New headphones?

Immy · July 1, 2014

Hi there!

I'm looking at getting some new headphones, and so I thought here would be a good place to start asking a few questions!

So;

While not a full on audiophile, I do appreciate my music quite a lot. I have a set of krk 5's that I use quite a bit at home for general listening. My dad also recently bought a decent set up (although I'm not sure exactly what's in it) for listening to his vinyl which I use sometimes as well.

My source files are all either FLAC, 320 mp3's, or vinyl (although I tend to use the speakers for those, some are digitised though). However I will mainly be using these with my pc (Xonar DG soundcard) or with my phone (Nexus 5). I am looking at getting an Amp & DAC, however thought it would be better to get some headphones first and see how I get on with them (baby steps and all!). I have a pretty wide range of music taste, but tend to keep going back to Old School Rap (Biggie, Wu-Tang, Pharcyde etc...), Ska, Ska-Punk, Reggae, Dub, Dubstep and DnB.

I'd like to be able to use these while exercising (gym, running) and working in the garden, and I've tended to be a bit clumsy in the past - I shut my Logitech UE 60's in a car door - so the more rugged the better.

I'm leaning towards an in-ear solution at the moment as I find them easier to carry around and more comfortable (I have relatively large ears but average ear canals) and I have had a bit of a problem with on/over ear headphones falling off my head, however I'm definitely not ruling out over/on ear headphones.

My budget isn't all that restricted, but I'd prefer to spend less than £250 ($430, 315€)

In terms of response curve, I'd be okay with a bit of bass-heaviness, however a flatter response would be preferable. I've really liked my UE 60's, but they are just not quite up to the punishment I've been dishing out to them, and I can't quite seem to find the right tips for them so they are a little loose in my ears.

What have I been looking at so far?

IE 80's [current front runner]

Philips Fidelio S2's

Beyerdynamic MMX 101 iE

Sony XBA-2iP

Shure SE425

Grado SR80i

AKG K550's

Sorry for the long post! And thanks for any advice you guys have!

Immy