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Affordable comfortable closed headphones?

D

Digital Viper-X-

[H]F Junkie
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What are the choices here :)? I want something that sounds decent (using HA-RX700s) but is comfortable to wear, I'm at work so I need closed headphones. Running off a Fiio e10
 
I'd say the ATH-A700s or A900s are the closest sound to the HA-RX700s that's a step up and are ultra comfy.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
I'd say the ATH-A700s or A900s are the closest sound to the HA-RX700s that's a step up and are ultra comfy.
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I'm not looking for something that is matching the RX700s :) better is OK, under $200 is even better :p

how about the ATH-A700x/900x? or some used Denon D2000s?
 
I have not had the ATH-A700x/900x, but there was recently an interesting comparison on head-fi of the A900x and it did not get a very favorable review... for $220 that is.

If you can find used D2000s, that would be nice.
 
Koss Pro DJ100 w/ M50 pads. I use them with my E7 and they sound very very very good. It'll cost you around $80 at most with the m50 pads. The tony bennett version will give you a detachable cable.
 
Eww the K550's sound horrible compaired to my RX700's :p

But seriously to my ears my RX700s sound better. Possibly i was listening to a bad sat of k550 or they had a weak amp or something. They are also less comfortable.
 
The D2000s sound amazing particularly with a proper amp (they need a nice low impedance output to get the best bass, and low noise since they are pretty sensitive) and are pretty comfy. I love mine. However they are not quite as comfy as the ATH series from Audio Technica. They sound a good bit better (as you'd expect for the price) but the comfort is marginally less.

In my case, the D2000s win out, I bought them to replace my ATH-700s.
 
mannyman said:
Eww the K550's sound horrible compaired to my RX700's :p

But seriously to my ears my RX700s sound better. Possibly i was listening to a bad sat of k550 or they had a weak amp or something. They are also less comfortable.
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I've heard from elders that in ancient times the pursuit of accuracy was paramount and perfectly accurate reproduction was the goal. Now that we have highly accurate speakers and headphones, audiophiles aren't that thrilled about accuracy. This is especially obvious in headphone amplifiers. People love tube amplifiers even though they introduce significant distortion. It just happens that the distortion sounds good to a lot of people.

There is a similar effect in headphones. Neutral, accurate reproduction doesn't sound as good as some forms of biased reproduction to a lot of people. Plus, I suspect that the shape of a persons ear can affect what someone hears. I don't know of any studies to support my theory but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Bottom line: Buy what sounds good to you but lean toward accuracy and clarity. In the long run, accurate will usually sound better.
 
TheArTcher said:
I've heard from elders that in ancient times the pursuit of accuracy was paramount and perfectly accurate reproduction was the goal. Now that we have highly accurate speakers and headphones, audiophiles aren't that thrilled about accuracy. This is especially obvious in headphone amplifiers. People love tube amplifiers even though they introduce significant distortion. It just happens that the distortion sounds good to a lot of people.

There is a similar effect in headphones. Neutral, accurate reproduction doesn't sound as good as some forms of biased reproduction to a lot of people. Plus, I suspect that the shape of a persons ear can affect what someone hears. I don't know of any studies to support my theory but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Bottom line: Buy what sounds good to you but lean toward accuracy and clarity. In the long run, accurate will usually sound better.
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Don't get your panty's in a bunch I said to my ears.

Rx 700s are close enough to accurate to me and i like the warm sound signature. Same with my amp.
 
Not surprised, there's quite a few who dislike the K550s. Personal preference... But for the music that I listen to, I prefer them over the Denon's.
 
I like my Sennheiser's, but I'm a fanboy, I've heard the D2000 are amazing at the price.
 
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Digital Viper-X- said:
I dunno about those, seems like a lot of marketing jargon.
"professional surround sound" that also sounds wrong ><
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The Ultrasones have a pretty solid soundstage but 99% of it is they just angle the drivers to fire at the outter ear so you get better positional cues. It's real... it's just not anything mindblowing.
 
What is your definition of affordable? How about the Beyerdynamic DT235 for around $50. Constantly overlooked for whatever reason. Those who have heard it have nothing but good things to say.
 
