Help me choose between these headphones!

[Lilytoby]

I've narrowed it down to a few headphones, here is a little about how I would use them:

I listen to most genres, from dubstep to classical to disney soundtracks!

They also need to be good for watching films and gaming.

I would be using them mostly at home, but the option to use them out and about would be nice, iPhone controls are a plus too.

Comfort is my top priority, I'm a 5'5" girl so have already discounted some for being too big/uncomfortable for small heads.

Here are the headphones I'm considering (in no particular order):

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro

Philips Fidelio L1

Denon AH-D600

Sony MDR-1R

Sound Magic HP100

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[quadpatch]

My top choices would be:

SoundMAGIC HP100

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro

Audio Technica ATH-M50s

Denon AH-D600 (quite bass heavy and possibly a bit too much over-budget)

The first two are probably the best all-rounders but the lower impedance, Limited Edition DT770 has hard cushioning on the cups that make the sound a bit hollow and the normal ones can be a bit harder to drive. The ATH-M50 ear-cups are a bit too small, weirdly shaped and hard to be perfectly comfortable, but all the others are large enough to fit completely over the ears and thus very comfy, perhaps the DT770 clamp is a bit high for some, but that can be fixed. The only slightly down-side to the HP100 imo is a slightly shallow depth inside the ear-cups, so if you have big ears like me they can touch the driver and cause a small discomfort after a long while.

 

[Lilytoby]

Thanks for the suggestions, I do like the look of the HP100 (I have quite small ears) and the AH-D600 (only £50 over budget on Amazon, I can stretch to that)

How do they do with movies/gaming?

 

[dalethorn]

Thanks for the suggestions, I do like the look of the HP100 (I have quite small ears) and the AH-D600 (only £50 over budget on Amazon, I can stretch to that) How do they do with movies/gaming?

Get the Beyer Custom One Pro (bass port =3) and never look back. An excellent headphone with perfect balance, a fine treble that never irritates, and excellent for gaming etc. (for gaming and action TV you may want the bass switch on #4).

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Hifi can be so confusing, and my knowledge on this subject is somewhat limited, but if you follow these 2 simple rules, you'll get on much better.

1. Headphones are for ears

2. Glasses are for eyes.

Hope this has helped.

 

[quadpatch]

Thanks for the suggestions, I do like the look of the HP100 (I have quite small ears) and the AH-D600 (only £50 over budget on Amazon, I can stretch to that)

How do they do with movies/gaming?

I've only played with the D600 in a shop so far. I was really impressed with what I heard directly out of an iPhone. Yes they're on the bassy side, but not too offensive, for me anyway. If you can live with having that bass all the time (unless you are happy to EQ it down - usually works well) then they should be great for movies and games. I like my movies and games with some impact. They seemed to have really nice soundstage from what little I heard of them, which could put them in line with the previous D2000 model, which was really good for the price and was rarely this low. I'd still suggest a good listen to them in person if you can, I found them in Selfridges (London), but unfortunately they are damn difficult to find in shops. I think there have been mighty discounts on this range due to lack of demand. I'm not keen on the styling of them, the old models were much prettier imo, but I think it's more to do with a lack of marketting budget to be honest. I think they were hoping they would sell themselves, which is something that SoundMAGIC is infinitely more guilty of.

If bass heft (but also quality) sounds good to you then the Denon or Dales suggestion of the Beyer Custom One Pro seems a good place to start (I haven't heard the COP yet). The HP100 has very good deep bass, but the upper bass isn't that heavy and thus might not impress you so much for movies/games although it is one of the most smooth for anywhere near this money.

Speaking of glasses the only ones that really annoy me are ones sized somewhere between on-ear and over-ear like the Sennheiser Momentum or V-Moda M-100/LP because they press parts of my ear at the sides and you can't move your glasses frames on top of the ear-cups like you can with smaller headphones - stuff like the Sennheiser HS25 / Amperior.

 

[Lilytoby]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I've narrowed it down to 5, so just need help choosing now