Headphones

[Buck]

Dear all audiophiles and those wanting to post:

I'm looking for a good pair of headphones for listening in true stereo, and one that can handle bass. Much obliged.

BR

 

[timwhit]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD580 headphones. They cost around $175 and sound excellent with any kind of music. These really are made so that you can use them for hours at a time. I never get fatigued when I listen to these headphones. One thing to note is that they do use an open ear design so you can hear some background noise and other people can hear what you are listening to if you turn it up loud enough. These headphones sound best when used in conjunction with a good receiver. I do use them with a crappy Sony Discman sometimes and they are ok, but they do sound best plugged into a good source.

 

[Handruin]

I don't have much experience with headphones, but the Bose Quiet comfort impressed me. They do carry a hefty price tag ($299 USD), but if you have a Bose outlet near you, I'd recommend stopping in for a listen.

http://www.bose.com/noise_reduction/personal/qc_headset/index_2.html

I notice that Bose now offers a new set called the TriPort. I have not listened to these, but they look nice.

Just my $.02

 

[Mercutio]

I have a pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones that work OK for the two times a year I want headphones for something. They aren't Sennheisers but noise cancellation works REALLY well for computers and fans and air conditioners.

 

[Groltz]

I have a set of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones that I use for music and gaming sound on the PC.

For running on the exercise machine I use a pair of Koss KSC 35 's. These portables have incredible bass for earclip-type portables and are only about $29. Very good sound. I got them from http://www.headphone.com The earclip retention method seemed a bit strange at first but became very comfortable after the first few uses.

 

[adriel]

Buck, what kind of headphone sound characteristics are you after?

What kind of headphone style do you want?

What are you going to use to power the headphones?

How much are you going to spend?

What were some of your favorite headphones that you've heard?

 

[Platform]

• [list:818d51707f] [list:818d51707f]
  
  
  I use the AKG K-270. These headphones have a pair of drivers in each earcup.

[/list:u:818d51707f] [/list:u:818d51707f]

http://www.akg-acoustics.com/english/headphones/proheadph.htm#K270

 

[Buck]

Buck, what kind of headphone sound characteristics are you after?

An excellent range of sound to handle a variety of music – preferably a set of headphones that block out the world around me (especially people).

What kind of headphone style do you want?

Headphones that comfortably cover the entire ear.

What are you going to use to power the headphones?

The headphones will be used with simple Discman players, integrated sound on motherboards, and my receiver.

How much are you going to spend?

I’m not terribly concerned about the price, because I would like to hear all of the available options.

What were some of your favorite headphones that you've heard?

I don’t have them handy, but I have a pair of nice Sony headphones that would now be about 8 years old. The pads went south, but they were extremely comfortable. I’ve also used the usual Optimus headphones and right now I’m using a pair of RadioShack Racing headphones. They have volume control on the headset and do a great job of blocking out noise, but they’re uncomfortable.

 

[Handruin]

The Bose Quiet Comfort blocks out a good deal of noise. Find a Bose outlet near you and give them a shot. They even offer to let you try them for 30 days if I'm not mistaken. I won't claim them to be the best sounding ever because I haven't listened too every set out there. Even if you don't listen to music you can benefit from the noise cancellation they offer. (No, I don't work for Bose)

 

[adriel]

If you end up with one of those Sennheisers, AKGs, Grados, or Beyerdynamics, consider a portable headphone amplifier that you can use with your soundcard and portable and even receiver. Such as one of the HeadRoom Airhead amplifiers.

 

[Bartender]

Any good links that could possibly have reviews for those brand headphones?

 

[Pradeep]

Grado SR-82 is good by reputation, I believe there is an SR-90 with deeper bass.

 

[Soup_Nazi]

I got Roland RH-50 (if that means anything to you) and they are as comfy as anything and were about $80AU
no volume control, but really good sound with enough bass to not want any more.
I use them for listening to music (all sorts) and playing counterstrike via an amp.

