I'm in dire need of a new pair of headphones...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by youraveragevinylcollector, Jan 3, 2018.

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  1. timztunz

    timztunz Audioista

    Location:
    Texas
    True, they are not noise cancelling. I don't recommend noise cancelling. IMO the PM3 are better than anything I've heard under a grand. They are no where close to my Focal Utopia or Sennheiser H880S, nor would I expect for them to be considering the price.

    Not "twice the price", I suggested stretching the budget. Isn't that what we all do? :cool:

    Oops, my bad. They ARE twice the price. Ok, really stretch the budget!
     
  2. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
  3. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    OP is looking for noise isolation or Noise canceling.

    As for the NAD HP50s, I owned a pair and really enjoyed the sound. They aren't the best at isolation though.
     
  4. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I don’t disagree with you. As I said, I have them and use them in a loud environment.

    My only complaint about them is they get a little uncomfortable on the ears on the plane - but only after about 90 min or so (and I have big ears than continue to grow...)
     
  5. DonnyMe

    DonnyMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    SC
    I have the NAD Viso HP50's and the Massdrop HD6XX's and the sound quality goes to the Massdrop, but not by a lot. Both are great sounding, but have limitations. The Massdrops are open back and not good at cutting out noise. The NAD's are better at reducing ambient noise and have a great midrange as well. Do some research on them and you will see they are highly regarded and in my opinion a better sounding phone than the Audio Technica's. But if sound cancellation is really important than I would suggest you consider the PSB M4U2. Paul Barton designed these as well as the NADs and while I did consider them, I chose the NADs because of comfort and I felt they sounded a wee bit better. Good luck on your search. I'm sure when you make up your mind you will be satisfied.
    PSB M4U 2 High Performance Headphone-Audio Advisor
     
  6. timztunz

    timztunz Audioista

    Location:
    Texas
    Wait until you get to be my age when the only place you grow hair is in your nose and those ears. :winkgrin:
     
  7. TerryB

    TerryB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Calais, VT
    I can't understand why people don't look at the OP's stated needs- isolated or noise cancelling, That means NO open back 'phones. I'm not a fan of active noise cancelling, although I might be if I flew a lot. Anyway, a buddy of mine, not an audiophile but a music lover, asked me for advice on a set of reasonably-priced headphones. So I loaned him some, with the instructions to do no googling or other research first, just listen. Then we could discuss features, mostly cord length, portability, etc. I gave him:
    Grado SR-80i (open)
    Sennheiser 598 (open)
    HiFiMan 400i (open)
    Monoprice 8323 (closed)
    Focal Spirit One S (closed)
    Audio Technica AT-M20x (closed)
    Audio Technica AT-M50x (closed)

    He spent a night with them, and ran them by his wife for a second opinion. They agreed that all the open ones leaked too much. They also both agreed the M50x was best by far, followed closely by the M20x. So I gave him the 20s, Merry Christmas.
    I'm playing the 50s right now, they're my preferred travel 'phone. I do agree that they are a bit 'hot', but for the price they are a great phone and a touch of EQ can tone that down. I did also recently give another buddy a pair of M40x's and only listened for a moment, no direct comparison, but I would say they're a more subdued ('normal') M50. The 20s are a good bit more mellow, certainly less detailed. If I'd heard a set of the Sennheiser 598C I might recommend that, I love my (open) 598s and am looking at some 650s but they would not fit the OP's travelability requirements. The Monoprice 8323s are good for what they are, $16 headphones.

    To sum it up: I'd stick with quality, so consider $100-150 here. This gets you detail, the nxt consideration is how hot/live you want them. Ranking from warm to bright, I'd say: Senn 598c (based purely on my open 598s and other Senn's I've heard in the past) > AT M40x > AT M50x.

    My $0.02
    TB
     
  8. youraveragevinylcollector

    youraveragevinylcollector Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hartwell, GA
    I doubt my Skullcandys were good at isolation, either. Those would have to be a slight bit better
     
  9. ggjjr

    ggjjr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grosse Pointe
    Sorry if this is OT, but do in ear monitors like the Westone W10, or Cardas A8 isolate one from the noise on a plane better than regular earbuds?
     
