Recommend headphones

[CMoon]

Asking for recommendations after a purchase is absurd. I didn't even research the product. Finding the need for new bud headphones, I picked up the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220 Noise Isolating Earphones I was really thrilled to find in the past few years, bud headphones have become both comfortable (at least, these are for me) and pretty good. Still not as good as my AKG K26P, but those are over the ear and bulky by comparison. I did not pick up the Sony MDR-EX300 and now rather wish I had, though I'm pretty happy with my purchase as is.

I know we've discussed headphones here before, and it's probably time again, especially since headphones have gone from common place to ubiquitous and there is consequently a drive for better comfort and performance. Anyone have some headphones they'd like to advocate?

[Kiel]

cant go wrong with sennheiser.

[Domino]

www.head-fi.org

[Daigohji]

Looking to spend a reasonable amount? Sennheiser. Looking to spend a lot? Shure.

[iatneH]

Back in my poser-semi-audiophile days, I got a pair of Grado SR-60. Rather overrated and not very durable, though to be fair they are not really meant to be tranported about. One of the drivers blew out, I replaced it with a driver from some JVC and after a while I forgot which side is JVC and which side is Grado and I can't really tell by listening either. Eventually the cord broke as well and I replaced it with a cord from an old Sony MDR-350 or something like that. The padded bit of the headband is splitting apart majorly too. Right now I have some Koss KSC75 drivers in there, so pretty much nothing Grado left apart from the casing and nearly broken headband.

Personally I like Koss Portapro - light, comfortable, snug, mostly affordable and sounds good enough to my ears.

[ROBOTRON]

on the low end....

I have Phillips SHS5200 which are excellent for my jazz listening pleasure. I hate Headphones that go overhead because I have a big water jug head which makes them uncomfortable.

These headphones fit around the neck instead of overhead, way more comfortable, and really nice quality sound.

They look weird, but they are way more comfortable.

Phillips SHS5200

[Ed Oscuro]

Head-Fi has recommendation threads which you ought to go through, including ones on price.

My Audio-Technica ATH-A900 pair isn't as soundproof as my older Sennheiser stereo monitors, nor as tight, but the stereo separation is excellent and the sound is nicer, too. They're a bit nicer for other occupants of the room (and block more of their noise) than the usual open headphone design, like most Grados, which are otherwise designs usually considered to give better fidelity. But I'm in a totally quiet room rarely enough as it is so I try to balance sound suppression (from both sides) with quality, and I spring for "closed" headphones when I can.

Right now they're only around $225. Only major downside I can point to is the fabric-wrapped cord which I've already managed to fray in one place by rolling a chair over it. It likes to catch on things in a way the old coiled design won't. It has a nice long cord, though.

Of course, if I had unlimited money I'd probably get some of the $1000 pairs, and lots of people have a product in that market. I wouldn't spend less than I have on a replacement, though, since sound is pretty important.

[Pirate1019]

cant go wrong with sennheiser.

As long as open circumaural is fine with you. That's the niche they fill with the HD series.

I've got a pair of Sennhieser HD555's I got for Christmas a few years ago. On top of sounding great, they're ridiculously comfy and more durable than they look/feel.

[mr_m0nks]

Another vote for sennheiser

[Domino]

If you are mostly rock orientated the Grados are what you need. I currently use the SR225i which ran me $200. Actually I'm using them right now.

[Domino]

For general music listening I would stay away from any gaming headphone. I would recommend go on Head-Fi and look around.

[Ed Oscuro]

cant go wrong with sennheiser.

As long as open circumaural is fine with you. That's the niche they fill with the HD series.

Not all the HD XXX series are open phones. The 280 Pro I used to have (back when we discussed my next pair) is almost in line with the 555 in price, but is a closed set with pretty decent sound dampening (both coming in and going out).

Funny that you mention they're more durable than they look - that was the first thing I thought when I saw the product image. The 280 Pro shed almost all the plastic it could but the over-head band held.

The ATH A900 is much comfier than the 280 Pro is, but that was a tight headphone. The over-head band on the A900 is two plastic-covered bits, very durable but well above the head, and two spring-backed pads which keep the over-head wires from settling down to your head. It's probably better than having pads or the wires settle the phones.

