new headphones

Hey guys I've revised my initial post to reflect all the changes thus far. To keep it much shorter and simpler:

Budget: max $70 (new headphones)
Ordering to: Canada (preferably), if cheaper then to USA
Uses: movies on notebook (Realtek integrated audio), music on notebook and phone (Sony W810i)
Music type: many types such from rock, alternative, classical, punk, pop, techno, nu metal, to stuff that I don't even know what to call. I have mostly English music such as (looking at my last played songs) Green Day, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Robert Miles, and Rob Dougan and music in Chinese and Japanese. Not sure if that really helps. ^^
What I'm looking for:
1. Comfortable headphones (and/or headset if quality is similar and within budget) - I also wear glasses
2. Sound quality (and/or mic quality)
Preferences: not big/heavy, doesn't leak excessively to surroundings (not open, semi-open might be ok though), not a fan of cheap foam covered speakers

I've eliminated most of the circumaurals and supraaurals since I find them too big (ie. Sennheiser HD555), headphones w/ excessive bleed (ie. Grado SR-60i), uncomfortable (ie. Koss KSC-75), used (ie. Apple one) and above budget headphones.

I've narrowed it down to:
$29 Sennheiser PX100 (waiting for 2nd revision)
$39 Sennheiser PX200 (closed version of PX100 but I've heard it isn't as good or comfy, is there a lot less sound bleed/leakage?)
$96 Sennheiser PXC300 (probably won't consider this since I'd rather get something for half the price if audio is nearly the same, just put it here for comparison purposes)
$33 Sennheiser HD212 Pro
$42 Denon AH-D501K
$50 AKG K81DJ - current top choice
$49 Yuin G2A

and for IEMs:
$36 Meelectronics AI-M6 vs. $18 AI-M9
$40 Maximo IM-590

The prices are from a quick search of Google shopping and I didn't really check them, so if they're suspiciously low, let me know. Any suggestions out of these? Or a reason to consider one that I dropped?

Other questions:

Does anyone have experience w/ wireless headphones (bluetooth)? Do wireless/bluetooth headsets/headphones have markedly inferior quality to headphones at <$100? I've looked at these models specifically so far: Sony HBH-DS205 ($65), DS980 ($90), or IS800 ($100)? The first two just have a bluetooth clip, so I can always get my own headphones if the sound quality sucks.

 

I haven't tried cans(headphones that go over and around your ears) with glasses. So IDK how well they will work. But that aside I would go with some sennheiser HD555's for less than 100USD. I suggest these HD555's cause they're the highest model from sennheiser in your price range, I haven't tried them, but trust the brand.

If those wont work then you could look at the Audeo Phonak PFE for about 120, which are IEM's so they should work well with your glasses. I suggest these IEM's because they are very highly acclaimed across the internet, and I know a few friends that have them and they love them.

The PX100's were great for the price, but the price is around 30USD, and your budget is much higher.

Also posting your musical tastes may assist us in suggesting headphones, because headphones usually have a sound signature, which is suited to different genre's.

 

I'll point out some of the best headphones at their price points, along with their attributes:

IEMs (In Ear Monitors):
$18 Meelectronics AI-M9, easily the best at this price, slightly exaggerated bass, but far superior to the often recommended Sennheiser CX-300
$35 (refurbs off ebay) Apple In Ear Headphone With Remote and Mic, well built and designed, slightly subpar isolation (can be a good thing or bad), lean analytical sound that is the most balanced at this price, great treble and midrange and superb overall clarity
$99 Head-Direct RE0, these have shattered old standards of bang-for-the-buck and rival $200-$400 industry leading universal headphones. Extremely balanced (doesn't exaggerate any parts of the audible spectrum), highly touted clarity.

Circumaurals (around ears):
$85 Audio Technica ATH-AD700: Fantastic soundstage, often the best bang for the buck for gamers who value this aspect, high quality but lower quantity bass, VERY comfortable, well built, lavender grills which bothers some.
$90 Sennheiser HD280: Balanced sound signature, very comfortable, compact and durable, loses out in overall clarity/speed/resolution against AD700 and the Grado SR-60 and upward.

Supraaurals (on ears):
$18 Koss KSC-75: Slightly muddy bass, but often touted as mini-grados which is no small compliment. Aggressive sounding (emphasizes upper-bass and lower treble) which pairs well with rock, comfortable because they're so light and there's no headband to worry about, the only headphones here with LIFETIME WARRANTY.
$40 Sennheiser PX100: Laid back sound signature (emphasizes midrange), presents decent soundstage, compact.
$69 Grado SR-60: Legendary bang for the buck headphone, entry-level headphone for the Grado Sound, fast, good clarity, aggressive sound signature that pairs very well with rock, sacrifices good looks for sound quality (Thinkpad).
$99 Alessandro MS-1: So good that it gets hot-rodded with a list of aftermarket upgrades, produced by Grado but tuned by Alessandro to produce a balanced sound signature that is neither aggressive or laid back. Like with the Grado, sacrifices looks for sound quality, slightly less soundstage than the AD700.

