a headphones recommendation thread

whoa man, take those pro modding tips to the enthusiast forums xp

it's a pretty cool hack

it's v similar to my sew-sleeves-onto-a-sleeveless-hoodie hack

i'm a big fan of monoprice in general, i'd totally give these a shot. i have an older model of monoprice earbuds that they don't sell anymore that have been great...for the money why not?

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082709&p_id=12235&seq=1&format=2

I do think though that the iPhone sound output is very good - it's much better than the shit audio outs on their laptops and desktops

― 龜, Wednesday, November 5, 2014 9:36 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, this is otm.
On a (somewhat) similar tangent, how much does shitty laptop i/o hardware effect sound quality when the signal is routed to a stereo receiver? Is the shit signal coming out of the laptop too fucked for the receiver to provide much improvement? i know that those "class c" amps supposedly do all kinds of freaky "cleaning" manoeuvres on input signals, getting rid of transients and odd ordered distortion and stuff.

Get a receiver that does digital and use your laptop's hdmi/displayport port to connect it. I've connected my laptop that way (displayport to hdmi adapter) and the audio decoding happens at the other end.

YEah the answer is digital out. Macbooks used to output digital over TOSlink/optical not sure if they still do

If your receiver has a USB input that would work too

or airplay! you could get an airplay thingy or appletv and then the decoding is done right before going into your receiver

Airplay might compress or transcode it I"m not familiar with the specs

You'd also then be tied to the DAC output of the airplay device

they all have optical or digital out though

it works great shut your mouth

The AirTunes part of the AirPlay protocol stack uses UDP for streaming audio and is based on the RTSP network control protocol.[12] The streams are transcoded using the Apple Lossless codec with 44100 Hz and 2 channels encrypted with AES, requiring the receiver to have access to the appropriate private key to decrypt the streams.[13] The stream is buffered for approximately 2 seconds before playback begins, resulting in a small delay before audio is output after starting an AirPlay stream.[14]

The protocol supports metadata packets that determine the final output volume on the receiving end. This makes it possible to always send audio data unprocessed at its original full volume, preventing sound quality deterioriaton due to reduction in bit depth and thus sound quality which would otherwise occur if changes in volume were made to the source stream before transmitting. It also makes possible the streaming of one source to multiple targets each with its own volume control.[15]

Its' all good

yeah!!

main complaint with airtunes seems to be frequent loss of connection, but that may be fixed now

I never have that issue

Thanks guys

these threads need some guy re-summarizing the takeaway points every 200 posts

ok, I need a rec here, just accidentally snapped my (kinda crappy) pair of Sony MDR-NC7s

I have a pair of Grado SR80s and they sound awesome but I can't really wear them all day. After 30 minutes my ears start to hurt, they're just too heavy for me. Furthermore the sound kinda leaks out of them which isn't ideal for work. Willing to spend, I dunno, like $80 or so?

Yeah, Grados leak like crazy. You want closed headphones for work. If that's a strict budget check out Beyerdynamic DTX 350p. They fit on the ear like your Grados but have a closed design. At little over your budget but with a bit more robust build quality and over-ear (rather than on-ear) fit check out Audio-Technica ATH-M40x.

yeah those look good but honestly I'm more concerned with the headphone weight. it doesn't say how heavy they are, but the shipping weight of 2.2 lbs is concerning. like I said those Grados just crush my ears, I can't even listen to a full album without feeling uncomfortable. I was thinking something like this but I'm worried the sound isn't as good:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-100-II-Ear-Miniheadphone-Black/dp/B002VPDOH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428422684&sr=8-1&keywords=Sennheiser+PX+100-II+On+Ear+Miniheadphone

audio-technicas look heavy but sit pretty lightly on my head

is it actually the weight or the clamping action that is getting to you?

Yeah, I don't think the weight is necessarily the problem. I used to have Sennheiser HD25s, and I had similar issues as you, after using them for a couple of hours they started hurting my ears, they were pressing them so hard. (I have a fairly large head, which made the clasp even tighter.) Then I bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770s, which are pretty heavy headphones, about twice as heavy as my Sennheisers, but because their frame is so sturdy and well designed, and because the cushions are so big and comfy, the clasp is actually much lighter, so I can use them for hours without my ears getting sore.

Sony's made the MDR-V6 for 30 years for a reason. Comfortable, closed, fold into a desk drawer, very accurate (the lack of coloration is often considered a flaw by some listeners).

is it actually the weight or the clamping action that is getting to you?

um. I guess I don't really know. I do have a big head. I can't even wear a hat, for instance

Grados are pretty light, so yeah, it's probably the clamping, not the weight, that's causing discomfort. Those Sennheisers you linked are open-style headphones, so they'll leak sound like the Grados. You might be more comfortable with over-ears anyway rather than on-ears; that way the pressure is more spread out rather than concentrated on your ear. Anywhere near you where you can try headphones on? Guitar Center usually has Audio-Technica and I'd think they'd have the Sonys mentioned above too (or probably the very-similar 7506). The V6/7506 can usually be had for around $85 but there seems to be a bit of a supply shortage at the moment and they're going for over $100. Will probably come back down when Sony re-supplies.

If you get a set with a metal headband (I think the A-T and Sony are both metal) you can usually stretch them a bit for more comfort on larger heads. Some people like to replace the stock ear pads which are pleather on most over-ear headphones with velour pads which you can find on Amazon or eBay.

Have you considered in-ears? That'd eliminate clamping, but some people don't find them comfortable for other reasons.

