a headphones recommendation thread

hooooooooly shit ATH-M50

everyone buy these headphones right fucking now

One cool thing about Grado's, is how you can use your fingers to feel what is the left or the right side by the "L" or "R" on the part right above the ear pads.

hey AKG owners

is it possible for me to order a new connection cord? mine is seriously on the fritz (barely any movement/touching of the end will take the sound out of one of the ears & also the tip of the piece is getting stuck in the headphone jack of my computer pretty often)

which AKG do you have?

K240

idk why i was being a tuomas -- i see them for sale online on third party sites -- guess i could check my warranty tho

yah most AKGs have detachable and replaceable cords. btw if youre using your computer to drive your headphones, youre not taking the full advantage of em. AKGs are pretty hard to drive in general. you should consider getting an external DAC/amp, like

http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac2/index.php

or

http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=44

yeah i don't have an ipod or stereo or anything so i'll def look into it -- do the amps come cheaper than like $100 or is that p much what you're looking at

idk I haven't kept up with that scene in a while, I just remember the nuforce udac-2 was recommended as a really good entry level one. it's probably the best intersection between price and quality. if you don't like it you could always sell it on the second-hand markets at one of those headphone forums. but I figure if you listen to music a lot then they are good investments. free shipping if you buy from amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/NuForce-Icon-uDAC-2-Black-Headphone/dp/B003Y5FRNS

does anyone have experience with Fiio DACs? I wouldn't mind finding something relatively portable for plane/train rides. This one looks pretty tempting:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-DAC-Amplifier/dp/B003N0XDT4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300437873&sr=8-1-fkmr0

nah but I think they have okay reputations? I find the built-in amp of my iphone to be more than enough for my IEMs, but ymmv with larger cans

well I wouldn't wanna be carrying a pre-amp along with my iphone everyday but I'm thinking that it could add something on longer rides or at home to my B&W P5s and partic to my AKG 701s

might be good for B&W P5s. K701s generally need more juice than portables can provide

actually I'm talking nonsense - it's the AKG 240s that I own. I've always found them boring unspectacular - wouldn't mind trading them for those sexy AiAiAi TMA-1

lol my friend linked me to those - looked like they ripped off the sennheiser hd-25s wholesale. but if they sound good...

yeah - they do come across as a bit gimmicky - but the freaks at head-fi.org are for once pretty unanimous in their praise

hooooooooly shit ATH-M50

everyone buy these headphones right fucking now

Cool. Whether you find 'em used for under $100 or new for $150, they seem to be the best value for that price range. I got a used pair of Denon AH-D2000 for home, and their sound only barely beats out the Audio Technica ATH-M50, despite costing nearly twice as much new.

they are new at B&H Photo online for $119 shipped, no tax

Koss lifetime warranty is totally solid.... my portapros randomly went dead in one ear-piece, so I mailed them back with $5bucks and got a new pair within 4days.

Still wish I never had to spend that $5 in the first place, but it's nice knowing that it's something I can do whenever my phones randomly die in one side, as they all seem prone to do.

These are supposed to be great reasonable cables: Neglex Quad Microphone Cables W2534 W2893
I see them for sale at proaudiola.com. There might be other places.

If you don't want to spend $119 on ATH-M50s - which are awesome headphones - you could get Superlux HD668Bs for $59 from here. When I bought them they were $49 and before that they were going for $39. They might be the best headphones for the $0-$100 price range (and there is even a little room for improvement in modding them). These phones keep getting bought out everywhere so it's nice that there is some available in America right now.

a bit of a technical question - if I plug a portable amp into the line out dock of an iPhone, would I lose the ability to answer calls? and would the mic and remote control of my headphones still work?

So I guess I'm moving overseas, but not (as of yet) long enough to bother shipping/rebuying speakers, so I might get something more home-listening friendly than my MDR v700s, which I pretty much just use for DJing (which I sadly won't be able to do there ;_;).

