Best Closed Headphones

King of Heroes

[H]ard|Gawd
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Mar 26, 2008
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Looking for closed back headphones I can use at work (so sound leakage must be kept to a minimum). Been going through Z Review's recommendation list on reddit but I also wanted to ask for opinions here. The Fostex THX00's seem like the best choice, but they're also $400 and I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

EDIT:

I would prefer detachable/modular cabling as well.
 
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I'm liking my Audeze EL-8 (closed). My Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart's are on order, so I can't compare them yet.
 
The closed version of the EL-8s are $699. Thats a bit too rich for me. I think the $400 for the Fostex's are the absolute max I'd want to spend (ideally that'd be closer to $299).
 
Are the Beyerdynamic DT700 250Ohm still any good? They don't have a detachable cable but they're pretty affordable and seem to have high marks on Amazon.
 
I haven't heard the TH-X00, but I'm a sucker for Fostex. I loved the Denon cans back in the day and today the TH-600 is my favorite headphone that I own. If the X00 is anywhere near them in performance, they are well worth the asking price.
 
As a side note, the TH-X00s are semi closed, they don't fully isolate sound. I have the Denon D5000s and have a pair of the Ebony TH-X00s on order. Can't wait :D
 
So, looked around some more and right now the Shure SRH840s and the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7s are at the top of my list. Anyone have any opinions on either?
 
Heard great things about the Audio Technicas, but not so much about the Shures. Very satisfied owner of both Fostex TH900s and TH600s, but as another poster pointed out, they're amazing in quality because of their comfort levels compared to all other flagships and because they're semi closed not completely isolating as with pure closed cans.

Pushing my TH900s via Essence III though, so I think this is probably as good as i can get without getting into STAX craziness (but for the extreme loss of comfort for long listening sessions like with all other summitfi cans beyond TH900 pricing, I think I'd rather just dump that money into high end speakers or a nicer car audio setup...)

Also, I enjoy music and movies both. A "neutral" sound is more for sound engineers imho, not so much enjoyment, which is why I can't be bothered with that shit. For classical listening and HQ opera-type vocals maybe, but again, that's where speakers rule and headphones drool
 
So, looked around some more and right now the Shure SRH840s and the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7s are at the top of my list. Anyone have any opinions on either?

SRH840 are SRH440 with a bass hump and a hyped treble response. ATH-MSR7 are completely different, have a less aggressive bass hump compared to the SRH840 and try for a forward midrange. The closer to neutral your driver is, the easier it is to change its sonic characteristic to what you find appealing via equalization, compression, or whatever else you want to add to your signal chain. Out of the box, for most people that find enjoyment from a V-equalizer in their car -- they're going to like the SRH840 the most out of those headphone choices.
 
Shure SRH440

I would bump that up to the SRH840 but they are not the most comfortable headphones and get sweaty on my big ears. I have read good things about 440 so that may be fine for him if he wants to save a bit of money. But I don't hear any bass hump or hyped treble in SRH840 and they are the most neutral headphones I own. I know what hyped treble is too because I also have beyerdynamic DT990pro.

Another good choice is Creative Arvuna Live! if you like a more colored sound and they are much lighter than SRH840 too. I have both. Beyerdynamic make good closed headphones. DT770 and won't make your ears sweat like pleather pads do. Only $150.00 too.

Amazon.com: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, 250 ohms: Electronics


Have a look at this list.

InnerFidelity's "Wall of Fame" Full-Size Sealed

Check out this buying guide.

Head-Fi Buying Guide (Introduction) - Head-Fi.org Community
 
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Looking for closed back headphones I can use at work (so sound leakage must be kept to a minimum). Been going through Z Review's recommendation list on reddit but I also wanted to ask for opinions here. The Fostex THX00's seem like the best choice, but they're also $400 and I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

EDIT:

I would prefer detachable/modular cabling as well.

What are your ears like, you like soft upper end or sharp and louder? It basically boils down whether you like soft dome tweeters or hard dome tweeters ie, darker vs brighter.
 
Somewhere in-between... Hmm, you will probably like warm to slightly dark signature cans. I'm having a hard time picking out something in a warm or darkish in a closed setup, maybe a used ($350-$380 ish) Sony MDR-Z7? The Z7's are semi-closed, ppl have to shout to get your attention when worn. They are also incredibly well built and arguably the most comfy can you will find. The other can that gets compared to it is the THX00. Be warned though the Fostex is a brighter can and more fatiguing. You can listen to Z7s all day long.

Sony's new flagship 2014 - MDR-Z7 - Page 441
 
I use a set of SRH440s at work. To get slightly more bass out of them, you could buy a set of SRH 840 pads. I still use mine a lot. One thing to be aware of this that the headband is quite hard. You really need to take care how you wear them and where the headband sits. Get it right, and you could listen to them for a quite a while, get it wrong, and they become uncomfortable quite fast.

I also have the DT770 250 ohm headphones for home use and they can be real bass cannons. At the volume levels I listen at, this is less pronounced. Compared to the Shures, they are extremely comfortable.
 
Somewhere in-between? I like clear highs, but not piercing.

Have you looked at the Audio Technica ATH-M50x? Closed back, inexpensive, fold-able, fairly indestructible, comes with a carrying bag, 3 detachable cables of different lengths, mildly v-shaped sound curve with solid bass without the mid-bass boominess.

There's no way I'd take my TH-X00s to work. They don't seal that great and you'd jack up the finish on them really fast. Also, the cable is not detachable and is around 10 feet long... and you'll need a 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter, which adds hassle.
 
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