Need advice for good closed phones

[jeremy6044]

hi, i'm kind of an amateur at this, though i have been lurking for quite some time.

i'm looking for closed cans that i can use in public places. up until now i've used iem's, but they get uncomfortable and my ears get all stuffed up wearing them for long periods of time. so i'm thinking closed are the way to go with me.

another thing i'm looking for is a warm, non-fatiguing sound! i have ety er-6i, and koss ksc-75, and while i appreciate the detail and neutrality they give, they are both somewhat fatiguing. so i'm looking for phones that i can wear for a long period of time without getting fatigued...and i'm thinking a warm sound would be good for that.

yesterday i went to a shop and listened to:

akg k81dj (warm sound, but uncomfortable because on-ear and not over ear)

audio-technica ht4-m50

denon ah-d1001 (i couldn't tell much of a difference between these two...maybe they were too fatiguing and harsh, dunno...i was listening to their music and only for a minute, so it was hard to judge. i guess they were okay)

i would really appreciate any advice you could give me. i'd like to spend $100, but would go up to $200 because it seems there's very little quality at the $100 range.

thanks for your help!

[jeremy6044]

oops...i meant ath-m50 for the audio-technica.

[ojnihs]

I NEED SOME HEADPHONES!!! WOOT!!

[JBLoudG20]

FOR MAH GAMEZ MUZIKS!

[granodemostasa]

[jeremy6044]

ok, now i'm confused...is that picture supposed to be a recommendation? if so, what model are they?

as for the other comments...well, yeah, that doesn't help.

[philodox]

Well, if you like the sound of the K81DJ's, but not the comfort, it does get better as you get used to them. I've also heard some people finding the sennheiser velour pads more comfortable, but I've yet to try them. Otherwise, I don't really have a recommendation for you. The K271S would be a good fit, especially with the velour pads, but they are significantly less portable and pretty much demand that you use a portable amp.

[Nanoha]

ok, now i'm confused...is that picture supposed to be a recommendation? if so, what model are they?

Yes, I believe that was a recommendation for the ES-7.

[HiWire]

Philodox, do you think bass boost is required for the 271? The reviews lean that way, from what I've read.

I gave up looking for closed cans a while ago and will purchase v-moda Vibes if they come in blue.

[holland]

The K271 is not like the K81DJ. It's a much leaner presentation and brighter by nature (nowhere near as much bass). A recable helps to some extent, but it's still no comparison.

Bass boost would help, if that's what you want, but you might be better off looking for something else.

[philodox]

I don't find the K271S to be as bass shy as most, though they will sound pretty thin with bad/no amplification. Bass boost could certainly tweak it though. I agree that the K271S doesn't sound exactly like the K81DJ, but most of the differences are in the K271S' favour. The K81DJ has way more bass than the K271S, but then it has way more bass than pretty much every headphone I've heard save the DT770.

The velour pads may help with the bass as well, I know they did with my K340s.

[jeremy6044]

well, i kind of think the k81dj's have too much bass. sure that makes them sound less bright and harsh, but i'm worried i'd get annoyed by that in the long run. i listened to senn's once (open), don't recall which model, but i liked their sound profile. anything in that category for closed cans?

does anyone have experience with those denons or audio-technicas i mentioned? maybe i'll check out those es-7s.

[The Monkey]

The Senn HD 25-1 is a pretty solid portable closed can.

[pabbi1]

Equation Audio RP-21, usually available shipped for about $95. Check their website for a dealer near you or that will ship.

[Dusty Chalk]

I haven't heard them myself, but supposedly the Koss Pro 4aa/4aaa/?exact model number is supposed to be pretty good. Once I'm rolling in dough again, I'll buy all three (4aa/4aaa/ti) and do a comparison.

[Nanoha]

The Senn HD 25-1 is a pretty solid portable closed can.

Definitely.

Does anyone think the K271S is extremely "honky" sounding - borderline unbearable? I didn't think this was the case when I owned them a few years ago, but I recently got a chance to hear them again and was greatly displeased.

[Fungi]

I haven't heard them myself, but supposedly the Koss Pro 4aa/4aaa/?exact model number is supposed to be pretty good. Once I'm rolling in dough again, I'll buy all three (4aa/4aaa/ti) and do a comparison.

I have the 4AA but that thing is ridiculously heavy and it doesn't have sound great enough to bear that weight or uncomfort.

[philodox]

I didn't find them that way when I owned them, but who knows. People change.

[holland]

What is meant by "honky"? I guess it could be, if it's meant as a midrange emphasis. It's strength is in the mids to upper-mids and rolls off nicely for the highs. It sounded a bit lifeless when I first got it, as I tend to prefer a fuller sound, but there was enough there to make me spend the time to re-cable them.

There's a definite shock that requires re-acclimation when you switch between headphones, even switching amongst my bright headphones but definitely between fuller sounding headphones to 271. Re-cabling with a 24awg starquad is a noticeable benefit to the lower mids, and a second reason is to get rid of the long, and thin stock cord that makes it's way under seat rollers constantly.

[slwiser]

If you can swing for almost ~280$ check out the new ATH-ESW9. It has some congestion in really fast heavily distorted music but otherwise it does very good for jazz, vocals and instrumentals for me. But for the money the ES7 may do as well for you.

[sk138]

I think Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 sounds excellent, plus it's a sound cancellation phone.

[Cosmopragma]

another thing i'm looking for is a warm, non-fatiguing and koss ksc-75, and while i appreciate the detail and neutrality they give, they are both somewhat fatiguing.

Could you elaborate what you find fatiguing when you listen to the KSC75s?

They are not what I'd call treble heavy so I'm a bit at a loss here.

What kind of player are you utilizing?

[JBLoudG20]

My recommendation is for the ES7. I fully intend on purchasing another when I have the spare cash.

[ronnielee54]

I recommend the ES7's as well. I enjoy mine for what they are - good portable cans. Some complain about discomfort but after awhile I got used to their fit and have no problems whatsoever. The work well without amplification and are pretty nice looking IMO.

[Agnostic]

I agree with ATH-ES7:

Slightly rolled of highs, not harsh at all, yet reasonably detailed. Nice soundstage, not huge but good for closed I'd say. Very nice, warm, smooth, slightly euphonic mids. A little midd bass hump but not too bad, goes pretty low. All in all I'm quite happy with them. They're better than I expected from what I'd read about them.

Just one word of warning, if your one of those up tight guys walking around with cleched jaws forget about them, it completely spoils their sound. (I was annoyed about something and suddenly the ATH-ES7 sounded like crap to me, so I wondered what was going on, unclenched my jaws and back was the nice sound).