What are the best 'over ear' headphones for portable audio use

[raid517]

Hi, if money was no object, what are the best 'over ear' headphones for portable audio use? I like the sound of in ear earphones such as the ER4P's, but sometimes I find the whole hassle of changing the Eartips and so on impractical and annoying. Also in ear eraphones can sometimes be uncomfortable - even if the level of sound isolation is often truly excellent.

So I was curious if there was anything that looked cool, was reasonably fashionable, could be worn over the ear (as opposed to in ear) like the majority of other kinds of headphones, but which was very practical for mobile useage and which also provided a genuinely superior quality sound experience?

Does anything like this even exist?

GJ

 

[Russell]

You might want to try the Sennheiser PX100. They probably won't make the greatest fashion statement, but they are very portable (they fold up very compactly, and Senn provides a nice hard case for them). Most importantly, they sound terrific. I just got a pair myself (for my iPod), after reading very favorable comments about them here and elsewhere (particularly on Audio Asylum (a high-end audiophile site) and Amazon.com). As somewhat of an audiophile myself, I was pleasantly surprised at how truly musical these little cans sounded--warm and full on the bottom, smooth and extended on top. (I listen mainly to large-scale classical music, BTW.) Best of all is the price--$50 retail.

Russell

 

[sgrossklass]

It all depends on what kind of size and isolation one is shooting for. Portable cans are always a compromise between these two and sound quality. If both modest size and good isolation are required, there probably isn't much better than a HD25 (possibly with its cable replaced by an OFC variant). If you can compromise on either of these requirements, the number of choices grows.

 

[raid517]

These both seem like fairly low end choices to me - isn't there anything better?

Again like I said, money is no object.

GJ

 

[lmilhan]

Before I submit an answer, let me get the following obligatory comment out of the way:

"These are my own opinions - whenever possible you should use your own ears, gear and music and decide for yourself which headphones are best for you".


The short answer: no

The long answer: The part of your criteria where you want them to look cool, and be reasonably fashionable - you can throw that right out the window. All headphones (with the exception of IEMs) make men look dorky. Never in my life have I seen a man wearing headphones and thought he looked cool or fashionable.

So, if you cut that part out of your criteria, we can get down to business.

With that said, the best you are probably going to do for portable use (if price were no object, and you didn't want to look like a dork) would be a pair of UE10s, or a similar model from one of their competitors. They cost about $1000. Unfortuanately, they are IEMs, however they really needed to be mentioned. Now that I have that out of the way, let's move on.

We need a few more questions answered.

1) Exactly how 'practical' for portable use do they have to be? For example: Must they be foldable? Does size matter?

2) Does it matter if they are closed or open? For portable use, I would highly reccomend some sort of closed noise cancelling headphones (active or passive).

3) In Your post you use the term 'over ear'. Do you mean circum-aural, supra-aural, or both?

4) Will they be used with a portable amp? If so, what amp. will you be using?

5) What type of music do you prefer?

6) What type of sound presentation do you prefer in a pair of headphones? Example: Bright, Detailed, Large Soundstage, Laid-Back, Basshead, Veiled, etc...

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgrossklass It all depends on what kind of size and isolation one is shooting for. Portable cans are always a compromise between these two and sound quality. If both modest size and good isolation are required, there probably isn't much better than a HD25 (possibly with its cable replaced by an OFC variant). If you can compromise on either of these requirements, the number of choices grows.

HD25 are the only other one I can think of as well.

 

[raid517]

That is a lot of questions.

Really I never thought that deeply about it. I just want the best firkin sound of all at any cost. I have seen some designs of earphones that are circumaural that looked cool - but they were all at the cheap and nasty end of the scale.

Superaural headphones are much harder to make look cool - although they do offer a better sound experience. I've seen only a few that didn't make the wearer look dorky - although again they were all at the fairly low end of what is available more generally.

Quote:

1) Exactly how 'practical' for portable use do they have to be? For example: Must they be foldable? Does size matter?

The objective (and the question) relates directly to headphones for portable use. I really just want something I can 'grab and go' with, and which are also durable, storeable, require low maintenance, will last a long time, and which offer a genuinely superior audiophile quality sound experience. I like the UE10's - but I worry that it might not be a sensible investment - if as i suspect my ears age over the next 3 to 5 years and they no longer fit me, nor would they have any resale value due to their custom fit.

In any case it seems to me that if something like this doesn't exist, that it very probably should.

Quote:

2) Does it matter if they are closed or open? For portable use, I would highly recommend some sort of closed noise cancelling headphones (active or passive).

I think also for portable use, closed phones are the only way to go. It is hard enough to get good isolation with these kinds of phones without them being open too.

Quote:

4) Will they be used with a portable amp? If so, what amp. will you be using?

Probably yes - but I haven't decided which one yet. I have had some good pointers on the forum though.

Quote:

5) What type of music do you prefer?

I listen to all kinds of music without restriction (except perhaps for the top 40 pop charts). I have no real preference - from Reggie to rock, from opera to punk, from Beethoven to techno dance, I love it all.

Quote:

6) What type of sound presentation do you prefer in a pair of headphones? Example: Bright, Detailed, Large Soundstage, Laid-Back, Basshead, Veiled, etc...

The only response I have to this is that I wish my music to sound exactly the way the studio sound engineers intended it to be heard. I want nothing added, nothing lost, nothing changed, nothing improved, nothing depleted, no tricks, gimmicks, colouring, dampening adding of bass, or removing any that wasn't there originally, no EQ or anything else of that nature. All I want is an exact reproduction of what the artists and the recording engineers were hearing in their heads when they laid the track down on CD in the studio.

