a headphones recommendation thread

I assume you mean Shure not Shire..

I had some Shures for ages (sold them when I stopped using the train; I walk in Portapros) and they were great.

If your coworkers are playing music that loud, a set of in-ears would be best. I've used a couple of Shure pairs and was satisfied.

My third (THIRD!) pair of Sennheiser in-ears broke on me last week. And I was taking extra-special care with these ones, too.

I'm tempted to get a pair of Shures for Xmas but not if they'll only last a few months like my CX-300s. Bah.

How are they breaking? I've never had a pair of headphones 'break' on me - nearest thing was a pair of Sennheiser PX100s that I had for two years, used every day, and the cord eventually frayed a bit.

Emma's brother goes through headphones like crazy, but he breaks everything he owns.

whenever my in-ears have gone (probably once a year) it's been down to the sound cutting out in one ear at first, so i have to fiddle with the jack and even hold it in place sometimes etc. (only use in-ears for the ipod.) the other side goes a week or so after.

was about to buy the cx300s now actually but if they really break that easily i might get the koss sparkplugs instead - lifetime warranty applies for the in-ears too right? the cx300s look like they'd have superior, or subtler, sound though so i dunno. anyone had experience of both?

CX300s over Sparkplugs by a long way.

Maybe the loudness of their music is exaggerated by how annoying I find it in general, I don't know. I'm just not very good at getting work done with any sort of background noise that I haven't generated myself or can't control... other people's music, construction/roadworks, ticking clocks, anything rhythmic, etc.

As for what's 'good', you guys probably know better than I do. It's unlikely I'll be able to tell if the sound quality isn't amazingly super, unless it's blatantly tinny or trebley or whatever, so I guess as long as there's a good balance between bass/mid/treble ranges? I'm not very good at discussing sound-related things but I trust you guys..

Are the in-ear ones comfortable to wear for long periods of time?

How are they breaking?

One of the earbuds - usually the left, but on this last pair it's the right - just craps out; the sound is significantly reduced in volume if not totally inaudible. At first I put it down to my own carelessness handling the cord, thinking I'd fecked up the wire in the earbud or broken the connection somehow - but I was so careful with my latest pair (wrapping them neatly, keeping them in the carry pouch) and they still crapped out on me.

Yes, they have a 2-year guarantee, but it's a chore getting to the store (or worse, to some godforsaken industrial estate to the manufacturer's office) for a replacement. It's a real shame as I love the rich bassy sound, and they block out so much ambient noise; you wouldn't expect it for the price.

yeah shure the perils of iPhone autocorrection xp

Still lovin' my Denon AH-D1001 that I recommended upthread. Some reviews have said they don't totally block outside sound. Maybe if you're on a loud train or passing by a construction site. But I've had someone try to talk to me right next to me and I didn't notice. They sound better than any noise cancellation version that I know of.

The only closed can that seems to come close is the slightly more expensive Audio-Technica ATH-M50. I recommended it to a friend who uses them solely at work and he loves them.

I picked up a pair of those same Denon AH-D1001s last month, and they've been fantastic for me. Decently portable, and they block out enough outside noise that I'm not distracted unless there's something REALLY noisy going on. Still, they don't come remotely close to how silent my Shure in-ears made the world.

after the denon recommendations on here I went and auditioned some d1001s and d2000s, and couldn't help but go one step higher for the d2000s. fantastic out of my iBasso amp, great bass, and best of all closed, so I can use em in the office. apparently their frequency response is very flat, which is great, as pronounced highs fatigue me very easily. just ran through rhythm nation and now have got the new order recycle stuff on, and they sound great.

i decided to go ahead with this, potential ilx wisdom be damned, but i'm about to get some sr-60s after destroying my portapros so comprehensively that i don't feel i can use the warranty in good conscience. this will be a thrilling step up, right? for ipod listening.

might be a lateral move tbh; but it's good to try different headphones

i got a pair of sennheisers for christmas and compared with my falling-apart iphone headphones its like a whole new world!!

a new, enchanted point of view!!!

ears are not responsible for seeing, and hence cannot have a point of view; I think you're using a mixed metaphor

Tried some Denon AH-D2000s in a shop and they did indeed sound lovely, but it's a shame the cable is not replaceable like it is on Sennheisers in a similar price range.

(The lead has died long before the rest of every pair of headphones I've ever had, so personally I'm reluctant to spend that much on a new pair without a replaceable lead. But apparently plenty of people happily use headphones for decades without ever having this happen, so I may be treating them too roughly or something.)

beware the cheapo grados. got 2 pair a year ago & 3 out of 4 cans are dead after very little use.
wtf, buy local?

they were mentioned before but i'll give another thumbs up for the koss ksc 75 (small on ear headphones you fit onto the ear lobes). they are easy too wear, don't hurt the ear and their sound is better than all "in ear" earplugs i have at home (sennheiser, philips, samsung, sony etc.). they beat for example the bose triport which are about five times more expensive and which do not fit 100% into my ear, no matter which rubber end i choose.

here they are, you can get them at around 21€ in germany:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/317Cc7-1f0L._SL500_AA240_.jpg

beware the cheapo grados. got 2 pair a year ago & 3 out of 4 cans are dead after very little use.

ahh this is good advice. i will still get them but be pretty bereft if they quit on me.

things i will miss about portapros: that exta four inches or so of lead.

