Good Headphones?

[aleshemsky83]

The beats studios are passable, the beats solo are worse than a pair of $15 headphones you buy at value village.

For Sennheisers, whatever you do, don't buy their low end stuff, (talking $150-100 range). Their low end stuff is so flat sounding you'll forget that there's even such a thing as bass.

 

[tacogeoff]

I really enjoy my Marshall headphones. not too expensive, great sound and a nice retro look.

Buy Headphones from Marshallheadphones.com

 

[Frankie Spankie]

I like how people are posting on a 4 year old thread to give their recommendations as if OP still hasn't made their decision yet.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I like how people are posting on a 4 year old thread to give their recommendations as if OP still hasn't made their decision yet.

You never know, he could be really indecisive.

 

[Dolemite]

A lot of the headphones on the market are crap. You need to look for recording level headphones. I bought these for EDM recording but I use them for everything. Just a great solid set of headphones. You can find these for under $100 just about everywhere

MDR-7506 Professional Headphones - Sony Pro

 

[Dolemite]

You never know, he could be really indecisive.

These are the kinds of threads that get referred to and references again and again.

 

[Albatros]

Wait until Black Friday or Boxing Day. You can get a great pair of Bose headphones that would normally be in the $200-300 range, for like $90. I've done that twice and have been happy with both products, the only drawback is that they are wired and not wireless/bluetooth enabled.

There are also some pretty good deals for top of the range wireless headphones with noise canceling and all that, for example there are still stocks of Sony's WH-1000XM3 and the new slightly updated model is out making the old ones a bargain.

 

[aleshemsky83]

There are also some pretty good deals for top of the range wireless headphones with noise canceling and all that, for example there are still stocks of Sony's WH-1000XM3 and the new slightly updated model is out making the old ones a bargain.

I think the new ones are actually $100 more expensive than the old ones so the old ones haven't been discontinued. They're just sold as lower end than XM4 now

 

[Albatros]

That may partially depend on the market too, here in Japan XM3 is not widely available anymore at all and in Europe it goes for under 200 euros, while XM4 is closer to 400 in both.

 

[guinness]

You never know, he could be really indecisive.

Indecisiveness in headphones just means buying all the things. It's like when I used to browse r/mechanicalkeyboards, and users would mention that they found their "end game".

Riiight. I find money to be the limiting factor, although I'm down with a selection of types (keycaps, open back, closed back, lenses), said money permitting. Example, in the time since someone brought this thread back from the dead, I bought a better set of ANC Sony headphones, the 1000x whatevers (1st gen).

And that's not even getting into that related rabbit hole, headphone amps...which I think is a bit of snake oil, but...

Things get expensive in a hurry, I just wish I didn't have expensive hobbies.

 

[Pattinson]

Agreed. Headphones are now quite expensive

 

[PeteWorrell]

Agreed. Headphones are now quite expensive

It is a growing market as people are more and more informed about them. A lot of people are looking to make their travels and commutes more enjoyable with things like good sound and noise cancelling.

 

[S E P H]

I literally cringe when I see peeps mentioning Bose and Beats as "great" headphones. There are so many better ones on the market that tend to be half the costs as well.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I literally cringe when I see peeps mentioning Bose and Beats as "great" headphones. There are so many better ones on the market that tend to be half the costs as well.

The thing about Bose and beats, is that they're actually really comfortable. You can actually wear them on your head for extended periods of time without discomfort. They also look good, lots of expensive headphones are the equivalent of wearing bowling shoes. Other headphone companies outside Sony don't really have that emphasis on look and comfort.

As for being half the costs, I don't see that.

Ill say this, the beats solos are complete crap that sound worse than $15 earbuds, they need to be discontinued. The beats studios on the other hand are passable. Edit: I just realized I already said this lol

 

[ItsFineImFine]

AliExpress is a really good place if you want under $100 imo (Chi-Fi is known more for their value with earbuds and earphones but they still do good headphones under that). $150-200 is major retailer (especially Amazon) range.

Imo, the thing with headphones is they're so dependent on sound signature. You might hate how a really nice well-reviewed $200 headphone sounds like. That's why it's better to try them out in an actual store if you shell out a lot of money, if you just spend under $100 then worth taking a gamble on Chinese.

