[Failed Engineer]

To preface, I am no audiophile. I just want decent sound.

The subject pretty much says everything. I need these phones to use at work. On an average day I'll be wearing them from 8-10 hours. So obviously comfort is a real priority here, even at the expense of sound. To compound the problem, I really don't want to purchase full full size cans that would make me look very unprofessional. Something with a smaller profile would be ideal.

As far as what I've tried thus far, it's been pretty much in ear types. I have the EX71 (didn't sound too clean to me. actually to my ears sounded worse than the stock ipod buds.) and the shure e2. The E2 sounded awesome to me but I tried all the fittings and it became unbearable after an hours use. I tried a friends E3 and had the same problem with those. For that reason (along with the fact that people generally regard shures and especially the ex71 as extremely comfortable), I'm reluctantly eliminating in ears as an option at this point. I also tried my fathers pxc200 and thought it sounded okay. If you guys think that might be my best bet, I would maybe stick with it. I also tried the bose triport, and it sounded alright and was super comfortable (definitely 10 hour phones) but the sound was not anywhere close to the half the price shure e2s (but was better than the ex71 and maybe a little bit better than the pxc200). I will make all my comparisons relatively speaking again because I'm no audiophile.

As far as closed or open, I'm indifferent between the two. I will be listening to very low levels (between 20-30% on the ipod with the E2s generally) so I am assuming that at those levels much sound will not leak to my co-workers.

As to musical taste, I like a bit of hip-hop (2pac, Rakim, Wu, Gravediggaz among others) and a lot of R&B, especially female vocalists (Alicia Keys, Toni Braxton, Tamia, R. Kelly, After 7) and a lot of different odds and ends that don't fit into any of these above categories.

Are there any phones out there to fit my needs (first class comfort, slim profile, not in ear)? It looks as if all the contenders are very large phones. I just want to be able to enjoy my $500 toy at work so I'll spend if necessary. I don't have a hard preset spending limit, but obviously the lower the better.

 

[3lusiv3]

I'd say one these:

Closed:
Sennheiser HD 212 Pro.
Sony MDR-V6/MDR-7506. (Maybe a bit big for you?)
Beyerdynamic DT 231.

Open:
Sennheiser HD 497
Grado SR60.

What do other's think?

 

[dfense]

I do not know what others think, but I think that the Senn MX500 buds could be a solution, or at least an upgrade. IMHO, I felt that they were a great value for the money, and sounded much better than the iPod stock buds. I have since moved on to the E3's, but I used them at work with my 3G iPod, and found them to not only decent sounding, but comfortable and convenient. They were easily removable, and had an inline volume control for the times when someone came into my office, and they were not isolating to the point where I couldn't hear my phone.

Similarly, the Koss KSC-35 has had some praise here on the forums. I cannot attest to them personally, but I think that they would also be an upgrade to the stock buds, and have good sound for the price. I think that they would be a little more difficult to put on and remove than a pair of phones or buds, though.

Just my $0.02, but if you are not willing to go for canal phones or big headphones, or for true audiophile equipment, you may want to just try and find the best sound for the price.

I, too, am interested in seeing what others have to say on this subject.

 

[sleepkyng]

Ksc35 is a great low profile can with great bass (relatively speaking) for hip hop and r&b. if you take off the crappy padding, these cans will not even be noticable all day.

how do you feel about earbuds? i don't know much about them cuz i hate them, but i've heard the audio technica buds are good.

 

[daveman_84]

Consider yourself lucky if you can milk 8 hours out of the ipod. 10 -- forget about it.

 

[Failed Engineer]

Regarding the MX500, don't people generally regard them as less comfortable than the ipod buds? Because the ipod buds hurt my ears like crazy. I just think I have messed up ears. Nothing freaking fits. Another friend of mine has the E888 and it didn't fit either for more than an hour. But it sounded pretty good. I think for all intents, I've eliminated earbuds in addition to in ears. Thanks for the idea though, it is appreciated.

As far as the ipod battery life, I prepared for that by buying another power brick and cable so I charge it when needed at my desk, so battery life is no issue.

As to all the suggestions so far, I like that they are all sub $60 phones, but I was prepared to spend at least twice as much and maybe slightly more than that. Are there any significantly better options upto the $150 price point? Or am I better off going with what's been suggested to this point?

Also after navigating thru 10s of pages, I see that the HD212 has received mixed review. The HD497 and DT231 seem well thought of. How much exactly do the HD497 leak? Any comfort feedback on these two? These two at least look to fit the slimmer profile that I was looking for.

 

[TheBigDu]

16 hours with the iHP-120

 

[Failed Engineer]

daveman, I saw you owned and sold the HD497. What did you think of the comfort and size of these cans? Where they easily wearable for extended listening sessions? Are they going to leak a bunch at low listening levels? Do they make you look like a goof in the office? Thanks.

 

[daveman_84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Failed Engineer daveman, I saw you owned and sold the HD497. What did you think of the comfort and size of these cans? Where they easily wearable for extended listening sessions? Are they going to leak a bunch at low listening levels? Do they make you look like a goof in the office? Thanks.

For your purposes, I wouldn't recommend them. Great set of phones at the price, but can start to be uncomfortable after extended periods. Short-term they're ok, but after a few hours they'll give you a headache. They will leak somewhat but not tons...and yes, they look a little "space age".

The HD-555's are great...they're ~$150. Extremely comfortable and look more stylish. Can be worn for long periods of time without any discomfort. They leak a little but at your volume levels I doubt anyone else could hear much, if anything at all. One thing though, the iPod needs work to drive them. It's not perfect, but it will work. I don't use them with the iPod, only my home system. If I was using them with the iPod, I would invest with an amp of some sort. My home setup doesn't need an amp to drive them. They're not impossible to drive with the iPod, but they're definitely not as easy as the 497's.

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

497s have awsome sound for the money, but i hated how they fit. oddly shapped earpads and feels cheap, i couldnt wear them for more then 2 hours

 

[ls20]

koss portapros... comfy comfy comfy comfy..great with rap & r&b

 

[slchang]

Senn PX100 allegedly sounds better than the PX200 if you don't need a closed can (which is doesn't sound like you do), Koss PortaPros are probably also a good candidate. Some people find the Koss KSC-35s extremely comfortable, but as with all headphones that depend on the shape of your ear, ymmv. I find that mine feel "pinchy" after an hour or two.