Need quality headphones that'll still allow me to hear my surroundings

[archcommus]

I'm looking for headphones to use in the office. I want them to be very good quality as I am picky and like good bass, but also comfortable for all day use, and very importantly, they need to be a design that'll allow me to hear if someone's calling my name. But at the same time, I don't want the music to leak too much to distract others around me. How do I find a good balance between these two things? No real price requirements.

Thanks.

 

[WraithETC]

You need an open headphone whether it be full sized headphones or some type of ear bud.

All open headphones allow sound in and out so your requirements kind of contradict each other. If your office space is generally not very loud and you can get away with using low volume you'll be fine.

Some options would be:
Sennheiser:
PX100
HD555

Koss:
Portapros
KSC 75

Grados:
SR60
SR80

Audio technica:
ATH-AD700

There are many more but I doubt you really mean "no real price requirement"

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I suppose I'd get a set of non-isolating/non-cancelling ear buds, since those would emit less sound than headphones

 

[CKent]

Grado SR-60s are widely considered one of the best price-performance headphone compromises at $70 US. They're supraaural and open, meaning you can hear what's going on around you and they go on the ear rather than in or around it. If sound can go in, sound can go out, there's no getting around that - but unless you really crank them your music should be inaudible to others unless they're very close and it's in a quiet environment.

 

[archcommus]

Thanks! Yeah you're right, there is an upper-limit to my spending ha, I just meant nothing too low that would really limit things. I would spend a couple hundred if it was really worth it. These will be used enough that I shouldn't compromise much. Most of you what you suggested would probably work. The HD555's seem like they would surround my ear a little too much. I'm kind of opposed to ear buds just due to discomfort, but I've never owned a really good pair. I guess I could see myself going with the SR60's or PX100's right now. Any thoughts on bass and long-term comfort specifically? It is a very quiet office, and cubes are kind of close, but hopefully reasonable volume will keep it from being a problem. Any closed can where I won't be able to hear a a voice 10 feet from me is pretty much not an option.

 

[43st]

If you want open headphones you'll have to listen at a lower volume if you don't want others to hear. Also open phones aren't really known for great bass, just generally speaking. Perhaps the Ultrasone HFI-2200 would fit the bill, but they are expensive and finicky during burn-in they say. Should be quite musical though, with great bass.

 

[Tiamat]

I have Grado SR125 headphones and I could not use them in my office. Even low-moderate volumes leaked enough for my neighbor to hear. I could hear everyone else though. I was forced to buy a sealed headphone so that my neighbors didn't hear me. If they want my attention, they use the office Instant Message system, or they just stand next to me until I look up and get startled 🙂

 

[WraithETC]

The grados aren't the most comfortable so the PX100 would be the choice out of those two.

 

[ivan2]

no limit huh, Qualia 010.

 

[RupTheKid]

The true high quality circumaural Sennheiser headphones are the 580, 600, 650, and 800. I have owned all of these, and I would say the 600's are probably the best for price/performance ratio. I wouldn't recommend any of the other Sennheisers, including the 555, 595 etc. Totally apples and oranges in terms of true sound quality.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: WraithETC
The grados aren't the most comfortable so the PX100 would be the choice out of those two.

Depends on the shape & size of your head and ears, I find Grados very comfy.

Originally posted by: RupTheKid
The true high quality circumaural Sennheiser headphones are the 580, 600, 650, and 800. I have owned all of these, and I would say the 600's are probably the best for price/performance ratio. I wouldn't recommend any of the other Sennheisers, including the 555, 595 etc. Totally apples and oranges in terms of true sound quality.

Yes but almost all headphones in the $200+ price range require an amp, which can easily run you another $100-200 or more. Seems like overkill to pass the time at work.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: CKent
snip...
Yes but almost all headphones in the $200+ price range require an amp, which can easily run you another $100-200 or more. Seems like overkill to pass the time at work.

That isn't really true. Denon D2000 does not require an amp. It has low impedance magnitude across the audible frequency range, no impedance magnitude swings across the audible frequency range, and reasonable sensitivity.

Do Beyers and Sennheisers (for example) require amping? Certainly their impedance profile would suggest that they would benefit the most out of amping. Can the Denon D2000 benefit from amping? Perhaps, but certainly not as much as Beyers or Sennheisers would by a huge margin.

 

[moonboy403]

Originally posted by: RupTheKid
The true high quality circumaural Sennheiser headphones are the 580, 600, 650, and 800. I have owned all of these, and I would say the 600's are probably the best for price/performance ratio. I wouldn't recommend any of the other Sennheisers, including the 555, 595 etc. Totally apples and oranges in terms of true sound quality.

You got your hands on HD800? :Q

Originally posted by: Tiamat
That isn't really true. Denon D2000 does not require an amp. It has low impedance magnitude across the audible frequency range, no impedance magnitude swings across the audible frequency range, and reasonable sensitivity.

