[BenAdamson]

 
Hey, I am looking for headphones that should meet these requirements (in order of importance, 1 being most important):

• Sound quality - Of course I want high clarity, though I also would quite like good, punchy bass.
• Solid construction - This will be transported with me almost every day in a normal satchel and I want it to be tough enough to withstand the bumps and scratches.
• Good isolation - I will be using it in both noisy and quiet environments, and so do not want outside sound to leak or anybody else to hear my music blaring.
• Comfort - I will be wearing these headphones for something like an hour a day or more, so want these to be comfy for my averagely sized head.
• Gaming potential - I will probably also be using these for gaming (FPS etc), so all the factors that help with decent gaming audio (Good soundstage etc) would be a bonus.

 
My budget is around £60, although I am willing to spend some more if it would help a lot to go to the next price range. So far the Sony MDR ZX700s seem to be solid contenders. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

[baka1969]

Take a look at the Shure 840.

 

[BenAdamson]

The SRH840 ? They are double my price point!

 

[200poundsofamp]

Koss Pro DJ100 + M50 pads. Sounds exactly like what you're looking for and should be right at your budget.
 
Not sure how good they'll sound straight out of a clip+ though, if you had a portable amp it'd be perfect.

 

[SLaRe]

Quote:

Koss Pro DJ100 + M50 pads. Sounds exactly like what you're looking for and should be right at your budget.
 
Not sure how good they'll sound straight out of a clip+ though, if you had a portable amp it'd be perfect.

You can say it louder, but not clearer. For me it's a clear winner even against more expensive headphones like the HD25-I. B&W P5 or AIAIAI TMA-1
 

 

[Eric23]

I'd say give the Shure 750DJ's a listen. Sounds like something you'd like. It's a Shure so it's still got good clarity along the lines of studio headphones like the m50's and others. However it's also got very punchy bass and solid mids. You might be able to find a good deal for it somewhere. The M50's are pretty good, it's bass is pretty prominent for a studio type headphone, however it's more on the boomy side and not as punchy. So for sound, I personally prefer the 750DJ's for it's punchy bass and mids. M50 mids are a bit recessed as well, however the m50's to me have slightly better treble. 
 
Build quailty i'd say goes to the M50's though. However I've never had any problems with the 750DJ's yet.
 
Another good one is the HD25-1 II cause it's quite portable and has really punchy bass like the 750DJ's. It's also got a very aggressive, in your face sound. However it's more expensive and I'm not sure how good it is for gaming because it's sound signature for me can be quite fatiguing.
 
Good luck with the hunt.

 

[BenAdamson]

I have the iBasso T4 portable amp, which I may well use if it helps (I haven't been using it with my RE-ZEROs, as they are loud enough). The Koss  DJ100 seem to not score very well in this chart, and the ZX700s are comparatively amazing. I might've gone for the ATH-M50s which rank higher on the table, but they are a lot more money than the current price of the ZX700s. 

 

[BenAdamson]

Any other suggestions?

 

[wilzc]

Ze Aviators..  iz gud
 
 

 

[BenAdamson]

The Skullcandy aviators? They seem ok and have great styling, although I think I can get much better quality audio out of other headphones.

 

[wilzc]

Quote:

The Skullcandy aviators? They seem ok and have great styling, although I think I can get much better quality audio out of other headphones.

They're pretty neutral sounding. With sliiiight lower treble hump. Bass is slightly anemic but if you EQ the bass up a little, these sound fantastic. Aviators are one of the only Skullcandies that are worth at least the price they retail for. Now we await the big gun..  Mixmaster. Even Tyll Hertsens is impressed with the Mixmaster.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Looked at the Fostex T50RP yet?  The only thing is planer magnetic phones crave amping...

 

[200poundsofamp]

Quote:

I have the iBasso T4 portable amp, which I may well use if it helps (I haven't been using it with my RE-ZEROs, as they are loud enough). The Koss  DJ100 seem to not score very well in this chart, and the ZX700s are comparatively amazing. I might've gone for the ATH-M50s which rank higher on the table, but they are a lot more money than the current price of the ZX700s. 

They get a massive 0.5 less in sound quality with the stock pads, doesn't seem that bad.
 
The Sony's seem solid if you're looking for something balanced, Tyll likes them more than the srh440 and ath-m50. Not sure if they'd be a good choice for someone looking for punchy bass, looks like it rolls off pretty fast from the measurements.
 
The DJ100s are solid for the price though, especially if you're looking for bass. They sound like a slightly less refined srh840 tuned more towards personal listening than monitoring, tonally they're not that far off.

 

[BenAdamson]

Hmm, yeah. Thanks for the help guys, I think I'll go for the ZX700s

 

[200poundsofamp]

Fair enough. Let us know what you think of the Sony's, not a lot of people here seem to have them.