Overall, I highly recommend both the Head-Direct RE0 and the Alessandro MS-1. Only the RE0 really punches far, far above its weight though, and approaches the highest tiers of high-fidelity music reproduction.

I hope this post helps. Say hi to me at Head-Fi if you need more advice.

 

for iems, you might want to consider the sony ex85/ex90. they have punchy bass that's not very bloated, rare thing for phones at that price.

i'm surprised you can get a ad700 for so cheap, here in the UK it retails for 100 pounds, about 150 dollars.

 

Have a look at Denon d1001

 

Thanks guys, I'm still looking through the suggestions. I listen to many types of music such from rock, alternative, classical, punk, pop, techno, nu metal, to stuff that I don't even know what to call. I have mostly English music such as (looking at my last played songs) Green Day, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Robert Miles, and Rob Dougan and music in Chinese and Japanese. Not sure if that really helps. ^^

 

I've got the KSC-75, IMO they sound good, but the ear clips do pinch the behind the top of my ears... I still use them all the time, though.

 

I am having trouble deciding what type/style of headphones to pick and was wondering which type people like more, in the ear, on the ear, or around the ear - or is this purely subjective? The circumaurals seem a bit big for my tastes, so I'm leaning towards IEM or supraaurals.

Do wireless/bluetooth headsets/headphones have markedly inferior quality to headphones at this price point (<$99)? Although at first I only wanted (wired) headphones, I'm now sliding towards looking into bluetooth and/or a headset so that I can use it to listen to music from my Sony W810i cell phone as well as from my notebook.

Has anyone used Sony HBH-DS205 ($65), DS980 ($90), or IS800 ($100)? The first two just have a bluetooth clip, so I can always get my own headphones.

 

peli_kan suggestions are very good,

I own Audio Technia ATH-A900 and Senn HD280 (among others.... damn Headfi ), and both are good headphones imo, i feel the senn have more upfront and detail sound while the AD900 are more laid back better match for music listing, the Audiotechnia are more comfortable but dont fully seal like the Senn, really great to block outside noise. I use both, one in my laptop one in my desktop.

 

Why don't you post what type of music you enjoy listening to and then we could help pinpoint it a bit better, as of now, people seem to be only posting their favorite headphones which won't help you all that much.

For Bluetooth... I'm pretty sure the transfer rate of it isn't high enough to support high end audio but I'm not sure of the exact difference in quality at that price point.

Keep in mind that audio technica ADx00's and Ax000s are quite large so they may not be what you're looking for, take a look around Amazon to see a few examples.

 

I added my music type in the 2nd message above (post #6). Found a review of the IS800, which seems fairly positive but I'll have to read a bunch more to get different opinions:

http://www.finestfones.com/2009/02/sony-ericsson-stereo-bluetooth-headset.html

 

If you are willing to spend a bit of extra money ($110-130) and buy second hand headphones you should look at Beyerdynamic DT150.

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not interested in going over $100 or second hand.

 

I don't know about Grenadian prices but if you can get the Denon 1001s or AT AD700s in budget snap either up. They're just what you want.

A trip over to Head-fi might be a good idea, there's lots of good advice, but be a little sceptical; sometimes it isn't.

My slightly cheaper suggestion would be Beyerdynamic DTX900s. Good sound and comfy, but you will look like a cyberman.

 

I'll be purchasing it online and shipping to the US or Canada (preferably).

 

AD900 is open and HD280 is closed. Not comparable to each other in terms of blocking outside noise (which any closed headphone will win for obvious reasons).

 

Are there any drawbacks to closed or any other benefits to open?

 

Yes. One of the most important objectives of full sized headphones is the prevention of resonance caused by the driver housing. Open headphones prevent the formation of some of these reflected waves by letting them out through the open backing, while close headphones can only hopefully absorb them. Therefore, all else equal, open headphones usually get better sound quality than closed headphones. This manifests itself as a more natural sound (think normal speech vs. speaking into an empty coffee tin).

Of course, closed headphones help prevent sound leakage both in and out. This is no more complicated than that you can hear a bit more of what's happening around you, and those around you can hear a bit more of what you're playing. This is no small factor toward your music enjoyment; if you're forced to turn up your music to overcome the noise of buses or subways, you'd likely damage your hearing. Unless you're in a quiet environment, where open headphones gain equal footing, closed headphones enable quieter levels of music that help protect your hearing.

