Headphones?

[BeirBrennerE30]

hummm... I am leaning to the Grado s60i since they dont need an amp, are small, and are kinda cool looking. but the open design worries me. how big of a deal is it on a plane? can you really hear the music outside them?

I like the look of the ultrasones too. particularly the HFI 780. look small.

the sennheiser and the audio technica look huge! but i bet they sound great. Looks rnt as important as the sound and isolation but I dont want to look like im wearing a helmet in the airport.

[Wh33lhop]

If you're planning on using them on the plane, then I'd get a sealed design. Open designs will bleed music for everyone else to hear and will bleed noise in for your listening failure.

Yes the really good phones need amps to sound their best, but that doesn't mean they won't be just fine off a PMP. Some of the high end ones with horrible efficiency need dedicated amps to get any sort of volume (e.g. AKG K1000) but the 250ohm DT990s I had were fine up to a reasonably loud volume off my 6th gen ipod classic, which drove them to about the same volume as my desktop. They wouldn't go ear-splittingly loud but they would go loud enough without the amp starting to clip. It's more about efficiency than it is resistance.

Regarding the Grado SR60s, a step up to the SR80 (I think they've got the SR80i now) would be recommended. They run the same drivers but the SR80s are tweaked for more bass and sound a bit better. Both are an open design though, so if you're an avid flyer I'd stay away.

[HiTheNameIsBJ]

hummm... I am leaning to the Grado s60i since they dont need an amp, are small, and are kinda cool looking. but the open design worries me. how big of a deal is it on a plane? can you really hear the music outside them?

I like the look of the ultrasones too. particularly the HFI 780. look small.

the sennheiser and the audio technica look huge! but i bet they sound great. Looks rnt as important as the sound and isolation but I dont want to look like im wearing a helmet in the airport.

Open backs will bleed alot of sound thru. Imagine you turned your headphones all the way up with them off your head, thats how it will sound to the person you are next to.

[z31maniac]

hummm... I am leaning to the Grado s60i since they dont need an amp, are small, and are kinda cool looking. but the open design worries me. how big of a deal is it on a plane? can you really hear the music outside them?

I use the SR 60s at work. But we have big cubicles with doors on them, so even when I crank them up nobody can really hear them. But if it was on a plane with someone sitting directly next to you, I might go for a sealed design.

Is that your main use or just a small % of the time? I HATE closed back headphones, there is no "stage" or "presence" to them. Sounds like listening to music inside a padded room.

[theox69]

I've got a set of Bose OE(on ear) headphones.
They're super comfortable and sound amazing.
I think they're also built-in with a special chip for noise canceling.

[2002maniac]

I have a pair of WESC headphones. I think they're pretty good for the money.

[slow e30]

for gaming and and music i use my turtle beach X1's. bitches romp on xbox360 AND has INCREDIBLE bass, too. only $60

[chris4891]

damn, more than 20 posts and no one's mentioned www.head-fi.org - spend some time there and you will get more than enough information to make a decision. there are really quite a lot of quality headphones out there. you should go find a place that stocks a bunch of them and take some of your music to demo. then pick out something that sounds good to you - cause thats all that really matters.

if i had to make a recommendation - it would be to get a couple sets of headphones, each for a different purpose. i personally prefer having a very portable set of headphones that i use when traveling (planes, buses, etc) and at the office. then i have a more dedicated setup at home with my larger/more expensive phones.

out of curiousity, why are you against an in-the-ear style (IEM)? for anything portable, those would be the best bang for the buck. i especially like them for on the plane - the sound reduction/isolation you get by virtue of the design means they remove the background hum and you don't need nearly as much volume to get to a comfortable level. if you really dont like things in your ear canal - but something like the standard ipod earbuds are ok, then you definitely need to look into the Yuin PK2 (or PK1 w/amp). looking to upgrade to that as my next set of portable phones.

if you want to get an idea on the leakage from a set of open headphones, just take your regular headphones at normal listening volume and sit them on a desk. thats about how loud it would be. set up that demo for your girl and see if it would bother her at night.

for what its worth, heres what i have:
office/travel: etymotic er6i / koss ksc 75
home: Denon D2000 (highly recommended) / Sennheiser HD 650 driven by headroom micro amp + micro dac

seriously, go check out head-fi. dont let them make you spend too much money. since i started frequenting that forum ive spent ~1500 on various headphone related things.

