Th Klipsch are ordered and on their way.
I'm very interested to see how these stack up with what I have (30 year old Realistic Nova 45 on-ear open back phones with Titanium drivers that these are targeted to replace and also 20 year old rock solid sounding Stax sr80 electret "earspeakers" that I run off my 2 channel a/v system in the family room via Roku Soundbridge from the same music server that the Squeezebox Radio connects to in the bedroom).
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My leading contenders:
- Etomytic in ear buds (very portable but not sure about health aspects of buds that go in teh ear canal)
- Grado Prestige line
- Sennheiser, so many models, which one? Open back of some sort probably, must be comfortable, portable a plus)
- Audio technica open back, similar considerations
- Beyerdynamic DT880 (this would be my high end choice for comfort and sound though not so portable)
Currently I am using Realistic Nova 45s from the early 80's, which IMHO were quite good in their day and still sound pretty good, but of course I think I can do better.
These are not very comfortable though these days in that these have a thin sheet metal frame and thin pads, which I suppose I could replace or supplement.
Interesting I'm finding that Realistic Nova 45s must be pretty rare headphones in that I see no correct images of them on the internet. They were one of my top 5 gold standard Realistic audio products that I sold in bunches ($30 retail in early 80s I recall) to lucky customers that could appreciate them back in the day. |
James,
Thanks for all that useful info.
I was not aware of the Ultimate Ears. They sound interesting. I will get more use out of a pair of good portable in ear phones than larger traditional on or over ear designs most likely, in that I have a variety of tabletop and portable devices I might use them with.
Let me research some more and come back with some more questions as needed.
Thanks. |
I've been leaning towards the B&W P5 headphones of late for their combo of build quality, comfort, sound, and value, especially if had used.
Any thoughts on those specifically?
The Squeeze Radio does not seem to have a lot of power to spare for most smaller phones I have tried so far, so I am a bit concerned that limits options a bit.
I do not need SOTA phones at this point, so I have pretty much ruled out most phones that would tend to cost more at this point. |
James,
THanks for the info.
I have been getting by with the Nova 45s pretty well, so I am taking my time.
Still not sure which way I will go other than avoiding big bulky over the ear types. |
Having reviewed the options, and given my limited usage needs for these,I may test the waters with a pair of Klipsch Image S4 in ear phones.
These get almost universally good reviews for both sound and comfort. They are also only 18 ohm which should work well with the Squeezebox radio.
My expectation is that these should be at least as good or better (but a lot different sounding) than the Nova 45s in regards to sound quality, plus will hopefully be unobtrusive and comfortable enough to wear in bed and fall asleep to.
As a bonus, they should be a step up on my daughter's ipod as well when I use that on occasion at the pool or when running of biking, etc. |
HEy, the Klipsch came a day early.
Good deal on Amazon. I ordered a CD along with it and the cost still came to less than what I would pay at the local BEst Buy (that name is a misnomer these days I find in that there are some Best Buys but plenty of really bad ones as well).
Got to try them out last night.
The fit and comfort level for use at night prior to going to sleep is very good, much as advertised.
The sound quality is very solid. Nothing radically earth shattering, but not too much to take issue with either.
Bass levels are much better with these in ear phones than the on ear open back Nova 45s, which is probably their weakest area, though many may not mind.
Good deal so far. Fits my needs well. We'll see if I get teh bug to upgrade down the road. |
So I've been living with the Klipsch now for a few months and they are working out fine in that application. Could I do better sound wise? Probably. Am I tempted to spend more? Not at present in that this setup gets only limited use usually just to help fall asleep at night.
One a related topic, I was reading PSB recently entered the headphone market with an entry coming in at ~ $400.
I've liked PSB speakers when I have heard them.
Anyone heard the PSB phones or have any commentary on them? |
I like the build quality and fit design of the B&Ws. Haven't heard them enough to comment on the sound, but I suspect they are contenders.
There are soooooo many head and ear phones out there these days to choose from...... |
3XO is an older model with somewhat higher efficiency than most OHM Walshes.
With a 80X+ high current SS amp or better, bass extension should be very good in the price range these typically go for used, near full range class, better than most any monitor type speaker.
Overall sound refinement may not be quite up to snuff with the better modern speaker designs, including OHMs, but 3XO should offer good value overall used and a different kind of sound from most box designs that most either take to for good or not. |
Yes, the Shure's continue to be an option I might consider as a step-up from the Klipsch down the road if I decide to make a bigger investment in this. |
After a new round of reading and auditioning, I just added a pair of Sennheiser Momentum circumaural/over ear Headphones.
Ended up on these because:
1) I've always liked the whole Sennheiser line for many years. Had HD 424s years ago that I preferred over the other big names taht are still around.
2) I wanted something closed rather than open to keep the sound in especially in bed at night, reasonably portable, versatile and relatively easy to drive well that comes close to the best sounding open-back audiophile in-home headphones that most people might own, including my Stax, which are a totally different but high performing beast. I do tend to prefer open back phones in general. CLosed not open eliminated a lot of common audiophile choices.
3) Momentums sounded as good as anything I heard out there and many regard them as Sennheisers best "portable" phones + they are closed back.
Might add a portable headphone amp still. We'll see....
Audio Technica ESW9 on ear wood cup portables ($50 less than cost of the Momentums, which I acquired on amazon for a decent discount) were another very strong contender that I could live with. |
The Momentums sound reminds me a lot of the sound of my old HD424s, but way much more flushed out and with bass to die for that teh older phones were never able to muster. Its definitely that "Sennheiser" sound.
This is a very nice product that shouts "quality" in all regards. VEry comfortable, compact and stylish looking as well! |