Ultrasone is solid. I have had several models and liked them all. I still think the brainwavz is he best sub$200 headphone though. Hm5 model i think.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
The Ultrasones have a pretty solid soundstage but 99% of it is they just angle the drivers to fire at the outter ear so you get better positional cues. It's real... it's just not anything mindblowing.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up.

fss69 said:
What is your definition of affordable? How about the Beyerdynamic DT235 for around $50. Constantly overlooked for whatever reason. Those who have heard it have nothing but good things to say.
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Under $200 is good, also I want one that doesn't sit on my ear and is very comfortable.

spaceman said:
Ultrasone is solid. I have had several models and liked them all. I still think the brainwavz is he best sub$200 headphone though. Hm5 model i think.
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They're on my shortlist :)
 
Yeah I would have the Brainwavz myself but they are not ultralight. My damn neck, despite being 19" around, does not allow me to wear anything except light weight headphones. Be careful about football kids. It can fuck you up late in life.
 
The hm5's are very neutral and the d2000's are a little more fun.

Would probably go with the d2000's.
 
The D2000's are no longer in production so if you want them you better go buy them now.

Denon is bringing out a whole new line in July.
 
Hm5s are built like tanks, have more accessories and seal better. The D2000 are great but really are semi open in terms of isolation. Plus, even used they are about $30-40 more than the HM5.

Can't go wrong either way but I would get the HM5 if I was looking for a work headphone.
 
spaceman said:
Hm5s are built like tanks, have more accessories and seal better. The D2000 are great but really are semi open in terms of isolation. Plus, even used they are about $30-40 more than the HM5.

Can't go wrong either way but I would get the HM5 if I was looking for a work headphone.
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Well spaceman, your suggestions have not disappointed before :p so I'll try the HM5s

put the order in.
 
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spaceman said:
Hm5s are built like tanks, have more accessories and seal better. The D2000 are great but really are semi open in terms of isolation. Plus, even used they are about $30-40 more than the HM5.

Can't go wrong either way but I would get the HM5 if I was looking for a work headphone.
Click to expand...

Yeah the HM5's are a sweet deal coming with the extra pads and a few other things. But the extra pads man.
 
spaceman said:
Thanks. I try not to miss in audio or battlefield. Cheers. I know they are good quality.
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don't lie spaceman, you suck in battlefield! :p

exited, both DAC/AMP + Headphones have now shipped and are due to arrive on the 12th for the amp and 13th for the Headphones.
 
Hmmm, what can I say? These things are great! the only complaint is holy hell they clamp down, but it seems that it will lessen with some time. Def not disappointing, very comfortable except for the force trying to crush my jaw :)

music sounds good, i can't hear anything which is great, and I can't hear them leaking either. they seem very balanced. Vocal tracks sound good, listening to them atm through an XFI prelude, so I hope I don't get spoiled before I take them to work and use the E10 :p

comparing them to the HD598s, I have a hard time picking which I like more, I'd say the 598s due to comfort alone.

anyone have a suggestion for slow / mellow jaz with female vocals?
 
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Jill Scott? dunno much in that genre.

Find something a bit bigger than your head to put the headphones on to lessen the clamp. They are built to last so the clamp is going to be strong to start. Heavy duty aren't they? Worth the $$?
 
spaceman said:
Jill Scott? dunno much in that genre.

Find something a bit bigger than your head to put the headphones on to lessen the clamp. They are built to last so the clamp is going to be strong to start. Heavy duty aren't they? Worth the $$?
Click to expand...

I'd have to say worth the $$, fairly solid build, lots of accessories :)
 
Now on the E10, I really like these, they are incredibly clear, even when you crank the volume, bass doesn't distort, it sounds "tight" on the pops and smooth on the longer guitar strums. Nothing sounds overpowering.
 
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Digital Viper-X- said:
Now on the E10, I really like these, they are incredibly clear, even when you crank the volume, bass doesn't distort, it sounds "tight" on the pops and smooth on the longer guitar strums. Nothing sounds overpowering.
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Yup. That is how they are supposed to sound like. Neutral, nothing added, and clean.

In audio, the higher up the chain you go, the more it sounds like that. Achieving, "you are there", is the ultimate goal.

This is entry level the way it is supposed to be.

Glad they work well with the E10. Sounds better with it than the home prelude then?
 
spaceman said:
Yup. That is how they are supposed to sound like. Neutral, nothing added, and clean.

In audio, the higher up the chain you go, the more it sounds like that. Achieving, "you are there", is the ultimate goal.

This is entry level the way it is supposed to be.

Glad they work well with the E10. Sounds better with it than the home prelude then?
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No i think it sounds better on the prelude,

Also there is one thing I can't explain , it seems to have a bit of a flatness to it on some songs(mostly alternative/rock) where the mids seem to almost overpower everything else and actually irritating to my ears. It could just be the quality of the rip on those songs.

The tea party - lullaby is one of them that just didn't sound very good on these.
 
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