  10. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    That's not a great price-that's an off-the-wall drop everything and buy price for these legendary cans. Amazon Warehouse deals on headphones are usually good and the condition tends to be underrated, so I'd act fast (these are rated "acceptable"). They fit your prerequisites to a T (wood does a good job of noise cancellation).
    Since those won't be around long you could always go Beyerdynamic DT770 (80 ohm), or the above mentioned ATH-M50x.
     
  11. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    Oh, I’m there. But I guess I’m fortunate that it still grows on my head too...
     
  12. meanoldman

    meanoldman Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Park, CO
    I like Sennheiser's entire line. Very high quality products.
     
  13. jeffmackwood

    jeffmackwood Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    The Denons are no longer listed. Someone got one heck of a deal.

    For the record they are way better in every regard compared to anything else mentioned in this thread: amazing frequency response - nothing goes as low and clean as that line of Denons - beautifully smooth throughout the entire range; very good noise isolation; very comfortable; plays really nice with anything you plug them into; and on and on and on...

    I was going to buy them myself to give to one of my kids but did not on purpose so that the OP had a shot at them.

    Jeff
     
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  14. Greg Carrier

    Greg Carrier Senior Member

    Location:
    Iowa City
    Love my ATH-M50s. I've heard good things about the ATH-M40's, too -- more neutral, for one thing. I haven't heard them, but I do have a pair of ATH-M20's, and they sound great for the price, not so far from the 50's. I like the slightly boosted bass of the 50's, though.
     
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  15. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

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  16. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    I haven’t used those particular models, but I’d say yes. To sound right an in ear monitor needs to create a good seal. That seal will also provide a fair amount of isolation. I use my Sony XBA-4s on planes.
     
    ggjjr likes this.
  17. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    I had the original M50's for a long time, but I finally sold them because the pads were just slightly too small for my ears, and they became too uncomfortable to wear for long periods. And I swapped numerous pads out to try and keep these, but anything other than stock pads changed the sound too much. I miss them-they were fun.
     
  18. ggjjr

    ggjjr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grosse Pointe
    Thank you for the reply.
     
  19. youraveragevinylcollector

    youraveragevinylcollector Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hartwell, GA
    I see that Audio-Technica released a new set of noise cancelling headphones, the ATH-ANC700BT. If I were to purchase these, I'd use the wired connection and just use the noise cancellation. I see that there are no reviews on the product on their website, and they just came out. Should I go for these instead of the ATH-M50x? I would really enjoy the noise cancellation, as I'd use them at school and on car rides.
     
  20. AcidPunk15

    AcidPunk15 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Brunswick, NJ
    Anthony Fantano Recommends AKGs. I would recommend AKG 712 that are the ones I want. I think you would need a headphone amp to get the true fidelity of those headphones, but as someone else recommended Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX as suppose to be great headphones
     
  21. youraveragevinylcollector

    youraveragevinylcollector Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hartwell, GA
    I’ve been thinking about purchasing a full on set of noise cancelling headphones. I’ve looked around, and $200 or less is my price point. I use my headphones at school, and almost always in the car. I personally think Sony or Audio Technica would be very good brands for me to look into. I’ve heard good reviews for both brands on many different price points, but I’m not sure what to aim for. I want something that sounds rather rich, but not too bassy or tinny, and with a soundstage rich enough (with noise cancellation on) to at least do better (which isn’t hard) than my Skullcandys. Mostly loud and noisy rooms are what I’m trying to drown out as much as possible.
     
  22. youraveragevinylcollector

    youraveragevinylcollector Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hartwell, GA
    I settled on a pair of Bose QuietComfort 25s. Not the best decision, but they’d have to be just as good as my current headphones. Plus, if I don’t like them, I can always send them back to Amazon.
     
  23. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Hope you're not driving when you do!
     
  24. beercanchicken

    beercanchicken Legendary Stickman

    Location:
    Chicago

    ATH-MSR7 (can be a little treble-y but pretty amazing at everything else)
    Sony MDR-1A
    Beyerdynamic DT 240
    Sennheiser HD 569
    Meze 99
     
  25. youraveragevinylcollector

    youraveragevinylcollector Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hartwell, GA
    Never. I can’t even attempt to look at my phone while driving, let alone use headphones.
     
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