Winter ear warmer - Bored of Bose.

[bangraman]

I am looking for a new pair of ear warmers for winter.


They need to be circumaural so that they keep out nasty chilly winds, be comfortable for multi-hour portable wearing, be reasonably practical for portable use and also be acoustically isolating for travel use.


To date, few have come close to the much-maligned Triport AE's in terms of decent isolation, superb comfort, fairly acceptable (if rather closed honk laden) sound quality, and light weight. However you know how it is... I've had these too long, need a change. So I come to your hive mind in search for an alternative.


They also need to be 'socially acceptable'. i.e. not ridiculous looking on the head like the Shure SRH840, HD280, etc, especially with the larger head.


The thing I would like to improve on obviously is the sound quality, and a hike in isolation also wouldn't hurt... but not at the cost of comfort. Maximum price: Let's try and keep it under £300.


Phones I have / have had which you might bring up, more might be added to the list as I remember them:
DT250-80 ~ that darned plug keeps jabbing me in the shoulder. I also don't like the midrange where it jabs you in the eardrum when you're least expecting it.
DT231 ~ supraaural for me, non-isolating.
ES7 ~ non isolating, supraaural.
ESW9 ~ Seriously guys? This is Head-Fi grade for the price given that they provide almost no isolation? What is an MDR-V700DJ then, HD650 territory?
ESW10JPN ~ See above, but even more
Triport OE ~ supraaural, and a true Bose travesty
HD25-1 ~ not circumaural and ow ow ow ow ow after a while
HD280 and practically anything with the same headband assembly ~ Dork central
MDR-7506 ~ not circumaural for me.
MDR-7509 ~ Brings back memories of Sovkiller, his Armor All and the cheap-date smell. The horror! The horror!
Eggos of any description ~ not isolating.
Those fluffy ear muffs and my IEMs ~ No chance.

 

[1Time]

FWIR, I suggest considering the SRH840.

 

[sampson_smith]

x 2 on the Shure SRH-840 recommendation! A great pair of 'phones... and affordable!

 

[bangraman]

If I get three aye's I'm going for it.

 

[wantmyf1]

for my .02, German Maestro GMP 8.35D's. They sound great and though I usually list this as a negative; they make my ear area sweat more than when I was in the Dominican Republic! They are kinda ugly though.

 

[sampson_smith]

Well, if it helps, I've been fortunate enough these days to be listening to a pair of Grado HF-2's. Despite the fact that they are fantastic (but much more expensive than the SRH-840's) I still find myself turning to the Shure's about half the time. Really spacious for closed 'phones and great detail that is not fatiguing at all. And easy to drive! A cheap CMOY amp (or something comparable) will be helpful later on, however.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wantmyf1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for my .02, German Maestro GMP 8.35D's. They sound great and though I usually list this as a negative; they make my ear area sweat more than when I was in the Dominican Republic! They are kinda ugly though.

Kinda?

I think it's safe to say it's off the list...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if it helps, I've been fortunate enough these days to be listening to a pair of Grado HF-2's. Despite the fact that they are fantastic (but much more expensive than the SRH-840's) I still find myself turning to the Shure's about half the time. Really spacious for closed 'phones and great detail that is not fatiguing at all. And easy to drive!

OK, well I guess we have three aye's. In stock, too.

Quote:

A cheap CMOY amp (or something comparable) will be helpful later on, however.

9,617 posts, mate...


I guess I'm done for now... Thanks. That was short and sweet!

 

[azncookiecutter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if it helps, I've been fortunate enough these days to be listening to a pair of Grado HF-2's. Despite the fact that they are fantastic (but much more expensive than the SRH-840's) I still find myself turning to the Shure's about half the time. Really spacious for closed 'phones and great detail that is not fatiguing at all. And easy to drive! A cheap CMOY amp (or something comparable) will be helpful later on, however.

Interesting, I usually have HF-2s glued on my head, and my Shures sitting in for gaming purposes. Borrowed my friend's D5000s too, and I've had maybe 10 minutes of headtime on them for the last 2 weeks.

But yeah, I'd say give the SRH840s a try, the coiled cable helps in cold weather too, no cable stiffening.

 

[sampson_smith]

That's not to say that the Shures are better than the HF-2's, of course (and it's not a fair comparison, really), but they perform well enough not to be a let-down or have me wanting for more when I'm not using the Grados. I guess it also helps that they are the ones that I take to work and thus have long listening sessions there with, but I firmly believe that they are fantastic and have a very nice sound profile. So crisp and airy, but with a decent amount of bass kick that buoys their reasonable PRaT.

 

[wantmyf1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Kinda? I think it's safe to say it's off the list...

Well IMO they are very ugly. But I said "kinda" only because I have found one person who liked the look! Makes me wonder how stable he/she is.

 

[john53]

Shure srh 840 are nice sounding headphones,and not very expensive.

They are a bit big if you want to use them outside(the headband looks a bit ugly when you have them on your head),but they are easy to drive from a portable player,and the sound is good,natural and balanced.The sound is also a bit spacious for a closed phone,and the treble isn´t harsh.

I'm gonna get a pair one of these days,for portable use.

 

[bangraman]

I knew it was too simple to be true for Head-Fi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john53 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shure srh 840 are nice sounding headphones,and not very expensive. They are a bit big if you want to use them outside(the headband looks a bit ugly when you have them on your head),but they are easy to drive from a portable player,and the sound is good,natural and balanced.The sound is also a bit spacious for a closed phone,and the treble isn´t harsh. I'm gonna get a pair one of these days,for portable use.

A bit? A bit? You don't say?


Jeez. You guys could have told me these look even sillier than the HD280's on your head, if that's possible. Mind you, that's pretty much part of the peril of asking here I guess *facepalm* Also, spot the medium-term design fault. Best packaging of this class of phone though.


Anyway... Next! Inviting other suggestions, which I will now vet in wholly more detail before whipping out my card.

 

[MrGreen]

Why not just jam a KSC75 in one of those hats with ear flaps?

The SRH is a good suggestion, but its a bit warm (sonically) for my tastes.
When it gets chilly here I use an ER4P with a beanie (i cut some holes in the beanie so i can actually have it all the way over my ears)

 

[attika89]

What about the Audio Technica ATH M50 or the Denon D1001?
But the Denons are between supra- and circumaural. I mean someone can use them as circumaural cans, but they are actually supreaural as I know, but they are very comfy...
I'm thinking of buying one of them but dont know wich one should I pick (ATH M50, D1001, SHR840) ....

 

[john53]

The truth is that srh840 looks ridiculous on the head.I've noticed that before i buy it at a reflection on a glass,at the shop when i demoed it,but i only realised how ugly it is when i looked in the mirror,unfortunatelly after i bought it.

The sound quality outperforms all the other closed headphones i've tried,including sony mdr 7509hd,sennheiser hd25 1-ii,akg k240 mkii,k271mkii,german maestro 8.35.(thats my personal taste,someone else may have a different opinion)

The srh 840 don't have this weird sound/colouration some closed headphones have,they sound balanced,natural and spacious for a closed design,with a slightly warm and smooth sound signature.