Do Beyers and Sennheisers (for example) require amping? Certainly their impedance profile would suggest that they would benefit the most out of amping. Can the Denon D2000 benefit from amping? Perhaps, but certainly not as much as Beyers or Sennheisers would by a huge margin.

No headphone requires a dedicated headphone amp, but they all benefit from it. Generally, low impedance cans thirst for high current while high impedance ones thirst for high voltage swing.

 

[moonboy403]

If money's not a problem, then the Audio Technica W5000 (around $700) fits your description very nicely. Although it's a closed design, it doesn't isolate very much while leakage isn't a problem. The W5000 has a very sweet and liquid midrange, extended non-sibilant highs, and extremely musical textured bass. Moreover, it's impressively open sounding for a closed design with top notch detail retrieval, pinpoint imaging, excellent instrument separation, and a holographic soundstage with impressive depth to boot.

However, like any high quality headphones, you would want a dedicated headphone amp and a quality DAC of some sort to realize its true potential even though they still sound very nice out of anything. Think of these two components as the last 10-15% of improvements you can squeeze out your headphone. Some think it's worth it and some don't.

 

[swbsam]

Another vote for whatever grado sr-series that you can afford.

 

[archcommus]

Well I looked around today at work and some guys do have closed phones, but I'm still not comfortable with that. For one my Sony MDR-V6's start to ache my ears after extended listening, and I really don't want the boss to get annoyed by always having to tap me on the shoulder when he wants to talk. So I'll go open phone with reasonable enough volume to make sure I don't bother anyone. I don't want to be disappointed by bass at all so some of you are scaring me away from the Grado's. Due to bass, comfort, and half the price, the PX100's may be the way to go. Or should I get the Koss PortaPro's? I hear the old Optimus line from Radio Shack was a rebrand of these, and I have of pair of those and they sound decent. Same price range as the Senn's. Thoughts?

 

[archcommus]

Audio Technica ES7?

Edit: Nah can't tell if they are closed...

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: moonboy403

Originally posted by: RupTheKid
The true high quality circumaural Sennheiser headphones are the 580, 600, 650, and 800. I have owned all of these, and I would say the 600's are probably the best for price/performance ratio. I wouldn't recommend any of the other Sennheisers, including the 555, 595 etc. Totally apples and oranges in terms of true sound quality.

You got your hands on HD800? :Q

Originally posted by: Tiamat
That isn't really true. Denon D2000 does not require an amp. It has low impedance magnitude across the audible frequency range, no impedance magnitude swings across the audible frequency range, and reasonable sensitivity.

Do Beyers and Sennheisers (for example) require amping? Certainly their impedance profile would suggest that they would benefit the most out of amping. Can the Denon D2000 benefit from amping? Perhaps, but certainly not as much as Beyers or Sennheisers would by a huge margin.

No headphone requires a dedicated headphone amp, but they all benefit from it. Generally, low impedance cans thirst for high current while high impedance ones thirst for high voltage swing.

Higher impedance typically requires more potential, while lower impedance typically requires more heat dissipation due to the relatively higher current demands. For reasonably sensative headphones, head dissipation in the amp is not a problem. Now, electrostatic headphones are a B**** to drive properly.

Headphones may benefit theoretically from an amp, but the only way to find out if those benefits are really audible is to try it out. Generally, high sensitivity, low-med impedance headphones will not audibly benefit from using an amplifier in a double blind experiment.


OP: For lower budget, the Koss Portapro is pretty good. The comparable sennheiser (PX100?) is also pretty good. I'd say they are almost interchangeable in terms of recommendations go.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
OP: For lower budget, the Koss Portapro is pretty good. The comparable sennheiser (PX100?) is also pretty good. I'd say they are almost interchangeable in terms of recommendations go.

Thanks. I am willing to spend more if there are noticeable benefits. The only thing really mentioned in the next price bracket have been the SR-60's, which I may be avoiding due to less bass than the other cheaper ones. Anything else in that price range that might satisfy my bass thirst and be worth the cost over the PP/PX100?

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: Tiamat
OP: For lower budget, the Koss Portapro is pretty good. The comparable sennheiser (PX100?) is also pretty good. I'd say they are almost interchangeable in terms of recommendations go.

Thanks. I am willing to spend more if there are noticeable benefits. The only thing really mentioned in the next price bracket have been the SR-60's, which I may be avoiding due to less bass than the other cheaper ones. Anything else in that price range that might satisfy my bass thirst and be worth the cost over the PP/PX100?

From my experience, the Koss Portapros are pretty good headphones that compete against headphones up through the 60-70$ range.

The next level up, in my experience, is the denon D1001 at 85$. It has a more balanced bass than the Portapros (Portapros can get a bit overwhelming for certain music). I own Grado SR-125 and I like the Denon D1001 much better. They are complete different headphones in presentation, but I felt the Denon was closer to the source (more accurate) for the money. Grado had a more open sound and a wider soundstage, but those, for me, were not as important (I found) as a more balanced frequency response.

