chadmcclung Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I listen to all kinds of music (rock, metal, alt, jazz, world, r&b, classical, hip-hop, etc., etc.) on vinyl through headphones. Here is my current and modest set up. Sony STR-D790 Receiver/AmpTechnics SL-Q2 Turntable w/ AT92E cartirdge Yamaha NS-6490 Speakers Pioneer SE-205 Vintage Headphones I also listen to Spotify on these mobile devices iPhone 4S iPad 2 Lenovo Thinkpad T60 Last year I bought a pair of Monoprice 8323s, and I liked the sound a lot. Although they got a little uncomfortable after an hour or so. I ended up giving those to my oldest daughter - she is starting to get into her own music. I also bought a pair of Monoprice 9397s - IEMs. I liked them as well, but they didn't fit my ears, so I gave them to my youngest daughter. All I have now is an old pair of Pioneer SE-205s (inherited from my father-in-law), but the left channel is in and out. They also tend to crush my head after about 20 minutes. So I need new headphones pretty bad. IEMs don't work for me as I have weird ear holes. I'm looking for entry- to mid-level, portable over-ear headphones that well represent a wide variety of genres. I'm pretty wide open to suggestion. Well maybe not wide open. I can't spend all that much. I'm worried about the comfort of on-ear. Also sound leakage. Not a big deal for home use, but I travel a lot and I'd want to keep my silly music to myself. I'm not opposed to the idea of open back, I just probably wouldn't be able to travel with them. I'd want to keep my budget under $100. Any help would be great appreciated. Please and thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 ...and done. https://www.google.com/search?q=seinhesier+HD&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#channel=fflb&q=sennheiser+HD+429s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official David Loyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadmcclung Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Thank you for the suggestion! The Sennheiser HD 429 looks like a pretty good deal. I'll research those a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loyd Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Can't go wrong with sennheisers. I have 2 pair and love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I use Grado and won't use anything else now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 If you're not in a hurry, the AKG K551 are worth keeping an eye on. They've recently been heavily discounted in some EU countries, I picked them up a few weeks ago for roughly $115 ($380 retail). Not really worth the retail price, but for what I paid for them it's an insanely good deal. I guess it's possible they'll drop in price in US as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I would love some input. I recently bought some Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear headphones for portability, and while they sound really good, I don't quite find them comfortable enough. I am thinking of selling them ($100US shipped anywhere in the world - PM me), and I would love some recommendations for $200 over-ear headphones that are easily portable. I may consider the Momentum Over-Ear, but if there are other suggestions that have a decent combination of quality and portability, I'd love to hear. I've looked at the AKG K551 and I think they're too big for my needs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 You can help narrow down the recommendation list if you specify whether you are looking for open/closed back or if you can consider harder to drive headphones. I usually assume that "portable" = no amp required, but some people are content to carry around portable headphone amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Hmmm. Good point. I think for my purposes, closed back would be better (for when I work in quiet places with other people around), as well as ones that would suffice without an amp. My hope is in the fall when I start a new job, I'll be able to sit at my desk, where I'll have a Schiit stack set-up for listening, but I'd love something that would work on the subway, at my temporary work spaces, etc. I should also add I have a few pairs of cans at home - Superlux HD668B, and Grado SR125 (which are my absolute faves, but are very unportable). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Check out AKG k545 (basically k551, but with smaller earcups and slightly better sound. I actually put in an order for these a couple of days ago because they were super cheap on amazon.de (around $120 shipped), but I'll probably cancel it because I don't really need them (already have the k551 for portable use). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Check out AKG k545 (basically k551, but with smaller earcups and slightly better sound. I actually put in an order for these a couple of days ago because they were super cheap on amazon.de (around $120 shipped), but I'll probably cancel it because I don't really need them (already have the k551 for portable use). Love my new AKG K553s! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Check out AKG k545 (basically k551, but with smaller earcups and slightly better sound. I actually put in an order for these a couple of days ago because they were super cheap on amazon.de (around $120 shipped), but I'll probably cancel it because I don't really need them (already have the k551 for portable use). Wow, the K545s look like they're exactly what I need - and seem to be perfect price range (though not so much in Canada - Amazon US warehouse deals as low as $100, but seems like there's not anything on .ca as cheap - one person selling on Canuck Audio Mart though...). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Heart Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 AKG K550 / 553. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 AKG K550 / 553. He wants on ears and not over ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 He wants on ears and not over ears. No, actually I do want over ears. I thought I'd want on ears for portability, but I found I can't wear them for more than 20-30 minutes. I think at this point I'm going to look for a deal for something between AKG K545, K550, K551, or K553. All look like they fit my criteria, and have great reviews. I know there was just a Massdrop on K553s, but I missed it. I'm hoping to score a deal on any of these used if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Audioquest Nighthawk. My body is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 No, actually I do want over ears. I thought I'd want on ears for portability, but I found I can't wear them for more than 20-30 minutes. I think at this point I'm going to look for a deal for something between AKG K545, K550, K551, or K553. All look like they fit my criteria, and have great reviews. I know there was just a Massdrop on K553s, but I missed it. I'm hoping to score a deal on any of these used if I can. Damn the K7XX dropped again so for a minute I thought I could sell these, but no, gonna stick with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Right now, no luck finding and good deals on AKG K545s in Canada (cheapest I've found so far runs me about $200 US or so if all duties and such are factored in). But for any Americans curious, Amazon Warehouse deals have pairs for $93US. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00FYMA7AW/ref=sr_1_4_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1432600186&sr=1-4&keywords=akg+k545&condition=used Anyone know if it's possible to get these into Canada without any excessive cost? Or are there any Americans visiting Canada in a couple weeks that could bring these over the border with them (shot in the dark!)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Damn, K545s down to $89.31 on Amazon US Warehouse deals. Any Americans willing to have me ship these to them and then ship them to me in Canada at cost? PM me. I'm seriously considering doing that, as it would still be a heckuva lot cheaper than buying them new in Canada right now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 can't you just order them from amazon and have them shipped to Canada? Pretty sure I can place orders on amazon.ca and have them shipped to the US. After you deal with shipping and possible import fees, it may not really save you very much for what is basically a used pair of headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 can't you just order them from amazon and have them shipped to Canada? Pretty sure I can place orders on amazon.ca and have them shipped to the US. After you deal with shipping and possible import fees, it may not really save you very much for what is basically a used pair of headphones. Not from Warehouse, unfortunately. I've ordered from .com for certain things and from certain sellers, but Amazon Warehouse doesn't sell to Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Heart Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 No, actually I do want over ears. I thought I'd want on ears for portability, but I found I can't wear them for more than 20-30 minutes. I think at this point I'm going to look for a deal for something between AKG K545, K550, K551, or K553. All look like they fit my criteria, and have great reviews. I know there was just a Massdrop on K553s, but I missed it. I'm hoping to score a deal on any of these used if I can. Get the k550s if you have a larger head. The k553s fit a little smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just a normal guy kevin Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I am by no means an audiophile headphone expert but I grabbed these Sennheiser HD 598 headphones last year for $99 in Amazon's Black Friday sale and they are pretty comfortable. The original retail was $300+ but it looks like Amazon still has them for much lower ($150). Reviews are pretty positive. Should really bring your VNYL to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Yes hearing all those pops and clicks even closer and louder. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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