[linesandspaces]

What I'm using it for: Music, for the most part.
Where: Home, commute, work, travel.
For: Stereo, Ipod, Macbook
Budget: ~$300
Prefer: Over ear, closed, no amps.

I guess I'd like a really great all-arounder, both for listening at home for long periods and commuting/travel.

Currently I have some Grado sr80's, and some Bose in-ear phones. At some point, I'd like to invest in something for home listening alone that would be an upgrade from the Grado's.

I've been looking at/reading up on the following:

Ultrasone DJ1 Pros
Sennheiser 25 hd-1 II
AKG k81 or K181
Ultrasone Pro 750
Beyerdynamic 770

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Rolamoto]

The beyerdynamic 770 might not be what you want as (from what I've read) it almost requires an amp to sound good.

 

[REB]

Instead of the Ultrasone Pro 750 (which requires good amping), you might want to take a look at Ultrasone's HFI680 or 780. They do well without amping, are supra-aural, closed, isolate well and have very good sound quality. Quite forward with much bass (the 780 more than the 680), pronounced highs and a generally energetic presentation.

 

[Headphony]

Look at Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9.

 

[linesandspaces]

Ooh those audio technicas look nice. How are they for portability?

I was kind of digging the detachable cord feature on the DJ1 Pros.

 

[compuryan]

Higher end ultrasones sound decent, but I had the DJ1's at one point and I really didn't like it. I bought it cause it looked cool and it sounded absolutely terrible.

I'd definitely get the Denon D2000. I've heard them and I liked them, especially for closed phones. You might want to get an amp down the road, but they're great all-around phones. The HD25-1 would also be a great option, I owned a pair and loved their sound, but you mentioned that you wanted an over the ear design.

 

[Headphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linesandspaces /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ooh those audio technicas look nice. How are they for portability...

ESW9's are meant to be portable, so they are quite good portably, but more than adequate for home listening too. Perfect for a combo of home, commute, work, travel. They don't fold up quite as tight as K81's, but are on another level sonically. (I was able to fold up the K81's into a coat pocket, not so with the ESW9's) Note that they sit on top of your ears like K81's and HD25's, but are quite comfortable for extended listening.

 

[linesandspaces]

I tried some HD25-SP II phones the other day. I thought the isolation was alright, but the sound seemed a little flat to me. Is the sound somewhat similar with the HD25-1 II?

I've been debating back and forth either the HD25-1 or ATH ES7. Anyone have any advice on that? Or other suggestions? I think I'll probably need to look in to some decent "home" cans at some point, I'd really like some comfortable over ear phones for music/gaming down the road. So I guess maybe for commuting, I wouldn't mind compromising with on ear models. Something with a thicker bassier sound, and decent isolation. Oh, and DOESN'T need an amp.

 

[tomb]

You can't go wrong with an HD25-1 II from your list. A really sterling pair of headphones, they're more akin to a relaxed form of Grado's but with bass extension, portability, ruggedness, and a complete replaceable parts ability.

The reports I've read seem to say the HD25SP's are not similar. I'm not sure I believe that necessarily, but the HD25's do require some break-in and a good cable. Luckily, an $11.95 HD650 cable from Sennheiser-USA is all you need to turn them into top-of-the-line headphones.

 

[linesandspaces]

What exactly will the HD650 cable do for the sound? Is that something I can do myself? I wasnt impressed with the bass on the HD25-SP, which is why I was curious if there was a difference with the HD25-1.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linesandspaces /img/forum/go_quote.gif What exactly will the HD650 cable do for the sound? Is that something I can do myself? I wasnt impressed with the bass on the HD25-SP, which is why I was curious if there was a difference with the HD25-1.

A picture is worth a thousand words:

The Headroom graphs are derided by some, but using the graph for comparison purposes seems perfectly valid to me.