I just bought the HD-555 for 99 bucks at amazon and am very happy with the purchase. The base is crisp and punchy, and can resonate well with the lower frequencies (playing Hip-Hop very nicely) without sacraficing the highs. They are very comfortable, and I could easily wear them for 5-6 hours without any stress or discomfort. The pads are a felt-like cloth rather than faux leather or soft plastic, which is a big plus for me.

Many say that they need to be amped, but I use them with my ipod and the sound is still amazing (though you'll need an amp to really demo the product) and really the only noticeable difference is a lack of oomph with the bass, but it's negligible and still has good bump.

Out of those, the 555 is going to be the best bet, and you won't get a better pair of headphones for that price.

HD-555's ordered for my brother. Unfortunately, they aren't gonna arrive until I've already left town :/ Hopefully I'll be able to hear them sometime soon.

One more thing. They are open headphones, which means that other people will hear what you are listening to, so they wouldn't be good for airplane or office use.

How much better are they than PCX 300 ? The price increase is drastic from $130 to $430 ?

Are sound isolating headphones better or worse than noise-canceling head phones? This article says that they are, but it might be deliberate advertising for Shure.

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/coofsoiseaan.html

Any thoughts on Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones which have 650 reviews at 4.5 stars on Amazon.com ?? $125

I would imagine that without an amp, the AKGs or similar high-end headphones would be pretty bad to listen to on an iPod.

fwiw, I will only use them with a laptop to watch dvds.

Lookimg for a good headphone for ipod use, car and plane trips...

Noticed the Shure 530s got good reviews on CNet and a couple people here have them or older versions of them. Wondering if they are a good choice for around $300 + shipping online?

I'm planning on getting a pair of headphones in the next day or so and looking for some input or advice. I guess PITTM has been banned, so hopefully someone else can help

I don't think I'd enjoy the inner canal ones much, so i'm pretty much between the Sennheiser HD 595 ($170), Sennheiser HD 555 ($100), Sennheiser PXC 250 (80), Sennheiser PXC 300 (110).

I love everything I hear about the 595's, but I'm in between college and work at the moment so while I can buy them, I'd really like to know if its really worth the 70 extra dollars for someone without an amp, and will be mostly be using them on an IPOD/Laptop.

The pcx noise cancellations intrigued me because of the price, but I feel like I'd be paying for features I wouldn't be using as much. I don't play live poker as much as I used to and while I see myself traveling in the future at least a small amount, it isn't a thing that is a big issue.

Is the 595 a HUGE step up from the 555? If I'm not planning on using an amp does that mean I should get the 555?

I'm not just looking for Sennheiser, so if anyone has any ideas for similar models in the 70-150 price range I'd love to hear.

Mostly I am going to be using them for listening to music while I'm just hanging around my house, playing video games or whatever, and if I go on any long trips.

I came across these just now: Sennheiser HD280 Silver Closed Dynamic Circum-Aural Headphones. They are marked from 220 to 80. A CNET review led me to them because they said they are better for music than the 555. Anyone have experience with these?

What is the difference between closed and open head phones in regards to sound quality? Sound leaking out isn't really a problem for me and for what I will be using them for so should I be definately looking at open head phones and if so why?

I am looking to purchase a set of headphones in the £50-£100 range ($100-$200) and I am looking for something for listening to music mostly on the computer with a standard creative soundcard (no amp or anything) whilst playing online poker. However I also want to be able to use it with my MP3 player, watching DVD's and playing Playstation 3.

The high end headphones mentioned here I don't think are in my price range and they might not be suitable anyway. The Sennheiser brand seems to be the most (or one of the) reputable brands so those are the models I have been looking at. I just don't know where to start.

I picked up some ~80$ Panasonic "noise canceling" earphones at some airport store before I flew home on Christmas because the iPhone headsets couldn't cut it sitting on the exit row, spent the whole flight pressing my coat over my ear to be able to hear my movie. The Panasonic's are over the ear phones and by themselves cut a large part of the noise on a flight, was able to easily hear the iPhone. The noise cancelation didn't seem to do much, sounded like competing white noise more than anything else. This was sitting literally next to the engine at the back of an MD40 on the flight.

This thread has gotten my curiosity up about the AKG 701s. I've listened to the Sennheiser 600s for quite some time now, and am very happy with their sound. But there is always something else around the corner, so I bought the 701s to compare.

First comparison does not favor the 701s. They look more comfortable, but are not really, to me. The earpads are bigger, but for whatever reason just seem to bring more attention to themselves on my head. The strap is wider than the strap on the 600s, which you would think would disperse the pressure on the top of your head better, but again it only seemed to bring attention to itself more.

Sound-wise, they seemed not very compelling. Bass was a little anemic, and highs were there, yet lacking life somehow. Overall a less involving, dynamic and lifelike experience than the 600s.

