[Bovice]

Good morning, I have been reading through may threads here and doing many google searches and I still haven't been able to come up w/ a conclusion as to which headphones would be best for me.

At first, I was looking at a pair of bose tri on ear headphones on Ebay. Gladly, I lost that bidding, as I hadn't done any research yet on headphones to find out about lolbose.

Since then, I've been looking at several pair of audio technica and couldn't really find the comparisons I wanted or if there was something better that could fit my budget.

I'm mainly looking for the best bang for my buck in the $100-150 range. I haven't seen many if any comparisons from noise canceling vs non noise canceling (not many planes, but do ride a bike w/ frequent wind ect, and yes I know the dangers before anyone warns me).

I wanted to know how these compared with each other
audio technica ath-ad700 (About 90ish on ebay)
audio technica ath-a700 (havne't looked at pricing)
Audio technica ATH-ANC7 (Noise canceling) (about 100 as well)
Audio technica m50s (I found a new pair in box on ebay for about 100)

Or if there would be anything else in which would work better for me.

I have 2 main uses for my need for headphones

I am constantly on my laptop and my uncle's wife is always complaining about how I have to turn it down (so I've been using cheap headphones for years). I do some gaming, but I listen to music and watch youtube far more often.

My other use is that I have an 8-mile bike ride to school and 8 miles from school, 4 days a week, in which would royally suck w/o music.

I really want to get rid of these 10 dollar pieces of crap I bought from Sony, that I find myself having to replace once every 3-6 months (I've gone through 2-4 pair of the same headphone every year for the past 6 years now, but I usually get a new pair, swap in the old, return then for a refund so I'm not out too much money), but I'm sure I'll notice a difference w/ anything coming from those.

Even though I'll be riding, earbuds have never worked for me, I can never ge tthem to stay in, so I'm not interested in any of those.

Which of my list would be best for my purposes, or if you could think of anything else in my price range that may be best for me? Thanks for much in advance for the help.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

You might find the AD700 and A700 a bit unwieldy for use as portable headphones (the cables are ******* long and they're meant to be comfortable, not clamp to your head while you move about

 

[bcpk]

The only ones on that list suitable for biking are the M50, and even that's pushing it. The AD700 and A700s are huge. and the ANC7 ... well, active noise cancelling, let's not go there. Audio Technica also do a smaller model called the ES7 which might interest you.

 

[Mochan]

Don't fall into the "LOLBOSE" trap to easily. Hearing is everything. Don't believe everything you read and reserve the right to make an informed decision about the cans you listen to.

I am a happy owner of the Bose OEs and nobody can tell me they suck. Sure they aren't the best pair of cans I've heard but in my opinion they do not deserve the hate they are getting. They have their uses -- especially if you like big fat bass.

Anyway among those 4 cans I only have the M50s. Which I just absolutely ADORE. They are a rather dark-sounding pair of cans which have excellent, tight bass and very clear mids and highs. They sound absolutely fantastic.

I have also listened to a friend's A700 and the M50s are definitely more bass-heavy whereas the A700 is more neutral with a wider-sounding sound. At this point my bass-lover tendencies take over and tell me the M50 is the better phone.

The M50 is also a closed design so you won't be bother your uncle's wife or anyone when using them. They are also more portable than the A700s, and easier to drive, but I can't really say they are portable because they are HUGE and the cable is long and fat. While you can use them on a bike, they're not the set I would recommend.

There are a lot of other portable headphones that would suit your particular needs better, methinks. The Bose OEs for one, which are far more portable -- but only get these if you like nice big fat bass. You can also try out the NuForce UF30 which are my street cans. They have some siblings you can also check out (see this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/u...amused-447303/)

A plus of the UF30 is that you can still hear things around you (unlike with the M50s) and I am sure that will prove safer for you on your bike ride than being completely cut off and isolated from the world sonically.

You should keep that in mind -- you might not want to get closed and isolating cans because these can be dangerous on an 8-mile bike ride. Cans like the AKG K81 DJ, ATH SJ3 and the Bose OE can block out sound and you might end up a statistic if you're not careful.

 

[Bovice]

How big are we talking when we talk big? The largest I've done on bike, which was tolerable, was bose over ear that i borrowed for about a week from my friend. I didn't have many problems there.

Also when it comes to sound, how are some of the ones you guys have been suggesting compare w/ the ones in the OP?

While I am riding my bike, I do go rather quickly (Those 16 miles cover about an hour to an hour 10 mins of my day). Outside of that hour, I usually have headphones on at least another 6-8 hours per day, so would really like to focus on those for now, and if necessary, come back for another pair of headphones specifically for riding at another time.

 

[bcpk]

^M50s

I would suggest PortaPros for bike riding and then another pair for at home.

