Headphone suggestions plz

ShinAce

I've got a pair of Apex HP90's(about 5 years old) and they work freaking great. The bass is perfect, a little too perfect, and therefore not boosted. Midrange is clear as a bell and the treble is full range. However, the power handling on these things is terrible.

For listening at home, they act as my reference.

Now begs the question. I happen to enjoy music on my 15 minute walk to work. The Apex's just don't have enough power handling nor efficiency to properly drown the ambient traffic sounds. They can hit about 85 dB before I notice any type of distortion(they sound best around 70 dB). I could use a small increase in volume, but I don't want to sacrifice SQ.

Any suggestions? Buds or cans are fine.

mulveling

Huh, I'm not familiar with the Apex HP90. I'm not familiar with a lot of the stuff that would have ideal form factor for a daily commute - inexpensive, smallish size and semi-sealed. I have, however, heard (or owned) almost every high end headphone worth hearing over $300.

I use Koss Porta Pros at work; they cost under $40 and consistently amaze me how they accomplish > 90% of what I want to hear in a $300+ headphone for a fraction of the price. Truly satisfies a fine wine taste on a tap water budget. Compact supra-aural form factor, easy to drive (I run them straight out of my iMac), and comfortable. All musical genres from opera to thrash metal are pleasingly rendered. The overall sound signature is fairly warm; bright-heads need to look elsewhere. I've used mine for a few years without issues. Should be able to handle the SPLs you require without noticeable distortion. Sorry, I couldn't contain my love for these headphones in just a couple sentences

I prefer them to the $700 Grado RS-1

adam2434

Maybe the power handling is not the problem; maybe the portable device you're using just can't drive them to high levels without distortion. Most portable devices need phones around 16-32 Ohms impedance to sound decent at higher levels.

Another option similar in form and price to the Porta Pros is Sennheiser PX-100. They are very light and comfortable, fold up nicely, and sound pretty good. I use them for walks. They are over-the-ear, so they don't block much ambient sound, but for safety reasons, I personally do not like a lot of sound blocked when walking.

As for buds, I have never found a pair that stay put well enough for walking.

In-ear monitors or canalphones can stay in well, but the cord microphonics and the sound/vibration of your own feet hitting the pavement are very distracting. Also, some designs can block an unsafe amount of ambient noise for walking.

ShinAce

They are a 32 ohm model. The output of any source is enough to drive the Apex into self destruction. I've even built a headphone amp to help with loading and bass roll-off from high impedance outputs. The amp runs at 18 volts split power supply and can deliver upwards of 50 mA. The power handling of the headphones is a meager 50 mW and hence my problem. It's not a pitfall, but I would like some headroom(or headphone room).

I'll check out those Sennheiser PX-100. Thanks for the suggestion.

mulveling

I almost forgot I owned the PX100 at one point. Nice, and indeed very similar in all manners to the PortaPro. However, the PortaPro has that little extra bit of sweetness to the sound my ears crave.

ShinAce

My source will be my cell phone, and the traffic noise leads me to not put too much emphasis on clarity. As long as voices sound correct, I'll be happy.

The sennheisers look affordable for my purposes. Any other suggestions.

dipiazza

Shure e3c I like em and they’re very neutral and easy to drive, they block out almost all outside noise as well.

Also I have the Grado SR60 which I prefer over the Shure, everything sounds fuller and more realistic, but they’re big and open air so everyone around you hears what you hear.

dorokusai

I like to cup my ears with my hands and hum. They are not for sale.

reeltrouble1

dorokusai wrote: »

I like to cup my ears with my hands and hum.

Bro with my sick mind you are wide open, lets just say I like your ears too....;)

don't ban me bro
don't make me go
to the Polkie Lockup
like a po' boy ho'

RT1

daboyz

Check out Grado. I have SR60's that have excellent sound and they're about $69.

RuSsMaN

I love Grado, but comfort is a BIG issue with cans - I wouldn't even consider the 60 or 80 based on comfort alone. The 125 is a GREAT place to start with Grado - great sound, and you can actually stand to have them on your noggin for more than a few minutes.

billbillw

Mulveling is right about the Koss PortaPro. The are very hard to beat in the sub $50 price range. I've been using a pair for about 6 years. I've also got a pair of Senn HD580 and honestly, the PortaPros do not give up much to the Senns, not to mention, the Senns are much harder to drive. The Koss do just fine with an Ipod or other low power device.

Koss also makes something called the KSC75, which are a clip on type headphone that supposedly has very similar drivers to the PortaPro. I have a pair of them that I keep in my briefcase for listening at work. The sound pretty good too and they are only $20.

wingnut4772

RuSsMaN wrote: »

I love Grado, but comfort is a BIG issue with cans - I wouldn't even consider the 60 or 80 based on comfort alone. The 125 is a GREAT place to start with Grado - great sound, and you can actually stand to have them on your noggin for more than a few minutes.

They don't isolate at all really either. ( I have the 60s)I got a pair of AKG K26p's recently that I use for the gym that sound pretty good and isolate fairly well. They are comfortable as well except sometimes the strap catches my hair.

riglehart

I have a set from American Airlines I'd sell you for a good price.

Dennis Gardner

Some new ones on the block this past year have really peaked my headphone interest. As alot of home recording studios are popping up in my area, we needed some better options and I've became a dealer this past month and really have found the RP-21s superior to my old AKG230/240, and seriously approaching my favorite Sennheiser 650s. As a traveling headphone the RP-15folds up to a nice size too without sacrificing much in quality.

For the price points the entire line's value is top shelf. RP21 street is under $100 and the Rp-15 is around $50.

Take a look here.....http://www.equationaudio.com/Professional/pro-eartools.htm

Huge forum review thread....http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/equation-audio-eartools-review-233707/