Recommend a pair of headphones for me

I'm kind of pissed that I spend $60 last year on JBL Synchro Reflects, they sound pretty bad. I was hoping for something with just a little more presence.

oh damn, those Panasonics are cheap, I may have to try at that price.

the jack is a big issue for me because i wrap the cord around part of the armband a few times so there's only a little slack which keeps the cord out of the way but strains the connector. everything else i've tried, including sonys and shures, the connector goes kaputt within months. these have lasted over a year so far w no signs of strain.

xp i don't know what your sound preferences are but i'm pretty happy with them. presence is fine, not weird or unbalanced, not boomy. i had some more expensive shures at one point that were maybe a little bit more detailed but again the jack went out in 6 months.

I forgot to pack my usual sennheisers on a long trip and ended up buying a pair of the Adidas-branded Sennheisers from a hifi shop at my destination. I'm pretty happy with them and they might actually end up being my regular travel set.

the headset comes with its own short cable that plugs into an extender, so if the extender jack goes, you don't have to replace the whole kit.

oh also usually when I'm not just getting whatever seems affordable from a brand that I like in a foreign hi-fi shop, I check out the recommendations on the Wirecutter, usually they're not too unhelpful:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wired-exercise-headphones/

idk if you'll consider bluetooth but I have a pair of mpow swift (~20 dollars on amazon) with some inairs foam tips for running, and they are surprisingly decent

as ILX's resident 99%er let me again extol the virtues of the Panasonic HJE120s, widely (and correctly) regarded as the best dirt cheap earbud, now $6.19 on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EM6AQE/?tag=dealnewscom&m=ATVPDKIKX0DERXIV

I wouldn't waste any money on high-end earbuds. I have a hard time believing any earbuds, no matter how expensive, could sound better than a decent pair of mid-priced, over-the-ear headphones. Audio-Technica makes some good over-the-ear headphones for well under $100. I'd get a $10 pair of earbuds for workouts, and the over-the-ears for everything else.

as ILX's resident 99%er let me again extol the virtues of the Panasonic HJE120s, widely (and correctly) regarded as the best dirt cheap earbud, now $6.19 on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EM6AQE/?tag=dealnewscom&m=ATVPDKIKX0DERXIV🔗

there are usually other vendors (on amazon) near that price point. I get a pair every couple of months it seems.

Must be good quality

I lose shit

fair

I'm always on the hunt for good in ear buds cos i do most of my music listening at work and i hate having big cans on my head all day, most big cans leak too much sound, and I get interrupted a lot so need to be able to pop one side out quickly

Clicked. Says "Currently Unavailable."
--The Wally Funk Bible (James Redd and the Blecchs)

Fluke these are always available in som color for ~$6.

I sprang for a pair of Jaybird X2 bluetooth headphones - they sound pretty good, but I'm still have a hard time getting used to the way internal sounds (like the cord moving) get amplified with in-ear headphones).

Coincidentally, shortly after I asked, I got the chance through work to get a free pair of Bose Soundsports, which run around $100. I wouldn't say I'd pay $100 for them, but they sound very good and full for earbuds, considerably better than my JBLs, and are also remarkably comfortable. Still don't sound as good as $50 Sony over-ear headphones, but that seems unsurprising -- only so much you can do with the size of an earbud.

Free is a good value

guys, an earphone-related tragedy

i am at the library working and listening to music on my in-ear headphones. a crazy angry dude just walked by mumble-ranting. i yanked my earphones to hear what he was saying. however, the little white silicone headphone tip stayed lodged in my ear canal. i am trying not to freak out, but it is now jammed in. there are no tweezers in sight. i will make it through.

incidentally, what cheap in-ear headphone recommendations do you have that *do not* rely on removeable sleeves at their ends?

man, ILX ain't what it usta be. five hours and neither lysol douche nor somebody trying to shame me for improper use of earphone.

Huh, I thought I'd contributed to this thread. Maybe it was a different one.

I wrote a piece nearly a year ago about the various headphones I've been using:

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

The latest change is I'm selling the Philips Fidelio X2 and got the new beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, which I'm really happy with.