 

[Bovice]

bcpk, just to confirm, how would those compare w/ the noise canceling ones? most say the noise canceling is not worth the extra money, but when they're the same price, how do they compare? Like in sound, which is my main concern. Also, I'll be taking a look at all the other recommendations when it comes to biking.

But honestly, anything is an improvement from these

 

[Mochan]

Bose OEs look like dwarves compared to the M50s... and the A700 is even bigger.

Here you can see the size difference:

The big one in the back is the M50. You can see it compared to the Bose OEs there -- should be telling that, even folded up and in the back of the picture they are already bigger than the Bose.

As for SQ -- I have auditioned the ES7 at a Power Mac Center store here and they sound very clean and neutral. But I would need extended listening sessions with them before recommending them. I was actually thinking of picking these up -- they look really saucy -- but I got something else instead.

The UF30 sounds like an altered version of the Bose OE to me. Has similar fat bass sound but more controlled and with much better mids and highs. They don't even begin to hold a candle to the M50s, though. They have a deeper, warmer sound than the A700s, though.

The ATH SJ3 is a can I only auditioned briefly as well. It has a rather warm sound and is generally ok but not great. I didn't buy it because it did not impress me. They're pretty cheap though and I haven't been impressed by cans in their price range for a while now.

The AKG K81 is in a similar price range as the SJ3 but sounds better IMO. This was a solid bang-for-your-buck contender back in the day, its main achilles heel being how uncomfortable it was. It has solid, thundering but tight bass and adequate mids and highs. Mids are a little recessed but nothing that would be a problem. These are discontinued now to my knowledge and replaced by the AKG K518 DJ which from what I understand is the same thing with a different color scheme.

 

[Mochan]

You know, you haven't told us what kind of sound you are looking for. Are you a bass head, do you like neutral balanced sound? What kind of music do you listen to?

Also do you prefer closed or open cans, and do you want big cans, portable cans or IEMs?

I'm assuming you really want big closed cans but we're really just guessing here.

 

[Bovice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mochan /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know, you haven't told us what kind of sound you are looking for. Are you a bass head, do you like neutral balanced sound? What kind of music do you listen to? Also do you prefer closed or open cans, and do you want big cans, portable cans or IEMs? I'm assuming you really want big closed cans but we're really just guessing here.

I listen to a bit of everything, so I guess I'm looking for the overall best sound. I listen to some light rock, but nothing heavy metal. I listen to jazz, a bit of hip hop. I even listen to J-pop as well as video game music. I can't really say I'm trying to gear up for one specific type of music, but even if one is a bit lower in one area than another, looking for the one that if you could only have 1 pair, you'd take to fit a diverse style.

As for open or closed, no preference really, just want what sounds best. I also play a lot of games, but 80% of the time I listen to my music while playing instead of the game audio, but sometimes I'll put the game audio on. I'm on youtube a lot, watching videos, and watching movies as well.

So yea, just looking for an all-around type, I suppose.

Edit: to be more specific, would prefer something that would bring out feint sounds I haven't heard before or can barely hear w/ my current headphones.

 

[pseudohippy]

Btw you can get the M50 for $90 from Proaudiomart on ebay. Just make an offer and they will likely accept it. At least they did for me just yesterday. I just mention this since you said in the original post that you could get them for $100. Just thought id try to save ya ten bucks. Wish I could tell ya how they sound but they are on the way still.

 

[Bovice]

Thanks a bunch for the tip, that's the same store iwas looking at. If I decide to go w/ those, 90 will be my offer.

 

[bcpk]

Any of the AD700, A700, M50 you will likely be very happy with. Just be mindful that the AD700 and A700 are very large (but extremely comfortable) and do not fold like the M50. The AD700s also leak sound and do not isolate due to their open-back nature, but this gives them greater soundstage than the other two.

 

[Bovice]

Everyone here seems to like the m50s. I'll give it another hour or so, and then make the order unless anyone else has something to add that may sway me the other way. Can possibly get it confirmed today/shipped tomorrow if I order before 2pm

 

[Il Mostro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpk /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only ones on that list suitable for biking are the M50, and even that's pushing it. The AD700 and A700s are huge. and the ANC7 ... well, active noise cancelling, let's not go there. Audio Technica also do a smaller model called the ES7 which might interest you.

The ES7 is a very good suggestion IMO -- more than decent sound quality and much more suitable to portable use. The M50's are somewhat portable, good for an airline flight if you do not mind the geeky look, but certainly not the type of phones I'd use on a bike unless a "handicapped" plaque is included. If you can stretch your budget a bit, the supremely stylish and truly excellent sounding ESW9's are within reach on the used market.