Recommend a pair of headphones for me

What are good examples of each camp?

Excellent question. Thread bump.

I'll post some things I've read tomorrow

Sony MDR-V6. The SPL (Sound Pressure Level) is insanely high, and I think they're some kind of industry standard (I always see them in clips of people in recordings studios and radio stations).

I need a cheap headphones, $50-and-down thread.

If you're going for in-ears in that price category I'd recommend the Sennheiser CX300's.

Not the CX-300 II though, because they're shit.

Hm. Didn't know about the MkII replacing the old ones. What happened that makes them shit?

The cord is horribly curly and doesn't uncurl properly ever, and the plug is cheap shit that cracks open after a week. I've been through two pairs of these recently, never again. The original CX300s are fine if you can still find them.

was thinking of getting some px 200-ii's - anyone aware of a similar downgrade in quality with those, compared to the originals?

i notice the new version has a single cord with a volume control on, which i'm thinking could be annoying.

I had some CX-300 IIs recently, they lasted six months until the left channel started cutting out. Didn't notice any problems with the cord, but clearly mileage there varies. Per my various posts upthread, build quality on pretty much any level of IEMs varies wildly (£300 Shures had to be replaced 4 times in two years due to cable failure - I'd never buy Shure IEMs again now).

Best sub $50 headphone? Koss Portapros are cheap as chips and sound great, + they have a lifetime warranty. My experience with IEMs leads me to think that you may as well treat them as a consumable and look to replace them every year or so, if they last longer then that's a bonus.

I've heard the II version of the sennheisers are all rubbish. I've looking into getting a px150 for a friend, and the concensus among hi-fi types is that the II isn't quite up to snuff.

gonna be investing in a pair of sony mdr-v6 when i can, totally acceptable standard for monitoring and listening, frequency response is around 5-30khz like whoa- i listened through a friends recently and it just made my £20 sennheisers sound like shit.

although they have one of those stupid telephone cords which i'm gonna have to put up with

also i wouldn't walk around outside with them on my head, so i'll stick with my cx250s for in ear outdoor listening.

Any acceptable bluetooth headphones for the gym?

i bought a pair of CX300s on this thread's say so, will report back.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/hbh-is800

these are working out p handily for me as convenient everyday bluetooth earbuds

AAAAAAARGH! The fucking jack on my fucking AKGs have fucking gone again. I thought it was just the sennheisers that I had a problem with, but no, it looks like its my aura or smell or something, cos I must have spent a fortune on replacing headphones that are absolutely fine except for the jack. I would just solder on a new one, but all new headphone have this crazy string wire instead of proper wires and it's impossible to solder.

Anyone have any suggestions for decent set of headphones with a jack that doesn't go to shit within 6 months?

cant you just return them under warranty?

Found these back (temp lost after moving house): http://www.ultrasone.com/index.php/en/products/zino.html
Soundwise they're so much better than the CX300s. Headband could be slightly more comfortable though.

I really should start keeping the receipt+box for these things. I tend to rip them apart like an excitable child. Lessons learned, I guess.

any suggestion for pretty high-end portable/lightweight headphones compatible with ipod/iphone controls? I'm thinking of the beats by Dre & Quincy's AKGs category (don't know anything about the quality of these specific pairs)

http://ultimateears.com/en-us/products/superfi-5vi

These are pretty inexpensive on amazon occasionally and are nice.

If you want headphones instead of earphones, I'm not sure!

after a lot of trial and error, I went back to the in-ear Apple earbuds for my everyday listening but I'd like some good headphones I could easily slip into a packed messenger back once in a while.

Koss Portapros.

are they compatible with ipod/iphone controls though?

how could any headphone not be? but yeah they work fine, my gf does ipod-portapro.

what are your thoughts on Klipsch earbuds?

