Best headphones for r'n'b

[v_man]

Hey guys. I've got up to £100 to spend on a set of headphones which'll be used for music only. I've searched the forum for recommendations, but i'm still unsure which headphones are best for r'n'b / hiphop listening (bass is important here).

And help would be great!

edit: oh and i'd also like to use the headphones at work, so nothing amazingly big and something with little leakage.

 

[Hamster]

As well as getting recommendations, if you are to spend that amount of money on cans with a specific sound in mind, i would advise getting yourself down to a decent hi-fi shop with your favourite cds and auditioning some pairs. I'm sure there are plenty of shops in the London area where you could do this.
Also avoid Grados if you want a lot of bass with minimum leakage.


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[fraseredwards]

have you thought about iem's ?

you can get good bass, isolation and they are very discreet...

some wide choice here if you do

a lot of people rate the sennheiser cx300 - i have a pair and like them

also koss phones are great bang for buck

if you want something more special then shure's are popular

edit forgot to add the Etymotic range

or you could choose supraaural closed phones like the Sennheiser HD 25SP

or PXC 150 which are noise cancelling

 

[v_man]

I already have the EC2s. Wanted something that little bit better...

 

[taz488]

my advice is try some sennheiser hd 485's, they will set you back £40 but dont be fooled by the price they are some great headphones with awesome low's, mid's and high's. the headphones overall tend to show more bass than treble, so good for RnB.

just check out some on these reviews...

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=935166

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sennheiser_HD_485/4505-6468_7-31341506.html

and the user ratings on amazon + cnet, they are all 4/5 , 5/5 , 9/10 or 10/10 commenting on the quality of sound and the great bass.

perhaps you could buy a good sound card with the left over £60? or an amp...

Pros: amazing bass + great overall sound for just £40!!!

Cons: quite large and are open headphones, so will leak a little noise.

 

[fraseredwards]

man, taz488 is that the only headphone you recommend to people???

I am not sure an open headphone is entirely suitable, the OP asked for phones with minimal leakage...

v_man - would you think about the shure brand again?

also are you looking for use outside of the office with these? i.e. travelling to and from work?

 

[Boz]

if you are gonna be using them indoors, then look up a pair of audio-technica ath-a900. they are slightly more than your budget, somewhere around 115 quid but are well worth the money.

head over to www.head-fi.org/forums if you want some reviews/first hand accounts

 

[v_man]

man, taz488 is that the only headphone you recommend to people???

I am not sure an open headphone is entirely suitable, the OP asked for phones with minimal leakage...

v_man - would you think about the shure brand again?

also are you looking for use outside of the office with these? i.e. travelling to and from work?

I'll be using them at work and at home only. I don't mind buying shure again, i've been pleased so far with the ones i've got.

I'll read some reviews of the audio-technica's and will get back to you.

edit: the audios do seem a bit big - the size of the grados seem perfect, but i've heard they're quite uncomfortable?

 

[fraseredwards]

apparently so and more suited to metal and strings based music - so r&b is not really their forte, however I have not hear them so may be worth a try if you are able to demo??

sennheiser supraaurals hd25sp's or hd25 give good bass and a great all rounder as well as having won many awards?

 

[stomly]

The grados would not be suitable here, as they they do leak sound A LOT. Great phones, but I think you`d raise a few ear-brows in the office.
As stated, those 485s do leak also, but less than grados. You might also wanna check out Sennhesier HD555 as they tend to be well favoured, and apparently leak fairly minimally for open cans.

If you wanna go for closed cans,the Senn HD215 seem to get pretty good reviews, or you might wanna checkout the HD280 but they can sound a little flat and unexciting-not great for bassy stuff.
If Bass is what you`re after, the HD215 could be worth checking out...can be had for ~£35, closed so no leakage, and tend to have better bass due to the closed design.
I only own the grados (SR-60s) out of this lot though, so the rest of my recommendations are purely based on web research. Should be hearing some HD555s over Christmas though.

 

[squiffy]

Probably want a set of phones that sound "phat" I don't listen to RNB since it's rubbish. I used a set of Beyer 231 quite pronunced bass, comfy, not too big but they did leak quite a bit (the cups are hollow plastic and not foam padded)

Just go into a hi-fi shop and take your personal cd player/dap and demo them. Although there's still hygiene regulations so might not allow demo phones.

 

[v_man]

The Senn HD25 seems perfect. The reviews are all good. I'll demo it out sometime this week. Thanks for all your help guys.

 

[Vegetarian]

Westone UM2's perfect!

 

[v_man]

The UM2s are a tad over budget

 

[G4AJG]

Don't forget the BOSE

I would recommend these BOSE ear phones very pleased. Good bass at last, had some Bang & Olufsen from the state's, not a patch on the BOSE. (given the Bang & Olufsen ear phones to the Mrs )

Under the £100, good deal on them before xmas (also bought their PC Speaker system at the same time, see other thread)

Hope this gives you a wider choice

GADGER

 

[v_man]

Ended up going for the HD25s. Absolutely amazing cans. Yanked up the volume and was blown away. I definitely recommend these badboys

 

[daz]

I would recommend these BOSE ear phones very pleased

Bose is overpriced for what it is. For £100 you can buy some fantastic cans or IEMs.

 

[taz488]

half the price of anything bose, and you have what its worth when comparing bang for buck with every other audio make.

 

[fraseredwards]

Ended up going for the HD25s. Absolutely amazing cans. Yanked up the volume and was blown away. I definitely recommend these badboys

glad you like them, they isolate surprisingly well and have good amounts of bass, plus are not too big and can be good for the plane and on the move too

i have a set of them and still love them

 

[v_man]

Did you burn them in when you got them? Did you notice much evolution in sound as a result?