Headphones.

[Earthboundtwice]

Thought this was a thread worthy question (I seem to remember there being an audiophile thread somewhere, but I could be confusing it with another forum...)

Just wanting to know what sort of headphones you folks would recommend. Not after in-ear phones, since they have a tendency not to stay in. Looking to spend around $100 on a half decent pair that aren't so cumbersome that I couldn't take them on the bus and look like a total geek, and also sound great. Uses would involve music listening and casual film/sound editing. Maybe the occasional game.

Recommendations of brands, types, whatever you use personally, etc would be great. THanks

[Sin Ogaris]

Personally I've always been a fan of Sennheisers and their HD-20X range are fairly cheap, in the sub $100 region.

I've just recently gotten a pair of AKG K44's as well, while they're a little boomy in the bass department they're not terrible, and they're worth about $50 new, so if you stepped up a level or two (58's or, I think, 77's) you'll get better quality while still keeping within budget.

Some of the other guys can probably give you more help though, as they seem to be a lot more knowledgeable.

[grim-one]

Warning: You should probably disregard my views, I'm not an audiophile and possibly tone deaf

I've got a set of these: Sony MDR-XD200. They're closed, fairly light, cheap and plasticy but they do a decent job.



I've also got in-ear Shure ones of some sort. Good for the trains when you don't want to listen to other people's inane chatter.
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[ThunderCurls]

[ObsoletE]

i bought some Ultimate Ears 700s when Logitechshop had them on sale for $70 the other week.

they're apparently still "on sale" for $100, including postage, which for RRP $250 earbuds, is pretty awesome.

are they worth $250?
doubtful, but they're better than the Sennheisers i bought them to replace. (i think they were CX300s... cost about $90 when i bought them a couple of years ago.)
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[Sin Ogaris]

Crap, that site just made me realise we're charging WAY too much for a Harmony 600 remote, no wonder it hasn't sold. I know what I'll be reducing tomorrow.

[theory]

[Zhou]

Was tempted to go out to buy a fancy new pair of headphones but found my old skullcandy prolatariats. Bought them probably ~ 4 years ago or more but still work fine. Noise cancelling and go pretty good I suppose.
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[subbastard]

[Zhou]

what do you mean annoy people on public transport? they look pretty funky.
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[subbastard]

Open back = noise leakage.
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I'd be apathetic, but I can't be arsed.

[Appel]

Yeah, those headphones are sick, but for public headphones, get closed back. I hate people that use open back headphones in public.
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[Earthboundtwice]

I guess I'd have to go for what I'd use the most (when it comes to choosing open/close backed). Unless I got a pair of both... I read somewhere that open backed are ultimately better sound-wise, as enclosed ones tend to muddy the sound slightly (someone might be able to back this info up?)

Man, these are some good suggestions. I'm really liking the look/price of the Sennheiser HD215/HD448 models... Though those Audio Technica ATH-ES7s that Theory suggested are damn sexy. Oh, and someone mentioned Skullcandy. Is it worth considering these at all? Or are they more focused on appearance...
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[Appel]

Open backed headphones tend to fatigue your ears a whole lot less. There is nothing wrong with closed headphones, it's just open headphones tend to sound more 'natural'.

Ultimately, if I was to talk to you wearing open eared headphones, you'd most likely be able to hear me quite clear but if you wear wearing closed, you wouldn't.

And don't go SkullCandy. I will personally go around to your house and smash them with a hammer if you do. They are rubbish, there only redeeming feature is their looks.

I'd be going the Audio Technica's. Meant to be pretty good and you can get them for about $150.

Just don't order anything from HK, as yeah, not sure if they make fakes of these but i'd rather you be sure.
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[Earthboundtwice]

Oh cool. I was wondering about whether open backed phones would allow sound in, which would really be good, since I don't like to be completely oblivious on the bus and the like. So that'd probably be a preference.

I also seem to have stumbled across these. Yay/nay?

[Appel]

No idea from personal experience, but they seem to get decent reviews.
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[Earthboundtwice]

Awesomesauce.
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[jemist]

So many headphone threads!

I stand by what I've said in the past, RE: AKG-420s as nice and portable everyday use headphones.

Ps. Nay on Sennheiser 201s. Skullcandy is a disease that should be eradicated.
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[StorminNorman]

ATH-ES7s if you can stretch the budget that far. I've had a pair for going on two years now and they are honestly the best headphones I've ever owned. They have a really clear, crisp sound and excellent isolation. The one down-side I found was that they were a bit too tight on my ears when I first got them, but they've since stretched to fit my head a lot better. They can also be quite warm to wear in the summer.

I strongly recommend avoiding Sennheiser headphones. They are generally overpriced, and of poorer quality than other brands, and you can usually find better headphones for much less than the equivalent Sennheiser model (Senn's equivalent to the ES7s cost about $200 or so, vs $150 for the ES7s). I personally tend to find that Sennheisers are a bit too bass-heavy, to the detriment of the rest of the sound. Songs come across muffled or even distorted (don't ever listen to Leftfield on a pair of HD228s) compared to the exact same song playing out of the same device on my ES7s.

You should avoid the consumer-level stuff from brands like Sony and TDK as well. They tend to come out of faceless factories in China and not a lot of effort goes into the design and sound quality of them. They basically exist to fill rackspace at JB Hi-Fi or wherever, and aren't worth buying at all.

Oh, and never, ever buy Bose headphones. Even the people who wear Sennheisers will laugh at you.

[theory]

[StorminNorman]

Hey wow, I didn't even know you could do that. I'll have to give it a shot.
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[Karai Pantsu]

[jemist]

I think we should all vow from mentioning that brand in our headphone threads. It's like saying 'Linkin Park' in the Metal Thread

I've asked this in the previous 'audiophile' threads, but never seem to get an answer:

What songs/ CDs do people use as their 'reference' when checking out new headphones or speakers?
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ON FF:FHoL / Okamiden / FFT:GotRA2 / Eternal Legacy

[theory]

^ Dr. Dre - The Chronic
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[Appel]

Or

Pink Floyd - Darkside of the Moon

or

Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

or

Nirvana - Nevermind

All those albums are brilliantly recorded.

But at the end of the day, the best idea is to make a mix CD of all the songs you know REAAAAALLY well and go in listen to them as you know what they are meant to sound like and will know if they sound funny. And make it a mix of genres.
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