Good headphones for SX-980?

Eldin

Active Member
Hello everyone.

I'm slowly overhauling an SX-980 I picked up not too long ago. I currently use a pair of vintage Koss Pro4aa's and I'd really just like a change at this point (if you've ever worn them, you know the clamping force is that of a vice).

Any recommendations for headphones in around the 150$ mark? Preferably over ear headphones as earbuds and on ear just don't go well with me :p

Thanks in advance.
 
If you want comfort, Beyerdynamic. I have a pair of DT 770s. They are very comfortable. Sound good too. You need to find somewhere that you can audition headphones. Not too many places left though. I bought these on sale at Guitar Center for a great price.
 
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Send me the 4aa's. Love them. And you can adjust the headband so the clamping force is just that of a small vise vs. King Kong squeezing your head like a zit. I've been using Pro-4A's since 1969 and the 4AA's for 2 years now. I added another pair of pads to the originals(contact cement) to get enough depth so my ears don't crimp when laying down. When my Pro-4A's headband and cups finally disintegrated I took the guts and transplanted them into a pair of David Clark earphones (Navy Flight Deck Head protector units.) and they work quite well.

If you find the 4AA's are too tight, but like the sound go to the Koss Site. They've got a lot more over the ear types. You might like a few.
 
How do you go about adjusting the clamping force of them? Any secrets they hold? They do have the great redeeming factor of making you look like an old helicopter pilot ;)
 
I just bend the headband carefully and evenly (the cups moving away from each other). Extend the arms all the way out 1st. The nut on the side of the one cup is for a boom type mic if you want to use them for skypeing.
 
I had a pair of Pro 4AAs back in the 80s. They were stepped on, kicked around and falling apart (I was a teen when I bought them). I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD530s and threw the Koss' away! NOW they will repair / replace for free. I wish I could hear them again. I remember liking the sound, but yeah, they were not comfortable for long periods. Half tempted to buy a new pair on sale. I wonder how close the new ones are compared to the old ones. I'm sure they are made in China now, right?
 
Nope. Still made in Milwaulkee I think it is. The pro4AA's sound very much like my 48 year old Pro-4A's. All they really did was to make the cups shallower with the headband swivels on the edge of the cup on the 4AA vs more towards the center of the cup on the 4A's. Plus the 4A had a cylinder shaped bump in the middle of the cup.
 
Pro-4 and Pro-4A had a rounded cup vs the flattened out cup of the 4AA. Bands on 4A and 4AA were/are basically the same thing. These were mainly designed for studio use where you could take them off regularly. Even Air Force 1 got 50 pair of the Pro-4's back in the 60's.

PRO-4 and PRO-4A The PRO-4A had a headband like that of the PRO-4AA. That I believe at this time was the major difference between the 4 and the 4A. The driver was also set back a little further into the cup than the 4AA. I noticed this when I put on the Pro-4AA's the 1st time. My ears hurt after 5 minutes. Which is why my 4AA's have a double set of cup pads glued together for more depth. Very comfortable.
Pro-4 & Pro-4A.jpg

PRO-4AA Note how much flatter the cup on the 4AA is from the 4 or 4A.
Pro-4AA.jpg

SP/3X
IMO these were the worse fitting phones KOSS ever built. Bought a pair in 74 while in the Navy (I was desperate for headphones and the Exchange had them on sale for $5.00.) The rods were pressed in the base plate on top and would rotate and get out of alignment. The headband fell apart after two years, but some epoxy took care of that. They actually lasted about 25 years and my oldest used them for a while when a teen. They finally gave up the ghost and I saved the cord.
SP-3X.jpg
 
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DAMN!:rant:

on the SP/3X you bent the rods to fit your head. Which ended up loosening the pressed connection in the headband. They could have spot welded the damned things. Mine ended up looking like 1/2 moon pretzels after 25 years. They didn't sound bad, but they fit like shite.
 
Wow I got no notifications of more posts on this thread? The Pro-4AA's are fun headphones to carry around imo because they are essentially bulletproof so to speak. I ended up settling with buying Beyerdynamic DT770's closed back 80ohm. These headphones sound incredible. Much better than the fabled ATH-M50x and i did a side by side comparison.
 
I'm glad to hear that you like the Beyerdynamic's. I like mine too. They are slightly bass heavy, but not boomy. But you have to admit, they are very comfortable. I could really wear them for hours. I wish there was somewhere around here to audition other headphones. I'd like to hear the DT880's and DT990's.
 
The local guitar center near me had both the 770s and 880s to demo. Check with those types of storea near you. I actually got theae over the m50x's because they were less bass heavy than them. Stil a tad but hey. They really are like wearing a pillow on your head :)
 
LOL. I actually bought mine from Guitar Center. I paid online and picked up in store. I figured that if I didn't like them, I would return them. I didn't even look to see of they were on display. At the sale price I couldn't resist.

I tried a pair of Sennheiser HD598's before that and hated them. Too dull sounding. Returned to Best Buy.

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD530's that I bought back in the early 90's. I like the sound of them. Very comfortable. A little light on the bass though. These are open back, so certain women folk of the house give me dirty looks when I put them on and they still hear my music. :)
 
Just outbof curiosity how much didbyou get em for? Guitar center price matches amazon so i managed to pick them up for 160.

I actually didn't even think to go to best buy for headphones. Surprised they had some that aren't bluetooth compatible ;)

That's the exact reason I bought the closed ones. These things isolate sound eerily well. Would be perfect for a train/plane ride.

Thanks for the recommendation by the way! These things are keepers :)
 
I saw the 'deal' on Slickdeals.net. They were $129.99. I knew this was a hell of a deal, so I bought them with the intent of returning if I didn't like them. I'm glad I bought them!
The Sennhesiser HD598's that I bought at BB was on sale for around $100. I bought online and returned to the store.
 
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