The cheapest headphone I recommend to friends who don't want to spend a lot is the Creative Aurvana Live!, which is currently $53 USD on Amazon. Everyone has been really happy with them.

The next step up are beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro, going for about $130 lately. Fostex T50RP MK3 can be found for close to $200.

Another step up would be the Meze 99 Classics, which I think more people would like around the $300 price range than the Fidelio X2, which is very "dark" (sacrificing some mid-range and treble for the heavy sub-bass). For portable, NAD VISO HP50 is going for around $249.

How would you characterize the coloring of the aurvana?

I need a bluetooth earbud recommendation. Preferably a design that is not unwieldy, preferably decent battery life, preferably under, say, $70.

Just as the Aurvana is a smaller scale version of the Denon D2000/Fostex TH-X00, the sound has slightly less dynamic range, rolled off treble and bass, but still some really remarkably deep sounding bass for their size and price. While NAD VISO HP50 have a remarkably wide soundstage, in some ways I still find the Aurvana/D1001 sound more warm and pleasant. Just depends on your preferences.

I don't like too much deep bass; I like low mids to be more prominent.

I'd recommend the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro to you then... It took a while to get used to it after having been a Sennheiser user for years, because it doesn't enhance the bass half as much, but nowadays I love the more naturalistic sound it has. IMO it's particularly good for classical music, gets all the details through.

Also check out B&O H6 for great mids and soundstage

I might be able to afford that beyerdynamic if we get bonuses this spring. I'm back to my cheap end grado phones right now after killing yet another porta pro at the crook of the plug.

it doesn't enhance the bass half as much,

Funny, because the DT-770 Pro is well known as a bass-head fave. A few years back I dubbed them the "Cans of DOOM" - http://fastnbulbous.com/cans-of-doom/

In my DT-1990 Pro review, I mentioned how byerdynamic characterized their initial pro series: ...closed back DT 770 Pro for studio and stage use, the semi-open back DT 880 Pro for reference monitoring, mastering and mixing, fully open back DT 990 Pro for critical listening. You can get the 770 Pro for as low as $120 these days, which is a teal. If yr patient you can probably get the 1990 Pro for as low as $460 by next year, just as you can now find the 1770 Pro for that much, as it's been out over a year.

http://fastnbulbous.com/beyerdynamic-dt1990pro-headphone-timeline/

Inner Fidelity just reviewed the E-Mu Walnut, a woody version of the Creative Aurvana Live:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/e-mu-walnut-creative-aurvana-live-woodied#wVlROLwMr5sfxpUD.97

There is another range in between the $53 CAL and the $130 Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. I hadn't thought about these pro headphones in a while, even though I owned two pretty classic versions over the years -- the Sony MDR-V6 which lists for $99 (and the similar MDR-7506), and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, the older model going for under $100, but the latest version (x) lists for $170 and is currently at $140. I doubt that it's better than the 770 Pro however. But another venerable headphone is the Koss Pro4S, which lists for $149, but is available for $82, probably the best value for that price range.

a budget recommendation: have been really surprised by the pair of £20 SoundMagic ES20s I bought as a cheap stopgap. Have had much more expensive in-ear phones before that don't have half the clarity.

I've been wearing my grado so much at work that I've got an irritated spot on my left earlobe which I scratched last night and it started bleeding :(

Small in-ear headphones for the rest of the week for me.

I have the Audio Technica ATH-M40s which were about $80 as I recall. I'm sure you get what you pay for with the more expensive ones but these are fine for subway listening, where there's a lot of background noise anyway.

HiFiMAN HE-350 (normally $300) is on Massdrop for $100 for another 8 days or until it's sold out.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350?referer=7JQMLK

oh wow thanks, i may order those.

have you reviewed them?

nvm reading the head fi review

Pros: Tenacity and pinache in the upper midrange and treble areas, soundstage is surprisingly immense, solid construction
Cons: Bass has quality but not much quantity, treble may sound bright to very bright, especially upon first listen

no bass no buy

- Bob Marley

The $300msrp is a little deceptive though as the HE350 was created specifically for and is only sold through Massdrop and has never sold for more than $100. It doesn't use the same driver as the HE300 which did originally retail at $300 I think.

man i woulda bought those Fostex mahogany cans if I woulda known about Massrop then.