For that reason I am not so keen on live music, as much of the quality of the recording is lost in a live environment.

As for Soundstage - given I'm not entirely sure what this is, I tend to like the feeling of sitting only a few meters away from the artists - or preferably even to be right inside their skins. That is to say that when an artist sings, I like the feeling of being able to hear his voice in exactly the same way he hears his voice inside his own head when he opens his mouth to sing into the microphone, where the sound image is placed squarely at the top and the front and centre of his (and my own) brain. Also when I hear a guitar solo, or something of this nature, I like the feeling that it could be me who is actually playing the guitar, that the guitarist is actually inhabiting my head - and that the only real thing missing is being able to physically hold the guitar in my hands myself.

Those are tough requirements I guess - but that is what I am striving for in my quest for the ultimate sound.

GJ

 

[chrisfromalbany]

you still thinking about the UE10s?

 

[erikzen]

If you don't want to go with IEMs, you want something fairly portable, durable, and closed, the only thing that seems to make sense to me is the HD 25-1. However, the sound quality will not be equal to that of a similarly priced headphone not meant for portable use. Actually, the HD 25 is not really a portable headphone, but it is built very ruggedly and is lightweight and fairly compact. From what I understand it was designed for the broadcast industry and meant to withstand a lot of use. People at Head-Fi have adopted this headphone for portable use primarily because of its closed nature and solid build quality.

In order to maximize the performance of the HD 25-1 you need to do a couple of tweaks. First, from what I understand the stock cable is made out of steel. Again, this is to add durability to a piece of equipment that may end up in the broadcast booth or at a remote shoot. However, the steel cable tends to give the headphone a constricted sound and adds some sibiliance. Luckily, the connectors for the cable are identical to that of the HD 580 - 650 line of headphones. So any cable from those headphones or any of the various replacement cables will fit. Bear in mind however that the housing of the HD 25 was not made to accomodate these replacement cables so in order to fit the cable you must remove the left earcup and invert it. In the original design, the cable was made to fit through the headband, but this is not possible with the replacement cable.

Unfortunately, there is still one more obstacle to overcome. While the connectors are identical on the cables, they do not sit tightly inside the HD 25. In order to keep the cables inside the driver housing, use a very small piece of Blu-Tak or other reusable adhesive putty. Stick it between the pins and insert as normal. This should keep the cable in place.

While all of this may sound a bit complicated, it is actually much easier to do than to explain. There is one other solution to the cable issue in that there is a model called the HD 25-13, which is exactly the same as the HD 25-1 but it has an OFC cable. This model however only seems to be available in Europe. I think it is possible to order the replacement cable from some vendors overseas.

One other tweak is to replace the original pleather pads with velour ones. This adds siginicantly to the comfort of the headphones and makes them less hot on your ears.

Personally, I have the HD 25-1 and have replaced the cable with what I believe is a "Blacksilver" cable from Headphile. I bought it used and don't remember exactly what cable it is. I can say that it does represent an improvement in sound quality. Unfortunately, I don't have much use for portable headphones much anymore, but it definitely does the job. It might not be the most cost effective solution and when all is said and done you can get better sound quality for the money, but I don't think you can get the same combination of sound, durability, and portabilty in a full size headphone.

 

[Jahn]

"Over ear" can mean either Supraaural, like Grados, or Circumaural, like the HD600.

For Supraaural on the go, I like the KSC-35 for earclips, and I'm hoping the new Grado coming out in March will be nice for Streetstyles. For a conventional headband supraaural, the Grados might be a bit chunky, so a Portapro or a PX100 isn't a bad suggestion.

For circumaural, I guess the HD201 isn't bad, but it's not my preference. Bose Triports don't actually sound THAT bad, but for the money you can get better. Honestly, not too many circumaurals are out there that are really portable. HD25-1 maybe, but they don't sound the best to me either.

 

[erikzen]

I guess it depends on whether you want open or closed. If you're going to sit in a quiet park then definitely go with something like the KSC-75 (or KSC-35 if you can get them). Despite the fact that they are inexpensive, they sound way better than what they cost. However, if you need any kind of isolation, like if you're in the city, on the bus, or the subway, open headphones just won't work, at least to my ears.

 

[AsuAmo76]

hd25-1
sony 7506/05 Dark and very evolving (06 for better sound; 05 for portability)
px-100 and portapros are not in this league

 

[jbloudg20]

AKG K271s sound good, and provide decent isolation. You need a strong amp, however to make then sound their best.

 

[grawk]

You said money is no object, so I'd say the PS3000s...take PS1 drivers, put them in woodied CD3000 shells, terminate in a 1/8" mini neutrik connector. Driven easily by an ipod shuffle, sounds great, looks cool, taboot.

 

[bangraman]

I think there are better sounding phones than the HD25 if practical portability, isolation and 'throwability' are not your #1 concerns.


The K271 are too variable to use with portables. The judgement of quality will probably differ between phones like the HD25-1, HFI-650 (and the current Ultrasone range which I have not tried), DT660, DT250-80 and others. These are however all roughly in the same league and the choice will depend on which compromise you feel is best.


The K181 is something I'm interested in right now, but unfortunately I haven't got a pair yet.


As far as a 'money no object' cool-looking circumaural is concerned, I'll be happy to sell you my Qualia when I've found a portable replacement that's still in production