Headphones for Commuting

Chris,

 I've seen lots of good reviews for the B&W P7. I think Richard Dane was kind of road testing one of them a while ago. There is also the stunning Sennheiser  HD 630VB which has had some great reviews.

Tony

Not liking the feel in in-ears, on or over-ears are my choice and right now I'm very much enjoying the B&W P7s as my portable 'cans'.  They're nicely made too and look, feel and even smell great - I usually get at least one someone asking about them when I'm out and about.  They fold up into the headband so not too big, but they don't fold flat - for that you should consider the P5, now in Mk2 form and allegedly much improved with trickle down P7 tech.

Sennheiser Momentum over ear are excellent being very fast and offer amazing bass (not overblown) they don't fold flat but do come in a sturdy case, I can only speak for the first version, I think the version 2 has wireless capability too.

Dave

cgarden posted:

 

As a bit of a wildcard, has anyone tried replacing headphone cables with an “audiophile” alternative?

This never occurred to me as a possible upgrade, but it seems that such a thing does exist, as reported by James N here:

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...-rediscovered?page=3

I bought a set of Meze 99 Classics recently which may be an interesting less common alternative.  They are brilliantly made, sound fantastic and offer fab value for money.  Plenty of reviews and customer feedback on line.  They don't fold flat but come with a very nice carry case and two leads with one having controls for a mobile phone etc.  Really great headphones for not a lot of money.

I use B&W P7 with a iPod classic via an epihany acoustics headphone amp. Sound great.

cgarden posted:

 

As a bit of a wildcard, has anyone tried replacing headphone cables with an “audiophile” alternative?

 Chris

I replaced the stock cables on my Sennheiser HD650's with Cardas cables when I took advantage of the balanced outputs on my headphone amp (since replaced).  The result was quite dramatic, though, in all fairness, I don't know how much of the improvement could be attributed to the cables as opposed to the balanced outputs.

Nice thing about the HD650's is the ability to just swap out the cables at will ..

Audeze Sine is a new and interesting option to check,still nothing beats custom noble k10 for sound isolation and Joy! 

For the cables check linium bax with many  choices and excellent for commuting

While you excluded them I definitely would recommend for your purpose earbuds like the Shure SE846. Very good sound, isolating, not big but comfortable and easy to drive for mobile players. I would argue that a lot of bigger screen sized over ears would be difficult to drive by most mobile players.

I alternate between my Beyerdynamic T51 headphones (agree that these sound fantastic, but look very fragile) and my B&W P5 wireless (come with a cord as well, so don't need to operate over Bluetooth (APTX - limited to 48KHz I believe) and when cord attached, very similar to the P5 Mk. II).  Both great for out and about with my Pioneer XDP‑100R PDP with Chord Mojo DAC.  I did briefly toy with idea of the Oppo, but haven't been able to listen to them.

i found popular phones like Bose and Beats to be too highly coloured (distorted) for my ears.

Used to use IEMs, however never got on with my Shure 535 - they lay languishing in the drawer now.  The older Shures were a lot better (to my mind anyway).

One of your criteria is 'closed back' headphones, and given that they are open-backed and non-foldable, I'd avoid the Sennheiser 600 series (good phones, but don't meet your criteria).  Ditto with 700 and 800, which are definitely indoor phones.

Enjoy the auditioning, and hope you get whatever gives you the biggest grin factor!

ATB. George.

Maybe give AKG N60 NC a try: their noise cancelling is not as strong as Bose, but the sound is much more fun and they do not take much space when folded away

Sennheiser Momentum's work for me. Not too bulky, closed so don't leak much noise, strong mid-range and good bass. 

I bought a pair of AKG Y50s for my daughter last year, they're surpisingly decent and would fit your criteria I think

B&W P5's.  Sacrilege, I know but I have the Bluetooth version and they really are amazing.  I've had literally 10's of different pairs of headphones plus and have always been searching for 'the pair', I find these the best: comfortable, convenient and above all great sound quality.  

Try the Shure 535 if you can.   They are in ear but do everything else well, run well with no amp off an iPad, eliminate noise,  sound great,  and are easy to carry in a pocket.    They are dangerous for driving because of the reduction of ambient noise, but they work a treat on a plane or train.  These leave my Etymotic ER-4S in the shade!  You can also get an upgraded Red Version with an Apple cable that will work with an iPhone.  

For the ultimate in sound quality and isolation nothing will beat customised in-ear monitors.
Have a look at:  Ultimate Ears (check the PRO version).

Essentially Ultimate Ears started as personal monitors for stage monitoring and evolved into consumer electronics too.

+1 for the AKGs. I have the Bluetooth wireless version with AK Jr for use in the gym, and the setup, with FLAC files, sounds superb!!

 

As a bit of a wildcard, has anyone tried replacing headphone cables with an “audiophile” alternative?

 

 

Chris

i recently swapped out the stock cable on my new Shure 1840's with a moon audio silver dragon v 3 to great effect.  They would be no good to you though as open backed and bulky to transport.  For commuting i use my shure 535's in ear but if i come to upgrade them will definitely be demoing Ultimate Ears offerings. IEM seems the only way to go in a noisy environment it seems.  Im told the personal molding makes them supremely comfortable if that is a concern.

Dave Smart posted:

Sennheiser Momentum over ear are excellent being very fast and offer amazing bass (not overblown) they don't fold flat but do come in a sturdy case, I can only speak for the first version, I think the version 2 has wireless capability too.

Dave

TYVM for posting, you reminded me to buy a replacement cable for my S Momentum. I traveled a couple of times with them and find it not very comfortable to carry them. I think it's not a good option for the PO.

Regards.  Erich

I have the Oppo PM-3's and I like them very much. I tested them against Audeze EL-8's, closed back model and found the Oppos a better fit on my bonce, they produced less break out, (fine for the commute) and are more sensitive. My iphone drives them ok and the mojo has no trouble with them.

However, I have since bought the Shure SE 535, mainly for their compactness and I think they sound better too.

IEM are great for isolation and break out but i too find them a bit of a faff to get in! 

Well thank you all very much indeed for your good advice.

I might try the B&W options at the weekend.  They've always been objects of lust for me, but I didn't really like the sound of the original P5s when I tried them (briefly).  The Series 2 sounds like a different animal.

I've never considered the P7s as a portable option, but maybe I could make it work (get a bigger bag?).

Notice the B&W site does a 60 day return FOC, and has readily available spares - seems risk free.  The 2 year guarantee is confidence inspiring.

Would still like to try those PM-3s if I can find a pair to audition.

Chris

I loved the original P5s looks but the performance was a bit underwhelming to these ears. However, the P7 took the looks, feel and comfort a step higher and the performance many steps higher - I couldn't resist.  If you don't trust the rather snazzy quilted leatherette case then I'm told they will just about fold into one of the small hard cases available.  I've yet to try this mind, but I reckon it's a good option as the quilted case doesn't offer much crush protection.

My wife speaks very highly of her B&W P5 Wireless. They are based on the second generation P5 and can also be used with a cord.

Although not noise cancelling/isolating headphones they do a pretty good job of keeping the rest of the world out, while remaining small and relatively light. 

The only negative is that for the most stable performance you need to keep your phone or tablet on the same side as the Bluetooth transmitter. That means a right pocket, or right hand side of a bag/backpack.

I use the P5 Series II and I love them. Wouldn't change them for anything.