Best Closed Headphones?

swaaye

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I want to know what good headphones are. I would probably only consider closed type as they'd be used with other people around in a quieter setting. Also I'm not looking for ridiculously expensive ones. $200 at the outside extreme I think. Even that's too much IMO. Actually <$80 is ideal I think.

I'd drive them with just my notebook Audigy 2 ZS. So no extra amps.
 
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I quite like my Sony MDR-V700, but they'd be at the upper end of your price spectrum (at least at the time I bought them at). They work equally well from my Mac mini and from my stereo.
 
I posted over at the HeadFi forum and the suggested to stay away from Sony actually... They sent me over to the Sennheiser HD 25-SP phones....

I'm using some ~$30 Sony MDR-V250 headphones right now. They sound pretty good but they've just fallen apart over the years. I've had to tape, glue, and solder to keep them working.. But the biggest complaint about Sonys over at HeadFi seemed to be their lacking frequency response. But the high end phones must be a lot better.
 
sorry to butt in here swaaye,

but has anyone got any suggestions for portable headphones, good noise cancelling (both ways so people dont hear what im lisening to)

prefer ear hook over ear bud (they just keep falling out),
 
swaaye said:
I posted over at the HeadFi forum and the suggested to stay away from Sony actually... They sent me over to the Sennheiser HD 25-SP phones....

I'm using some ~$30 Sony MDR-V250 headphones right now. They sound pretty good but they've just fallen apart over the years. I've had to tape, glue, and solder to keep them working.. But the biggest complaint about Sonys over at HeadFi seemed to be their lacking frequency response. But the high end phones must be a lot better.

I would agree the Sennheiser are excellent headphones, proper studio monitors and used by dj's alot too, again though there are a little over the top for what you require but if you can get them for the right price then what they heck. my only problem with them is the crappy looks and crappy thin cables, they look and feal cheap. my sony v500 lasted me about 3yrs of hard use and my v700 ive had about 1yr now still sound like new, I use them for dj'ing not studio monitoring so they get alot of hammer.
 
swaaye, I hear the Sony MDR-V7506 (AFAIK a replacement for the V6, as they both look the same and have the same specs; avoid the V600, which AFAIK sounds nothing like the V6/7506) and Sennheiser 280 Pro (tho the 'Pro' might just refer to the all-black version) recommended a lot at Ars for <$100 (the Senn regularly goes for closer to $80 at Amazon) closed headphones that don't require a separate amp to sound as good as they can (whereas $200 cans may get into amp territory). I've used the 7506 myself, and it sounds and fits OK (well, maybe the OK fit is due to my glasses, and the OK sound is due to OK source material or amplifiers: onbaord PC audio, Audigy 2ZS, mid-range CD/MP3 players, and Denon minisystems). IRC, you can replace their earpieces with a more comfortable velour set from Beyerdynamics. A Google search should help you out.

Amazon seems to offer the V6 for preorder at a great price, just $72. Again, I thought these were phased out for the 7506, but maybe they were never discontinued, or maybe they're being reintroduced. You can see that other store prices at Amazon put both the V6 and the 7506 at $99, so Amazon's $72 price may just be a preorder special. Don't hold me to that, though.

You can find a review of the 280 Pro and other sealed cans here.

Monty, give the Sony EX71 a try. You might find they sit securely enough in your ears that you don't need the hook, but the EX81 looks like a hook version of the same earbud. Either way, I've heard they're very good at blocking outside noise, and the 71 at least is comfortable--provided one of the included bud sizes fits you. Reviews at Amazon indicate they're not as rugged as before, but they're proably worth a try at ~$30. Just note their unusual cord lengths.
 
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thanks pete, just ordered the ex-71,

seen some good reviews of these headphones so i'll give them a go

only downfall right now is that there is nearly and 1:1 ratio of cost between £ and $ :cry:
 
EX81 sound very well, but the hooks were made for giants. Absolutely unusable, comfort-wise. If the 71 are the same, it's a better deal to go no-hooks in this case.

Although I still wait for the phones which will beat Sennheiser PMX-60. Never had better "small" phones, costs some $20-30 US.
 
I ordered a set of the Sony MDR-V6. People seem to adore them for everything other than studio recording. And that I won't be doing. For listening they are absolutely loved at their price range and they are driven well by low power devices.
 
Heh, I was thinking the same thing when buying food over there. :)

Let us know how you like them, both of you.
 
Sony's MDR-V6 headphones kick ass. Been using this pair for a month or so now and I can't imagine anything under $100 sounding better than these for games or electronic music. I hear they are popular with PvD, among others, so I guess this is why. :)
 
Is there really a noticable difference between say the Sony MDR-XD200 and the MDR-XD400 to warrant a $70 increase.
 
