Any Large & Soft closed back headphones for under $200 ?

[Happy Musicfan]

I'm looking for the largest, softest, most comfortable closed-back cans around. Ones which engulf the ears and exert very little pressure and strain. Also : as flat/neutral sounding as possible and closed back / doing a good to excellent job at blocking out background, ambient and outside noise.-------------Through research, I've found that the Sony MDR7506, Sennheiser HD280, Sennheiser HD201, and Audio Technica ATHM 40fs come closest ... but are there others ?

[heshian46]

ATH-M50

[Cosmic Closet]

AKG 271. Soft, very comfortable full-ear pads, and great sound. A studio standard model.

[Al Rogers]

Beyer DT 770

[warhead]

Those ATHM50 are very nice.

War

[staticwhitesound]

Originally Posted by warhead

Those ATHM50 are very nice.

War

How are the ATHM40fs? They're about a hundred dollars cheaper. Do they sound that much worse, or are they that much more uncomfortable?

[awakened]

Originally Posted by Al Rogers

Beyer DT 770

+111111

[Brickman]

Originally Posted by staticwhitesound

How are the ATHM40fs? They're about a hundred dollars cheaper. Do they sound that much worse, or are they that much more uncomfortable?

I've just sat on my pair of ATHM40fs , bit of selotape and they're almost like new , for the $$$ they are unbeatable IMO . Highly recommend them . Having said that I have just ordered the ATH-AD700s......

[videoracer]

The Beyer DT 770 are the only headphones I know that have CLOTH ear cups that allow the area they make contact with to breathe, unlike plastic ear cups that just build up pools of sweat after extended use. $200

[Happy Musicfan]

Some concerns I have (from the reviews out there) :

ATH-M50 ... Coiled cord (accident maker), slightly bass-heavy.

AKG 271 ... Semi-Open.

Beyer DT770 ... Bass-Heavy.

[MattmaN]

Denon d2000, and Beyer dt770.
That would probably be the consensus at headfi.org.
Denon d1001's are reportedly very comfy too.

[videoracer]

I haven't found my DT 770s to be bass heavy, although they have full bass response which may not be happening with other units. Their response curve is well beyond that of human hearing, which is something that can't be said for a fair amount of headphones. The DT 770 also have a 80-250 ohm impedance which may affect the response curve with some gear.
Headphones

If decide on them, make sure you get the "Pro" model (as listed here), not the "M" model.

[Happy Musicfan]

They look super comfortable, but I do see "bass reflex", and that means I'll have to pass on them.... not because they are inadequate or inferior, but more because of my weird hyper-sensitivity to bass frequencies. It's rare, but I know there are others out there who have it as well.

[videoracer]

Well, if you have a specific problem with bass response you'll have a with a multitude of models. Regardless of what you get, perhaps you should patch a parametric eq into your headphone amp to prevent whatever frequencies or frequency range may be affecting you.

[DanH]

Originally Posted by videoracer

I haven't found my DT 770s to be bass heavy, although they have full bass response which may not be happening with other units. Their response curve is well beyond that of human hearing, which is something that can't be said for a fair amount of headphones. The DT 770 also have a 80-250 ohm impedance which may affect the response curve with some gear.
Headphones

Awesome cans. Uncolored and great for reference. Whenever I'm excited about a mix I just put these on and snap back to reality...

[Benlittlejohn]

Originally Posted by awakened

+111111

+2222222222222

[ohmicide]

Originally Posted by Al Rogers

Beyer DT 770

+1 i've got the beyer dt 880 and they're the softest and most comfortable headphones i've worn and they're the best i've mixed with. my mixes sound just like what i wanted them to without having to check with my monitors. that's perfect for me since i don't have a treated room at the moment.

[videoracer]

Looks like Happy Musicfan's gonna have a hard time ignoring the Beyer!

[Happy Musicfan]

I'll consider buying them for their comfort and impressive mixing capability (I hate myths, such as : "you CAN'T mix with headphones"). But why the heck do they have to be bass reflex ? My low frequency sensitivity + bass reflex + headphone proximity = a potentially problematic SiTuaTioN. AAArrrgghhhh.