So are you looking for actual controls on the cords, or a microphone, or what?

so somebody recommended these headphones to me, anybody heard em

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50S-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1296799138&sr=8-2-fkmr0

i'm looking for something with good sound isolation for office use. these bose sound-cancelling things need to die. i think they're giving me ear cancer.

i really need to get the expensive apple ones i guess; i like having the ipod controls on the cord so i ain't gotta go into my pocket on a crowded train.

xxxp - yeah sorry should have specified, I meant having volume controls, skipping and answering button on the cord

indeed pretty essential for iphone/ipod touch in public transport

does anyone but apple offer that where it works with the ipod?

well these new AKG buds claimed to but as I mentioned upthread, the controls didn't work half of the time and the fit was horrible so I had to return them

these controls work w any headphones

belkin control cable for £6 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Headphone-Adaptor-Control-Shuffle/dp/B002J1SCRQ

a bit short

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-Gc10034-Headphone-Control-Adaptor/dp/B003A5AXP4

longer, but maybe too long

The Koss PortaPros are a definite improvement over the OEM Ipod earbuds in boosting the bass/low end of music, but I don't feel like they don't bring out any other dynamics of the music that make music that I have heard hundreds or thousands of times seem revelatory. They also get uncomfortable as hell after wearing them for 15-20 minutes. My hair seems to get in them when I put them and take them off. However, the price is right. I paid $30-40 USD for mine last year.

what are your thoughts on Klipsch earbuds?

― juicebox, Thursday, February 10, 2011 4:50 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

had klipsch earbuds, the plug broke within 3 months

a lot of companies sell earphones and headphones with ipod/iphone volume and play controls.

at this point I sound like a broken record itt but I still recommend the denon ah-c560r

iphone/ipod controls, very durable construction (at least on my pair - thick wire, strain relief plug), and great sound signature.

I've got Sennheiser CX200's on the way from newegg, 12.99 shipped

are they compatible with ipod/iphone controls though?

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, February 9, 2011 1:21 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

how could any headphone not be?

Easily. The earphone wire itself has to have a built-in microphone that the Apple software will acknowledge as native, or else you have no microphone. This is an obvious problem while trying to have a phone conversation.

This is a special problem if you want to have a microphone into your iPod. I don't have an iPhone, just an iPod Touch, and it won't accept any audio input without the Apple earbuds with the built-in mic that comes with those.

HOWEVER don't bother with the Dr. Dre "Beats" $100 earbuds that are iPhone and iPod compatible. They are that, but they don't have the sound quality you should expect for that price. Dr. Dre wants you to spend $300 on a pair of big-ass cans. If you do, though, he will reward you.

i'm looking for something with good sound isolation for office use

I've got a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones for the office and they work pretty well - great sound, block out 90% of the yammering of coworkers and can wear them for fairly extended periods (although velvety padding sometimes leads to "hot ear").

So the Dre, errr, cans are good then?I like the shape of them and how light they seem but i'm a bit suspicious they might just be too gimmicky

Right, bought another pair of AKGs but got the 5yr cover. When these break in 12 months time I'll fill you all in on the hoops I'll no doubt have to jump through to get a new set.

ive never had any trouble returning shure + sennheisers when theyve broken fwiw

Seriously, unless the in-cable remotes are essential, or sound-isolation is essential, Koss Portapros are the best headphones under about £60 that I've ever had. Awesome bass response, terrific soundstaging and detail, really dynamic, great midrange, very good treble, more lively and less veiled than Sennheisers, way more thumping than any IEMs I've used. I have to step up to Grados to get anything better, and they're totally not portable.

lukas, from what I understand the Audio-Technica ATH-M50S are a great choice. the mids might seem a tiny bit weaker than the highs and lows and the clamping might hurt at first but most clamping problems can be fixed with a little bit of stretching. but they look great and I read that the bass is punchy, present without being overemphasized and the music is smooth. plus they rank pretty high on head-fi and the isolation is quite good for over ear phones. I would go for it