 

[adriel]

Headphone forum:

http://headwize.powerpill.org/ubb/forumdisplay.php?fdays=20&fnum=1

Headphone recommendations:

for home
http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=16

for work
http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=17

for portables
http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=15

Headphone reviews:

http://www.ecoustics.com/Home/Accessories/Headphones/Headphone_Reviews/

http://www.goodcans.com/HeadphoneReviews/

Headphone amp user reviews:

http://www.audioreview.com/Headphone,Amplifiers/PLS_2751crx.aspx

 

[Buck]

Thanks Adriel, those links are great.

 

[Buck]

I bought myself some headphones and just hooked them up. I purchased the Beyerdynamic DT831. They are very comfortable.

Also, for the first time in my life, the imperfections of MP3 files are unbelievably noticable. CDs sound much better. Of couse, adding to the sound distortion is the integrad audio I'm using from this computer. But I look forward to hooking these headphones up to my Technics amp.

 

[Buck]

WOW!


I hooked these new headphones up to my Technics amp, and the music is amazing. I haven't heard recorded music like this for a long time. The reviews were right about these headphones though, one of the first things that I had to do was to lower the 63 and 160Hz levels - too much base. But that is ok.

 

[CougTek]

I needed headphones, both for my work environment (puny laptop speakers combined with very noisy environment) and for home, but I didn't want to spend too much on those. I bought a JVC HA-RX300 set and I'm quite please with it. Cost me 30$ from a local store (I've seen it almost half the price online, but it cost the same when the shipping was added). It's probably nothing near a good Senheiser pair, but neither is the price. Unless it breaks quickly, I don't feel it was a bad purchase.

It's confortable too.

 

[ddrueding]

Home listening is usually on some Sennheiser RS220, and my mobile solution was some Ultimate Ears that they don't sell anymore and I can't remember the name. Recently I've been spending a lot of time in server rooms, and wanted something with better noise isolation. Based on a recommendation by Adam Savage, I bought a set of Bose QuietComfort 20. I already had a set of Bose QuietComfort 15 that I had modified into an aviation headset, so I thought I knew what I was getting.

The noise cancelling function of the QC20 is incredible. So much better than the QC15. The quality of the audio is better as well, though not as good as the RS220 or UEs. The semi-in-ear fit is amazingly comfortable and secure, I'm amazed they are able to get such a good seal with this arrangement.

 

[LunarMist]

The noise cancelling function of the QC20 is incredible. So much better than the QC15. The quality of the audio is better as well, though not as good as the RS220 or UEs. The semi-in-ear fit is amazingly comfortable and secure, I'm amazed they are able to get such a good seal with this arrangement.

It's too bad that a non-interchangeable rechargeable battery with low run time is used. That makes it nearly useless for me.

 

[ddrueding]

Perhaps it can run while the USB charger is connected? I'll try that on the laptop tomorrow, or with the host adapter from my S5

 

[snowhiker]

Spur of the moment purchase: Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones.

Since my 20+ year old Sony MDR-V6s are past ratty and the occasional electrical shock is not fun, I decided to get the AT headphones that are on sale for $99 at Adorama.

I also used a coupon code* I got from my previous Nikon purchases to knock the price down to only $69 shipped (half Amazon's current price). They should sound better than the 20 year old Sonys and the number of electrical shocks should be less.





*I actually received three coupon codes from Adorama totaling $65 (around 2% of my total Nikon purchase) but you can't combine codes through website ordering system. Kinda BS, and the "were upgrading our site to handle this" message is years old now. /endrant

 

[Mercutio]

The Bluebuds Sport X headphones I bought a couple years ago pretty much never come off from around my neck if I'm awake. I have noticed that Bluetooth earbuds are no longer super-exotic (I bought five pairs of cheapies for $12 off Ebay a couple weeks ago), but the Bluebuds do still sound a lot better than the five or six inexpensive varieties I've tried. I still think they're worth the price premium, especially for their battery life.

 

[Buck]

I still enjoy my Beyerdynamic DT831.

 

[snowhiker]

These look nice. A bit pricey perhaps, but nice.

 

[Stereodude]

Only a bit pricey?

