[cancausecancer]

Hello headphone gurus,

I had a pair of Triports (eargasms) and lost them then bought some Skully Candy (complete garbage, after 4 months the cheap plastic bands both broke and the muffs were all cracked. They were as comfortable as strapping tuna cans to my head) and now I need a new set.

I can't find Triports where I am now (in Bulgaria) but I see the brands
Sennheiser, AKG, Panasonic, Phillips, Sony and Thomson. I'd like to get something better than the Triports but I fear headphones which use single drivers won't have as much attention to each frequency range as the 3 x drivers setup does.

I on average listen to about 10 songs a month and otherwise use the headphones for 1-4 hours gaming per day (which amazes me - how low the quality of the Skull Candy's were to fall apart so easily) . I don't listen to hiphop or music with big bass. My Triports were great for both gaming and music, in the games there was 200%+ more happening than with my previous headphones and with music I could hear more instruments playing and everything was amazingly crisp and distinct.

I'm looking for something as comfortable, spacious and light as the triports (difficult to find?) and also something which has great sound so I can hear each water drop echo inside a cave, the flickering of a wall torch and crisp/distinct instruments and sounds in my music.

Does anyone have any suggestings for under $250 USD?

 

[kboe]

Senn HD280, AKG K 240 MK II, or better yet the Denon 1000s if you can find them. I Just hope you like them as much as you did your Bose.

Now let the Bose bashing begin!!!!!!
Kevin

 

[Foe-hammer]

Triport doesn't mean 3 drivers. It refers to the ports in each cup. They have only one driver in each cup.

And if you think the bose triports were godly sounding, then you won't have too hard of a time spending a 3rd of the price that you paid for the triports, and getting better sound with brand such as AKG, Sennheiser, JVC AudioTechnica or beyerdynamic. In other words... bose are not known for their music fidelity. A good choice is: AudioTechnica AD700's for $80 shipped.

 

[cancausecancer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foe-hammer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Triport doesn't mean 3 drivers. It refers to the ports in each cup. They have only one driver in each cup.

That is great news. I was fearing that moving down from 3 to 1 driver per ear would result in crappy warrgarrbl.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foe-hammer /img/forum/go_quote.gif And if you think the bose triports were godly sounding, then you won't have too hard of a time spending a 3rd of the price that you paid for the triports, and getting better sound with brand such as AKG, Sennheiser, JVC AudioTechnica or beyerdynamic. In other words... bose are not known for their music fidelity. A good choice is: AudioTechnica AD700's for $80 shipped.

JVC you say... I always perceived them as a low price therefor low quality brand.. I'll have to consider them. Bose Triports being trumped by a 66% cheaper set is of course possible, its also possible that a meteor shoots down and hits my truck but I can't jump on that wagon so fast. I can easily spend $50 and get headphones which have no comparison for quality, stage and comfort to the Triports.

To really know what is a good option I need comments and suggestions from people who have owned Triports. I've noticed that people who own Triports like them and people who don't own a pair have nothing nice to say about them which makes it hard to know what's biased opinion and what is not.

 

[cancausecancer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kboe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Senn HD280, AKG K 240 MK II, or better yet the Denon 1000s if you can find them. I Just hope you like them as much as you did your Bose. Kevin

Of the HD280, 240 MK II and Denon 1000, which has the most distinct sound / range quality for being able to pick out individual sounds?

As the price goes up, does the clarity of the sounds increase? I'm not sure exactly where the extra $100s go..

 

[Foe-hammer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cancausecancer /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is great news. I was fearing that moving down from 3 to 1 driver per ear would result in crappy warrgarrbl. JVC you say... I always perceived them as a low price therefor low quality brand.. I'll have to consider them. Bose Triports being trumped by a 66% cheaper set is of course possible, its also possible that a meteor shoots down and hits my truck but I can't jump on that wagon so fast. I can easily spend $50 and get headphones which have no comparison for quality, stage and comfort to the Triports.

Sigh.....

Both the JVC HRX700's and AudioTechnica AD700's are better then the Bose Triports in both sound and build quality. And both are just as comfortable. The HRX700's cost $70, and the AD700's cost $80... that is significantly less then the triports. And it has nothing to do with meteorites, or other "acts of god".

The triports are not bad, but just the same or better quality can be found for sig cheaper.

 

[theBigD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cancausecancer /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is great news. I was fearing that moving down from 3 to 1 driver per ear would result in crappy warrgarrbl. JVC you say... I always perceived them as a low price therefor low quality brand.. I'll have to consider them. Bose Triports being trumped by a 66% cheaper set is of course possible, its also possible that a meteor shoots down and hits my truck but I can't jump on that wagon so fast. I can easily spend $50 and get headphones which have no comparison for quality, stage and comfort to the Triports. To really know what is a good option I need comments and suggestions from people who have owned Triports. I've noticed that people who own Triports like them and people who don't own a pair have nothing nice to say about them which makes it hard to know what's biased opinion and what is not.

