Best Commuter Headphone?

Howdy! Sorry to raise a question that is in effect a cross between 2 other threads: Best unampliffied headphone and Best closed headphone redux. What is the consensus for closed over ear headphone for commuting/library/Starbucks/horsing around? The candidate would ideally be comfortable for wearing at least few hours, isolate outside noise (think subway decibels) and sound good out of phone/modest DAP. Additional qualities would include sturdiness and foldability to occupy least space in the bag for when not in use.

My candidates are Audiotechnica mx 50 (listened to it once in a store and was - horror - quite pleased), Momentum 2.0 ( a little pricier; had the original Momentum for a short time and was not blown away), Master and Dynamic (also not impressed in the store and not keen on its form), Oppo PM3 and Bose quiet comfort 25 (borrowed from a friend and not sure I liked them enough)

What is your commuter headphone champion?

 

The best commuter headphone is your favorite custom IEM, unless you commute on foot. If you commute on foot, you want something open so that you can actually hear the threats to your continued well-being from cars, trucks, random gunplay, etc.

 

+1 ciem

uerm is something close to 30db of isolation without music. With music I am nearly deaf to the outside world. Gotta be extra alert and not get hit by a bus, no joke.

 

The Oppo pm3 isolates really well, and the NAD viso hp50 does a decent job too, if looking for a over ear. Those two have been my current and former pairs when isolation is needed (cIEMs aside). I also use the MSR7 often, but it's isolation is mediocre at best

 

PM-3 does isolate well, but can be uncomfortable after a while. I could only manage an hour or so before it started to hurt my ears.

Momentum 2.0 is probably the best all around option in your list. If they fit and you like the sound sig, go with those.

 

I've been happy with the KEF M500. It's on the ear, not over, but that makes for a more portable package. Sound is excellent, better than the Momentum to my ears, and they're extremely comfortable. They're sensitive and are easily powered by my Lumia 930. I typically ran them at 15% volume on the 100mw setting on my GOV2, to give you an idea. For me they're a great plane/work headphone as they don't bleed sound a lot, you're not irritating folks next to you in the office or in the next seat on the plane, you get great sound and they fold up nicely. Oh, they have an inline mic if you need to make a call, too.

The drawbacks are they don't isolate so well (not a drawback for me, but may be for you) and they sit quite loosely on the head, so if you're being jostled, eg: on a subway thay won't work.

I would certainly give them a listen.

 

+1 for CIEMs. UERMs are my pick for subway, plane, & general usage due to their phenomenal SQ (even without a dedicated amp), portability, and isolation. I don't think I've ever used a full sized closed headphone that I would recommend for commuting (and I've gone through M50x (meh), Momentum 1 (weird fit, too veiled), HP50s (terrible seal), MDR 7506 (double meh), PSB M4U (weird fit, terrible looks), and a bunch of others that I've forgotten about).

Unfortunately I broke one of the connectors off of my UERMs recently, so I've switched back to my Sennheiser Amperior until they're repaired. They're not comparable to the UERMs in terms of SQ, they're not the most comfortable, and they're not the best at isolating, but the punchy bass helps drown out the outside world and I don't think I could break them if I tried. The Beyerdynamic DT1350 or AKG K181 would fit into the same category and seem fairly well respected (aside from Beyer QC issues).

 

I like my DT1350 a great deal.

Comfort is absolutely fine for me, but it's hit or miss for others.

But, I'm really fond of the sound and the isolation is fantastic.

 

My choice these days is Ultrasone Edition M... It has superb audio quality, looks and portability. Frequency response is flat until 3 khz, after that it gradually rolls off... I don't mind though as that makes for a non-fatiguing sound signature. If you like v-shaped sound, you may not like it.

It has inline control and mic for iPhone, works with Apple Music and Spotify... I don't know if it works for Android headphones, however...

 

I'll go anti-audiophile and say QC25. I have the QC15 and though on absolute sound quality it looses to just about everything else I have had in the range, the isolation, both passive and active cannot be beat. When I am commuting or coffee-shopping, the isolation wins out. The QC15 is a little dull, but quite inoffensive and easy to listen to for hours. The QC25 is supposed to be better sounding and more compact when stored. I went through nearly every on/over ear portable a couple years ago (BW P5, HD-25II, AT ESW9, DT1350, Momentum 1, and ended up using the QC15 the most. I'm actually looking for a good deal on the QC20, which is supposed to sound reasonable, be super comfortable, and of course, cancel noise.

 

OPPO PM-3 for me, I have no issues with comfort though. CIEM might be better but I find IEMs such a bother to put in and take out when I wear them in public places where I might get interrupted.

 

Thank you all for the comments. Innerfidelity stroke great timing with a nice comparative review of multiple headphones in this category:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/katzs-corner-episode-10-mid-priced-sealed-headphone-survey

Another option that I missed in my list is V-Moda 100. Not sure how this one sits with the reader/hear-ship of this site though.

 

I actually like the M-100's with XL pads. They work well with EQ and don't sound completely closed in...once the bass bloat is dealt with. It also helps to bring the mids up just a notch.

Just one big problem with them really that can't be fixed with EQ: they have some pretty metallic sounding treble timbre. That ends up being the dealbreaker for me every time I purchase and resell them.

 

Anyone have any input on the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro? Never heard them myself, but I remember reading that they isolate extremely well.

Before the UERMs I used to use Etymotic ER4S' for travel quite a bit, but they're extremely uncomfortable unless you commit to using them anyway and eventually get used to them, and the tonality is tough to go back to after using better IEMs/CIEMs IMO.

The NVX XPT100/Brainwavz HM5 also came to mind for consideration when I was riding home on the subway today, but they don't seem particularly portable.

 

I use the Dunu 2kj - famous for bass and the treble that drove @shotgunshane to contemplate suicide briefly

 

Dr. Higgs - If you take the subway, fight the urge for audiophileness and just pay the money for the QC25s. Nope, they won't win a fight with most headphones endorsed on SBAF, but then again most of those headphones would be rather useless on a train. The Bose are insanely comfortable, sound more than adequate and considering they will subdue about 80 percent of subway clatter and annoying human sounds - are hard to beat for commuting 'phones in noisy environs. In fact, their noise cancelling ability makes them sound better than technically superior non noise cancelling cans because you can actually hear your music at normal volume levels that wouldn't be possible without the NC.

 

Another thing to consider re (C)IEMs and commuting on foot is bone conduction. When walking with my ER4Ps, the sound of footfall conducts straight to my ears and really affects bass perception. Maybe this isn't so bad with IEMs that don't insert so deep.

Just got back from an overseas trip and used my ER4Ps on the flight, as well as in malls and boutiques while waiting for the wife to shop. On the plane there's just a little bit of background rumble, pretty close to wearing earplugs (not really noticeable with pop music playing). The Bose NC phones are probably more effective, but bulkier to carry than the Altoids tin I keep my Etys in. In retail environments, I can't hear anything with the Etys and music.

On a side note, we stopped in the Greater LA area where I believe many SBAFers are located. It almost felt like I was passing through The Motherland

 

This is totally true. When I got my CIEMs that was the first thing I noticed and was a major bummer. Good news: I got used to it. Given how little I see it mentioned, I'm assuming everyone else does too. Footfalls are no longer a distraction.

 

I also like to use the V-modas M100 while on the move. Pretty comfortable with the XLpads. Neutral and transparent it is not, but the sound sig works well for on the go. It has rather mediocre isolation but that big bass helps with that. Pity those where not included in the Innerfidelity shootout, although it was closed back headphones and not really about portables as such.