[PELicanWord]

Originally Posted by Al Rogers

Beyer DT 770

/thread



these are worth every penny. Most comfortable, best sounding cans I've ever experienced.

[John N]

Seems a lot of people really like the ATH-M50 but I found them to be a tight fit for long use and sonically i found them to be quite scooped in the midrange.
Just my .02
JN

[Doyvid]

Another Beyer DT770 fan here. I <3 my Beyers.

[jaz49]

Originally Posted by Happy Musicfan

Some concerns I have (from the reviews out there) :

ATH-M50 ... Coiled cord (accident maker), slightly bass-heavy.

AKG 271 ... Semi-Open.

Beyer DT770 ... Bass-Heavy.

I did some searching recently on the Head-fi forum and I found many references to the 770's and m-50's being bass heavy, especially the 770's. I use semi-open akg 240DF's which are very flat/neutral except for somewhat light in the bass(sound very similar to my Event monitors in mids and treble). I check bass on Equation RP21's which are closed and have much better bass(but weaker treble).

[Matti]

Originally Posted by Happy Musicfan

Some concerns I have (from the reviews out there) :

ATH-M50 ... Coiled cord (accident maker), slightly bass-heavy.

AKG 271 ... Semi-Open.

Beyer DT770 ... Bass-Heavy.

Audio-Technica - Microphones, headphones, wireless microphone systems, noise-cancelling headphones & more : ATH-M50s : Professional Studio Monitor Headphones (with straight cable)
You can choose ones with straight cable

Matti

[KeithMoonwannabe]

Ultrasone, Beyer 770 or 880, ATHM50

If you want to spend less than $200 a pair than don't post that you can spend so much. Monitoring and headphones should be the last place you cut corners.

There is a significant difference in comfort and tonal quality between the $100 and less crowd and the $150-$200 + crowd of cans. Whether or not you can live with that difference is going to be up to you, your wallet, and your ears.

My best advice go try out a bunch of headphones at a nearby music store like a Guitar Center. If that's not an option than research online and pick what YOU feel best suits YOUR needs. Avoid buying blind though.

[ohmicide]

don't get ultrasone

i have a pair of hfi-550s and one of the drivers blew. i had to send it to them three times until they finally replaced the driver. horrible costumer service!!

[aussie_techie]

Originally Posted by Happy Musicfan

Some concerns I have (from the reviews out there) :
...
Beyer DT770 ... Bass-Heavy.

Dont worry i had the same concern at first but you learn them just like any phones or speakers and having the bass response there is actually i good thing because it means you can hear what is there. They are a great pair of phones for tracking and checking your mix on.

[KeithMoonwannabe]

Originally Posted by aussie_techie

Dont worry i had the same concern at first but you learn them just like any phones or speakers and having the bass response there is actually i good thing because it means you can hear what is there. They are a great pair of phones for tracking and checking your mix on.

+1

I didn't find them to be overly bass heavy I found them to be well balanced

[jaz49]

You can do a frequency response comparison FWIW, at Headroom:
Build A Graph - HeadRoom: Stereo Headphones, Amps & DACs, Wireless, Noise Canceling, Ear Canal, Earbud, Audio Cables & Accessories[

Check the beyer 770's or the M-50's against the akg k701's which FWIR, are among the most neutral/accurate headphones for mixing/monitoring. For closed cans, check the beyer dt250's.

[aussie_techie]

I put more important in what i hear than what some chart says. ok DT770s may not be flat but they are clear and sound good. You also have to ask your self what you want in a pair of headphones. I wouldnt mix entirely on any headphones so im not looking for the same thing as i would in a monitor. For what i do use phones for they are right on. If you want to get further into it human hearing isnt flat either so the curve that DT770s have seems to be just right.

The OP is making the biggest deal about comfort and nothing ive tried is nearly as comfortable as DT770s.