 

[MD thaivuN]

AliExpress is a really good place if you want under $100 imo (Chi-Fi is known more for their value with earbuds and earphones but they still do good headphones under that). $150-200 is major retailer (especially Amazon) range.

Imo, the thing with headphones is they're so dependent on sound signature. You might hate how a really nice well-reviewed $200 headphone sounds like. That's why it's better to try them out in an actual store if you shell out a lot of money, if you just spend under $100 then worth taking a gamble on Chinese.

makes it extremely hard and expensive to find something that works for your ears. Went from having a Sennheiser HD 598 to jumping to a Focal Elex to downgrading to a Hifiman He-400i to end up preferring a set of speakers LOL

 

[aleshemsky83]

makes it extremely hard and expensive to find something that works for your ears. Went from having a Sennheiser HD 598 to jumping to a Focal Elex to downgrading to a Hifiman He-400i to end up preferring a set of speakers LOL

Yeah that's my thing is that some crappy 5.1 Logitech speakers (I use it as a 2.1) I got off kijiji for 30 dollars sound a million times better than any set of expensive headphones I've ever had. You're not going to outdo a subwoofer with a headphones, it's just physics

Like the 598s I always tell people are just so flat sounding you may as well just use the earbuds that came with your phone. People get brainwashed by marketing and think they're some type of intellectual for liking a "flat sound profile", like they're somehow better than beats sheep.

 

[MD thaivuN]

Yeah that's my thing is that some crappy 5.1 Logitech speakers (I use it as a 2.1) I got off kijiji for 30 dollars sound a million times better than any set of expensive headphones I've ever had. You're not going to outdo a subwoofer with a headphones, it's just physics

Like the 598s I always tell people are just so flat sounding you may as well just use the earbuds that came with your phone. People get brainwashed by marketing and think they're some type of intellectual for liking a "flat sound profile", like they're somehow better than beats sheep.

it comes down to your ear tastes and usage. For me, I'm pretty picky when it comes to bass and treble. Too much bass gives me nausea, too much treble kills my ears, too little becomes boring. Plus, the mids needs to be accurate. So, finding the right balance is an expensive journey for me. The fact I even got a set of speaker that works for me in one purchase is pretty much a fluke.

 

[Srsly]

Given recent history, you can likely pick up a pair of Bose QC35s on sale during Black Friday for around that price. The noise cancellation is still near the top of the field and audio quality is better than most in that price range. While some people have reported Bluetooth connectivity issues, I haven’t had that issue and they can also be used wired if you want less fuss. Being able to connect to two devices wireless is a huge plus for me as well.

 

[sigma six]

makes it extremely hard and expensive to find something that works for your ears. Went from having a Sennheiser HD 598 to jumping to a Focal Elex to downgrading to a Hifiman He-400i to end up preferring a set of speakers LOL

What didn't you like about the Elex? I may never get to put them or any other Focal cans on my head, so just curious.

 

[MD thaivuN]

What didn't you like about the Elex? I may never get to put them or any other Focal cans on my head, so just curious.

Ear-piercing highs My ears just start hurting after 20-30 minutes

 

[aleshemsky83]

Yeah that's my thing is that some crappy 5.1 Logitech speakers (I use it as a 2.1) I got off kijiji for 30 dollars sound a million times better than any set of expensive headphones I've ever had. You're not going to outdo a subwoofer with a headphones, it's just physics

Like the 598s I always tell people are just so flat sounding you may as well just use the earbuds that came with your phone. People get brainwashed by marketing and think they're some type of intellectual for liking a "flat sound profile", like they're somehow better than beats sheep.

You know, I know I've trashed the 598s for like a solid year if not 2, but Ive weirdly warmed up to them. The fit and comfort has improved a lot. Probably partly cause I have short hair now and probably partly cause I never bothered to break them in when I got them.

And the sound, while the bass is still lacking, I've come to appreciate the clarity when it comes to people speaking. It allows peoples voices to come through much clearer in shows over music and other effects as well as sounding much more natural when watching youtube videos with people speaking.

Not that it really matters as I'm pretty sure they've been discontinued for some time.

 

[WeaponOfChoice]

Hesh 2. Skullcandy's are da bomb.