I'm looking for something lightweight and comfortable, lets in as little outside sound as possible, and, importantly, is easy on the ears (mine are sensitive and need something not exhausting, also meaning in ear stuff is no thanks), and is under $300, preferably under $200.

I saw that Bose around the ear headphones, for about $120 CAD (which is not bad), and these seem to fit my criteria pretty well. But I have no idea how they sound. I also thought this might be a time to finally get Grado's? (I see SR125s for $180, and SR80s for $130)

Thanks.

grados fail massively in at least two of your criteria

actually three

Those first two, I'm guessing, are sound insulation (I'm aware of their notorious lack of) and comfort? They definitely do seem clunky, and from what I've experienced, awkward to wear.

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-41215-On%252dEar-Headphones/dp/B000HWRBG2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001493&sr=8-7

Bose on-ear. Paid like $189--link is cheaper--at Best Buy 2 1/2 years ago. Best I've ever had.

― Matos W.K., Sunday, May 10, 2009 7:26 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

See this is intriguing. Anyone know how the On the Ears are different from the Around the Ears, other than the obvious part, that the former is more expensive, and also lets you to change wires (which is definitely a plus)?

they are also very fatiguing to listen to (very bright)

sensitive ears, is that in the physical sense?

I meant it in the aural sense, but I guess physical concerns are there too (having headphones that pin your ears back, making it painful to use them for more than a few hours isn't fun).

I've never had comfort issues with Grados that have the donut pads.

i wanted some headphones to tide me over until my third goddam set of portapros arrives & bought some sennheiser earbuds (CX300s, HMV is i. still stocking them and ii. for kind of cheap). they're fuckin' loud. i mean, they may actually make me stop listening to stuff at maximum volume. i have never owned anything with 16 ohms impedance before. did they start doing this after apple applied volume limiting to ipods or what

first world problems, etc.

I've come to the conclusion that the best headphone strategy is

10 buy two pairs of portapros
20 put one of them in the back of a drawer
30 listen to the other pair and feel awesome
40 when that pair breaks, send them to koss for a free refund
50 try to remember which drawer your backup pair is in
60 goto 30

wait wait you can do the free refund bit in the uk??

http://www.hama.co.uk/service/contact/index.hsp

01256 374700

well, i know what i'm doing when the next pair break. ty

actually not a refund, they send you back a fixed (or new) pair

That was my strategy with Koss for years and years, worked really well. I wish they'd come out with something better but why mess with success?

it is really weird. i guess upping the gauge of wire that feeds into the jack would cost major dollars or something. who knows.

So, does anyone else have experience with either the Bose On-Ear or Around-the-Ear headphones? If so, how are they (or do they compare) for sound/extended wear/outside noise, etc.

The former seemed noticeably better at the store, but I suspect they jimmied with the audio settings to make the expensive pair sound better. I also can't help but be suspicious of Bose as a kid of layman's audiophile headphone, but they did sound pretty good/feel comfortable.

Thanks again.

no highs, no lows? must be bose

Yah just stay clear of Bose unless they are given to you as a gift. Even then, sell em and get something better for half the price.

Got it, thanks.

Anything in particular someone would recommend in their place, then?

ehhh Bose have a pretty bad rep among audiophiles for 1. being 'overpriced and 2. coloring their sound. they gussy up the midrange to tap int your reptile brain. but all major headphone companies have a 'signature' sound (aka colored sound) so it's really just a matter of what you prefer. if bose makes you happy, go for it.

and uh with how much quality headphones cost nowadays I'm not sure if bose can still be considered overpriced

i got these a few months ago & no complaints, love them

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/477843-REG/Audio_Technica_ATH_M50_ATH_M50_Professional_Closed_Back_Studio.html

I recommend the ATH-M50s to everyone, even though I haven't tested them. There's too many good reviews to pass them up

they are incredible

Have you tried the B&W P5?

I like these Sennheisers:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-PX-200-II-Foldable-Headphone/dp/B002VPDOHS