I've since read that the 701s do well with a long break in period. I'll play music through them for about a week while I'm gone on vacation next week and then check them out again and see how they fare.

I'm listening to them through a HeadRoom Little amp (this one)
http://www.laaudiofile.com/little.html

I may also get the bulging capacitors on my X-Cans repaired (or do some upgrading myself - http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/Neilxcan2.htm) and check out on that amp as well. The bulging capacitors may be due to a heat build-up issue http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/xventilate.htm

Well I finally plumped for the HD555's as I found them for a very reasonable $51, which is just over $100. Thoughts? I look forward to receiving them.

A co-worker let me try out a 100 buck pair of Sony closed ear headphones and I couldn't tell the difference from my 555 Senn's which are open-ear, but I didn't do much of a comparison as I tested them days apart. Also, while people making a stink about needing an amp have a point, most others would be perfectly fine with any quality headphone on a non-amped source. Personally my 555's sound close enough to the quality they get from my receiver for me to not bat an eye.

You can get the 555's for 100 bucks at amazon, and I didn't notice enough of an improvement between that and the 595's to warrant the 80 buck leap in price. Plus, the higher up you go the more you'll want an amp to take advantage of the available sound quality that you paid extra for.

Where did you find HD 555'd for $51 ? They were around $100 everywhere I looked (checked froogle, pricewatch, newegg, etc).

found some shure e500's for $350 (retail $500).
Are these worth the price. My other options are the etymotic er6i or anything else I can find for cheaper.

Does anyone have experience with Shure repairing products? I cracked the outer casing of one of my e500s earbuds and it's currently taped together. The internal electronics are fine. This was my fault so I'm happy to pay for repairs but I don't have a backup pair of headphones and don't want to wait months while these are being repaired? Does anyone know what to expect?

PITTM,

You touched on the issue earlier, but generally speaking, how well does a good quality receiver drive headphones compared to a dedicated headphone amp? I'm thinking of getting a Denon 2808 in the near future and am wondering if it would suffice? Also, I'm interested in the 701's, and I've read they really need an amp to sound good.

I'm not sure what you mean by outer casing, but as long as its still under warranty shure have pretty good customer service.

To the person asking about the e500s, whether they're worth the price or not is completely up to you. I personally think they're the greatest head phones i've ever owned, and the sound is amazing. One thing i've just encountered though is that there is a known issue with the cabling cracking, and this has just happened to mine after 6 months. Apparently Shure replace them, no questions asked, so i'm about to send them in.

There's a sick Sennheiser PXC 450 noise canceling headphone deal on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/SELDD-SENNHEISER...sid=p1638.m118

Their retail is $450 and I haven't seen it lower anywhere except here. I bought these a few days ago from this guy, but haven't received them yet.

Questions:
1) I've been using my Sennheiser HD650s without an amp, connected to my computer. Will these sound worse than a lesser headphone or are they just not making full use of their capabilities? Will an amp be a major improvement? If I were using it with an iPod instead would that change things?
2) I got the new Kipsch IMAGE "smallest headphones in the world" a few days ago. They are really tiny, but seem pretty weak. Any info on how these compare to other in ear headphones like Shure? What other brands are good in this segment? They might seem weak just because I compared them to the Bose QC and the Senn650, should really be comparing them to the default iPod ones.

Anyone know if the PXC 450 works with the iPhone without an adapter?

First headphone review. I'd always used cheapies for portable use, because I don't use a portable much and I just hadn't gotten around to whatever. So last month a friend points out the Ultimate Ear Super Fi 3 which are on sale for about $50 and normally cost double that (or more?). And they're generally known as a top maker. Okay, let's go for it.

Verdict: I like the isolation (first time with), but I put on David Bowie, Hunky Dory, track 1 Changes, and--distortion. they can't play the vocal harmony parts without going staticky. Setting the volume low helps, but it still peaks with distortion unless I set it well below ambient level, maybe.

How many hundreds do you have to spend to not get distortion? Can someone confirm at what level of product/price they can play Changes--loudly even?!--without distorting (like my magnepan mg-12's are doing right now at very high volume)? (Forget supposed audiophile qualities...)

edit: searched the whole thread and the word distort/ion does not appear. odd since entry level phones are being discussed too. I wonder how many people think distortion = loud kickin' music (like so many people think distortion = good poppin' bass, lol).

okay, so I'm stupid, but we can all take a lesson from this: you really have to keep these things clean (or they can start distorting on you...)

PITTM,

Thanks for the "Kramer Mod" for the KSC75's! Can't wait to do it and see how it turns out.

http://www.amazon.com/s/sr=41-39/qid...nheiser&page=1

I got new Sennheiser HD555's yesterday from this seller for $53! I don't see them at that price anymore.