New headphones suggestions

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Hi all, it is now time for some new headphones. My old sennheisers have died so I need a replacement. I'm looking for a closed back headphone that encompasses the ear rather than sit on the ear. I have a budget of $150-$200. I tried to research a bit and the Audio‑Technica ATH‑M50x seem like a good fit but are there better options out there. These will be used for extended periods so comfort is important.

These will be used to listen to music (generally guitar based) some spoken word and movies on my laptop.

So any other suggestions?
 
I've come to like the Sennheiser 598 Cs a bit more than the ATH-M50s. Similar role, lighter weight and more comfortable. The 598 Cs have a bit less bass, a more neutral midrange that isn't recessed and a slightly rolled off treble. The M50s have a more pronounced bottom end, recessed mids and a treble that is fairly pronounced and not rolled off at all.

Also there is a seller on Amazon with a pair of Beyer 880 Premium 32 Ohms for like $105 or $110 in used very good condition. They are comfy in a diffetent way. The Senns are super lightweight whereas the Beyers are heavy but distributed weight due to possibly thr best pads ever. The 880s are what I would call neutral with a very ample bottom end. They are closed-ish as opposed to fully closed.

I could live with either and I would take either over the M50s which are also a great choice.
 
very.... I own the DT880 Premium 250Ohms.. they are semi open .. they leak a fair good bit of sound both in and out.. they are not going to be a good choice for use in a setting with others present... sorry.

You might look at the DT770 Pro's I own these (80Ohms) and the ATH M50X's and they have a similar sound signature but the DT770's are more comfortable.. but considerably less portable and need some sort of amp .... so if You don't want to get a amp / have an amp and you need something portable the M50X's would be the better choice.
 
If they leak too much that might be a deal breaker, which is unfortunate. I'm going to be using them on either my receiver or my computer and I have to consider those around me. Perhaps the Sennheiser HD 598 C's would be a better option...
 
The 598Cs are a nice choice also.. kinda depends on what you like... The DT770 Pro 80's are going to have more bass the 598Cs are going to be a bit more warm sounding...

The DT770's are pretty nuclear bomb proof in the build quality with metal headband (under pad) and other metal bits... the plastic on the ear cups is quite sturdy.. some people crack the adjusters on the headband ... my DT770's are 4+ yrs old and everything is in quite good order.. (I have replaced the ear pads however).
 
Ok so I'm also looking at the DT770 pro 80's and just want to know will I have any issues running these on a laptop? I'm going to use these for listening to music via my Sansui receiver but also movies/youtube etc on my laptop so it needs to work with both sources.
 
PSB M4U1. Very nice sounding headphone, I preferred them to the HD598/598SE. They look big and bulky, are not very light but I found them extremely comfortable, even over glasses which makes finding a comfortable set a bit more of a challenge.
 
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Dammit, well that sucks...I thought I had it figured out...I was hoping the 80 Ohms would work with my laptop

yeah,... so it is like this w/ my DT770's and my Galaxy S6 with the volume MAX'd it is just listenable..but it is clearly hurting for lack of an amp.. with my little FiiO E11 it is pretty good.

There is a 16Ohms version of the DT770's (comes with pleather pads ???? ) and a fixed 5' (I think cable) ... these are about $120~ on amazon right now.. the pleather earpads probably issolate a bit better.. but you could also swap them for the velours also but that would be $30~ or so.
 
Let's back up here. The Beyerdynamic DT770 that is 80 ohms and should work fine with a laptop. I searched on some websites and the posters state that the 80 ohm version works well with a laptop. The Sennheiser HD598 will also work fine. This is an open back headphone. If you must have a closed back, you might try the Sennheiser HD280 at 64 ohms.
 
The be clear, the 598 Cs that I suggested are a closed version.

I've never tried my 598 Cs (or open 518s with the same drivers) with a laptop. They do work fairly well with my Samsung S5 phone and my Sony Walkman digital portables but I do think the ATH-M50s work a tad better. The rare times I use the 598s with my Walkman, I literally turn it all the way up. With the M50s, I listen at about 22-24 out of 30 on the volume scale. I completely enjoy both, just throwing that out there.

For me, at this point, if I was the OP it would come down to this: do I want a neutral sound with slightly pronounced mids and a slightly rolled off treble or do I want a pronounced bass and treble with fairly recessed mids. The former is the 598 Cs and the latter is the ATH M50/M40.

In my opinion, neither is a bad choice, just different options. I think they are both relatively comfortable. I do slightly prefer the 598s. They are lighter weight and probably a bit less bulky and there is less clamping force with the 598s.

Edit: Perhaps the HD 280s loosen over time but in my experience, they have just way too much clamping force for my average size head. I'm usually not one to be too picky over comfort issues but the 280s (used demos) were way too much for me. The 598s and M40/M50 provide good isolation but the 280s are among the best for isolation. Part of the key to all that isolation is a high clamp force. They are designed purpose built to be used for relatively short times in the studio so comfort isn't high on their design goal list. 598s and the M40/M50 were designed to be used for recreation.
 
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Let's back up here. The Beyerdynamic DT770 that is 80 ohms and should work fine with a laptop. I searched on some websites and the posters state that the 80 ohm version works well with a laptop. The Sennheiser HD598 will also work fine. This is an open back headphone. If you must have a closed back, you might try the Sennheiser HD280 at 64 ohms.

I was reading on Amazon and Head-fi that some people were using them (DT770 80Ohm) with Ipads and a surface pro so.....
 
I think for most people, it comes down to how they've heard the phones. I mean, if they are used to cheapo phones, then a 770 is probably going to blow them away with a tablet. If another listener is used to using them with a decent amp, then using something more marginal is likely to sound noticeably less good.

I don't think there are right or wrong answers here. Just folks trying to help the OP into the best decision possible without being able to compare A/B style in person.

That's my take anyway.
 
If you are buying from the internet, you take your chances on fit and how the headphones will operate. Better to try them at a store if you can and save yourself aggravation after the fact.
 
I see things got a bit confused.. I was only talking about my experience owning these for 4yrs~ or so now.... it has been my experience that the DT770 Pro 80's benefit from being amped... in the case of my Galaxy smart phone they don't get quite loud enough for my taste without one.. but maybe they'd be fine with his laptop??

you may be able to demo the Pro 80's if you have a Guitar Center near you... they have let me demo headphones in the past and they will match some online sellers price... they matched the Amazon Deal of the Day on my M50X's for example ..
 
And I definitely wasn't disagreeing with you. Just trying to give some prospective. I've never heard the 770s with a tablet or a phone.
 
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I see things got a bit confused.. I was only talking about my experience owning these for 4yrs~ or so now.... it has been my experience that the DT770 Pro 80's benefit from being amped... in the case of my Galaxy smart phone they don't get quite loud enough for my taste without one.. but maybe they'd be fine with his laptop??

you may be able to demo the Pro 80's if you have a Guitar Center near you... they have let me demo headphones in the past and they will match some online sellers price... they matched the Amazon Deal of the Day on my M50X's for example ..

Good idea, think I'll try and get to guitar center this week and see if I can try demo a pair.....I won't need them to perform at their optimum on my laptop as they'll be used to listen podcasts/youtube/movies etc any critical listening will be from my Sansui receiver, which I assume will be no problem.
 
My local GC don't have any DT770's in stock so I won't be able to demo them...I think I'm just gonna order them either tonight or tomorrow. Everything I've read and watched seems very positive. Thanks to everyone that offered suggestions and advise, it's very much appreciated.
 
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