I have some cheap in-ears, they're fine for working out but otherwise I don't really like them, like I tend to find the good ones really amplify all the noise going on within you. I had a decent pair and every time I moved I heard a loud rustling, really annoying and I dunno how to fix it.

a lot of the really big over-ear ones just kind of sit on the top of your head instead of clamping your ears

Does anyone have a decent workout earbud recommendation for under $50? I tried some skullcandy something-or-others and they sounded like absolute garbage, plus they didn't really stay all the way in my ears, in spite of having the over-ear clip.

I actually think the apple iphone earbuds sound fairly good, but they slip out -- is there an option of some kind of cover/adapter thingy that will hold them in without losing sound quality, or is there something else worth getting?

For keeping them in my ear, I've had the best luck with putting shure triple flange tips on my (decidedly non-shure) earbuds. I've managed to stretch them onto both Philips and Monoprice earbuds successfully. Comply foam earbud tips work pretty well too but they go 'stale' after a month or so.

I don't think either of those tip types would fit on the iphone earbud though. Apple makes a tip especially for that shape iirc.

I brought up headphones in the metal poll and figured I'd expand here. I know a lot of people who want to graduate from stock iPhone buds to full size headphones but don't want to spend much money. My recommendation in the past few years has been the Creative Aurvana Live!, available for $57. A half dozen friends and colleagues have gotten them and have been very happy.

They were designed by Foster, the Japanese company that owns Fostex, and were initially used for the Denon AH-D1001 headphones that originally sold for $150. I own those and use them in the bedroom, and are now discontinued. They are closed headphones, and some say the seal isn't perfect (blocking out outside noise, keeping headphones from leaking). They must play them at ear-damaging volume, because I use mine regularly and my partner can be sleeping (or awake) right next to me in bed and not hear anything. The most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. They are smaller than average full-size (more in line with other portables like NAD Viso HP50, Sennheiser Momentum, etc).

I should be getting my new Fostex TH-X00 via Massdrop later today. Their release last week inspired me to write about what I'd been using the past couple years:

http://fastnbulbous.com/metal-cans-for-the-holidaze-fostex-th-x00/

I've been using these for several years and have been pretty satisfied: http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/7041339ec2fdcc12/

finally got a pair of Sennheiser HD598SEs for $95 on cyber monday, and they are pretty great

AKG 240s have been on sale for $70, I just got some and like them quite a bit

I recall that 240s are very comfy

I had the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for a few years. They sounded good, and are extremely well built, but their vice-like grip was too uncomfortable for me, and I ended up selling them. Sennheiser and AKG all make great stuff, it's all a matter of what king of tuning you prefer. So far the Fostex designed D1001/Aurvana Live beat out any other headphone I've heard for under $200.

I got a pair of Sennheiser HD-598s recently too (mine were about $150, I must have missed the sale) and they're awesome. A little more bass than my Sennheiser HD-439s, and surprisingly not as hot on the ears after extended use-- surprising because the ear cups are friggin' velour.

I also have some Polk Ultrafit 1000s for running, which sound good enough that I switch to them if I'm listening on my phone and my ears get too hot from the 439s. I had Polk Ultrafit 500s before that, but I had trouble with one channel cutting out on them. I had the first (defective) pair replaced for free, no questions asked, so +1 for their customer service. I lost the replacement pair, and for the price difference the 1000s seemed like the better deal, they were only $10 more than the 500s and they're on-ear-- I've never been a huge fan of earbuds.

In the US, amazon seems to mark them down by ~$50 for one day of the Thanksgiving weekend every year (I say 'seems to' because I only have 2 data points). I think it was the Friday after Thanksgiving this year. I've had the HD-280 Pros for around 10 years, so I hope these are as sturdy. The detachable cable is nice, but then again the HD-280s have the only headphone cable I own that didn't fail after ~2 years.

I recall that 240s are very comfy
They are indeed, and self-adjusting to boot.

Wow, and the 240s are currently selling for $56 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001ARCFA?keywords=AKG%20240&qid=1449768287&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

I never tried Porta Pro until the middle of this year and I'm totally stuck on them, just fantastic for everything and not painful to wear several hours in a row (Grado is my favorite sound signature but yeah they hurt)

I had porta pros for all of undergrad and my only complaint is the band pulls your hair out

fyi for anyone who wants some cheap earphones https://www.wired.com/2017/01/review-kz-ate-hi-fi-earphones/?mbid=synd_digg

^ sounds impressive.

I've been using Soundmagic ES18s as low cost semi-decent in ear phones. Not amazing but better than anything else I'd come across for around £10. When I'm walking around I'm usually not that focussed on sound quality as long as it's not totally awful.

Superlux HD668Bs still sound great for the price (£24 from Thomann.de). Up there with ~£100 models like DT770s IMO. They just look very daft.

got the Kz ATE headphones and can confirm they are a steal, great great value

there's like 20 versions on amazon, which ones did you get?

I actually got them 2nd hand but this model https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-Headphones-Running-Eartips-Microphone/dp/B00Y0F6IBG

Grados are the best by far but you kind of look like a dork using them.

Beyerdynamic and AudioTechnica are the best I've used the range of $100/$200.

I'm too cheap to buy headphones over $200.

PS: unless you have superhuman ear or are extremely picky about certain qualities and specification in sound, mostly every headphones in the range of $150 are awesome and more than what you need.

It's the emperor's new clothes. Think of them as bottles of whiskey. Any blend or single malt of 12 years will be good, almost noone tells the difference after that. I've fooled snobbish friends into drinking Chivas 12 and even red label and told them it's Chivas 18 or 21 by flling old bottles of 18/21 (I don't usually do this, it was a social experiment) They start saying "now this is a fine whiskey" and I'm silently laughing about it.