Please advise or best headphone for use on itouch

[djwhog]

Ok I ordered the:
Sennheiser PX 200 II Closed Mini Headphones with Integrated Vol Control

Sound volume is good, control is fine, highs are decent, mids are good, bass is way to little and they sound weak.

I was thinking the sound would be better than this, in fact the in the ear buds that came with the iTouch have better bass, but the mids are to upfront for my taste and I can not stand in the ear style, it is not comfortable for me

Anyway I am looking for a sugestion for a headphone that will drive to decent levels with an iTouch, needs to be on or over ear and not huge, main use in airplane travel.

thanks!

[GaryProtein]

When I fly, I take my Sony MDR7520 full size headphones. They sound terrific on my iPod and my main system and are very sensitive headphones which means the volume on your iPod Touch can stay low which helps maintain battery run-time.

I highly recommend this headphone.

[djwhog]

Gary I looked them up, yes only Impedance 24 Ohms, man the hd 650s would barely light up since they are rated at 300 Ω , and most sets out there are in the 32 Ohm range.

That seems like a very good unit that will drive nice will little power, I sure would like to hear those.

I will see if on my next trip out I can find a location that has these so that I can test them with the iTouch.

thanks for the heads up!

[djwhog]

Well I decided to try the hd650s this early AM and was surprised at just how good they sounded.

I really like the look and feel of my 650s, I have always been a little disappointed on my home system as that I think the bass is a bit weak and the highs a bit closed in. However I can use a EQ to get around those weaknesses in the 650 IMOP and taste. If you want a headphone that can hurt you and get to levels in mega loud rock band style the 650 will do that and at very little distortion with the correct amp to drive them.

Well maybe I need a larger, clearer amp to drive them like a new Grace Design m903 . I should go somewhere that has a vast amount of amps that I can listen too. Heck I would love to even try them on a MCD1100 or Oppo 105...... And of course this never ends and do I need a diff set of cans for my taste etc.

But anyway back to driving them with the iTouch, they sound very darn good, no not as good as at home on a low end amp, but better than I thought. Similar to driving them with my old MC39 control centers built in headphone amp. decent overall sound just lacking in power.

So what are the down sides.

Well they play at a decent level with the volume cranked up near max on the iTouch, and I thought at that level there would be noticable distrotion, but there is not, they just dont play very loud, but seem near as loud as I normally listen too I would say in the high 80 db to maybe low 90 db levels depending on the source. I would like to be able to drive this level at say maybe 60-70% of volume levels but it takes like 90% to 100%.

At say 50% volume you are in the low to mid 50 db levels and maybe 60-65 db at 75% levels.

Now in a quite place such as home or on the pc typing at 75% of max volume level I can hear my self typing on the keyboard, so you can reference that they are not that loud.

On a plane there is a lot of noise and the 650s not blocking out all outside noise are going to need to be pushed with the iTouch in the 90-100% levels to get the music to the brain at a level that will over ride the other noises.

I would have to say that at pushing the iTouch 90% + the little amp would clip, distort etc, but it stays clean just says that's all folks! And I would imagine the battery life will be a little shorter too.

I also listened to many of the preset EQs, Rock, RB, and flat seem to be the best choices for most music types.

The mids, highs and overall open air clarity on the track "The Nightly by Donald Fagen" were pretty darn impressive for this little guy. Bass was decent, could use a little more punch but again the amp is limited. Vocals on "Adele 19" and "Norah Jones Come Away With Me" with me were very good for such a little unit.

However that said, they do not sound like tin can or weak in any way on the bass from 250hz to 100hz, and for many even in a home system they may be close to what most folks listen too. They lack a little of that Kick but feeling, but what can you expect from such a little unit and considering the load the 650s require. But you are not going to feel like you have a JL Audio Gotham strapped on your head.

Other thoughts, do I really want to travel with cans the size and cost of the HD650s?

You know what happens in Airports. I mean I think I would need to wear them on my neck and then after the TSA scans them keep them on my neck till I am ready to listen. Then I have to make room in a suit case that I can control not to get thrown smashed etc.

So I guess I am happy overall with the 650s on the iTouch now that i tried them, I would like to see if there are other headphones that are similar to the sound and comfort of the 650s, smaller, easier to drive, and cost a few $$$s less to.

Bottom line I do not know if I am comfortable with taking the 650s on a short trip on a plane. On a flight that is from WY to DC or FL or Hawaii yes, and I would bring a power pack too.

I think in conclusion even in my 35+ years of listening I came back full circle to what many of us talk about all the time when purchasing power amps. Even at lower listening levels if you can afford more power, get it. The dynamics of the bass, the tightness, speed and accuracy require a lot of power headroom at any given level. Yes less load = less amp to a point, and matching the loads of the headphones and or speakers to the amp is one major key.

It is like driving a powerful truck in WY up the south pass on a 9-11% grade at 8000 feet going 70MPH with a 40mph head wind, you need torque. A big amp like a big engine just grunts and you never need to down shift or push the pedal any more, it just delivers


When I can I am going to get a listen to the Sony MDR7520's Gary has and would like to get a list of others to listen too as well. I think guys what I am looking for is a good sounding headphone that is easier to drive than the 650s and not as expensive.

[RamblinE]

Sounds counter-intuitive to go backwards in Sennheiser's lineup but have you thought of trying the PX100 II? The PX100 has been well liked, even after being revised and remains more popular than the PX200.

I've got the PX200 and while at first I liked it compared to my AKG K422 portable headphones it's really dull sounded with rolled of bass and treble.

[HiFiGuy528]

MDR-7520 is a serious headphone. I'm surprised that not many people use it.

[jdandy]

Sony MDR7520

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7520-M.../dp/B004Z58VZ2

[bodiezaffa]

I bought a pair of Shure E500 In Ear buds a few years ago and love them.
Besides the obvious in convenience and small footprint, they sound amazing and cancel out all external noise.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by bodiezaffa

I bought a pair of Shure E500 In Ear buds a few years ago and love them.
Besides the obvious in convenience and small footprint, they sound amazing and cancel out all external noise.

+1 for the Shure. I have the SE535 and find the sound excellent from an iPod Touch even without a separate amp. Using flanged tips I can wear them comfortably for 10 hours on a plane and the isolation is excellent, much better than noise canceling headphones.

[robfine]

As for the Shures, I discovered the "red" SE 535s. They are the SE 535 LE (limited edition). Apparently you can only get them in Asia or (in the US) at InMotion stores in airports. A very nice step beyond my 530s and the regular 535s. I use them with an iPod Classic and iTouch- both without amplification and with Ray Samuels Audio Shadow velcroed to the back. The Shures do fine without the amp but the Shadow really adds a nice bit of kick to the IEMs. I fly a fair amount and you can stick the iTouch with the Shadow in a shirt pocket making it very convenient. (The Shadow is about 1.5 x 2 x 3/8").