Headphone suggestions?

[ALwin]

I'm seriously considering buying the Sony MDR 1aDAC.  For listening to music.  I usually listen to classical orchestras and symphonies., jazz and a bit of classic pop.  Not much of a heavy metal or rock fan.

http://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-1adac

 

I went to an audio store today and tried out various headphones, I don't want small over ears or in-ear stuff.  I want large comfortable over ear headphones, and with that I'm fairly certain noise cancellation will not be necessary.  I tried out various Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Bose, Sony, etc. don't remember all the different models.  I want something comfortable, so of the different models I tried out the Sony and the Bose seem to have nice (perhaps fake) leather like feeling earcups that are the most comfortable and feel soft against the area around my ears.  Sennheiser and Sony had the best sound quality.  The person who works at the store is a friend of mine and he brought out the various models to try out.  He even showed me the Beyerdynamic Custom One or something, saying if I wanted I can customize the look of the headphones... sound quality was pretty average (at least to my ears) and I told him so.

 

I definitely do NOT want Beats or any other hipster/teen stuff.  I absolutely do NOT want gear that is "popular" or has a "fan base", I want something nice that is primarily functional.

 

I love my Sony MDR 7506 studio monitoring headphones but they're in my video camera bag all the time and the bag is not always with me, when I'm on the road I have a small Sennheiser PX-100 which also doubles as my backup monitor for recording location sound, a PXC-250 with active noise cancelling when I'm on a plane and a Jay Bird bluetooth in-ear for gym use that I bought several years ago.  But I think it's time I invested in something really nice for just relaxing or enjoying music as I work.  I'd get nice speakers but my desk is in an open office type of environment and even if I'm just a consultant/freelancer that is more independent than nearly everyone else in the office...

 

Budget is not really a concern for me, though I want something reasonably priced.  Just want something nice I can connect to my MacBook Pro and enjoy music, something that allows me to shut everyone and everything out.  So I thought I might ask for some alternate suggestions before I click the "Submit order" button.

 

Another thing I like about the MDR 1aDAC is that it comes with various cables, 3.5mm jack cables for regular connection. Apple Lightning to headphone cable so I can hook it up to my iPhone via the Lightning connector instead of the 3.5mm TRRS port, similar cable for Android phones, for Sony portable music players, etc.

[gvninja10]

Audio Technica ATH-M50X - Widely known as absolutely amazing for music consumption, countless YouTubers recommend it, I personally have it. Check it out, it's probably under $150 on amazon.

[ALwin]

6 minutes ago, gvninja10 said:

countless YouTubers recommend it

Thanks for letting me know what to avoid.

 

Instead of that ATX, I would rather be getting a pair of Sony MDR 7510.

[dm199913]

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm - amazing quality and produces a flat response (no bass boost etc). comfortable for wearing over long periods as well

[ALwin]

2 hours ago, dm199913 said:

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm - amazing quality and produces a flat response (no bass boost etc). comfortable for wearing over long periods as well

I tried them yesterday, not to my liking.

[seduce_me]

If you're looking for absolute isolation and want it over everything else, Bose QC25.

If you want a normal closed headphone that sounds good get the ATH-M50x  MSR7.

[Dackzy]

b&w p7?

[StevenSensei]

Reading your original post it is pretty clear that you need closed headphones and or noise cancelling headphones (due to the open office environment and not wanting to disturb others). The best advice is what you have already done. Go to a store...try a bunch of them out...see which ones you enjoy the sound of and are comfortable. Then buy those. All the reviews and opinions in the world don't mean a thing when it comes to your individual comfort and listening preferences.

 

I have an old pair of ATH-M50s which I have enjoyed for years as a closed headset...however, for a long wearing session they get heavy and fell uncomfortable to me. When I upgraded I knew that I wanted an open headphone for my use scenario and tried a bunch on. I didn't like the sound of any of the higher end Audio Technica headsets and went with something completely different based on what felt good and sounded good...no regrets!

[ALwin]

I picked up the Sony MDR-1aDAC that I was keen on buying, this morning.  It sounds great and feels comfortable, which I already knew from trying it out.

[Rck010]

Could have given the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over-ear a change as well. Great sounding, good isolation and perfectly driven by a mobile device.