Recommend some headphones?

[TeeJayHoward]

I'm looking for a set of closed cans. Trashed my HD280 Pros while modding them to add a detachable cable. Apparently the drivers have magnets in them! And who knew, but hot soldering irons are made out of metal! Fun, right?

Requirements:

*Someone sitting next to me can't hear my music no matter how loud it is.
*I can't hear the 747 of a computer case my SC942i is with the headphones on.
*Over-the-ear/On-the-ear, not in them. Hate those little plugs.
*Detachable cable. Mandatory. No, I won't mod something to add it. That's how I broke my last ones! I will be making custom cables, so no proprietary jack, please. Mini-XLR or 2.5mm/3.5mm or something'd work just fine.
*Metal. Freakin' metal everywhere. I love aluminum. Hate the look of wood. Plastic's ok, but I'll pay extra for metal.
*Quality stuffs. I don't want some crappy skullcandy headphones. Gimme Sennheiser, Denon, Audio Technica, etc. I want to be able to sit on the damned things and not break them. Want something that'll give me a reason to listen to FLAC instead of 128kbps MP3s.
*Heavy? Heavy is good. I like heavy. Not essential, though.
*Not retarded-expensive. The D7000 may be amazing, but I'm not spending a grand on a pair of headphones.

 

[450]

Budget?

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Budget?

Reasonable but not ridiculous. I'd say up to $500 I might be able to squeeze something in. The higher the price tag, though, the better it needs to be. I'd rather have 95% of a $500 headphone for $200.

 

[Rossi~]

Wow that's certainly a list of requirements lol. Though i do like the fact you're not playing about and given a list of your needs straight up, makes a change around here. I can't think of a set off the top of my head but will post if/when i do come across such a set. The problem i think is the need for a detachable cable with the need for it to be closed pretty much as well as over the ear, i see why you've posted here for help.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Wow that's certainly a list of requirements lol. Though i do like the fact you're not playing about and given a list of your needs straight up, makes a change around here. I can't think of a set off the top of my head but will post if/when i do come across such a set. The problem i think is the need for a detachable cable with the need for it to be closed pretty much as well as over the ear, i see why you've posted here for help.

Yeah, that cable thing's a PITA. Totally worth it IMO. AKG's got a lot of stuff that's detachable. Considering the AKG K271 MK II. Beyer Dynamic's DT 880 Pro are some of the most beautiful headphones I've ever seen. It's a real shame they don't meet (almost any of) my requirements. I'd pay a little more for something with some style to it. I can't browse the site at work, but the Fischer Audio FA-003 are pretty cans too. Hear they've got detachable cords.

 

[Rossi~]

Yeah +1 for the DT 880 Pros, shame really.

Are the Ultrasone Pro 750s over ear? I always thought they were on ear but looking at them i may have been wrong. If so they may be a good bet.

Edit:Also the 900s as well. They're both closed back as well so will cut out a lot of ambient noise (your PC).

 

[m3ta1head]

Shure SRH840 meets most major requirements. Detachable cable, circumaural, obviously very high quality. I can't guarantee that it won't leak sound (ALL circumaural headphones leak some sound-the amount of sound they leak is usually directly related to how tight they clamp down on your head, and consequently, how comfortable they are).

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Earphones/dp/B002DP8IEK

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Are the Ultrasone Pro 750s over ear?

Aw, crap, I need to change that. Over/on ear is okay with me. Just not in-ear.
Ultrasone Pro 750 and 900s added to the list. The look isn't bad. Not a huge fan of folding headphones, but hey, it's not like I HAVE to use the feature. Besides, titanium. How cool is that?
Same with the Shure SRH840s.

Think I'm going to pass on the M-Audio Q40s and the Pioneer HDJ-2000s. They look too much like something I'd get with a Sony Walkman. Unless there's some "zOMG best audio evar!" reason to consider them? Anyone have any thoughts on the Sony MDR-Z1000? Magnesium makes me happy. They are on the outer edge of my price limit, though, and Sony's been hit-or-miss for me as a company over the past few years. Can't hit up the Superlux or Equation Audio sites at work. Boo

The Beyer Dynamic DT-250s look like they have a detachable cable. Anyone know if it's proprietary or if it's just got a weird shape to it?

So, the list:
AKG K271 MK II - $160 (Not metal, sexy, good reviews)
Ultrasone Pro 750 - $370 (Everyone says Ultrasone are indestructable. Not as sexy as K271 or FA003.)
Ultrasone Pro 900 - $400 (As above, only a little more expensive. Ultrasone worth the price?)
Shure SRH840 - $180 (Not metal, but kinda stylish. Good reviews.)
Sony MDR-Z1000 - $550? (Overpriced, unknown how I feel about Sony.)
Equation Audio Eartools RP-22x - $100 (Good styling, good price. If only the silver bits were metal!)
Equation Audio Eartools RP-21 - $90 (Funky coloring. Ew.)
Superlux unknown (can't view at work)
Beyer Dynamics DT-250 - $190 (Proprietary cable? Style is meh.)
Fischer Audio FA-003 - $167 (Almost as sexy as the DT-880s, but can't find them anywhere!)
Sennheiser HD25-1 II - $200
Beyer Dynamics DT-1350 - $300 (Is the cable detachable?)

 

[Rossi~]

. The look isn't bad. Not a huge fan of folding headphones

Also, remember they are Ultrasone so regardless of the fact they're folding i would put good money on them surviving many a year and other problems arising before the folding parts break.

 

[450]

Look into the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. Its possible to make cables for those headphones (I mean other people have done it).