From what I'm told, yes, but you do need to have a decent DAC/amp to tell the difference as you increase the quality. Still, when everything comes together, everyone I know that has heard stuff like that, says it's worth it. Although, perhaps you should find a local hi-fi store and test some things out for yourself first.
 
The Sennheiser HD280 are quite good (too bad they lack closed designs in high end).
If you have a wee bit more money to burn, you might take a look at those:
Beyerdynamic DT770Pro
Price/Performance of these IMO is astounding. The build quality is really great: massive metal frame, really sturdy plastic casing of the earpieces, high quality curled cable - no cheap plastic around here. They are really comfortable, the thingies that make contact with the head and enclose the ears(what are they called?!) are made of velours and sit very smooth - I can have them up for hours and not feel uncomfortable. And you can even get replacement ones.
And lastly: The sound. IMO they strike a perfect balance between accurate reproduction and "sounding nice", meaning they have great bass and a wide soundstage, but fine details aren't drowned - au contraire.

Only downside: If you got a really big head, things could get a little tight (meaning the connection between the earpieces - they should allow for more extension here)

EDIT:
A few user reviews...
 
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I read a review of these EX29 Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones and they looked pretty impressive, especially for $89.

Edit: found the review, here's a quote:

To prove the level of isolation, when the volume is pumped to a high level, if both earpieces are compressed together no sound leaks through, and the Extreme Isolation Headphones pride themselves with a pair of headphones that do not leak any sort of sound that can be picked by microphones while recording.
 
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The Audio-Technica A900s are the best headphones for gaming. They also cost 200 if you get them from audiocubes.com. Do not go with the Sony headphones, they are worthless. I don't know anyone that has listened to a real pair of headphones (AT, GRADO, SENNs, BeyerD) that even would want to listen to these.

Also here are some considerations:

Do you have a headphone amp, if not you want a low resistance headphone because you won't have enough power to drive the headphone if you get a BeyerD or SENNs. Though you could try a CMOY, I have heard that is enough to drive the BEYER 770 or 880. However I do know it doesn't sound as good as a low imp because a cMOY isn't as refined as a nice amp. Since you only have $200 to spend I suggest a low imp headphone. I would say anything above 80-120ohm is just going to be too much, though 80 is a very good spot.

I highly suggest the A900 (30ohms), it has a great soundstage for games. In fact if you go on the Head-fi forums you will see it is rated the best gaming headphone by far above any other headphone. However, if you aren't gaming and listening to music, I would suggest the Senns HD595. I would suggest the Grado's but you said closed headphones (I am the type that highly favor the Grado's over the Senn's; I just love that Grado sound). The low impedance version of the HD595 is either 80ohm or 120ohm, I don't remember. I must note that a 120ohm headphone is going to sound better with an amp. There is also the DT770 and ST880 which have an 80ohm version too I beleive.

Laslty, I suggest you goto the Headfi forums and post there to hear it from the Pros.
 
I went with what was said here and at headfi.org. I was recommended some Sennheisers but also the Sonys.

Upon further research about the MDR-V6 set I discovered they've been made since the '80s and thousands of people swear by them for many tasks. There are people out there with 20 year old pairs. They have a bit more boomy bass and somewhat harsh treble. They do not have a flat response. But, you don't really want a flat response for listening to some music. The HD280 from Sennheiser have a boring sound from what I've read, with a very flat response that may be accurate but isn't "fun" to many.

Obviously to each his own. But I researched these V6's a lot before ordering them and am very VERY pleased with them. I was previously using some Sony MDR-V250 phones. Contrary to many out there, they are not complete trash in audio quality for what I listen to (games, trance, rock, classical soundtracks). They sound incredibly inferior to the V6's, but for $25-30 they sound better than anything else I've heard personally. Too bad they fell apart. I had to tape, solder, and glue them back together over time. The V6 set seems to be of FAR better build quality.

I can't really imagine you can go wrong with them when they are ~$80. And they are easily driven from unamped sources, from what I've read (and listened to with my A2ZS notebook card).
 
Monty said:
sorry to butt in here swaaye,

but has anyone got any suggestions for portable headphones, good noise cancelling (both ways so people dont hear what im lisening to)

prefer ear hook over ear bud (they just keep falling out),

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6.aspx

these guys make the best by far for sound quality and noise isolation. Yes they are earphones aka buds, however they certainly will not fall out, trust me. Anything short of a blasting area and you wont hear it. They are not cheap though. You may be able to find them for under 100US though im not sure as you're in the UK. Bonus though is that they ship direct off their site world-wide. The only other thing is that if you are not use to earphones, you may find them uncomfortable. But you get use to it after a few uses and eventually dont even notice them.

i own the bigger brother ER•4 micropro model. Not as pronounced base as the ER-6 which are better for music in my opinon.
 
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