Ahoi,

I've been searching for quite a while now. What I want is a comfortable, good sounding headphone which offers a bit isolation. First, let me sum up what I already heard:

Shure SRH840 (good overall but not good enough in the end)

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (very nice overall but the strange coloration can be a problem, I really loved the bass and highs)

AKG K-271 (I liked the bass and the mids but overall I found it to be a bit too boring)

Compact Monitors Stage 3 (custom inears from Germany, almost perfect but my anatomy has problems with inears so I left that path completely)

Westone UM3x (before the Stage 3, also nice but in absolute terms a bit lacking)

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (once again, sometimes you just love those mids!)

Ultrasone Pro 750 (bass was ok, overall too much power in the mids and highs, not really relaxing, bad fit)

JVC HA-DX 1000 (not my headphone, didn't like the sound signature, had some honky mids, don't know better how to descrice that...)

Westone UM-1 (not enough bass and highs but ok for the price)

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm (too much bass, too much highs, not good at all for me)

Recently I got the DT48e which is very good overall but it really lacks deep bass and that's a problem since I listen to a lot of electronic music. I also have the Sony CD900ST which has the bass I need (maybe a tad too much but that would be tolerable for me) but the Sony lacks resolution and the DT48e e.g. is better overall.

What to do next? As you can see, I like a rather neutral sound with no emphasis on the highs or higher mids and I need a bass that goes very low but I don't need too much quantity. Hope you have some ideas for me

I think what you're looking for is Head-Fi.org - Headphone forums and reviews for audiophiles

Maybe, maybe not.

HD250II

ATH-ESW10?

Maybe, maybe not.

It's definitely not maybe.

I'll add a cat for your personal enjoyment and to make the thread more interesting for the rest:

Meanwhile, I'll be collecting some further suggestions...

JH13/16.

earplugs and a hearty fuck you.

and your kitty as well

Stax 4070 and BHSE.

Radians custom molded ear plugs/custom iem plug - Head-Fi.org Community

An isolation booth will provide plenty of isolation, and then you can wear whichever headphones you damn well please. Only don't forget to come out once in a while, your kids miss you.

and your kitty as well

Get Ety ER4P, mess with the tips until you get one that fits. Great isolation. Or go with customs. JH13/16.

An isolation booth will provide plenty of isolation, and then you can wear whichever headphones you damn well please. Only don't forget to come out once in a while, your kids miss you.

I nearly spat out my drink.

Isolation? Stay off the internet for awhile.

Good sound? I know nothing about this. Neither does anyone else here.

Edited January 7, 201115 yr by acidbasement

Sounds good to me.

Well, ok. Maybe I put the question wrong and you also don't want to talk about headphones... But can you tell me why closed headphones just don't work as good as the open counterparts? I mean aside from a large sound stage that imitates a loadspeaker. Some better Inears just work and deliver a rather accurate frequency response so what's the problem with normal closed headphones?

Reflections from the cup interact with the signal in a frequency dependant manner.

Sent from mah Droid

I see... Let me sum up my thoughts: The bass needs some space behind it to "breathe". Otherwise you end up with a DT48. Good inears use more drivers to compensate this and use the canal to form one sound source. If you'd build a headphone with bigger multiple drivers, you need a certain distance so that you will perceive them as one emitting source. The space between drivers and ear must be rather small so that you don't lose too much energy... Enough constraints making building a good closed headphone. Is there something I forgot? Well, the pads. Pleather pads will reflect the sound in a different manner than velours or whatever so it would be wise to make them very flat which leads to a not so comfortable fit.

Huh? No. Headphones work entirely differently than speakers. There is no "breathing". There is only moving back and forth very very slowly, but very close to your ear.

Also, most headphones work with single-driver technology, I wouldn't get too distracted by multiple drivers. Those are the exception, not the rule. But yes, you should just get JH13's or JH16's and be done with it.

Think of sealed versus open baffle speakers, it's similar to that (but in reality there must be something behind the drivers to protect them so there is a certain amount of backwave reflection). Sell your DT48 and get something better, and do some research on how headphones and speakers work while you're at it. You just spouted a bunch of half truths and things that are just plain wrong.

Would you mind telling me what is so wrong about my thoughts? The DT48 sounds interesting but that's about it. So, what it is a better closed headphone? The difference between an open baffle and sealed speakers is a good example, thanks. I see that the reflections might be the biggest problem with closed headphones. Is it wrong to say that in theory very large cups with good dampening should be the best alternative to an open design when you need isolation?

I'll add a cat for your personal enjoyment and to make the thread more interesting for the rest:

Meanwhile, I'll be collecting some further suggestions...

earplugs and a hearty fuck you.

and your kitty as well

ok the cay can stay

R10s are better closed headphones than DT48s.