[Pantocrator]

Which do you think is better? First off, I am going to be using these headphones in college in a dormitory, so there might be some noise issues, and also i might use these in public where I do not want other people to hear my music... But I am a music nut and want the highest possible audio quality. But, again on the other hand, I want comfort.

I am looking at (supraaural)
grado Sr225
grado Sr325i
and (circumaural)
senn. hd595
AKG stuff
Bose

I have heard in a lot of places that the grado are the best quality, but they are not comfortable (a problem) and they are open air style. I assume that that means that other people will easily hear my music and any external noise will ruin sound quality, but the circumaural models, although comfortable and good at noise reduction, are not as good sound quality wise...
What should I do??

if it matters, I am thinking of using the setup of an iphone> line out> meier 2move or mini3> one of the above headphones

Thanks.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pantocrator /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which do you think is better? First off, I am going to be using these headphones in college in a dormitory, so there might be some noise issues, and also i might use these in public where I do not want other people to hear my music... But I am a music nut and want the highest possible audio quality. But, again on the other hand, I want comfort. I am looking at (supraaural) grado Sr225 grado Sr325i and (circumaural) senn. hd595 AKG stuff Bose I have heard in a lot of places that the grado are the best quality, but they are not comfortable (a problem) and they are open air style. I assume that that means that other people will easily hear my music and any external noise will ruin sound quality, but the circumaural models, although comfortable and good at noise reduction, are not as good sound quality wise... What should I do?? if it matters, I am thinking of using the setup of an iphone> line out> meier 2move or mini3> one of the above headphones Thanks.

The named Grado and Senns are open-backed and you definitely don't want them either. The AKG K81, Sennheiser HD-25 series and Ultrasone HFI-780 are good, isolating choices.

Cheers!

 

[Punnisher]

For me, Grado bowls are entirely circumaural and comfies supraaural.

Just something to consider. I don't have extremely small ears, but they're not gargantuan either.

 

[Exediron]

I'd say you probably want circumaural, for the requirments you stated. The sound quality isn't really different, you just have to choose models with good sound quality. Rather it's open or closed has more effect on isolation and quality.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pantocrator /img/forum/go_quote.gif supraaural vs circumaural Which do you think is better?

I prefer circumaural, since they put no pressure on the ear itself.

 

[asuka10456]

i wouldn't even consider bose... i have the hd595's and the sr325i's and i haven't touched the 595's since i got the sr325's. Alot of people are saying grado's hurt their ears, that has never happened to me and i have some big ears(lol)

 

[Chri5peed]

SQ of Circums is not inherently better than Supras, just that most Grado's are SA.
You'll find the majority of top headphones are open circum-aural.

 

[Pantocrator]

Yeah, there doesnt seem to be much of a consensus...
So- the difference in sound quality really doesn't matter between the two styles, and comfort is really just a matter of opinion.
I don't need "noise reduction," but it would be nice if not everyone could hear my music as if it were coming from normal speakers, and I would like to be able to enjoy the music in a dorm room, so what are the recommendations for this set up?
Again, to reiterate the choices
Grado 225
grado 325i
Senn hd595
AKG whatever.
Rank them if you can... maybe a reason why would be nice too.

 

[pomme de terre]

Being supraaural or circumaural doesnt really have anything to do with blocking out noise.

Being closed or open back does have to do with blocking out noise.

So maybe if youre looking to use them in transit, you should look for some closed headphones. OR, get a pair of open for dorm use, closed for outside use.

 

[Chri5peed]

Actually I'd stick my neck out and say 'Circum' is superior to 'Supra'.

From the fact Circum-aural cans can fit in larger drivers.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually I'd stick my neck out and say 'Circum' is superior to 'Supra'. From the fact Circum-aural cans can fit in larger drivers.

You're saying you think larger drivers == better / superior?

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're saying you think larger drivers == better / superior?

In general yes.

Its a simple engineering principle.


Obviously assuming well driven, but take a standard 650 driver and compare it to a 40ft one. The huge one is going to have a hell of a lot more ability to move/reproduce sound.

Why you don't get a lot of high-end IEMs.

 

[Exediron]

Wouldn't a 40ft driver be too large to accurately reproduce pretty much anything? It'll move more air, sure. But will it actually sound good?

 

[Fitz]

More ability to make sound (volume) does not have any direct correlation to how good it sounds. A couple of the worst drivers I've heard are ~50mm, whereas many of my favorite ones are ~32mm.

 

[Chri5peed]

Eer, the 40ft was an example. It could have been a 5ft 650 driver.

I purposefully did not mention volume, as thats not the point.


Anyway, it is an engineering principle, more often than not a bigger item will do a better job over an identical, but smaller one.

Also smaller headphone drivers have to vibrate a lot more, so have shorter life-spans.


edit - Anyway, its your opinion how you prefer smaller drivers. Do you prefer smaller ones because they're smaller or because they sound different?