isolation, maybe needs a bit more leak coverage, but not bad one bit.
 
But I wouldn't call them a exact companion to the HD650. Maybe a better can for isolation and a fun sound, but nor to compare to the HD650. They aren't really much of a sonic change from the HD650.

 

[benzoylmethyl]

Quote:

I think I caught the "Head-Fi" virus.... because I have an urge to buy some more headphones now :O
 
Honestly I love my current Sennheiser HD 650's. However being open backed I think some nice closed ones would be good also as a secondary pair when I want isolation. Also if I get a second pair I'd kind of like them to be almost an opposite sound style, because otherwise what's the point of having two pairs
 
How good is isolation on Ultrasone Pro 900's? Does much of the sound bleed out? Also, how would you describe them vs. Senn HD 650's? Is the fidelity much lower in quality? I think another nice benefit to a second pair would be if they were a bit more analytical -- but not too much -- to nicely complement my 650's laid back which I'll always use for easy listening.
 
Any other suggestions? I'm thinking about the same price range ~$350-$500 ish. Also nothing is certain and I might not buy soon, but I'm interested in researching some nice closed back ones to complement my HD 650's . Also I wish there was a good place to listen to Ultrasones and other good headphones in the CA Bay Area. It seems all stores have are junky Bose, Sony, and Monster headphones on display.
 
Also keep in mind my amp is an NFB-12, hopefully that's not insufficient.

If your 650s are laid back, the PRO900 would be a great compliment to them.  I don't own and have never heard the HD650, but I have heard of quite a few people using the PRO900 as a closed companion.  They are a very good can in the upper-middle price bracket.
 
The PRO900 is not a very forgiving headphone and are very, very revealing, but they still have a tremendously fun sound signature.  Everything about them is forward.  Many complain of the recessed mids, but it depends on what you compare them to.  My other set of cans are woodied Grado 225is, and yes--comparatively, the mids can seem recessed.  However, after having owned and listened ~10 hours a day to the PRO900, I think it's more than the bass and highs are SO forward that the mids appear recessed in comparison.
 
If you like bass--and not just EDM, but any genre where high quality, detailed bass plays a significant role, like jazz or orchestral compositions--or female vocalists, these cans are utterly stunning.  However, they range from good to very good in every genre I have tried them with.  They can sound a little "metallic", especially with acoustic guitars, and that takes a little bit to get used to, but it's not particularly off-putting unless you're expecting them to be a do-it-all superphone like the orthos.
 
They are extremely easy to power--I'm using a Hifiman EF2 amp/dac and I can't even get the knob to the first notch before it's too loud to listen to.
 

 

[obzilla]

900s are great and a lot of fun. You might also consider some Denon D5000s or used D7000s if you can find a good deal.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
You said you likely want the opposite headphone of the HD650, but closed back, well, that would be the Shure SRH940.
 
Very best,

 

[oqvist]

HD 600, D5000, D7000 is that has been recommended is not isolating headphones.
 
Pro 900 is a nice option for a closed headphone. May work for you

 

[obzilla]

HD 600, D5000, D7000 is that has been recommended is not isolating headphones.
 
Pro 900 is a nice option for a closed headphone. May work for you

¿Qué?
Neither are the 900s. They leak plenty, no more than the Denons, but none of these really isolate.

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

¿Qué?
Neither are the 900s. They leak plenty, no more than the Denons, but none of these really isolate.
 

My Pro 900 give me a much better seal and isolate far more then the Denons I tried as in D2000 and markl D5000. Equal to the BeyerDynamic DT 770 PRO. Sounds like you had problems getting a seal or found neither isolating enough?
 
The markl D5000 isolated about as much as the HD 650 which like the HD 600 don´t even have a closed back.
 
 
 

 

[ac500]

Thanks for the suggestions. As far as IEMs, I should have mentioned that I never have and still don't like anything that I have to put in my ear, so IEMs aren't an option.
 
Closed vs. open is mostly because I want to be able to play music fairly loud (not concert loud, but maybe movie theater loud) without someone else a few feet away to hear it.
 
As for sound style, they don't necessarily need to be totally opposite of the HD 650 as long as they make a good complement 2nd pair. I'll definitely look into reviews of SRH940 and the the other recommendations.

 

[ac500]

Well I just found a local store with Ultrasone 750's on display. I have to say I was less than impressed. They sounded rather tinney. I noticed a bit of bass boost which I'm not against, but the mid section left much to be desired. I don't think I'm gonna go with Ultrasone if they sound like this. 
 
It's probably not worth it to hope for closed headphones that sound as good or better than HD 650's I guess. I'll probably save the money I would pay for a second pair and instead put it towards an upgrade or something.

 

[cptindustry]

Might want to give the HD25's a try.

 

[benzoylmethyl]

Quote:

Well I just found a local store with Ultrasone 750's on display. I have to say I was less than impressed. They sounded rather tinney. I noticed a bit of bass boost which I'm not against, but the mid section left much to be desired. I don't think I'm gonna go with Ultrasone if they sound like this. 
 
It's probably not worth it to hope for closed headphones that sound as good or better than HD 650's I guess. I'll probably save the money I would pay for a second pair and instead put it towards an upgrade or something.

 
The PRO900 is an enormous step up from the 750 in every conceivable way. The PRO900 has truly thunderous bass, far more than the PRO750--it's seriously a basshead can, so that's something to take into consideration.  Regardless, if you really like your mids, then nothing in the PROLine is for you.  The HFI-780 has much fuller and more lush mids, but has the exciting bass and highs of the Ultrasone lineup as well as S-Logic--which is pretty cool for movies and gaming.  It still has a bit of a metallic twang to it, but it's not nearly as metallic as the lessser PROLines. 
 
I would check out Mal's recommendation, the Shure.  Haven't heard it myself, but he's usually on point.