Headphones - Which to get.

[Ginger Piglet]

So, I'm thinking of flogging off my five year old bargain basement Sennheiser cans and getting something with a bit more go to them. Preferably with an eye for sound quality over a phat bass or whatever fellow kids call that these days. And not costing more than £100.

Seems to me that the best choices from my googling of What Hifi and so forth are either the Grado SR80 which are reportedly excellent sound quality as well as nice and retro looking, but open backed and thus likely to annoy nearby people, or AKG Y50 which is closed backed but possibly a bit lower quality than the Grado. I am avoiding Beats because they are shite and avoiding IEMs because they hurt my lugs.

They must be wired because I don't want the arsepain of having to charge them up and so forth, I don't care about haptic feedback but an inline remote wouldn't go amiss for volume etc, and they musn't have the bass wanking over everything. Or a screechy treble. Noise cancellation would be a good idea but isn't essential.

What headphones do you people have and would recommend? Also durability, quality, and so forth.

 

[HollaGemini]

I used Astro headphones. Keep in mind, Sennheiser is mainly a good choice because of their warranty, they will exchange your item within 2 years for practically ANY reason which is great.
Astros are a little expensive, but you can barely feel them on your head.
I went through 3 brands before I landed on Astro. Logitech were my least favourite, Sennheiser was my 2nd choice, Ive always loved Sennheiser.
Astro gives me the quality Sennheiser gave me, but doesnt hurt or annoy my ears after hours of use.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

I enjoy my Raycon wireless earbuds.
The only issue is the connection gets somewhat spotty once you start moving at a fast pace, but I guess that's just inherent to Bluetooth anyway.

 

[SSF2T Old User]

My headphones aren't anything spectacular... just basic JVC Headphones I got in Microcenter. Audio Quality sounds great to me and i only use them whenever I'm making music.

Here are the specs just in case you're interested:

• Integrated remote & mic for smartphones located on headphone
• Single sided cord
• 5-color selection

Model: HA-S190M
Driver Unit: 30.5mm
Magnet type: Neodymium
Frequency Response: 10-22,000Hz
Nominal Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 104dB/1mW
Max. Input Capability: 1000mW(IEC)
Cord Length: 3.94ft (1.2m)
Weight (without cord): 4.44oz (126g)
Plug: iPhone compatible, gold plated, L-shape

Regarding the short cord length, I just use a basic extension cable to make it longer.

 

[Cowboy Kim]

I've only owned them for a year, but I really like the Audio Technica ATH-M40X. They sound fairly balanced, although the treble is a bit high (not overpowering though).

I've dropped them on tile floors a couple times and they haven't messed up, so I'd consider them durable enough.

 

[Gar For Archer]

I currently have two pairs of headphones - Sennheiser HD598’s I use at work. You can occasionally find them on sale under $100. Back in the day they were pretty much considered the entry-level to higher-end headphones. They’re pretty comfortable and sound good enough to me.
- Sony wh-900N ANC Bluetooth headphones for my home desktop/travel. I did my research and they were the best combination of looks, cost and functionality for me at $150. If you have big ears they might hurt after wearing them for a while, the ear cups are relatively small.

 

[XYZpdq]

I've used various pairs of those $20ish Sony wired cans for at least fifteen years, probably before that too.
There's better headphones in theory but in practice most audio engineering jobs barely get beyond those.

 

[A Logging Company]

I bought a pair of library headphones (Califone) from a thriftstore. Currently the jack is shorted, but I have some spare audio jacks and a soldering iron. After fixing the shorted jack, I'm thinking about getting high quality drivers and swap them out. I was curious if anyone else has done that before and how well it went.

 

[jebany]

Just buy earbuds in all honesty i don't see a point in getting a proper headset.

 

[Shoggoth]

Besides a good pair of headphones (had great experience with Sennheiser), I recommend getting a pair of construction site noise-blocking cans. Sometimes you really need the quiet.

 

[Slav Power]

Personally I'd recommend Koss Porta Pro. They are also very portable.

Yes, it looks exceptional, but they sound much better than they look. I actually like them more than my HyperX Clouds, which are also a good pair.


Another model from Koss that is recommended is the KPH30i and the KSC75. They are also cheap but good sounding.

Spoiler

yes, those are the ones that were used by Etika

And as for a nice source for headphone reviews, Z Reviews is a good channel. He reviews various audio equipment. Headphones, speakers, amps, DACs, DAPs, ranging from cheap but good to very fucking expensive and good. He also made a site called HiFi Guides, which is a handy tool for looking up recommended headsets. There is also a forum there dedicated for discussion of audio equipment.

 

[Pissmaster]

I unironically use a pair of Beats Studio Wireless 2.0.

Their MSRP is like fucking $350 but you can get a pair on eBay for $100 and some new replacement earpads where you just pry off the old ones and stick the new ones on.

They sound pretty good, a little too bassy for some tastes, but I listen to all my podcasts through mine and they sound fine. Their range is pretty far, too. You can use them as wired headphones, but they retardedly don't work if the battery's dead. Not that it's much of an issue, the battery life is pretty great, and they charge over MicroUSB.

They're fairly easy to repair, and there are plenty of replacement parts out there. That being said, even though you can get most of the parts you'll need, some (like the outer plastic on each side) was like $60 last time I checked, which is a ripoff when you can just get a working used pair for $100. But the earpads and headband, the first two parts to go, aren't expensive.

They're a total ripoff for $350, but pretty great for $100.

Just don't wear them out in public, they're fucking Beats, they'll attract thieves like flies to turds.

 

[Spedestrian]

If you want a good set of cans on a budget then you can't go wrong with a pair of Sony MDR7506s. They've been making them for nearly three decades because they're a beloved piece of professional-quality gear that tons of audio engineers use. They don't overdo the bass like a lot of consumer headphones, in fact they slightly emphasize the mids and highs. This review covers some other interesting things about them, though I disagree with the author's claims that they're primarily for audio mixing rather than listening. In reality they're great for listening because so many engineers use them for mixing — you'll be hearing the exact same thing that the engineer heard when they decided the mix sounded good.

If you're in the market for some earphones then anything from ADV. / Advsound is a good bet. I know a lot of people shit on earphones, but frankly that's because most people buy shit-tier earphones with ill-fitting tips and cram them down their ear canal. ADV earphones are actually shaped to fit comfortably inside your ear like professional in-ear monitors, and they come with a variety of both foam and rubber tips so you can actually wear them comfortably for hours at a time. If those still don't fit you they sell bespoke silicone IEM tips that are made to fit the exact shape of your ear canal. Like, you get an audiologist to make a mold of your inner ear, send it to them, and then they send you some earphone tips that will snuggle right up in there perfectly.

 

[Hesa]

I really liked the Grado Labs SR60s but they are fragile and the sound really does leak out of them because of their design. Great for home use but the cables that comes with them is only a few feet long.

Beyer Dynamics as still used in a load of studios and radio studios and their cheaper lines are under 100 quid.

A roadie mate told me about a really cheap pair of Samson headphones he used on the road as they were pretty study and cheap enough to replace without much thought. I've had mine for a couple of years and I'm really happy with them.

Samson SR850 Professional Studio Reference Open Back Headphones: Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments

Buy Samson SR850 Professional Studio Reference Open Back Headphones. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Tonto]

Thomann is selling AKG K701 for a very reasonable price. Beyerdynamic DT-990 too, but those need an amp. For the price I think they are the best quality cans available. They are not very portable so if you intend to leave home get something else.

 

[NumberingYourState]

Purchased these things based on Z's recommendations and burning them in for a good bit. For fifty bucks these things are an absolute steal.