Best closed back phones for iPod on the move

[MP1968]

Would welcome advice on a good pair of closed back phones to listen to my iPod while travelling on the train. This will be the bulk of my listening time. However, ideally I'd also like to be able to use the same phones with my Cyrus 8-based system at home. I don't know if that causes a conflict, as my understanding is that phones for iPod use have to be low impedance, and I don't know whether they can be used with home hi-fi.

I'd prefer closed back to the in-ear option: I find the latter too fiddly. I use Apple Lossless, not low bit rates, to record music.

Budget is fairly flexible, but really no more than £500.

Looking at reviews, etc., the ones to think of appear to be Denon 5000, Audio Technica 1000X, Beyerdynamic T70P, and Beyerdynamic T50P. The B+W P5 also appears to be well regarded. The Ultrasone 900 also appeals, as they appear to be foldable, but I haven't been able to find any reviews.

Any thoughts / advice / other ideas are very welcome.

Many thanks.

 

[dalethorn]

Impedance is not a strict rule - my Sennheiser HD-800 plays well without distortion on an iPod Touch, but only about half of my songs play loud enough for portable use (although the 800 is not suitable for portable use for other reasons) with that combination. The actual efficiency is what matters. You are already listing headphones that show you are making good choices, so I will just comment on a couple of those. The B&W P5 is good for sound and portability both, but has a very thin cord, so if you buy it be very careful with that cord. The Beyer T50p has nowhere near the fidelity of the Denon 5000 for example, and although the T50p would have greater clarity and detail than the B&W P5, the P5 has a fairly flat and smooth response (frequency balance), whereas the T50p is fairly choppy. If you can't get a listen, there are published tests at Innerfidelity dot com which illustrate that. I personally am very interested in the Beyer T70 series, since Beyerdynamic says they are replacing the venerable DT-770. I think it will probably sound pretty good, but not as good as the Denon. What I really like in a portable besides good sound is the ability to 1) pull the earcups down far enough that I can have the headphone around my neck all day without the cups bumping my chin, and 2) fold the earcups flat against my chest in that case. So when I'm not using the headphone it isn't in the way and I don't necessarily have to put it into a carrycase.