aliasfox
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2003
- Posts
- 32
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- 0
Hey, time to buy another set of headphones. I'm getting an iPod soon, and I already know I'm going to hate the stock buds... Therefore, I've been on a quest to find new headphones- yay for my ears, nay for the wallet.
These headphones have to be very portable, which means no mention of full size cans. My Senn HD-497 headphones sound great to my ears (unamped... that's the next step...), but their size and 10 ft cord makes them very cumbersome to walk around with. I had considered the Senn PX-100, but I'm thinking that a) the bass won't be what I like, and b) they'll leak too much in a library environment. Because of this, I've been looking at earbuds. Isolation from outside sound, and everyone's isolated from my music.
Next issue: I don't want to spend too much money on these headphones, $50-ish being my upper limit, which cuts out Etys of any sort, and Shures barely make it if someone's having a fire sale on them. For under $50 or so, I've found:
- Apple In-Ear
- Senn MX450, MX500, MX550
- Sharp MD33
- Shure E2c
- Sony EX71SL
Nobody here ever mentions the Apple In-Ear, so I'm not seriously considering those- they probably fit poorly and sound worse. Of the remaining entrants, I don't know which one I should take the plunge with. I've heard the Shure's have rolled off highs and are a pain for many people to put in their ears, so that's already two strikes against them. The Senns aren't canal phones, so they'll leak more and have weaker bass response, correct? I've found the Sony on eBay in white (jumps at the thought of matching headphones to iPod), but they seem to have fallen out of favor on these boards, and everyone's been recommending the Sharp's instead, which I haven't found yet.
Currently, I have Senn HD-497s which I drive out of my PowerBook, in addition to a set of Monsoon MM-1000 speakers from the same source. I like how they both sound, and with the exception of bass handling, they actually sound rather similar, with the Monsoons being somewhat brighter. If I get something new, I'd like bass to be a bit more pronounced than I get with an unamped HD-497, and I would like it to extend lower than the Monsoon's woofer can go- other than that, I'd like my new set to sound similar. As for types of music, I listen to everything- from classical to classic rock, from Shubert to Snoop Dog.
So... any suggestions for more models I should consider? Or is there not a headphone out that satisfies what I want? In brief:
- No more than $50
- Sounds like Senn HD-497 or Monsoon MM-1000
- Isolating
- Very portable
Thanks y'all!
These headphones have to be very portable, which means no mention of full size cans. My Senn HD-497 headphones sound great to my ears (unamped... that's the next step...), but their size and 10 ft cord makes them very cumbersome to walk around with. I had considered the Senn PX-100, but I'm thinking that a) the bass won't be what I like, and b) they'll leak too much in a library environment. Because of this, I've been looking at earbuds. Isolation from outside sound, and everyone's isolated from my music.
Next issue: I don't want to spend too much money on these headphones, $50-ish being my upper limit, which cuts out Etys of any sort, and Shures barely make it if someone's having a fire sale on them. For under $50 or so, I've found:
- Apple In-Ear
- Senn MX450, MX500, MX550
- Sharp MD33
- Shure E2c
- Sony EX71SL
Nobody here ever mentions the Apple In-Ear, so I'm not seriously considering those- they probably fit poorly and sound worse. Of the remaining entrants, I don't know which one I should take the plunge with. I've heard the Shure's have rolled off highs and are a pain for many people to put in their ears, so that's already two strikes against them. The Senns aren't canal phones, so they'll leak more and have weaker bass response, correct? I've found the Sony on eBay in white (jumps at the thought of matching headphones to iPod), but they seem to have fallen out of favor on these boards, and everyone's been recommending the Sharp's instead, which I haven't found yet.
Currently, I have Senn HD-497s which I drive out of my PowerBook, in addition to a set of Monsoon MM-1000 speakers from the same source. I like how they both sound, and with the exception of bass handling, they actually sound rather similar, with the Monsoons being somewhat brighter. If I get something new, I'd like bass to be a bit more pronounced than I get with an unamped HD-497, and I would like it to extend lower than the Monsoon's woofer can go- other than that, I'd like my new set to sound similar. As for types of music, I listen to everything- from classical to classic rock, from Shubert to Snoop Dog.
So... any suggestions for more models I should consider? Or is there not a headphone out that satisfies what I want? In brief:
- No more than $50
- Sounds like Senn HD-497 or Monsoon MM-1000
- Isolating
- Very portable
Thanks y'all!
