Good geadphones for music and gaming, not too bulky?

[6Qh]

Hey Guys,

I'm in the market for some new headphones, for both home and portable use. Used for gaming and music mostly.

I was previously running some Bose OEs (I know, overpriced etc. etc. I'm not the one that bought them), and overall, i was very happy with them, but they have been having issues, and i am sick of dealing with bose. My brother runs Sennheiser HD380 Pros and again, very happy with the sound of these. However, I need something a bit more portable, not necessarily as small and compact as the bose, but something i can wear around my neck when on public transport etc.

So i was wondering what suggestions for headphones suiting this criteria, preferably under $250? I have currently been looking at the AKG K540s

Thanks heaps!

[Marcus]

The K520/540 are great options if you're after something a bit more portable
Next up would be stuff like the ESW9, HD25, Aiaiai TMA1 etc.

[6Qh]

Thanks heaps for the advice!

Any chance you'd be able to provide a quick comparison of the K540s to say the Sennheiser HD380s in terms of sound? Just to help me sort of get an idea of what I'm getting haha. Been looking around online, can't find any real comparisons.

Thanks again for your help!

[083YSL]

If you can read frequency response graphs head over to http://www.headphone.com/ and find your headphones and compare them.

[6Qh]

Thanks for the tip, unfortunately they have neither pair listed on the site

[083YSL]

Hmm I probably should have looked before giving you the link Are the shure SRH940 considered bulky to you (I know its $49 more but hey)? If not they are a great set my brother has the 840's and it's gotten great reviews over at Head-Fi. And the Denon AH-D2000s also are a good buy! Should head over to Head-Fi and just read reviews and there's plenty of threads with 250 - 300 budget restraints

[6Qh]

Yeh, was looking at the Denons, they've been an option for a while, not sure about size though...

The shures seem like they'd be fine, kinda hard to judge from a picture though haha!

Thanks so much! Will do exactly that!

[083YSL]

Ultrasone HFI-2400 are pretty compact and quite snazzy looking

[6Qh]

Yeh, they look pretty fantastic, only thing is the price haha! Any idea how they compare to the others you've suggested sound quality wise?

[083YSL]

Ultrasone HiFi-2400 and then click the frequency graph then add the SRH940 and D2000s if you can understand a frequency graph but if you dont they also do a good job of describing what they mean here.

[Marcus]

Frequency response graphs won't help you tell whether you will like the sound of a headphone and are especially meaningless to beginners.

I wouldn't recommend the Ultrasones - fairly uncomfortable, bulky and not especially well made.
Denons are overpriced in Australia, so you'd have to buy them overseas to get decent VFM out of a pair, and even then : bulky.
The SRH940 are a nice headphone, but again large and bulky.

The ESW9 are another nice portable option, as are the Beyer T50p

[6Qh]

Yeh i can read them!

Gotta say, i love the option to compare harmonic distortion and frequency response etc. between headphones.

Only issue is, it's made them all seem pretty evenly matched haha!

[083YSL]

I read that the ultrasones were good build quality but I guess that's what you get for listening to the internet, and I know FR graphs won't tell you much but it's either that or going into a store and listening for yourself But you're the expert Sennheiser HD-25-1 Mark II perhaps?

[6Qh]

Thanks heaps, I'm not too much of beginner, know a decent amount, just haven't had the greatest amount of oppurtunity to trial a whole bunch of different headphones. And yeh, i have never considered them the be all and end all of how the sound quality will be on a pair of cans, but it's a decent enough starting point to get a bit of an idea without trying them yourself.

I had found that issue with Denons, which is why i don't already own a pair :P Shall take a look at the ESW9s and T50ps then.

Thanks again for all your help, but is there an chance you could give me a quick comparison to either of the two pairs i know haha? Would just be a major help to me having a bit of a reference point

[Marcus]

HD25 would be pretty uncomfortable for extended use.

Most of the models I've recommended would meet your not too bulky/portable needs, models like the DT250 are worth considering if you want to spend more but they're on the larger side of semi-portables.

If you were just after a single fullsize pair for home use my recommendations will be different