[elvergun]

Ok…back to square one.

I bought the A500s…they sound great (I thought the sound quality of my iPod was crap until I heard it with these phones…what a difference…no more distortion at high volumes), but the cans are just too heavy. I need something lighter and less awkward. Among other uses, I intended to use them out in the yard while I play around with my dog. The A500s are definitely not engineered for the audiophile on the go.

Can you guys suggest a set of replacement cans? Closed or open…preferably circumaural. They need to be able to be powered by the iPod (unamped) and they need to be light (so I can chase my dog around the yard without them falling off my head).

Also, I need to sell the A500. I used them for a couple of hours max (did not burn them in)…what would be a fair asking price?

 

[bangraman]

The big question is: How much are you willing to spend now?


I have absolutely no idea why stupid people persist in recommending the ATH-A series phones for people who have DEFINITE portable requirements (such as iPod owners). Sound has to be considered along with practicality (and that goes for you Grado recommenders too).


I can recommend alternatives which will be usable to you, but you'll have to give a price.

 

[commando]

I guess the people who recommend the AX00 for portable use are the people who have never owned them - which is quite common around here.

To people who need portability and good sound quality I recommend in-ear phones. Ety ER6 (or the upcoming 6i, or ER4 if you can afford them. Circumaural cans will never be overly portable, but if you insist we can probably suggest ones that'll be better than the A500. The Senn 280 comes to mind, as it has a single headband and clamps pretty tightly - so it shouldn't fall off.

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I have absolutely no idea why stupid people persist in recommending the ATH-A series phones for people who have DEFINITE portable requirements (such as iPod owners). Sound has to be considered along with practicality (and that goes for you Grado recommenders too).

Nah…don’t be too harsh on them. I knew what I was getting into…that is why I bought the A500s instead of the A900s. I had a feeling they where going to be too big. The problem is that they are not only big, they are heavy and they don’t stay clamped to your head too well. If I did not have the “dog” requirement, I would probably keep them (happily so).

They are good cans indeed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I can recommend alternatives which will be usable to you, but you'll have to give a price.

Well, that depends on how much I can sell the A500s. I’m about to buy a Muvo2 (4gb), so that’s another $200.

Do you think the A500s will sell for $100????

 

[commando]

Erm - so what's the max you want to spend? And would you consider in-ears for portables? You could even get some cheapies like Sony EX71s or Sharp MD33s for portable use, and keep the A500s for home use.

If I had the choice of brand new cans for $110 or 2nd hand ones for $100, i'd take the $110 ones every time. I can't speak for others though.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Unfortunately, such smallish, comfortable cans don't exist. Most of the smaller cans that we've been recommending tend to be supraural rather than circumaural. Thus, you'll either have to settle for terrible discomfort, or a huge size, or crap-tacular sound quality. (And I've already known that you've rejected everything that goes inside your ears.)

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando I guess the people who recommend the AX00 for portable use are the people who have never owned them - which is quite common around here. To people who need portability and good sound quality I recommend in-ear phones. Ety ER6 (or the upcoming 6i, or ER4 if you can afford them. Circumaural cans will never be overly portable, but if you insist we can probably suggest ones that'll be better than the A500. The Senn 280 comes to mind, as it has a single headband and clamps pretty tightly - so it shouldn't fall off.

Can't stand an in-ear phone for long periods of time.

Today I tried a set of Sony V700s. I could not tell how well they sounded because the display apparatus thingy sucked…the volume was too low.

As far as fit and weight, these phones where perfect. Not too heavy…just tight enough so one can move around without them falling off (but not tight as a vice, as I hear the Senn 280s can be).

The price was not bad either. They sold for $150.

Edit: Another set that have a nice fit are the Bose Triport Headphones…but I rather hear AM radio for the rest of my life rather than giving Bose a single penny.

 

[commando]

The Sony Vx00 series have a bad reputation for good reason. I have the V700s, and there are three major problems with them:
- The bass is way too heavy, and bloated.
- The treble is very veiled, and doesn't have highs to speak of at all.
- They have a design flaw which means most break within 2 years (less if you're a DJ or are hard on them - like running around playing with a dog). The rotating part breaks.

 

[Factor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvergun Also, I need to sell the A500.

Check your PM's.

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The big question is: How much are you willing to spend now? I can recommend alternatives which will be usable to you, but you'll have to give a price.

Ok...let's say I'm willing to spend $150.

Edit: $150 is what I almost spent today on the V700s (almost an impulse buy)...but since I could not hear them, I decided to check with you guys first.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando The Sony Vx00 series have a bad reputation for good reason. I have the V700s, and there are three major problems with them: - The bass is way too heavy, and bloated. - The treble is very veiled, and doesn't have highs to speak of at all. - They have a design flaw which means most break within 2 years (less if you're a DJ or are hard on them - like running around playing with a dog). The rotating part breaks.

On your first point, make that "the bass is way too sloppy, flabby, muddy, one-noted and bloated - and that 'bass' is concentrated in the 'midrange-bass' (upper bass) region, with the bottom-end bass response buried underneath all the layers of overblown crappy midrange-bass."

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver On your first point, make that "the bass is way too sloppy, flabby, muddy, one-noted and bloated - and that 'bass' is concentrated in the 'midrange-bass' (upper bass) region, with the bottom-end bass response buried underneath all the layers of overblown crappy midrange-bass."

So, what you are trying to say is that you don’t recommend them?

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvergun So, what you are trying to say is that you don’t recommend them?

There are other flaws on the V700's: They're too heavy and unbalanced for such smallish cans, and the thinly padded driver plane actually sits ON your ears. That causes significant long-term discomfort. And newer samples of the V700's are no longer made in Japan; they're now made in the Philippines like a lot of Sony's lower-mid-level headphones.

 

[bangraman]

For your budget, I would suggest the MDR-V6 (or 7506 if you can't get hold of the V6). They fold into quite a small package bearing in mind that they're full sized phones. They're semi circumaural, which means they kind of sit on your ear. You won't get the comfort of the A500, but you'll get comparable isolation. They're built to last and you can throw them around within reason with impunity.


I have a pair of the V700's yet again and the problem for me is fit. For portable cans, they're too heavy. They are efficient, sound nowhere near as bad as people on this board claim (especially with some tweaks which I'm hoping I can persuade a fellow head-fi member to undertake) and they're cool looking. Just too damned heavy if you ask me, as well as being too large to be truly portable (and these are quite a bit smaller than the HD280 when folded).


commando, I've been informed that Sony have taken steps to correct the design flaw some time ago, and I believe in the same spirit as you referred to A-series portable recommenders, that comments to the V700's lack of durability are largely unfounded. What's sure is that by testing them this way (warning: 3MB+ movie and will only be up for a limited time) for 10 minutes, I have not been able to break them.

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman For your budget, I would suggest the MDR-V6 (or 7506 if you can't get hold of the V6).

I don’t know man…in the same apparatus thingy where I heard the V700s they had a pair of V6s. At a limited volume, I preferred the sound of the V700s (perhaps there was something wrong with the V6s or the output they where connected to).


Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I have a pair of the V700's yet again and the problem for me is fit. For portable cans, they're too heavy. They are efficient, sound nowhere near as bad as people on this board claim (especially with some tweaks which I'm hoping I can persuade a fellow head-fi member to undertake) and they're cool looking. Just too damned heavy if you ask me, as well as being too large to be truly portable (and these are quite a bit smaller than the HD280 when folded).

I agree about the sound…they did not sound that bad. They were not circumaural, but they felt comfty. They might not be too portable, but they would be fine for chasing a dog in the yard.