 

Mhmm, I should've noted that in my first post. By the way, do you happen to own those Audio Technicas pictured in your avatar?

UIUC, cool, you started there this fall? I lived in Illinois at one point and have friends going there.

 

open have a more airy sound, and generally less bass. closed tend to have more bass, but in cheap phones it can become bloated bass. i prefer closed because the isolation allows me to focus just on the music, and i find the bass more accurate. (i own ultrasone 780s. $280 lol)

koss porta pros are like the koss KSC75 but with a headband instead. they sound pretty good for the price and cost about $25-$35. they may look cheap, but its a 25 year old design and have proven their durability!

the px100 (open) and px200 (closed) are also meant to be very good, with the px200 having a bit more bloaty bass. (ive not tried either, this is from reading)

the RE0's are very detailed but i think they lack bass, both in quantity and in punch. treble is beautiful on them though.

if your using headphones on the move or in public spaces closed is far better than open because sound leaks in and out of open phones, meaning you hear things around you and other people can hear your music.
closed keeps a lot more out and nearly everything in. IEMs do a similarly good job of keeping music in and surroundings out.
grado's infamous for their poor for sound isolation and leakage/bleeding.

have you looked at audio technica ES7?

 

I have similar requirements and I have been looking at AD500/AD700. Haven't found any that can ship to Canada at a half decent price. :-/ I guess I will wait, I can't complain too much with a pair of UM1. ^^ I envy you guys in the US, you can get these things at such a good price.

 

Johnny, don't despair. The Alessandro MS-1 costs the same in the U.S. as elsewhere, unlike with the Grados which go up quite a bit. They're superior to the Grado SR60, and are on par with the AD700 in sound quality. If you bowl and distancer mod them, they begin to approach the AD900.

 

Thanks for the recommendation, I will definitely keep those in mind. Though I am mainly looking for circumaural headphones. I found some HD280 for a good price but I am not in a rush really. Comfort is quote high on the list.

 

I misstyped it, i have A900, not AD.

Back in the day that was a lot more into headphones (headfi era), i also wanted Audiotechnia A900, but they werent as comercial as they are right now. Also in that time the PPA was a very good amp for headphones aswell as a Canadian member was also very well regarded for it, so i decided the PPA from him and since i couldn't buy the headphones with my international creditcards he did me the favor of ordering the headphones from AudioCubes, was the only place that you could get them aside from ordering oversea, but they did ship to canada, so you might be able to get them there now sure if the price is gona play out for you.

 

skullcrushers are good

 

You're joking right???

Not only do they sound crap. They also look crap.

 

I have these, they sound superb. To put it simply. Exactly how the music got recorded in the studio is how you will hear it. No abnormal high bass, etc.

They are comfortable for hours. They block out outside noise considerably.
One huge plus for me is that, these headphones can last you as long as you want them. You can replace the cable, the ear parts, pretty much almost all of the things you can replace. And they fold in 3 different ways.

I'm no way an audiophile. But this pair of headphones was my first journey towards it.

One thing though. I have read many reviews of underconfident people in the internet saying "You will look like a nerd wearing these in public!!". I can say to them get a pair of cojones and stop worrying about what people think of you.

 

better than skullcandy

 

Another major factor is that open are generally more comfortable over longer use as the heat will escape as well. I usually use my AD700 for that reason.

I am a senior lol. I have that particular set back home as it is a bit pricey to risk losing it in the dorms. I use A900 and AD700 at school. As you can see I like AudioTechnicas...

 

Ok, just finished an exam this morning. Now I have time to look up all these headphone suggestions. I've eliminated most of the circumaurals and supraaurals since I find them to big to wear around (ie. Sennheiser HD555), open (ie. Sennheiser PX100), uncomfortable (ie. Koss KSC-75), used (ie. Apple one) and above budget headphones (I set budget at $100 since I didn't know what to expect, from my choices I think I can get something pretty good for <$60).

I've narrowed it down to:
$39 Sennheiser PX200 (supposedly a new revision coming soon - PX200-II, closed but I've heard it isn't as good or comfy as the PX100? is there a lot of sound bleed/leakage?)
$58 Sennheiser PXC250
$96 Sennheiser PXC300 (probably won't consider this since I'd rather get something for half the price if audio is nearly the same)
$33 Sennheiser HD212 Pro
$42 Denon AH-D501K
$50 AKG K81DJ
$49 Yuin G2A

and for IEMs:
$36 Meelectronics AI-M6 vs. $18 AI-M9
$40 Maximo IM-590

The prices are from a quick search of Google shopping and I didn't really check them, so if they're suspiciously low, let me know. Any suggestions out of these? Or a reason to consider one that I dropped?

