3migo

how are they?

mr dave

if you're really in the market for $300 headphones you should already be well aware of the quality Sennheiser offers. what do you normally wear? are you familiar with open ear vs. closed ear headphones?

i've been rocking 515s for about 4 years now and they're only recently getting to the point of making me consider replacements. mainly due to the cloth ear covering. i've worn them inside, outside, in the sun, rain, snow, it's only when i started wearing them while video game drumming that i soaked the ear pads with sweat and things started being less than awesome.

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chiron

go through the discussions at the head-fi forum to decide on your headphone.

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crash_override

not sure this is the right forum for this.

but I can't move it so....

Yeah, they are good headphones. You can compare them to Bose QC's, about the same level. They are entry level audiophile headphones, you will hear things in your music you've never noticed before if you're not used to audiophile quality, but it's quite nice once you get used to it. I had the Bose Triports for years but they recently broke and I switched to entry level Sennheisers. I'm considering upgrading to the 595's as well. If you have the money, I'd say buy them.

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3migo

I currently wear Bose in-ear phones, but I've been looking to get some over ear headphones.

I've been hearing mixed reviews about Sennheiser, so I wasn't quite sure what to think. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the difference between Open and closed ear headphones, if you could explain it, I'd appreciate it.

My apologies, new to the forum, haven't gotten the hang of the layout quite yet. I was under the impression that the 595's were in the upper area of the Audiophile line, not the entry level.

crash_override

These are your upper level... Sennheiser HD 800 Audiophile stereo headphones at Crutchfield Signature

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mr dave

kudos on the ebay score

the primary difference in open and closed ear headphones is in how the cup is designed and manufactured.

open ear normally has a mesh or some sort of grill covering the outside edge of the cup which allows air and sound to travel freely in both directions.

the biggest pro for open ear is comfort, you don't get that half headache feeling after an extended listening session. the con is that because air flows both ways ambient noise can bleed into what you're listening to and anyone around you WILL hear whatever is coming through your set.

closed ear is, well, the opposite haha basically a hard plastic shell which forces the sound to be rebounded back into your ear. great for sound isolation and shorter listening sessions, but comfort normally diminishes the longer you wear them.

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SATCHMO

There's also a tremendous difference in fidelity, as well. open air headphones will actually give the sense of there being a 3-dimensional soundstage, instead of the common band-playing-inside-my-head effect that closed ear and in ear monitors are known for. There is a sacrifice in privacy and ambient noise, but to me it's worth it.

3migo

I'm aware those are the tippy top, but i thought that the 595's were up there, upper middle class, if you will.

crash_override

It's preference I guess. But 595's are where it starts to get really good IMO. They are great headphones for the money, only $240 on Amazon too.

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