Portable headphones/headset

[murphyslabrat]

OK, this is a bit weird, as I already know what I want, only it won't work for me: I want a circumaural though heavily foldable headset, a lot like the Sennheiser PC 350/HD 380...only both of them have very poor sound for the price...or at least, that's how I understand it to be. So, anyone know of any headsets with a similar level of mobility, without sacrificing comfort?

 

[Ika]

Circumaural headphones generally do not lend themselves to portability. The fact that they are circumaural in itself means that they need to have gigantic (relatively speaking) earcups. The Sennheiser HD280 Pro is only semi-foldable, but to my knowledge, is the best you can do for quite some time...

Sidenote - jeez I wish someone made a better-sounding version of these headphones, their physical properties are pretty hard to match. /sidenote

Why do you want circumaural, exactly? Do you have comfort issues with supraaural headphones like the PX100? These in particular have a great balanced sound signature and are extremely portable to boot, and very durable.

 

[murphyslabrat]

Actually, I have the PMX-100's, which is kinda what makes this a hard search. I don't want to make a horizontal upgrade, even if it is in a sealed (didn't mention that before, oops), circumaural headset.

I'm about to move down to Florida, to act as an emergency driver for my grandmother, in case she has any issues in the middle of the night. She's old, senile, and extremely domineering, so I am expecting to spend most of my time in the school library, whenever I'm not working at whatever job I can find. So, I need something that is comfortable and doesn't leak. Also, it needs to be portable as hell, as I will be stuffing it into a bag with books, and my laptop.

The PMX-100's are plenty portable, but they are a little tiring on the ears, and they leak like crazy. Worst case, I stick with them, and just keep my audio low. I also have a pair of Creative Aurvana Live! headphones with a broken plug, but I loved them. The frequency response is MUCH more balanced than the huge bass from the PMX-100's, and the highs are a lot cleaner and whole-sounding. They are supposed to be a rebrand of the the Denon d1001's, but they're not portable. They have relatively small cups, are wonderfully comfortable, are sealed, but they have zero collapsibility.

So, again, any ideas?

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

I have the HD280 Pros and some open air AKGs but for mobility I just bring some buds. They don't leak and they're small... I know some people can't stand wearing buds, but they are ideal for your situation.

 

[murphyslabrat]

I would prefer both circumaural phones, and to have a microphone, but I am willing to consider an IEM.

And as far as IEM-based headsets, I used the Plantronics .Audio 480's, and didn't like their sound.

 

[nataku00]

I'm not sure how heavily foldable a headphone you would like, but the ES7 from audio technica gets good audiophile reviews for a headphone that can fold flat. http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica...0812586&sr=8-1

If you need a mic for portability, the clip ons from zalman should be decent.