The Denon are sealed, so they do block out some outside noise, but they are perhaps, the least isolating (of noise) of the sealed headphones in general.

Beyond this price range (100$+), beyer dynamics seem to have quite a bit of bass amongst all of the other headphones.

For a pair of "beater" headphones, its hard to beat the koss portapro due to its price.

I want to remind you that people's ears are different, even the music we listen to is different. the best thing is if you can find a place to listen to the headphone prior to purchasing it. You have to make sure it is comfortable on your head and gives you the sound quality you desire. I can't stress this enough.

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: CKent
snip...
Yes but almost all headphones in the $200+ price range require an amp, which can easily run you another $100-200 or more. Seems like overkill to pass the time at work.

That isn't really true. Denon D2000 does not require an amp. It has low impedance magnitude across the audible frequency range, no impedance magnitude swings across the audible frequency range, and reasonable sensitivity.

Do Beyers and Sennheisers (for example) require amping? Certainly their impedance profile would suggest that they would benefit the most out of amping. Can the Denon D2000 benefit from amping? Perhaps, but certainly not as much as Beyers or Sennheisers would by a huge margin.

Yep I used my Denon D2000 headphones without a amp before and they still sound awesome!

 

[archcommus]

Thanks for the input, Tiamat. I'm unsure now. I had someone else use the Optimus PRO 25 I have here, which I've read are old rebranded PortaPro's, and the leakage was very high, I could hear it easily 10 feet away. So now I'm leery of completely open cans. But I'm still thinking completely closed like my Sony's will lead to discomfort and too much isolation. What about a type that has padding around the side to keep sound in, but does not completely enclose your ear? Is that what the ES7's are like? Maybe that'd be a good compromise?

 

[moonboy403]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: moonboy403

Originally posted by: RupTheKid
The true high quality circumaural Sennheiser headphones are the 580, 600, 650, and 800. I have owned all of these, and I would say the 600's are probably the best for price/performance ratio. I wouldn't recommend any of the other Sennheisers, including the 555, 595 etc. Totally apples and oranges in terms of true sound quality.

You got your hands on HD800? :Q

Originally posted by: Tiamat
That isn't really true. Denon D2000 does not require an amp. It has low impedance magnitude across the audible frequency range, no impedance magnitude swings across the audible frequency range, and reasonable sensitivity.

Do Beyers and Sennheisers (for example) require amping? Certainly their impedance profile would suggest that they would benefit the most out of amping. Can the Denon D2000 benefit from amping? Perhaps, but certainly not as much as Beyers or Sennheisers would by a huge margin.

No headphone requires a dedicated headphone amp, but they all benefit from it. Generally, low impedance cans thirst for high current while high impedance ones thirst for high voltage swing.

Higher impedance typically requires more potential, while lower impedance typically requires more heat dissipation due to the relatively higher current demands. For reasonably sensative headphones, head dissipation in the amp is not a problem. Now, electrostatic headphones are a B**** to drive properly.

Headphones may benefit theoretically from an amp, but the only way to find out if those benefits are really audible is to try it out. Generally, high sensitivity, low-med impedance headphones will not audibly benefit from using an amplifier in a double blind experiment.


OP: For lower budget, the Koss Portapro is pretty good. The comparable sennheiser (PX100?) is also pretty good. I'd say they are almost interchangeable in terms of recommendations go.

As a owner of both D2000(25ohms) and W5000(40ohms), I respectfully but strongly disagree.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: moonboy403

Originally posted by: Tiamat
Generally, high sensitivity, low-med impedance headphones will not audibly benefit from using an amplifier in a double blind experiment.

As a owner of both D2000(25ohms) and W5000(40ohms), I respectfully but strongly disagree.

I should have mentioned:
I own Grado SR-125, Denon D2000, D1001, and I've A/B/X all three of them amped and unamped and level matched and I could not reliably tell the difference between amped and unamped. I hovered around 50% correct. This was with solid state amping mind you, not tube. It is with this test result I base my personal opinion. Have you tried exhaustive A/B/X trials?

I'll be doing another A/B/X with more # trials with just the Denon D2000 in a week though to verify the test. It is understandable that the ears could be less sensitive to minute differences depending on the weather/environmental conditions. In either case, 200$ headphones of low impedance with a 200$ amp gets trounced by a 400$ unamped headphone of low impedance in my experience.

OP: Koss portapros do not leak nearly as much sound as the Grados. I dont know how loud you listen, but at normal listening volumes in the office, my neighbors did not complain when I was wearing the koss, only when i was wearing Grado.

 

[moonboy403]

I did not A/B/X them because the difference was too big for it to be placebo between amp and unamped while it was level matched with my particular rig. Unamped, the two most glaring differences for the D2000 would be their recessed mids and sloppy bass. Amping the D2000 cures those two issues considerably.