Jump to content

Need a bit isolation and good sound


yourmom

Recommended Posts

Ahoi,

I've been searching for quite a while now. What I want is a comfortable, good sounding headphone which offers a bit isolation. First, let me sum up what I already heard:

Shure SRH840 (good overall but not good enough in the end)

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (very nice overall but the strange coloration can be a problem, I really loved the bass and highs)

AKG K-271 (I liked the bass and the mids but overall I found it to be a bit too boring)

Compact Monitors Stage 3 (custom inears from Germany, almost perfect but my anatomy has problems with inears so I left that path completely)

Westone UM3x (before the Stage 3, also nice but in absolute terms a bit lacking)

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (once again, sometimes you just love those mids!)

Ultrasone Pro 750 (bass was ok, overall too much power in the mids and highs, not really relaxing, bad fit)

JVC HA-DX 1000 (not my headphone, didn't like the sound signature, had some honky mids, don't know better how to descrice that...)

Westone UM-1 (not enough bass and highs but ok for the price)

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm (too much bass, too much highs, not good at all for me)

Recently I got the DT48e which is very good overall but it really lacks deep bass and that's a problem since I listen to a lot of electronic music. I also have the Sony CD900ST which has the bass I need (maybe a tad too much but that would be tolerable for me) but the Sony lacks resolution and the DT48e e.g. is better overall.

What to do next? As you can see, I like a rather neutral sound with no emphasis on the highs or higher mids and I need a bass that goes very low but I don't need too much quantity. Hope you have some ideas for me :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, ok. Maybe I put the question wrong and you also don't want to talk about headphones... But can you tell me why closed headphones just don't work as good as the open counterparts? I mean aside from a large sound stage that imitates a loadspeaker. Some better Inears just work and deliver a rather accurate frequency response so what's the problem with normal closed headphones?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see... Let me sum up my thoughts: The bass needs some space behind it to "breathe". Otherwise you end up with a DT48. Good inears use more drivers to compensate this and use the canal to form one sound source. If you'd build a headphone with bigger multiple drivers, you need a certain distance so that you will perceive them as one emitting source. The space between drivers and ear must be rather small so that you don't lose too much energy... Enough constraints making building a good closed headphone. Is there something I forgot? Well, the pads. Pleather pads will reflect the sound in a different manner than velours or whatever so it would be wise to make them very flat which leads to a not so comfortable fit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huh? No. Headphones work entirely differently than speakers. There is no "breathing". There is only moving back and forth very very slowly, but very close to your ear.

Also, most headphones work with single-driver technology, I wouldn't get too distracted by multiple drivers. Those are the exception, not the rule. But yes, you should just get JH13's or JH16's and be done with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think of sealed versus open baffle speakers, it's similar to that (but in reality there must be something behind the drivers to protect them so there is a certain amount of backwave reflection). Sell your DT48 and get something better, and do some research on how headphones and speakers work while you're at it. You just spouted a bunch of half truths and things that are just plain wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would you mind telling me what is so wrong about my thoughts? The DT48 sounds interesting but that's about it. So, what it is a better closed headphone? The difference between an open baffle and sealed speakers is a good example, thanks. I see that the reflections might be the biggest problem with closed headphones. Is it wrong to say that in theory very large cups with good dampening should be the best alternative to an open design when you need isolation?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.