[Lyuokdea]

Purpose: Will stay at work, might move from work to home on weekends?
 
Music Choices: Wide Variety, but a decent amount of classical music, especially at work. Not a fan of really heavy bass. I tend to like precise headphones. 
 
Environment: Quiet office with one office mate. He usually wears headphones. Not worried about noise isolation from the outside environment, but a little worried about sound leakage annoying other people. However, I usually listen to music at low volume.
 
Current Headphones: Audio Technica CK-10s. I like them a lot, but IEMs are really bothering my ears lately.
 
Budget: <~$150, if i could save $50 and get something comparable, it might be worth it.
 
Amp: None. Will be driven by either my Desktop Computer (has a very high end motherboard, but not 100% sure of it's audio qualities -- Asus Z9PE-D8 WS if that helps), 10% of the time will use my Macbook Pro. 
 
Questions:
 
1.) Is there another good choice I'm leaving out here?
 
2.) How bad is the sound leakage from open headphones like these?
 
3.) How big is the "comfort" issue with the AD900X? I've heard about the rubber band fix, which sounds a bit worrisome for something I will pay good money for.

 

[serman005]

  I'd suggest to get the s598 because of your listening preferences

, furthermore you might have troubles with the 3D wing desing in the ad900x

+1
 
 
The HD598 is really unparalleled at its price point for classical music. It is not bass-heavy. Leakage is dependent on volume. If you listen to quiet music, then the leakage is minimal. If you crank it, then it is clearly audible. My 598 is eighteen inches from me as I write this with Mozart's No. 40 playing at my preferred volume and I cannot hear anything coming out of them. Granted, my volume levels are not loud. But there you go. I find the 3D wing to be a hassle, personally. The Senn is uber comfortable. Good luck.

 

[Lyuokdea]

The thing holding me back is the discussion that the soundstage on the 900X is much larger, which would be nice for classical, but maybe it is too much?

 

[serman005]

I don't think the size is a significant factor in comparing the two. Listening to Mozart's Requiem by von Karajan right now and I must say, it sounds ridiculous.

 

[DangerClose]

AD900x soundstage is bigger than HD598.  HD598 is probably a little wider.  900 has better height, sounds more like a globe.  598 is more left-right.  598 actually sounds too wide, relatively speaking.  Like a "large" sound that is jammed into a long but undersized tunnel.  They're wide but don't quite have that "grand" "epic" kind of soundstage.  
 
That's relatively speaking.  Compared to plenty of headphones, they have a big and full soundstage.  But compared to things like AD900x, DT990, AKG 701, even SHP9500, they aren't quite there.  Those other ones are more like having speakers on the side of your head, (some bigger and farther away than others), while HD598 is more like having in-ear IEMs on steroids.
 
This is probably making the difference sound more exaggerated than it is, but then again maybe not since that's a main thing that bothers me when switching to my HD598. It's like there's a good not great globe of sound in or near my head, with a long but undersized tunnel of sound sticking out the sides. 
 
I have two HD598, and they sound very open and leaky to me.  AD900x is very leaky, so the HD598 surprised me at how leaky it is since it has at least some material over the outside but it doesn't seem to matter.
 
It's hard to recommend open-back when in the proximity of someone else you're trying not to bother.  Even if they are wearing headphones.  Though if you only listen at audio book volume, or with "quiet" kinds of music, you can probably get anything you want.
 
One closed option is K550/K553.  But it might be a little obnoxious in size to wear every day for many hours.  And forget it if you have a small head.  Seal is important for it to sound right. 
 
Or you could save $100 and get a 668b or SR850 and see how that goes.  They're not as good as headphones that cost 10x more, but they do make me question why I have headphones that cost 10x more.  I may have a good answer for that question, but they do ask the question. 
 
They make closed version of that too.  I've never heard them.

 

[Lyuokdea]

I ordered them, and then of course panic cancelled, due to concerns about leakage - maybe I just need to go and find a pair and listen to how bad it actually is. My officemate is 8 feet away in a room with some ambient fan noise, but not much..... 
 
Thanks for the help - I will quit torturing myself by overanalyzing this soon....

 

[Lyuokdea]

Just as a point of comparison, is there a closed-back or semi-open back headphone setup that is similar in sound (especially for classical/jazz/soft rock) to the 598s?

 

[Badfish5446]

In that price range I found the HP150 to be a killer office headphone, I've since gone all bluetooth (convenience of no cable).  Fairly neutral with a boost at around 35hz and a solid soundstage for a close-back HP.  Really comfortable for my head/ears....

 

[csmx123]

For IEM, I'd suggest you HiFiMAN RE-400, very neutral and comfortable. I've tried the CK10, and I can't stand how uncomfortable CK10s are. RE-400 is a very neutral IEM with great comfort.
 
I don't own AD900X, but I do own HD 598. I'd characterize HD 598 as a warm sounding, easy to drive, super comfortable (Most comfortable over ears I have ever had) and fun headphones.