I owned Triports for about 3 weeks till I truely realized how hollow sounding they were. sounding like listening to music in a bathroom. returned them and bought some akg 701s. Nice open soundstage and highly detailed but not as fun. Now I have some denon d7000 and these are some really fun cans with better accuracy and midrange detail. I think if you liked the bose headphones a nice step up would be the denon d2000 with better bass and midrange, it would be closer to $300 though.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Also realise that higher price = higher performance is a very loose correlation in audio. Thing is Bose products aren't inheritly bad (debatable) but one thing is for sure: They are insanely overpriced versus the competition. Don't be fooled by the marketing people. Think about it: How can they afford to have the marketing budget they do?

 

[dcpoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also realise that higher price = higher performance is a very loose correlation in audio. Thing is Bose products aren't inheritly bad (debatable) but one thing is for sure: They are insanely overpriced versus the competition. Don't be fooled by the marketing people. Think about it: How can they afford to have the marketing budget they do?

the on ear model is pretty horrible sounding.
the around ear model is mediocre/ok.

 

[Donald North]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cancausecancer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of the HD280, 240 MK II and Denon 1000, which has the most distinct sound / range quality for being able to pick out individual sounds? As the price goes up, does the clarity of the sounds increase? I'm not sure exactly where the extra $100s go..

Higher resolution headphones do tend to cost more. I highly recommend you go listen to the various models at the stores. Do keep in mind the headphone amplifier will also affect the tonal balance and sound quality. Do you already own one? If so, you should bring it with you for headphone evaluation.

 

[Oggranak]

Audio-Technica ATH-AD700s will be better for gaming than Denon D1001s. The D1001s were okay for gaming but the AD700s, for the price, are just ridiculous.
Don't expect $80 shipped in Bulgaria, though. That's US pricing. If Sennheiser HD555s are significantly cheaper, FWIR they're good for gaming, though not as good at the AD700 (and from my personal experience, not as good for music, IMO).

 

[brn80]

It's not that the Bose Triports are completely horrid headphones, it's that they're overpriced for what they are. I gave them a listen at some big box store, and they are quite comfortable. For the same amount of money, you could get something that has much better music and/or build quality. Since you're in Europe, I'd imagine that the European brand headphones would have more favorable pricing available to you.

The DT770 is mentioned often for gaming, it has lots of bass, but definitely requires amping to realize its full potential. The Audio Technica line someone mentioned is good too. The A series is closed, the AD is open, so you can choose accordingly. The closed A series imo will suit you better for gaming -- I'd recommend the A700 or better yet, the A900 if you can get it at a good price.

Of the ones you've mentioned, AKG K601 or K701, Beyerdynamic DT770 or DT250 (driven easier), Sony MDR V6 (the only consumer Sony I'd ever recommend) - usually decently priced and easily driven, mostly neutral, but has good bass punch. Philips doesn't have too many reviews/info on Head-fi since they aren't marketed in North America, but they have some pretty good models in Europe -- I believe the SHP8xxx series has been favorably reviewed. I think in the higher end Sennheiser line I would check out the HD595 for your purposes.

 

[Evshrug]

Causescancer,
I have had the triports, a gift from my mother. While they were okay sounding (light and padded alright), they weren't the leap in quality and quality in headphones that I experienced since. I returned the Bose for... uh... I think college supplies? I didn't give them time to burn in, but the detail was just not there.

After that, I spent a couple hours comparing sounds at an airport, and found a very nice full-bodied sounding Philips noise-canceling can that was my deal for a while. I couldn't enjoy music like I do now, however, because they were a behind-the-head-band model that crushed my head and made my ears sore. They hurt, I couldn't lie down/back against anything with them on, and the noise-canceling circuit created a hiss, but they had musical bass (not to strong, but pleasing and made the music "warm") and were fun to listen to.

Okay, enough with the background. Sennheiser is a big enough brand that you will see them in more big stores (especially in Europe, I imagine). I have the small-ish on-ear-pad PX100 that is also a fun, "warm" headphone that is great for walking around, and is decently detailed. Models up the line have a very good reputation, and I think are a good value. For my main gaming and music listening cans, however, I'm loving my AD700. I hear every instrument, they're super comfortable to wear (though BIG- cover half the side of my head), and have sound that seems to come from different parts of the room outside (like speakers). This is great in games, because you hear where everything is happening, and really immerses you in the experience. I have a mini-review (first impressions) review of the AD700 for gaming here.

On a side note, I wish there were more adventure games like Myst... how fun and immersive would that be

 

[Oggranak]

Really? The A series for gaming? My understanding is that soundstage is generally better with open ones, and from my experience I'd have to say the AD700 is fantastic for gaming.

 

[Foe-hammer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oggranak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? The A series for gaming? My understanding is that soundstage is generally better with open ones, and from my experience I'd have to say the AD700 is fantastic for gaming.

Agreed the AD's are better in almost every way then the A series... especially for games.