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Look into the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. Its possible to make cables for those headphones (I mean other people have done it).

The HD600 and HD650 are open, not closed. And I am not going to modify these headphones, so I need something with a detachable cable from the factory. They're both nice headphones, but don't meet my requirements.

 

[450]

The HD600 and HD650 are open, not closed. And I am not going to modify these headphones, so I need something with a detachable cable from the factory. They're both nice headphones, but don't meet my requirements.

Sorry, I totally glazed over the closed headphones requirement.

 

[Blackbeard Ben]

The Sennheiser HD 25-1 II, however, would fit the bill perfectly.

And what's with the replaceable cable fetish? Many a better headphone have cables that are more than sturdy enough, if that's your concern. If you want to "roll" the cable for better sound, you're a lost cause.

Oh, and there's also the Beyerdynamic DT 1350, the new competitor to the HD 25-II. That would fit your bill, except the cable is only said to be user-replaceable by one source. But they're meant to be DJ cans, so the cable would be my last worry... SOUND QUALITY should be the primary concern...

 

[hfk]

Despite what's suggested by the previous replier which I agree with, have a look at these.

 

[Rossi~]

The Sennheiser HD 25-II, however, would fit the bill perfectly.

And what's with the replaceable cable fetish? Many a better headphone have cables that are more than sturdy enough, if that's your concern. If you want to "roll" the cable for better sound, you're a lost cause.

Oh, and there's also the Beyerdynamic DT 1350, the new competitor to the HD 25-II. That would fit your bill, except the cable is only said to be user-replaceable by one source. But they're meant to be DJ cans, so the cable would be my last worry... SOUND QUALITY should be the primary concern...

HD25-1 II are fantastic, i own 2 pairs. Though if you want to disconnect and re-connect the cable often then i would look else where, the connectors are very tuff to budge and not design for frequent disconnections.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

The Sennheiser HD 25-II, however, would fit the bill perfectly.

And what's with the replaceable cable fetish? Many a better headphone have cables that are more than sturdy enough, if that's your concern. If you want to "roll" the cable for better sound, you're a lost cause.

Oh, and there's also the Beyerdynamic DT 1350, the new competitor to the HD 25-II. That would fit your bill, except the cable is only said to be user-replaceable by one source. But they're meant to be DJ cans, so the cable would be my last worry... SOUND QUALITY should be the primary concern...

I'll add both those to the list when I get a chance. As for the cable fetish, it has nothing to do with "rolling" the cable. I simply want cables of varying lengths for the different products I use. When I'm listening to an iPod, I'd like to have something nice and short, fairly flexible. When relaxing at home, listening to audio, I'd like to have something a little bit longer, more durable, perhaps a coiled cable. When laying in bed watching a DVD on my Macbook, something extra short would be nice.

Oh yeah, and I'm a sucker for pointless customization, so having cables that have different sleeves on them makes me happy

But yes, sound quality is a big concern for me. I doubt I'm the kind of person who can differentiate between an LCD-2 and a D7000, but I can certainly tell the difference between something like this and my HD280s! Any mid-fi headphone and probably most budget-fi headphones are more than adequate for my listening needs. It's simply a matter of finding the best bang for my buck, and which features I want, need, and am willing to pay for.

 

[Blackbeard Ben]

I'll add both those to the list when I get a chance. As for the cable fetish, it has nothing to do with "rolling" the cable. I simply want cables of varying lengths for the different products I use. When I'm listening to an iPod, I'd like to have something nice and short, fairly flexible. When relaxing at home, listening to audio, I'd like to have something a little bit longer, more durable, perhaps a coiled cable. When laying in bed watching a DVD on my Macbook, something extra short would be nice.

Oh yeah, and I'm a sucker for pointless customization, so having cables that have different sleeves on them makes me happy

But yes, sound quality is a big concern for me. I doubt I'm the kind of person who can differentiate between an LCD-2 and a D7000, but I can certainly tell the difference between something like this and my HD280s! Any mid-fi headphone and probably most budget-fi headphones are more than adequate for my listening needs. It's simply a matter of finding the best bang for my buck, and which features I want, need, and am willing to pay for.

Well, I haven't heard either, but I doubt you wouldn't have any trouble telling between them! Closed vs. open and a very different frequency response make them much different headphones.

Now, determining which one is better...

Anyway, I totally understand your point about the different length cables. Actually, for my HD 600 (the same standard Sennheiser cable plugs), I have three cables!

One's the original 1/8" plug cable, shortened and re-terminated (with the cheap but excellent Neutrik Rean plugs) at 4' long for portable use (I might actually graft it onto my Alessandro MS1i, as I never use it); one's the thicker 1/4" plug, 10' long HD 650 cable for home use (I've got a Schiit Asgard), and the last one is another HD 650 cable re-terminated with a 6-pin Hirose connector for my iBasso PB1 (I use it as a portable rig with a Clip+).

So it's all about convenience, yes. Actually, in that case, it's relatively easy (and very cheap) to get the much longer HD 650 cable for the HD 25-1 II. Rossi~ has a good point, however, that the Sennheiser cable jacks not made for constant switching. Some have experienced that the contact springs wear out eventually - I myself haven't found it to be a problem so far, and I probably change out the cables far more often than most people. I don't do it on a daily basis, but maybe half a dozen to a dozen times a month.

Also, if extra length for home use is your main concern - there's lots of cable extensions out there! Grado makes an excellent 15' 1/4"-1/4" one for $40, although it's a lot thicker than, say, the thin (but sturdy) Beyerdynamic DT 1350 cable.