[BigD]

I have some foldable Senheiser PX200 and love them. My second set. They have great bass, are lightweight, and you can wear them all day long. And they are cheap at around $60 at amazon.com

Plus a million for Sennheiser PX series. 3 years ago I tried all kinds of things. The TriPorts, Sures etc etc. I was really tired of being disappointed. Not the sound, most of them sounded just fine, but they all had a MASSIVE deal breaker of one sort or another (eg: running with TriPorts feels like someone's slapping your ears with every step). Then my wife expressed interest in replacing her ipod earbuds too and I sold my headphones and for the price (with cash left over) bought a pair of PX100s. I haven't looked back since. They're so light you forget they're on your head. They fold away into the size of a pair of reading glasses. The sound is amazing. For an open, not-over-ear headphone, the bass is terrific!

When my 100s fall apart I'm getting another PX, whatever's current, not a doubt in my mind. Only problem is they're not showing any sign of dying, which I can't say for any other pair of headband headphones I've ever had. Usually the headband starts cracking. These, not a damn thing, solid as a rock.

[solxe]

I don't know about the px200 but the px100 sound boring compared to my AKGs, sure they cost a wee bit more but I'd say it's worth the price.

My recommendations (sorted by price, cheapest first).

AKG K24 (open)
AKG K518DJ (closed)
AKG 301 (half-open)
Grado SR80 (open)
Sennheiser HD580 Precision (open)

All of them are good in their own way.

I use the AKG K518 for my mp3-player when I'm out and my Sennheiser at home.

[TexasTerp]

I've got mutliple pairs of Sennheisers, AKGs, and Beyerdynamics, granted I also used to work in a recording studio. You'll get some better sound out of any of them but to be honest the overall sound quality available from the iphone itself, especially since you have many mp3s, the quality is going to get worse as the quality of headphone increases because the compression will be more apparent. I would stick to a mid range Sennheiser around $125-$150 or a lower end AKG. I haven't used the Grados but I've heard good things.

[BeirBrennerE30]

Those AKG K518DJ look pretty good. Small and compatible with the iphone. I am leaning more toward those for airport listening.

Then maybe Ill get some bigger better headphone for gaming, movies, home listening

[george graves]

For regular listening, I can't recommend the Sony MDR-7506 any higher. Amazon of $100 or less, studio monitor recording headphones. They don't do much for isolation, but sound amazing for the price. They also don't need an amp and are plenty happy running off my old brick of an ipod.

Word. Lots of headphones color the sound too much. Studio monitors are the straight dope.

[Wh33lhop]

Word. Lots of headphones color the sound too much. Studio monitors are the straight dope.

Nothing wrong with colored sound if you're looking for a fun can.

[solxe]

Those AKG K518DJ look pretty good. Small and compatible with the iphone. I am leaning more toward those for airport listening.

Then maybe Ill get some bigger better headphone for gaming, movies, home listening

That would be the wisest choice, the k518 are perfect portables since they're able to fold.

Nothing wrong with colored sound if you're looking for a fun can.

For a while :P, if the music isn't fun it's because the music is crap.
Colored sound will sound boring after a while IMO.
Good music will sound good on neutral headphones.

I've got mutliple pairs of Sennheisers, AKGs, and Beyerdynamics, granted I also used to work in a recording studio. You'll get some better sound out of any of them but to be honest the overall sound quality available from the iphone itself, especially since you have many mp3s, the quality is going to get worse as the quality of headphone increases because the compression will be more apparent. I would stick to a mid range Sennheiser around $125-$150 or a lower end AKG. I haven't used the Grados but I've heard good things.

My friend has Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO and they sound awesome.

Also if you're considering buying big headphones like those or high-end sennheiser I suggest you start looking for a headphone amps since the soundcard only takes it so far ... :x