[silvergunner]

I use a Sennheiser HD 595 and I´m very satisfied with.In this price range a highly recommended headphone.
Metal or Electro...it sounds great!

[Jon]

I think the Sennheiser HD-280's are the best headphones you can get for under one hundred dollars.

[Pirate1019]

cant go wrong with sennheiser.

As long as open circumaural is fine with you. That's the niche they fill with the HD series.

Not all the HD XXX series are open phones. The 280 Pro I used to have (back when we discussed my next pair) is almost in line with the 555 in price, but is a closed set with pretty decent sound dampening (both coming in and going out).

I know they aren't all open, but any of them worth getting are. I own the 280s as well, and they sound like crap unless you either drive them to high hell or rip them apart and tac-mod them. Personally I've tried neither, but without them the bass just really isn't there, even more so than the rest of the HD series, which is kind of known for it's subdued bass. They are also really uncomfortable to wear. They have to sit tight on your head to get the dampening effect, and the pleather pads encourage sweating.

It's just, I dunno. I'm not a crazy audiophile, but those phones just didn't do it for me. I was actually going to plug them both in and listen again to make sure I'm not talking out of my ass, but then I find I left them at my house. All I have in the apartment is my 555's and a pair of 205's (not recommended).

[Ed Oscuro]

The HD280 Pro don't sound like crap; they just are a straightforward pair for monitor work. It might not sound as "pretty" as other pairs but they provide great fidelity. To quote an old review of the HD 280 Pro:

Monitor headphones, like monitor loudspeakers, are meant to have flat, uncoloured, un-exaggerated response across a wide frequency range. They're not meant to sound "sweet" or "bassy"; they're just meant to deliver the input signal cleanly to your ears.

That said, I enjoy the reportedly "exaggerated" stereo separation of the ATH-A900 and the sound generally seems nicer otherwise as well. It's not as "closed" as the HD280 Pro, but I guess I'll take what I can get. I don't notice any lost frequencies or anything with the newer cans.

Agreed on the 280's pleather. I'd almost forgotten how much I hated the sweating those cause. I could forget about it for hours on end but eventually I'd be forced to take them off for a while.

After second thought, then, I probably shouldn't recommend the HD 280 Pro. I appreciate the rationale behind its design though.

[ROBOTRON]

Question: This is slightly off-topic but I see many in this thread recommending closed headphones...tell me...if someone comes to the door or the phone rings, baby crying, etc. How do u guys hear the outside world? When I was a bachelor (until 3 years ago) I had a set of closed headphones, but when UPS, FEDEX, USPS, phone/cellphone ringing, friends neighbors ect. would come knocking and I would missing deliveries and stuff. It became so problematic, I bought a doo-hicky from radio shack that sat on top of the tv that would alert me when the phone rang, but answering the door was another problem.

My question how do most of you deal with this? Got kids/wife/girlfriend that handles that for you? Are some of u loaded whereas you own a closed circuit tv system or what?

Its for this reason I don't buy closed units anymore so no matter how high I turn up my gaming rig or music system...I must be able to still hear the world around me.

[system11]

If you can't hear a doorbell through closed headphones you probably have them turned up too loud, or a pitiful doorbell.

These rock so much I bought 2 pairs in case they stop making them (Panasonic HTX7):
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2009/ ... hones.aspx

In a comparison with basically every pair of headphones at a local dealer when I picked them, including £200 Sennheisers, these beat everything. Any decent mp3 player can drive them too, unlike some of the high end stuff.

[oli_lar]

I'd reccomend Sennheiser but every pair I've had have fallen apart after a couple of years. Perhaps I've been unlucky.

You could try some Beyer DT-100s, they are pretty much industry standard in studios etc. Depends wether you want accurate or coloured sound I suppose though. 2nd hand pairs tend to run at £50-60, new they are ~ £110

[iatneH]

These rock so much I bought 2 pairs in case they stop making them (Panasonic HTX7):
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2009/ ... hones.aspx

I see a lot of people with those around these parts, but wasn't sure about the sound. Thanks bloodflowers, on your word I might pick up a pair to replace my franken-Grados - the price is definitely right for me.

[Jockel]

We had a similar thread a few months ago, and the name "Shure" fell.
I bought some Shure headphones for 60€ and never looked back.
They just sound SO great, and the low price just sweetens the deal.
http://shure.com/ProAudio/Products/Head ... 40_content
Mind you this is just the pussy version, there are way better ones from shure, too.

