[Autumn]

Yes, there is plenty of up-to-date info. about headphones here already but I am hard of hearing, so I require headphones that will not leak sound when I am out and about, as I will probably have the sound turned up.

The headphones need to be very good quality to make the most of the Cowon S9 I have just purchased.

This player has Bluetooth, so a Bluetooth pair will be possible and preferably not buds, so that I do not have to remove my hearing aids when on the move and risk losing them!

I am looking forward to the much applauded sound quality of the S9 providing me with something close to the musical experience I enjoyed before my hearing declined.

Autumn

[spongefactory]

Do you mean you will be leaving your aids in just so you don't lose them, or will they be switched on? Won't leaving them in affect the sound? I think you'd get a better sound with them out.

[Autumn]

The idea is to leave them in, set on a music programme, otherwise, no matter how good the sound quality of the unit, I will not get a good balance of sound - too many upper and lower levels lost. At the moment, sometimes I cannot even recognise a tune, or it sounds very disjointed because so many bits for me are missing.

I did read here that bluetooth headphones were still not as good as having phones that are connected directly. Anyone agree with that?

Autumn

[Steven]

I think its because with wireless you cannot guarantee the signal quality will be 100% like with a direct cable

With apologies and only passing knowledge of how hearing aids work, I imagine you will want a full-sized closed headphone. That is "over your head" rather than in-ear design. And then closed design to isolate from outdoor sounds (and isolate others from you but I prefer the former logic ) It will have to be designed with portable use in mind so your DAP can drive it sufficiently in volume (I presume you do not want to get into portable headphone amps)

Depends on your budget really before anyone can recommend. For example I have Audio-Technica ESW9 headphone. By consensus one of the best portable headphone out there but it cost more than my iPod in my sig, and more so now with the trials of the £ as you need to import it

[Autumn]

Yes, now that I understand what amps are and do (see other post), I don't want to carry around another piece of kit. Another member suggested:

'The Sennheiser PX100 and PX200 get good reviews for the money as do the Koss KSC75 and Koss PortaPro'.

I noted your recommendation of the Audio-Technica phones in another of your posts. So how much is a lot? I guess it is no good shelling out mega bucks for an MP3 player and then not making the most of its capabilities.

What is the difference between 'closed' and 'open' phones? Is it just in-the-ear or cupped around the ear? Yes, noise isolaters will be good.

Digital hearing aids can have several programmes - I have four on mine - set for normal speech, when in a crowd, when listening to music and ... you're so boring I'm gonna turn you off and just nod from time to time The settings provide clarity, crispness to consonants in particular, and access to a wider range of sound - bit like finding the most appropriate headphones, I guess. So wearing them should make best use of the phones I choose.

Autumn

[Steven]

Open --- Closed is actually what it says on the tin

Open headphones have the driver 'open' to the outside world, like my Sennheiser HD600. Just an example, I need to have my iPod just off full to drive them at a good volume as they are intended for home use. My ESW9 are closed.

Open headphones means that you will hear more of the outside world, and people around you will also hear more of your music. Closed headphone offer isolation for both you and people around you

Done well, both designs can produce excellent sound. Some people say open design has a larger sound stage which closed cannot match but its all for debate, as for example the Denon D5000 is one of the highly regarded headphone out there and is closed design

That is why I suggested if you go for full sized headphones (that you wear over your head), to go for closed as you do not want masses of sound to leak out

In-Ear earphones are just that and are only about portability and isolation. Having spent too much of my student loan on this hobby I will say £ for £, IEMs cannot match full sized headphones for sound quality, but then I have not tried the latest round of top range universal IEMs

[Autumn]

Well, I have gone for the Koss PortaPro for starters, as they have extremely good reviews and then I will progress from there. I expect to get my hair tangled in the band, as that is their main problem apparently.

I did consider the Audio Technicas, even though the price tag made me gulp - I am at the other end of the student loan, the pension. The bit I earned in the middle got, well, used up on the daughter's student years - hey ho.

The phones I got with the Cowon S9 are sounding a bit better, so maybe they are 'burning' in, or whatever they do. I have just heard all the words of 'Lola' by the Kinks for the first time!

Thanks for your advice.

Autumn

[Steven]

Starting low is no bad thing - minimal risk. My first headphones were the Senn MX500 (sold) and PX100 (still have). Quality for the money