Please help me in choosing a Good Circumaural Headphone

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emmarbee

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Hi,
Good to see you back after a long time. I'm in need of some guidance.

I'm looking for a good Circumaural headphones.

Usage: 50% Music, 40% Movies and 10% Games.

But only while listening to music, I look for quality(sheer quality). While watching movies and playing games, I tend to forget about sound quality.

Setup: Creative Titanium Fatal1ty Pro + Logitech Z5500. Mostly I'll be connecting the headphones to the control pod of the Z5500. (I guess it downmixes the 5.1 to stereo for movies and passes the stereo sound as it is for stereo music) But if you guys tell me that, connecting the jack directly to the sound card sounds better I will connect with them too.

Budget: Preferably around 2.5K(will be left out with some money to buy few more CDs) and maximum of 5K(I have to empty my piggy bank).
Shortlisted Models So far: Sennheiser HD485, HD555, HD280 Pro and other Supraaural Models like HD415, HD435, HD465.

Thought of considering Grado SR60, but i'm concerned about its availability and the warranty stuff. I'm not sure whether the sound quality is that good to give up on the warranty stuff.

But still, if you feel like there are some other good headphones like Grado SR60 or AKG, please let me know of it along with its availability.
 
IMO..

HD280 Pro --- Not for games,Not comfortable. -- A big no

HD555/485 --- Anything will work for you.

SR60 --- Not for games and movies.
 
If it's mainly about the Music ,then do consider the Allesandro MS1i :) One of the best open cans you can get for 5k . Allesandro ships it to India for free if you order from their site.It's for 99$.
 
FaH33m said:
If it's mainly about the Music ,then do consider the Allesandro MS1i :) One of the best open cans you can get for 5k . Allesandro ships it to India for free if you order from their site.It's for 99$.
Click to expand...

But their web site is a little strange :)

When I tried to order MS1i, I got a Security warning from Firefox

Alessandro High-End Products uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is not trusted because it is self-signed.
The certificate is only valid for hera.gti.net
The certificate expired on 03/06/2005 03:04 AM.
Click to expand...

And their contact E-mail ID: hounddogcorp@verizon.net for Ordering Information. hounddogcorp@msn.com for general information.

Of course, it could be genuine. But, I am not too comfortable :)
 
^ MS1i refers to the "improved 2009 version" of MS1? They are $110. Guess there is no change in Sound Signature except the external appearance?
 
Thanks for the input guys. Its nice to see people recommending some great but unpopular brands... I browsed through their website. Adding to cart was very simple. There are 2 versions. One is improved one and other other with mini jack. The mini jack means 3.5mm plug? and does that mean, the improved version doesn't carry one?

I went through the headfi forum to see what the audiophiles are saying about the MS1, and they are comparing it to the SR80s and the SR125s. And i thought SR60 itself was good. Is it so? Are the MS1s equal to SR80 and SR125?

FaH33m, can you link me to any hifi forum threads that speak about MS1s.
After reading the reviews of different brands headphones, i feel like its pointless to compare two brands as each have their own ups and downs.

So my priority is like this
1) Soundstage
2) Dynamics
3)Bass Response
4)Treble
5) Detailing

And ya, forgot to mention, definitely comfort comes at the top! Preferably soft foam material, NO LEATHER. Like the one used in Beyerdynamic DT880 (jus kidding)....

And one more doubt, does the open type sounds better than closed ones? I'm badly in need of closed ones, as I can't let sound come in or go out. But if that lowers my soundstage, then I have to reconsider, plz help me out guys

I guess I'm clear about what I want. if not correct me guys...
 
emmarbee said:
I went through the headfi forum to see what the audiophiles are saying about the MS1, and they are comparing it to the SR80s and the SR125s. And i thought SR60 itself was good. Is it so? Are the MS1s equal to SR80 and SR125?
Click to expand...

MS1's are just tweaked Grados. I am not sure anybody besides Grado and Alessandro knows exactly which Grado they upgraded. SR80 / SR125 are just two popular opinions.

No! both phones only have 3.5mm or 1/8" jacks.

The improved version does not have any sonic changes, just the cup design change necessitated by Grado stopping production of older cup designs (Same as SR-60 Vs SR-60i difference). Read here

Our ears (and hence aural pleasures) do not know about the popularity of headphones / IEMs we use. Do they? ;)

emmarbee said:
And one more doubt, does the open type sounds better than closed ones? I'm badly in need of closed ones, as I can't let sound come in or go out. But if that lowers my soundstage, then I have to reconsider, plz help me out guys
Click to expand...

While I'll let experts deal with your other queries, Open types definitely would sound better than closed ones. The noise cancellation / Isolation would reduce the sound stage. I have not tried any Closed cans so far since I mostly use headphones in quiet surroundings.
 
grados are little bit brighter sounding where as Alessandro is tweaked grados which sounds neutral and sweeter good for music, but heard both are not so good for movies & games.
 
If you value, sounstage and comfort then these are not for you. Grados as most people here have said have a bit of a bright signature and an in your face music. Great for rock and heavy metal but most Grados are lacking in bass and have a very narrow soundstage.

For good soundstage you require an open headphone while for good bass you need a closed headphone. So its a bit of a catch 22 situation ! Do read about the JVC RX900 headphones. They are pretty popular and are well within your budget.

Faheem has heard them and should tell you more on how they sound.
 
Hmm... a new entry in the thread - JVC RX900... Of course, I can google its price, but it would be nice, if you guys can mention along with its price and availability in India.

Anyway, after seeing Beyerdynamics DT 800 and AKG K601 - I'm very sad that I don't have enough money to buy those gorgeous looking headphones (especially those velvette like ear cushions)...

Now I have narrowed my requirements like this
Comfy Cushions (definitely not leather) with closed type headphones.
If there is a better sounding headphone at the same price but either not comfortable or not closed, I wouldn't prefer. Hope I made you guys clear about my requirements...

Also, in this month's Digit Magazine, they have chosen sennheiser 280 pro as the best high end headphones in the Killer Rigs section. I googled about it. It has got good reviews.

My question here is, it has been mentioned as a professional DJ headphones. Is it good for personal use? What will be the difference between these professional and personal use headphones apart from the noise isolation factor...
 
Dude... i feel ur going down the wrong lane..

ur original choice was just fine... infact perfect.

if budget under 5k---just go with the sennheiser hd-485

if budget can be taken to abt 6.5k - sennheiser hd-555 eyes closed..

Sennheiser gives u gr8 sound and provides local warranty too. Just call em up and arrange for a demo. You wont be disappointed.. Before purchasing my hd-555, i had requested for a demo, they came home to give me one.........

Hope this helps.

hd 280 lacks bass... not good for movies, tried em out too.. they come in black and silver, silver being better and more exp..
 
thanks for the tip hussain.
But the reason i'm going down the wrong lane is that I don't want a open type headphone and the sennheiser models are opens ones. I really like the HD555. It seems to have a comfortable cushion. But again, its a open type headphone. I really don't want to disturb others while I'm listening. And I stay awake late most of the times...

And about the demo: will they be able to provide demo for two headphones simultaneously? Should I have to confirm that I will buy those HPs? or can I tell them that I will decide and then buy later?
 
well i didnt confirm anything. They just offered me a demo and i took it..

The hd485 is smaller then the 555. ummm anyways, in that case the smallest ones that are really worth it are the bose, but 7k....

The jbl ones dont sound good and audio technica too for my liking lack bass..
 
I lost the money in paypal with which I was supposed to buy the headphones. So I can't buy the headphones now. Thread Closed. :(
 
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