Headphones/earphones for iPad and Macbook for music HELP NEEDED

[therussian]

Hey all,

I'm a total newbie to this question, so this is why I'm asking you. I have a Macbook Pro 13 and an iPad Air (which is my first ever tablet). Now need to find myself a christmas present so I thought of purchasing a good quality and good looking, compact headphones,earphones. My reason: I have a reasonable sound system which I use for watching movies, but I'm really lazy to turn on for music. Plus many times I want something "intimate" and low profile, so definetely don't want to play music in the whole room, just for my pleasure. I'm also writing a lot on computer, for which I usually listen to some music to isolate me from the outside world. Until this point I either used the speakers on my MBP, or seldomly via my sound system, which is a pain in the ass beacuse it's not wifi, so plus cable needed on those occasions.

So first I thought I purchase a good pair of earphones for my new iPad. I have a problem with earphones because 1, they fall out from my ears 2, they kinda irritate me, the grease and dirt etc Anyway, I searched and found two good alternatives: Bose IE2 and Bowers and Wilkins C5.

But I realized that 1, I don't really like earphones, or haven't liked the cheap ones I used previously which came with the electronics, 2, I don't travel that much on public transport, or etc... where I could really use them. So I thought I should buy a good compact headphones, which I can use at home with my MBP and iPad just for casual music listening, or during writing, in bed etc... and I can take it with myself if I travel and I am not the one who drives

In my price range I found these options: B&W P3, Philips Fidelio M1, Klipsch Image One II, AKG K451. I like the look of the new Yamaha M82, but don't know anything about it as of now, no reviews, tests, etc... I looked at all the brands and products, these were the one that look right for me. I want something good looking, don't want a bulky plastic thing on my head. The AKG is a What HIFI winner, looks great, price is great, Fidelio looks awesome but somehow P3 looks the best for me. Klipsch looks great, but not really my style.

As I haven't used headphones really much earlier, I can't say for how much of my listening I will use them. I listen a lot of stuff, from pop, rock to classical, love Michael Jackson and his generation, but what I really love are motion picture soundtracks. I listen a lot to them for inspiration. And while it's great to listen to the Titanic score on my sound system with all the loudness and bass, I would like to listen to these scores in a more intimate way. You know what I mean... And if I travel I would grab these and take it with myself too. Using earphones at home seems not very practical for me. Maybe they are better when laying on the couch or in the bad, they don't push your head like a headphone, but I dont know...

So what do you think? Which type of product is best for my needs? The cheapest AKG? The Fidelio or P3? Or any other alternative in this price range (european prices)?

I also thought of separating this two: home and mobile usage. So maybe I could look for a good home speakers, and later I would by a seperate set for the rare mobile use, like the C5.

I could buy some factory refurbished Bowers and Wilkins P3s (around 200usd in Europe), but I'm unsure if its a good thing or not. What do you think?

 

[dalethorn]

I've had most of them. Two of the P3's, very colored plus weak treble. I had the M1 which had no treble at all. Ugh! The original Klipsch Image One had open pads and was very bassy but otherwise OK, but the new version seems to have on-ear pads so who knows how it sounds.

Of the 100 headphones I've purchased since 2011, one stands out for portability, cost, and sound quality - the Beyerdynamic DTX501p.

 

[therussian]

Thanks!

I checked out the Beyerdynamic. However it looks bulky to me. I know it's an audio forum and there are far more important things than design, but if its bulky, I don't feel myself comfortable in it, then I won't use it for very long.

Anybody else?

 

[JoelSim]

The Musical Fidelity MF-100 is very nice indeed. Had a good 2 hour demo a few weeks back using my computer, my hifi and a headphone amp with CDs and Spotify. They feel well made too.

Another headphone I really like is the AIAIAI TMA-1.

 

[dalethorn]

Thanks! I checked out the Beyerdynamic. However it looks bulky to me. I know it's an audio forum and there are far more important things than design, but if its bulky, I don't feel myself comfortable in it, then I won't use it for very long. Anybody else?

The Beyer DTX501p is a very small and very light plastic headphone - the opposite of bulky.

 

[therussian]

Alright, not bulky, but "plasticky". It would be great if I could go and take a look at them in real life, but I won't have the chance before christmas, so I must choose based on internet photos, videos and tests.

How the Beyer compares to the AKG K451?

 

[dalethorn]

Alright, not bulky, but "plasticky". It would be great if I could go and take a look at them in real life, but I won't have the chance before christmas, so I must choose based on internet photos, videos and tests. How the Beyer compares to the AKG K451?

I've had some cheap-feeling and sometimes fragile plastic headphones before, and the DTX501p (which I think is an OEM of the Soumdmagic P30) is well made and I like the looks, feel, everything - I haven't seen the P30 in person, but my feeling is that Beyer spiffed it up a little. I haven't heard the AKG, but several people have recommended it and I read reviews and did some research - decided not to buy. But with all the research I did, there's no substitute for experiencing the real thing.

My method with the smaller lower-cost headphones like the 451 is to check Amazon, U.S. and U.K., and read the reviews (newest first helps to screen out the fake reviews who post early to boost the sales).