My Grado SR-125s finally pegged out on me a few months back (it's just a dodgy connection, probably 10p of solder will fix it) but that was after 11 years of heavy use.

sennheiser hd485s for my ipod y?

for home use, sure - but if yr planning on wearing them out and about their being open will cause problems, both with sound leaking out and coming in.

10-foot cord, too. Try jamming that in your pocket!

I'm really tempted by the Sennheiser PXC310 BT - noise cancelling, bluetooth wireless mid-sized cans. They use the new apt-x codec which is supposed to be great. Anyone have any experience with these?

Just bought some in-ear AKG K 370. Sounds seems pretty outstanding but the fit is awkward. Not sure whether that'll improve with time.

"This page will show you how to turn a $199.95 (Canadian – retail) pair of Sennheiser HD 555 headphones into a pair of Sennheiser HD 595‘s that cost $349.95. And all you need is a screwdriver."
http://mikebeauchamp.com/misc/sennheiser-hd-555-to-hd-595-mod/

I got those bluetooth Senn's I mentioned above. They sound AMAZING coming out of my Droid phone, I'm shocked it's bluetooth! I got an apt-x dongle for my iPod, too, so I can be free of wires at all times. Woohoo!

Pretty awesome. I donated my old pair of well-worn HD 555s to my girlfriend, but will definitely pass the mod info along (or probably just end up doing it myself).

Pretty apt timing with this thread.

I have a full Rega set up and am looking to get more into headphone listening. I need to get a headphone amplifier as there is no output on my Rega mira amp.

Any ideas?

Meier audio cord a gear. Google it. I run a rega Apollo into one.

Specifically an older version of the Swing - http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/ - with a pair of aKG K601s.

Cheers. How much did you spend on one?

(Good work on the record club by the way, been enjoying looking at it. Gonna start up my own too!)

Cost me €200 about four years ago, the headphones were about £150 from a German website. Thoroughly recommend them.

(Thank you! Next meeting might be later this week depending on how quick I can get back from a conference.)

On the back of this I've ended up with a Rega Ear amp and a pair of Allesandro MS1s.

Hopefully they should arrive for tomorrow. I'm taking me Wednesday off.

i'm about to send my ms-1s off to get fixed. not because they're shitty, just because i schepped them around so much that they got messed up. don't use them as your portable phones, is the moral of this story.

Alessandro MS1s, $100 incl shipping. Better than either. Made by Grado.

Thinking about getting these, but curious how they'll sound from different sources. I often pop in CDs at home, but also play shitty 128kpbs AAC files in iTunes from my laptop, and from my iPod. (Lower quality = more storage room. I've been importing at 128kbps for years as I can't tell a different between 128, 160, 192 on earbuds or laptop speakers.)

Anyway, what are the Alessandro MS1s best suited for? Also, do they require a dedicated amp? I've read different things from various sources.

Could also go for the Koss Portapros from Amazon for $35 if the Alessandros won't make a big difference...

...as I can't tell a different difference...

I'll report back when I've tried them out properly tomorrow although I don'ta have any experience with the Portapros and I'll be listening to CD's and Vinyl through a decent enough all Rega set up. I bought a headphone amplifer due to my Amp having no headphone out although I'm sure I've read somewhere that the Allesandro's should be fine unamped.

I've got a pair of PortaPro's and use them pretty regularly. A little conscious of the tacky 80s design at first but that's really the only fault I can find w/ them. Bass is amazingly crisp, tho there was one instance in listening to Massive Attack that I found that they sorta over-rode the vocals... then again, maybe it's just b/c I had been listening to the band for years on Sony MD180's (cheapies).

they def can get loud tho, love that about them

Also, along w/ the headphones question-- can anyone recommend a pretty good, dedicated, home-use CD player that pairs well with nice headphones like the Alessandro, Grado, etc.? Figure I could probably use one...

I can't tell the difference between CDs and 192 VBR but I sure as heck can hear a 128 MP3 - just listen for splashy cymbals! I bet the higher-end headphones will reveal the differences to you immediately.

I've had Portapros since that 80s decide was current - great headphones for the money but I was always snagging a chord and ripping it out so I switched to Koss KSC-35 which is the same as the Portapros but they're clip-ons. I like them more than my Grado SR60s.

I can't tell the difference between CDs and 192 VBR but I sure as heck can hear a 128 MP3 - just listen for splashy cymbals!

I've heard something about 128 AAC being similar quality to 160/192 mp3 but that may be BS -- anyone know?

Alessandro MS1s get a lot of praise on head-fi

MS1s seemed too bright for my taste but a lot of people swear by them.
Got the B&W P5s last week - satisfied so far

they're okay, but like all grados they have a v. narrow soundstage

Sick Mouthy, I forget if yr an Apple guy: if so, curious how the Alessandro MS-1 performs when plugged straight into a Mac headphone jack. Figure it should work fine with a dedicated CD player... curious about a laptop.

If anyone else can testify to this (or something similar, maybe the Grado SR-80), please chime in!

I have a pair of SR-60s and if comfort is a big deal for you, you shouldn't buy them. I'm happy with the sound but they are not the most comfortable headphones in the world, especially when used for long periods of time.

rather, I have the SR-80.