Does anyone have experience w/ wired headsets (decent audio or just stick with headphones, I know Sennheiser has a PX100 w/ a mic)? How about wireless headphones (bluetooth)?

 

Also consider JVC HARX700 and HARX900. They got good reviews for being similar sounding to AudioTechicas without costing the same. That said though I tried the HARX700 and you do get what you pay for but in terms of bang for the buck they are excellent.

Or you can save up your pennies and see if you can import a AudioTechnica ATH-AD700 from Ebay or something for <$100 (should be pretty doable). Grado has a love it or hate it sound. AudioTechnicas are generally pretty safe bets on decent headphones without costing too much.

 

I'd be pretty happy if that is actually possible. After a week of looking, unfortunately the answer to that is no, at least not to Canada right now. I'll keep looking though. ^^

 

If you're interested in the Senheisser HD 555:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=424742

 

I own the px100 and they are a great pair of headphones, especially for the price. Very clean sound, though the bass is a bit light. Generally have a better sound than the 200s (from what ive read, no use with those ones). If you can, find the updated px100-2 series, just for the single corded design. Another thing to consider is your MP3 player. If you are an iPod owner like most people are, some phones like the alessandro's will work poorly because the iPod does not output enough power from its jack to the speaker, hindering a lot of the sound quality you paid for.

 

Do you feel the PX100 leaks sound a lot at medium to high volume?

I think it's not just the output power but the impedance of the device. Generally, I think for notebooks and portable music devices have a 16 to 32 ohm impedance, which means that if you want to maximize the sound output, you should get a pair of headphones that matches as close to the impedance as possible.

edit: hey guys I've rewritten my initial post to include all the relevant info gathered thus far into one post, please take a look and let me know what you think!

 

if you're really concerned with sound leaking, iems are the only way to go. i own a pair of hd201, they sound okay for the price(i got them for £12), but the sound leaks, and they are closed back.

 

I don't mind some leakage, it's just that some open ones, you can really hear around the headphones.

 

I don't think the PX100 leaks much sound. I have them in an office. At a comfortable listening level with the presence of ambient building HVAC noise, they are very quiet from arm's length away and completely inaudible from eight feet away.

 

Yeah. There is some leakage at higher volumes but usually its in audible from more than a foot away unless in a very quiet area.

 

My full sized Ultrasone HFI-780's don't leak sound much at all. I can turn it way above comfortable listening levels and they still don't leak.

 

Except I prefer smaller sized headphones. I readded the PX100 to the list for consideration in my initial post.

 

Yeah, that was directed at tianxia's comment about IEM's being the only way. But for size and portability(the 780's are a 'portable' headphone) IEM's are the best, you just have to spend much more to match the sound quality.

 

You guys haven't ever heard of "Stairway To Headphones" - yea, man that were around when Led Zepplin was cutting vinals. Don't miss out!

 

I found a couple of good deals of the HD555 on ebay. ~$100CAD shipped. Oh am I tempted right now.

Oh and I found a pair of HD280 for ~$55 + shipping (to Canada) too if the OP don't mind "big" (not really compared to the AD700 or HD555) headphones.

 

I also have the PX100, while they are good, if you can spend more money on headphones do it. The ear muffs of the PX100 are not comfortable for prolonged use.

 

I have the JVC HA-RX700 and they sound awesome!

 

That's a very good price. Not sure if this matters to you, but the 555s have a 6.5mm jack so with an adapter they can be awkward on a portable player or laptop.

 

Anyone have experience w/ the AKG K81DJ or any other AKG? I hear that it has similar sound quality to the PX100 but also better noise blocking quality than the PX200. I've heard it can be uncomfortable to those with bigger heads (and also myself having glasses), but I don't think I have that big of a head and could always change the ear muffs (correct word lol?).

It's probably as big as I want to have in terms of a pair of headphones. Are there any others that size or smaller and have similar comfort? I know that circumaurals are probably best for comfort but I just find them too big to walk around with and I prefer to hear some sounds around me (so I don't need totally closed or noise cancelling) while I walk around outside or am in the bus, just to be aware of my surroundings. Also, I'm thinking of holding off my purchase until Black Friday/Cyber Monday, anyone know the chances of these headphones being cheaper from past years?

 

I would hold out for AD700. I had both at one point and got rid of the HD555 as the AD700 was IMO better in nearly every way other than size.

 

After lots of looking around, I finally settled on the Allessandro MS1's, the 2009 revision. Considering the Canadian dollar, $109 USD shipped, so about $115 Canadian, seems pretty good.

I looked at the HD555 and SR80i's as well, but I couldn't find any under $130 shipped.