 

[ddrueding]

The question is, one or two orders of magnitude too pricey?

 

[Stereodude]

That probably depends on your perspective. To a die hard headphone enthusiast, one. To a more sane headphone enthusiast, two. To normal folks, three.

 

[snowhiker]

I wonder what the lowest amount you'd have to spend to find something that sounds as good as the 55k one linked?

 

[ddrueding]

I wonder what the lowest amount you'd have to spend to find something that sounds as good as the 55k one linked?

As good? Probably the $55k. Within 1% could probably be had for $5k. Within 3% for $500.

 

[Handruin]

I've been looking for a decent pair of IEMs around $100 or less range. I've been doing some research but I'm overwhelmed with the number of options available. One that stood out was the Brainwavz M2 In-Ear Headphones. I saw other suggestions for the HiFiMAN RE-400.

I'd prefer to find something that has controls built in (the Brainwavz and HiFiMAN do not) and I do not plan on using any kind of amplifier or DAC with these. They will be connected right to my mobile phone with FLAC, MP3, and some streaming services as the source material. There is a huge list of IEMs itemized over here but some of those are out of date or no longer sold. What are you guys using if anything when it comes to IEMs?

 

[LunarMist]

Meh. I could easily expect headphones that cost half as much to be as good or better.

 

[Stereodude]

I have a pair of HiFiMAN RE-600s. They're my go to all around IEMs, but are outside your budget. I haven't heard the RE-400 so I can't offer an opinion there. I have an even better pair of IEMs, Earwerkz Supra 2, but they're too sensitive to recommend them to users who don't want to use a headphone amp because they will hiss like a leaky tire when plugged directly into the typical headphone jack'd device.

 

[CougTek]

What do you guys use to burn-in your heaphones? I've just received a new pair of headphones and I'm using this pink noise track at 80% of max volume. It's 8 hours long. Should it be enough?

 

[LunarMist]

What do you guys use to burn-in your heaphones? I've just received a new pair of headphones and I'm using this pink noise track at 80% of max volume. It's 8 hours long. Should it be enough?

Aren't you into the Heaving Metal? That should burn in anything.

 

[CougTek]

I suppose I could stop the pink noise track and start to listen to my regular mix then. The link noise track has been playing for more than two hours so far anyway.

 

[Stereodude]

What do you guys use to burn-in your heaphones? I've just received a new pair of headphones and I'm using this pink noise track at 80% of max volume. It's 8 hours long. Should it be enough?

I don't really believe in burn-in when it comes to headphones. I had a set that I didn't like that were reported to change dramatically over a burn-in / break-in period. After 250 hours of "burn-in" I still didn't like them. I can't say I noticed any changes.

 

[ddrueding]

Lately I've been using the Bose ANR IEMs (200 something). Mainly because I've been working at an industrial site and the noise reduction was as important as the audio.

 

[Handruin]

I have a pair of HiFiMAN RE-600s. They're my go to all around IEMs, but are outside your budget. I haven't heard the RE-400 so I can't offer an opinion there. I have an even better pair of IEMs, Earwerkz Supra 2, but they're too sensitive to recommend them to users who don't want to use a headphone amp because they will hiss like a leaky tire when plugged directly into the typical headphone jack'd device.

Any thoughts on a comparison of the HiFiMAN RE-600s compared to the Dunu DN-1000? Seems like decent reviews of the Dunn IEMs and they're in the same price range as the RE-600s. I'm considering outside my original budget now.

 

[Stereodude]

Any thoughts on a comparison of the HiFiMAN RE-600s compared to the Dunu DN-1000? Seems like decent reviews of the Dunn IEMs and they're in the same price range as the RE-600s. I'm considering outside my original budget now.

I'm not familiar with the Dunu DN-1000's. People are saying nice things about them, but frankly I'm not sure how reliable head-fi reviews are anymore. Some of the headphones I like get raves reviews there, but I've heard at least one pair of headphones that gets raves reviews at Head-Fi where I thought they sounded absolutely horrible. Maybe buy from a seller who has a liberal return policy so if you don't like them you can return them?