The $300msrp is a little deceptive

Considering it's meant to be an upgrade of the HE-300, not really. Just like how the Fostex TH-X00 was an update of not only the popular but discontinued Denon AH-D5000 ($699), but also corrected some of the issues that showed up in even the $1,200 Fostex TH-900. The drop was $399, and it's definitely a great value. It's not at all misleading to give an MSRP of over $600. The point of the drops are to offer a deep discount. There were a few drops of the TH-X00, they might be done. E-Mu Teak is another version of the Fostex design that is available, along with the Fostex TH-610. Here's a recent piece that compares them:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/survey-foster-443742-variants-subjective-listening-tests-denon-ah-d5000-massdrop-fostex-th#uxc9d9P8cLbufWGV.97

Another woody headphone that people are raving about lately is the Meze 99 Classics which list for $309, and seem like they're well worth it. I'm tempted to sell my NAD HP-50 so I can try them.

Regarding the HE-350 review, take a single review with a grain of salt - opinions can vary widely. I haven't heard that one myself though. The Creative Aurvana Live (based on the Fostex designed Denon AH-D1000) that I mentioned before has great bass for headphones that size and price range. Otherwise I'd say for about $108 used you can get the beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro. The 250 ohm version with an amp has amazing bass, and sounds great even without an amp.

excellent, thanks!

I'm thinking i need a headphone amp but i don't know much, this looks good?
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier

I've read great things about that, but haven't heard it. Do they still sell the DAC too? I like a good DAC to bypass that craptastic output on my computers (I use Meier Audio both at home and work). Fiio makes good inexpensive amps too. A new E12 Mont Blanc came with my DT-1990 Pro headphones recently, and I'm selling it on Head-Fi. Another great brand is Schiit that offers the extremely affordable DAC/amp Fulla for $79.

Regarding headphones I meant to add, it's also interesting how popular the Fostex T50RP (which was first introduced in 1977) became for modifying. Mrspeakers and ZMF are the two big ones, who are now also making their own fully original headphones. I've been curious about the Mrspeakers Ether Flow, but they're beyond my price range ($1,800). ZMF just introduced the Atticus ($999) & Eikon ($1,299) which I may get a chance to review. Both are 300 ohm semi-open, looking like a cross between the Sony MDR-R10 and ZMF Omni. The Atticus has a thermoplastic elastomer driver (TPE, like the Sennheiser HD 800), and the Eikon has a biocellulose driver, like the Sony R10 and Fostex TH900.

yeah thats another league of headphones for me. I cap out at $300. Maybe $400 if the deal is insane (like that fostex woulda been).

Don't think that mass drop deal comes with the DAC but... I'll buy that Fiio from you!

I wish I knew someone who used a DAC so I could do an A/B comparison on my computer to stereo setup. I don't have the most discerning ears so I'm not sure if I'd find it worth the extra $$$$. The sound from my crappy laptop is crap, though.

DACs get better all the time, even the lowest cost ones, while computer audio seems to always just suck. There's always messed up interference, buzzing and distortion on even my brand new computer which makes a DAC a must for my sanity. Apple computers can be better, but friends have had problems with those too.

My chain:

PC->Dragonfly DAC->Little Dot Mach II Headphone Amp->Fidelo X1 Headphones.

The last-gen dragonfly I've got is probably going for fairly cheap now and I'd highly recommend it. I often pair it with my phone too, although it gobbles up battery.

I replaced the stock tubes in the headphone amp with some recommended Mallard ones. They were only a fiver and maybe bought out the bass a little? So hard to tell with these marginal hacks, especially since it's really hard to A/B them. Sounds great tho and the tubes glow enticingly.

V happy with the bass-heavy Fidelio's. Apparently the later models (up to the x3 now?) are iteritvly better, but these older ones sound great to me.

I've never tried a tube amp but they're pretty popular with the Head-Fi community. There's new deals on amps and DACs nearly every week. Here's another one for the NuForce uDAC-5 DAC/Amp.