I am fairly new to head-fi systems. So I will apologize if this question is redundant. I have search the database and came up empty. I am looking for head phones for relaxed activity.

Requirements:
1. fit comfortably
2. nothing has to be stuck in my ear. ie ear plugs
3. isolation head phones (I want to hear the music not the engine of a Boeing 747 comercial plane)
4. upgradable for the future
5. PRICE is not an issue.

Ones that come to mind after some preliminary research.
HD280 Pro | Bose - QuietComfort® 2 Headphones

I am open to all or any suggestions.

Well, this may be a bit biased since I own the HD280s and never used the Bose QC2's before. However, I've very pleased with these headphones overall. I've had them since November and they've held up quite nicely, still got that tightness without being too tight. Most of the time I don't even feel them. With my revo they produce very nice highs compared to what I was expecting, never too bright or harsh with a proper source. The noise attenuation is quite good, maybe not 32dB, but I can't hear my loud fan in my window so it works for me. Very neutral sound which is what I was going for plus they also only cost me $70 with shipping and arrived in 3 days with amazon so I can't complain.

Thanks for the input. I am curious if others would recommend some other products other then the two mentioned. I agree the price is really low. I like that verses the $300 for the Bose QC2's.

I would strongly recommend the HD580 headphones (edit: which are open, the 280's are closed) over any Bose product. I have not yet auditioned the Quiet Comfort headphones yet, but I have tried the TriPort headphones. They are astonishingly overpriced for the sound quality, and at least in my opinion nearly any pair of Sennheiser or Grado headphones at roughly half the price would be preferable.

I have the HD280's.... love 'em. www.headphone.com has a nice review of them. They have a good frequency response, and a good sound for a closed headphone. Not only do they block out background noise nicely, but people around you can't hear the music. Nice headphones for noisy environs, and for not bothering others.

And what about HD515? They are a new and quite inexpensive highend model? Anybody know something more about them?

Are they noise cancelling? I believe that is what mj-barton is asking about.

The HD280s do not use any type of electronic noise cancellation, afaik, they do it more like the protective headphones at a firing range.

I've got Bose QC-1 headphones (300 €), Senheiser HD-600 (350 €), and I used to have AKG K-400 headphones (150 €).

The Bose QC-1 sound quality is way inferior to both Senheiser and AKG headphones. Too much bass, too few treble. The noise cancellation introduce a hissing background noise. Comparable to the hiss of a cassette tape without Dolby noise reduction. It is not possible to listen to music without turning the noise cancellation on. It works with batteries.

I am looking for isolation. I hate external noise around me. How well do the 'open-end' systems handle external noise.

Whats the difference between 'open-end' and 'losed-end'?
How well do they handle external noise. Pros / Cons

I assume you are referring to "sealed" vs. "unsealed". If so, in a nut-shell, open headphones provide better sound, but let more external noise in (and music out).

Here is a link that explains it a bit better:

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicI...&subTopicID=129

This site gives reviews of quite a few headphones. Also check out the Buyers Guide... it may give you more ideas.

I have the Sennheiser PXC-250. Since I ride the bus & train 2 hours every day, active noise reduction is critical. The sound is ok, kinda bright but not unenjoyable. It needs a bass boost tho, but most portable players can do that. The ANR really helps for bus & train engines and other similar loud sounds. Plus if you turn the volume way up, the sound won't leak out and bother others. You can get it for ~$80 new on Ebay. It's a good outdoors/travelling headphone

This coming week I am going to some audiofile equipment stores and test some of them out.

i have the quietcomfort and the HD580/600. in terms of sound i recommend the HD600/600 (!). but the noisecancelling effect of the quietcomfort headphones is indeed nice (if you need it for train, car etc.)

the bose headphones are also better to wear but the sennheiser one's are not bad too although they are very big and heavy and they begin to itch me after a while.

I would recommend Sennheiser HD 270 or HD 25, both are very similar in sound quality, HD 270 might be a bit more comfty, but HD 25 isolates noise better. By the way, the purpose of those phones are DJing and monitoring. (Both are perfect ABX phones.) HD 270 should be a little more expensive than HD 280.

Hmm, it looks like the specs say HD 280 attenuates more noise than HD 270, but don't know about HD 25, at least those aren't very comfty to wear more than hour imho.

My opinion about other expensive Senns like hd 5xx/6xx is don't get those for noisy environments, there's not much noise isolation at all.
... but you gotta try those yourself, reviews and recommendations means nothing.

thanks for all the input. Now I now that I am atleast headed in the right direction.

Your research was excellent.

I have both the QC2 and the HD280s... they are my two favorite high-isolation closed cans on the market. For day-to-day or hours-long or airplane usage, if price is not an object, I recommend the QC2s. The comfort is awesome and the sound quality is pretty good. If you have a bass knob to turn the bass down a little all the better.

The HD280s have better sound quality, but the comfort is not what I would want for day-to-day usage. They are a little bass-shy, while the Bose QC2s are a little bass heavy. The HD280s are the best monitoring or diagnostic headphones I know of at any price though, which is nearly miraculous at the $80 or so street price.

Good luck!

I don't know about QC2s, as I've always been leery about Bose products (sound quality-wise), but I own both the HD-280s and the PXC-250s from Sennheiser, and I recommend both of them. If you're going to use your headphones more for portable use, then definitely go with the PXC-250s, as the sound is quite decent (esp. with the ANR off) and not boomy (if you like bass, change your EQ, not your headphones IMHO), but they are nowhere near as tight sounding as the 280s (and the 280s are nowhere as smooth sounding as equal or higher class open headphones). The HD-280s are very good at removing external sound, especially if you raise your volume a bit. The bass is kind of weak on the HD-280s, though, which makes it sound very bright, but at least they aren't loose and boomy like most closed headphones.

As for comfort, I actually have to side with the much smaller PXC-250s, simply due to less weight and less pressure on the ears. They are also quite convenient as they fold up and come with a pouch that is soft and well-sized. The PXCs also come with an airplane adapter, which the 280 doesn't have, although I don't often listen to the airplane's music, and rarely bother with the often terrible airplane movies.

One second-last note: I'm pretty sure that all ANR systems add a fair amount of hiss to your listening experience. I keep it off unless I'm on a plane, as the passive noise-reduction (i.e. simple sealed back) and a decent volume level cuts enough noise on buses and streets to be absolutely wonderful. I also think that the PXX-250s have a perfect amount of bass, but that's my preference and may not be yours (they sound rather neutral, which I like).

Whatever you decide to get, do listen to them on a regular basis for one to two weeks before you really decide on them. At first, I absolutely dreaded using my HD-280 Pros, but I got used to them and now enjoy them when I need sealed headphones.

Once I get some free time. Whenever that could be, I will go try out the BOSE QC2s. HA is a excellent place for research and opinions. Thanks for all the help.
I stil have not decided yet but I am starting to lean toward to Bose Headphones.