[acs236]

I use my Etys (4s) on the commute to work everyday and love them. I'm thinking about investing in a pair of open phones to use primarily at work.

I'd like them to me ultra comfortable. I'm thinking about the Senn 580s, but will consider other phones in that approximate price range -- price is important.

I'll be using them with my Meta42.

 

[hokiefritz]

I think the 580s would work well for you and they're comfortable too.

I've tried closed phones at work and found that for my situation open works better and if I had a pair of 580s (amped), I would probably be happy with them.

The Senn 590 are very comfortable and if you have a chance to try them before buying they might be worth a shot.

Edit: I should have read more carefully - the Grado SR80 in no way can be considered ultra-comfortable. Still, I'll leave my opinion for others.

I use Grado SR80s and can hear the phone and when folks speak over my cube but still enjoy some music. I don't have to crank the volume because my office is fairly quiet, with a few employees excepted of course. The Grados are very quick to put on and off, are extremely light, and don't leave a big divot in my hair like most headbands. Nothing like going to high level meeting with a big horizontal flat spot on your head.

Beware, these are *bright* headphones and may not be to your liking. They are not the most comfortable headphones available either. You must try them before buying. However, so far these have been the best (read: most practical) at work and cost less than $100. I'm still on the lookout for something better though. TIP: If you have the Grado bowl pads, put them under a large dictionary or several books over the weekend. They don't fully spring back into shape and makes them sort of like the flat pads for an overall improvement to the sound. It may take a few 'pressings' to get the desired effect.

If you don't have to constantly take your phones off like me, you might want to consider the Koss KSC35. They are nice cheapy phones that are extremely light and sound good despite being bass heavy. You can just take one off to answer the phone too. They're too much of a hassle to constantly put on and off for me, even though it only takes a few seconds.

Good luck!

 

[acs236]

I had the Grado 60s before I liked them, so I may try the 80s or 125s -- I never found them too uncomfortable.

There is a hi-fi shop by my work that carries the 590s, 600s and the Grado line, however, they have them call hooked up to this god awful listening station blaring this mediocre instrument guitar cd (maybe they changed it) -- worst of all, you can't adjust the volume. If I complain enough I'm sure they'll disconnect the 590s for me.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[acs236]

I stopped by the store today but only had a couple minutes to listen as they claimed to be closing. (Bastards). I listened to the 590s and 600s -- the clerk told me the 580s were discontinued and I didn't want to argue with him. They were both exceptionally comfortable, and I did notice the 590 being a tad brighter. The 580 doesn't have those plush ear pads, right? Does Sennheiser sell plush/velour (whatever) replacements that fit on the 580s? After trying them on I wouldn't haven't to give that up!

 

[AngusMcToon]

Quote:

Originally posted by acs236 The 580 doesn't have those plush ear pads, right? Does Sennheiser sell plush/velour (whatever) replacements that fit on the 580s? After trying them on I wouldn't haven't to give that up!

The 580s are quite comparable to 600s comfort wise imo...I wouldn't let the pads alone hold you back. Sound different from the 600, I'd prefer them myself to the 590 unless you like the bright thing going in the 590, but the 580 are very nice phones and subjectively for me at least as comfortable for the long haul.

 

[delenda est Sony]

ACS--

help me out; whats a Meta42? An amp? If not, 580s/600s at work without an amp are useless. the 590 is close to being in the same boat as the 125 ohm impedance is really a bit much for the average unamped PC sound card to drive efficiently. Also, the 590s have really worn on me recently. The sound varies bewteen generic and overly bright. Blech! grados may work well, but they have massive sound leakage issues. Senn HD497 leaks less sound, has a nice balanced sonic range, and is cheap enough that if they get busted or stolen, you won't shed too many tears. Also, the Senn with a nice low 32 ohm impedance is easily driven by almost anything. I personally lost a pair of nice headphones to some thievery at my last job, so I caution against using $200 or even $100 headphones in the workplace! Some Kosses may work as well; cheap enough, though sound leakage somewhere between Grado & 497s.

 

[acs236]

Yes, a META42 is an amp, and a damn fine one as far as I'm concerned. There's plenty if threads on it.

I do have a drawer I can lock so I'm not overly concerned about theivery issues. Nor sound leakage for that matter -- I'm in my own office.

I certainly won't rule out the 580s because of the pads (I'll probably end up with the 580s for price reasons), but after trying the 600s and 590s -- well, you know...

 

[acs236]

I ended up ordering the 580s.

I went to the local store to compare the 600s and the 590s -- basically just to find out of I thought the 590s were too bright for me. It wasn't a pleasant experience. The set up was absolutely horrible. A selection of about 5 generic guitar tracks (I was told they were MP3s (!!!) directly from Sennheiser) -- I couldn't adjust the volume, and when I started fiddling with the one control to try to restart the track I got a dirty look from the clerk and asked not to mess with the controls. I explained to him that since I hadn't heard this (crappy) track before, the only way I could get a feel for the phones would be to compare the same few seconds over and over on various phones. He walked off -- so did I.

Back from the frolic...

I was really leaning toward the 580s and decided to order after the last person came into my office while I was listening to my etys and I didn't notice them until them until they were standing two feet from me.