[ROBOTRON]

If you can't hear a doorbell through closed headphones you probably have them turned up too loud, or a pitiful doorbell.

These rock so much I bought 2 pairs in case they stop making them (Panasonic HTX7):
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2009/ ... hones.aspx

In a comparison with basically every pair of headphones at a local dealer when I picked them, including £200 Sennheisers, these beat everything. Any decent mp3 player can drive them too, unlike some of the high end stuff.

I've had both...well, sorta.

My house is huge, my gaming and movie watching experiences take place in the basement....so closed headphones or not its gonna be difficult to hear "Ding Dong" from the basement when your rockin' 500 amps w/powered subwoofer while playing Einhander or chillin' to the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman. (I'm assuming you have an up to date entertainment center and not a old Sears black and white console tv and a Montgomery Wards Stereo set).

Whats the point of having HDTV with a decent sound system if your not going to turn it up loud once in awhile? Or do u live in a shoebox apartment? (No pun intended)

[DEL]

Sennheiser HD207s innit

[system11]

If you can't hear a doorbell through closed headphones you probably have them turned up too loud, or a pitiful doorbell.

These rock so much I bought 2 pairs in case they stop making them (Panasonic HTX7):
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2009/ ... hones.aspx

In a comparison with basically every pair of headphones at a local dealer when I picked them, including £200 Sennheisers, these beat everything. Any decent mp3 player can drive them too, unlike some of the high end stuff.

I've had both...well, sorta.

My house is huge, my gaming and movie watching experiences take place in the basement....so closed headphones or not its gonna be difficult to hear "Ding Dong" from the basement when your rockin' 500 amps w/powered subwoofer while playing Einhander or chillin' to the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman. (I'm assuming you have an up to date entertainment center and not a old Sears black and white console tv and a Montgomery Wards Stereo set).

Whats the point of having HDTV with a decent sound system if your not going to turn it up loud once in awhile? Or do u live in a shoebox apartment? (No pun intended)

If you want to listen to things very loud, in the basement, I kind of think the whole headphones thing is a moot point - you probably need to get something in there like a bell ringer extension, or some kind of flashing light.. The former suggestion is really, really easy. These days you can probably even get one on a wireless relay. Then you can pick what sounds best - I mean, you didn't buy weak speakers just in case the bell rings, correct?

I don't do the whole entertainment center thing because we live in a semi detached house and walls in the UK are generally paper thin between properties, the built in speakers on good HDTVs are just fine for me

[ROBOTRON]

If you can't hear a doorbell through closed headphones you probably have them turned up too loud, or a pitiful doorbell.

These rock so much I bought 2 pairs in case they stop making them (Panasonic HTX7):
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2009/ ... hones.aspx

In a comparison with basically every pair of headphones at a local dealer when I picked them, including £200 Sennheisers, these beat everything. Any decent mp3 player can drive them too, unlike some of the high end stuff.

I've had both...well, sorta.

My house is huge, my gaming and movie watching experiences take place in the basement....so closed headphones or not its gonna be difficult to hear "Ding Dong" from the basement when your rockin' 500 amps w/powered subwoofer while playing Einhander or chillin' to the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman. (I'm assuming you have an up to date entertainment center and not a old Sears black and white console tv and a Montgomery Wards Stereo set).

Whats the point of having HDTV with a decent sound system if your not going to turn it up loud once in awhile? Or do u live in a shoebox apartment? (No pun intended)

If you want to listen to things very loud, in the basement, I kind of think the whole headphones thing is a moot point - you probably need to get something in there like a bell ringer extension, or some kind of flashing light.. The former suggestion is really, really easy. These days you can probably even get one on a wireless relay. Then you can pick what sounds best - I mean, you didn't buy weak speakers just in case the bell rings, correct?

I don't do the whole entertainment center thing because we live in a semi detached house and walls in the UK are generally paper thin between properties, the built in speakers on good HDTVs are just fine for me

Thanx for the advice...the headphones are for when the wife is home. There no kids here either.

Um...I'd also like to say playing a game like R-Type Final and destroying the Bydo mothership and listening to the explosion while my sub shakes the windows and knocks stuff off off my wife's sew table....ahhhh, its like sex.