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Advice on ear/headphones

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IcewynG

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I am looking for new ear/headphones for my NH-900 (when it wil arrive at last!) and would like to have some advice on what would be the best for that player.

I am not very keen for earbuds but would much prefer ear-fitting earphones or small headphones. I'll be using my NH-900 mostly in a noisy environement (mainly in the public bus, while going to work) and would like something that provides a good all-around sounds. I've seen some nice reviews on the PX 200 (Seenheiser) and wondered if those were good?

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 570 at home (they were 200$ Cdn when I bought them) and I like the sound of those. Also tried some Grado headphones, but the sound was not what I was looking for.

Thanks in adavnce.

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have you ever tried koss porta pro? they are cheap, their design suck, but they sound quite cool! some might call them "bassheavy", but if you like a warm, boomy sound, you will like them too. and you will never use "bassboost" anymore!

unfortunately they do not block outer noise at all, so you will have problems to listen with them in loud surrondings, and besides as they are opened, people near you will hear what you hear!

sennheiser has the px100 which sounds very similar to the porta pro, you could have a look at these too. i didn't try the px200, but heard that the px100 should sound better than the px200, because the px200 is a completely different model, which is closed.

as i was looking for some cheap alternative to my porta pros, i found the sony mdr-ex71sl, which are in-ear plugs and stay inside quite well. i like the sound, they are not that bassheavy, but have still a strong bass, and their heights seem a bit clearer than the ones of portapro.

i am not sure if the ex71 woks good with the nh-900, as i realized, that the ex71 sounds different depending on the headphone-output. connected to my stereo it sounds quite soft, with full and rich bass. connected to my laptop it lacks bass and has pronounced heights and mids, but sounds also much louder.

as the nh-900 uses a power-saving digital amp with 3mW output, i guess that the ex71 could sound "strange" with this. you should try maybe.

there are other in-ear alternatives which are much more expensive though. shure, etymotics etc.

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Thanks for your reply Oluv,

I have heard of the Porta Pro but wasn't able to find it. Is there an e-tailer that sells them (Didn't see them on Audiocubes)? An open headphone would not be practical since I am going to use those mostly in the bus.

I like a roomy sound with some nice bass (no need for bassheavy, just a deep, warm bass). I listen mostly to alternative/rock so...

I'll check out your suggestions. I am not fond of the earplugs design since I think they feel uncomfortable. I am more of a headphone/clip-on earphone kind.

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  • 2 weeks later...

the ex71's from sony, they plug your ears which muffles most of the enivirnments noise but your are still able to notice things around you. the bass is really destinct and you're really able to feel it to.

Sony MDR-EX71 are okay, I found that they work pretty good with Sony portables. If you have an NH900, they should work fine, and they impede low and make that 5mW headphone amp not seem so underpowered.

However, EX71s have suppressed midrange frequency which makes it sound like they have more bass.

Shure makes some really nice earphones and not all of them are terribly expensive. Check out the E2c's; I'm considering them myself. Although, Shure 'phones (and most other really good ones) don't have the short cord for convenience with remotes. Personally I don't think it's a big deal to deal with a whole lotta cord if you dress it properly.

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The E2c's are noticeably more efficient than the EX71, offer far more isolation and I think they're better phones all round... and worth the price difference. However they aren't as tractable nor as comfortable as the EX71, especially with the foamies (which give the best results).

I use the PX200 quite often when I don't want to walk around with an in-ear phone. They're surprisingly well sealed for such tiny earcups. They're very quick to fold/unfold and can be thrown into bags without any bagging/casing rituals. Fit and seal is apparently the thing which gives people most problems. My first PX200 had a really stiff last detent and I didn't realise it extended further. As a result it didn't fit my huge head and I got rid of it. A subsequent PX200 revealed that it extended further and it now fits me fine. There seems to be a number of people complaining about a bass suck-out with improper fit, but I've asked several people I know with different sized ears to try these and no-one has complained of it. It's most undesirable sonic attributes can largely be EQ'd out. With a proper fit on top of the ears, it has the bass that most entry-level listeners crave and the overall quality is not bad.

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