Headphones

[Lee H]

Hi all,

Christmas is nearly upon us and I'm thinking of treating myself to some new headphones. They will get two main uses:

1) On flights - so should really be noise cancelling

2) With portable music - I play FLAC or Spotify (and hopefully Napster some day!) on my phone

I'm not a big fan of in ear style (tried some Shure and didn't like the sensation) and I've got a budget of up to around £300. I've got Sennheiser PXC-250's right now. Tried the Shure 840's earlier in the year and really liked the sound quality of those.

Any suggestions?

 

[Lee H]

Been reading all morning (yet to listen though) and it looks like a 3 horse race.

Bose QC15s

B&W P5

Shure 840

Anyone own any of these?

 

[audioaffair]

The Goldring NS1000s are also a good option..

 

[Lee H]

audioaffair:The Goldring NS1000s are also a good option..

Having a look around the site, what do you make of the ES7 with the amp? Anything else in your list up to about £250 - £300 worth looking at?

 

[The_Lhc]

This question might be better served in the Headphones, etc sub-forum of the Hi-Fi section.

 

[audioaffair]

Lee H:
audioaffair:The Goldring NS1000s are also a good option..

Having a look around the site, what do you make of the ES7 with the amp? Anything else in your list up to about £250 - £300 worth looking at?

This is a very good question as the ES7s aren't active "noise cancelling" headphones but are about the best closed backs I've heard that are capable of cutting out external noise. They do work very well with the Voyager. Also very portable and look cool IMHO. They won't cut quite as much noise out as the NS1000s but I've used a pair on the train and they were very good with moderate levels of noise.

 

[idc]

I would also vote for the Goldrings as they are as good as the Bose, but come with a carry case that will also fit and ipod/phone and are more durable. You could then also get a FiiO E5 amp and line out dock cable to go from the docking port on your ipod to the amp. That bypasses the ipod's amp and improves the sound. The Goldrings can be had for £60 and the amp and LOD cable are £20 off Amazon.

 

[BenLaw]

I bought the B&W P5 recently and couldn't recommend them highly enough. They're not active noise cancelling (which I think can have a negative effect on SQ) but have a superb and comfortable close fit. I've played them as loud as I can cope with near friends and they can't hear a thing. They let in minimal ambient noise, just enough so you don't die crossing a road etc. SQ is brilliant, they're very stylish, and they're designed primarily to be used for iPhones & portables so ideal for your use, tho I find them great also at home using a Pro-Ject headphone amp. RRP £250, shop around.

 

[Alantiggger]

We can all seem to hear quite easily differences in different headphones ... so what kind of 'wire' is used in them then ? (from plug-in to cans)

 

[Lee H]

Tried the P5s at the weekend. Thought the soundstage could have been bigger. It felt very much on my ears rather than placing me in the middle of it. I'll try and get to my local Audio T next weekend for a listen to the Goldrings.

 

[scene]

The NS1000 are great headphones, but you might annoy your fellow passengers if you wear them on a plane, as the leak like sieves...

 

[Lee H]

scene:The NS1000 are great headphones, but you might annoy your fellow passengers if you wear them on a plane, as the leak like sieves...

Hmmmm, that's not so good. They get a fair bit of play at my desk too, so don't want to hack off everyone else in the office. Choices, choices!