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Headphone Recommendations for Commuting

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Ash View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 2019 at 8:27pm
I'm no expert but I do have some experience that can help. Pleather pad HD250 has really good sound isolation but even the pads are discontinued now, pretty much putting a finite lifespan on the product. I had the right idea with refoaming and cleaning the 540II velvet pads, I think. You supply your own foam rings into them periodically and the headphone will be usable for many years. Or keep the plastic attachment rings from the back of the old earpads and transplant them into substitute or custom or DIY earpads.

I hope that the MySphere 3.1 is the future of open headphones. No earpads to replace and adjustable driver positioning. It needs to be made  much more affordable though, despite the precision engineering and obvious construction quality. Even water resistant.


Edited by Ash - 18 Aug 2019 at 8:28pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 5:31am
Gents, I must apologise. For some strange reason I yet again did not receive notification of your replies so stumbled across them last night as I was able to check the forum while putting the youngest to sleep. Not sure why this happens as the relevant boxes have been ticked and other threads send me notifications... I am back at least.

Ash - Thanks for checking for me. I agree that £2k on IEMs is wasteful. I love the concept of a set of CIEM as live performers were the reason I got into IEMs in the first place, but that cost is ludicrous for performance that is limited by the physical design.

I finally got a chance to compare my ER4P, DT880 and HD540ii via the Bitzie, but only had time to compare two songs over each set. Every comparison I have carried out of my headphone collection has scored the Beyerdynamic DT880 poorly for SQ as I find them muddy with veiled HF, but without being able to Eq the sound even they sounded better than the ER4P which was thoroughly disappointing (and I seemed to get distortion with them...?). If I want decent sound I may have no choice but to wear full-size headphones in public, although I am still in the dilemma of what to use if I only have 1x HD540ii; once they're broken...

Fatmangolf - I'm not sure if I would experience the "vacuum effect" with those closed headphones (if I could even get a set of HD250) but to be fair the trains are not exactly full of excessive noise during my commute so I may even risk semi- or fully-open. I am not sure how badly that would compromise the sound though which could potentially rule out using on the Underground... I need to find a shop where I can demo lots of sets again methinks.

The difference of listening via the Bitzie has confirmed the need for a dedicated DAP or DAC set-up though so I need to resolve that first as among other things, better headphones need a better power output.


Edited by miT - 02 Sep 2019 at 5:35am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 7:44am
ER4P with the Bitzie possibly wasn't the best pairing in terms of impedance matching. 27 Ohms? Although Bitzie worked well with MySphere, which is 15 Ohms. Most headphones I used with it were 300 Ohms.

At least the 540ii has a modular design so can be maintained easily in that respect. Just don't drop them on a hard floor as not sure how well the driver modules would stand up to abuse. If the ear pad velvet doesn't get torn up, you can unpick my stitching, discard old foams, wash the velvet skins in warm soapy water, dry out, put in new donut foams and restitch up with needle and thread. I can show you if needed.

Part salvaging online is the best way to futureproof your 540ii. In a few more years, they could become completely unavailable. The HD250 is pretty much dead now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Aussie Mick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 9:47am
Hi All,
   Devil’s advocate here. For Father’s Day my lovely wife bought me a pair of Bose SoundSport Bluetooth in-ears for use at the gym, where ultimate quality comes behind the ability to not fall out and Bluetooth. Running Tidal on my iPhone straight to the Bose has been a revelation. I’ve ALWAYS hated ear buds and IEM’s for reasons of comfort and/or sound. For AU$179 these stay in my ears while running, sound really good and are very comfortable. Not as good as my full size headphones run out of my Solo ULDE, but absolutely acceptable and engaging on the train and at the gym. I’ve even taking to using them in conjunction with my current Apple TV for late night TV watching when the rest of the house is asleep. I’ve used them for sport, Digital Concert Hall and Netflix with rewarding results. 

Again, nowhere near the league of the above mentioned ULDE.

But, you know (part of me hates this), with good source material they sound really good.
Mick.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ernie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 5:11pm
Got to agree with Mick just get a set of Bluetooth headphones for travel. I use Sony WF 1000 xm3 which allow you to kill or boost the background sound allow you to hear people while you’ve got them in listening to music. To kill the background noise you can’t get better than Bose QuietComfort 35’s.

Probably not what you want to hear but Bluetooth is too convenient to discount. Discerning listening is not really conducive with travel, mowing the lawn etc. 
There are 10 kinds of people. Those who understand binary and those who don't.
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miT View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 5:39pm
Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

ER4P with the Bitzie possibly wasn't the best pairing in terms of impedance matching. 27 Ohms? Although Bitzie worked well with MySphere, which is 15 Ohms. Most headphones I used with it were 300 Ohms.

At least the 540ii has a modular design so can be maintained easily in that respect. Just don't drop them on a hard floor as not sure how well the driver modules would stand up to abuse. If the ear pad velvet doesn't get torn up, you can unpick my stitching, discard old foams, wash the velvet skins in warm soapy water, dry out, put in new donut foams and restitch up with needle and thread. I can show you if needed.

Part salvaging online is the best way to futureproof your 540ii. In a few more years, they could become completely unavailable. The HD250 is pretty much dead now.
I agree, but curiosity meant I had to know how it compared in the SQ stakes. Embarrassed

The fragility would make me less concerned if there was at least a replacement in existence but it appears there is nothing out there that compares... Frustrating!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Sep 2019 at 5:53pm
Originally posted by Aussie Mick Aussie Mick wrote:

Hi All,
   Devil’s advocate here. For Father’s Day my lovely wife bought me a pair of Bose SoundSport Bluetooth in-ears for use at the gym, where ultimate quality comes behind the ability to not fall out and Bluetooth. Running Tidal on my iPhone straight to the Bose has been a revelation. I’ve ALWAYS hated ear buds and IEM’s for reasons of comfort and/or sound. For AU$179 these stay in my ears while running, sound really good and are very comfortable. Not as good as my full size headphones run out of my Solo ULDE, but absolutely acceptable and engaging on the train and at the gym. I’ve even taking to using them in conjunction with my current Apple TV for late night TV watching when the rest of the house is asleep. I’ve used them for sport, Digital Concert Hall and Netflix with rewarding results. 

Again, nowhere near the league of the above mentioned ULDE.

But, you know (part of me hates this), with good source material they sound really good.
Mick.
Glad you found something that works for you. Your usage of them is far more active than mine which sadly presents an issue; I will be sitting still and focussing on the music so any SQ inadequacies will drive me nuts. Having "golden ears" is a nightmare!

What full-size headphones do you use at home?
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