Looking for good headphones

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puffpio

Golden Member
Dec 21, 1999
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I had some Sennheiser HS280pro that I used at work to listen to music, but I gave them to my girlfriend and am looking for something better. Any suggestions? Must be closed ear so I dont bother the others in the cubefarm..preferably not needing an external amp
 
Scouzer

Scouzer

Lifer
Jun 3, 2001
10,358
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You probably are more limited by your playback device than the headphones, and the external amp would be the better investment than a bigger pair of cans...
 
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KevinF

Senior member
Aug 25, 2000
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Definitely Audio Technica A900's. They cost about $200, and are known for not needing a headphone amp to shine. They're Japanese only, so you have to either buy them on the secondary market or from the only place that imports them, Audiocubes. Also, if you can stand canalphones, look into the Etymotic ER-4P. There is a guy selling them on eBay for 189 shipped.

I'd definitely recommend doing a little reading on Head-Fi before making any purchase.
 
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dowxp

Diamond Member
Dec 25, 2000
4,568
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need a budget. any good headphone requires an amp. if it doesn't need one, its really that good.
 
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puffpio

Golden Member
Dec 21, 1999
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Well afte rperusing headphone.com, I was looking at the Etymotic earbuds but at work I would constantly take them in and out.
The best bet for me looks like buying another setof 280's but driving them off of a Bithead USB soundcard/amp
 
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pulse8

Lifer
May 3, 2000
20,860
1
81
Originally posted by: pio!pio!
Well afte rperusing headphone.com, I was looking at the Etymotic earbuds but at work I would constantly take them in and out.
The best bet for me looks like buying another setof 280's but driving them off of a Bithead USB soundcard/amp
Click to expand...

I have the Bithead and it's great. Good sound and the USB interface saves having to buy batteries AND makes for great sound.

I use mine with Shure E3c canalphones and whil taking them in and out is a pain, the sound is great. I don't have to take mine out too often and I also wanted to have a good set of cans to travel with.
 
dr150

dr150

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2003
6,570
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Originally posted by: KevinF
Definitely Audio Technica A900's. They cost about $200, and are known for not needing a headphone amp to shine. They're Japanese only, so you have to either buy them on the secondary market or from the only place that imports them, Audiocubes. Also, if you can stand canalphones, look into the Etymotic ER-4P. There is a guy selling them on eBay for 189 shipped.

I'd definitely recommend doing a little reading on Head-Fi before making any purchase.
Click to expand...


Spot on with this recommendation. I own both. :D
 
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LongCoolMother

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2001
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budget? closed or open? type of music you listen to?

the er4 headphones are great, i have a pair but they definately need an amp (if you're using the S). taking them in and out is overrated, it isnt that bad, because once you found a seal its very easy to achieve it. the only problem you might have is hearing people talking to you, but resealing isnt too hard. one big pro is that they will sound better than anything you can buy at that price.
 
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thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
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he said closed headphones, people.

honestly, i don't think you can get much better than the 280's for closed headphones. high end phones are open for a reason.
 
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puffpio

Golden Member
Dec 21, 1999
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well if taking the etymonics in and out isn't a big deal then I may go with them. It will be great if I can't hear people around me because then I can focus on my work.
The ER-4S or the ER-6 looked appealing especially driven by a bithead
 
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puffpio

Golden Member
Dec 21, 1999
1,664
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Opinions on this setup:
Etymotic ER-6 headphones + HeadRoom Bithead amp/soundcard = ~$300

I hope this could last me a long time as well as I can take it jogging or whatever.
 
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screw3d

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2001
6,906
1
76
The Grados are open and leak like hell so that's a no-no. The common consensus in head-fi for the best pair of closed phones would be the Audio Technica ATH-A900/A500. I have the A500 and I love it the best after a Sennheiser HD497, a Grado SR-80 and a Sony MDR-CD780 :) The ATs sound great without an amp too (a recognized fact, not just my opinion)!
 
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KevinF

Senior member
Aug 25, 2000
952
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It's a waste to get an ER6 + a bithead. You can get an ERP-4 for 189 shipped on eBay, and they don't need an amp to shine. The same seller also has ER6's for 99. I have the ER6's and the 4p's. The 6's benefit from an amp, but amped, they are still worse than the 4p's.

Still, for office use, the A900's are probably your best bet.
 
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puffpio

Golden Member
Dec 21, 1999
1,664
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Originally posted by: KevinF
It's a waste to get an ER6 + a bithead. You can get an ERP-4 for 189 shipped on eBay, and they don't need an amp to shine. The same seller also has ER6's for 99. I have the ER6's and the 4p's. The 6's benefit from an amp, but amped, they are still worse than the 4p's.

Still, for office use, the A900's are probably your best bet.
Click to expand...

what about a 4S + bithead?

The soundcard on my computer at work is a motherboard integrated piece of crap that I would rather not use
 
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KevinF

Senior member
Aug 25, 2000
952
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Sounds like a good move, except, I'd say get the 4P's over the 4S. You can easily turn the 4P into a 4S with a simple adapter you can build yourself or buy for about 40 dollars. You can't turn the 4S's into 4P's quite as easily. The versatility is worth 40 dollars, in my opinion, even if you listen to the 4S primarily.
 
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