a headphones recommendation thread

I got some MS1s a couple of years back and second the "burn in" time - they definitely got better after extended use. If all you're listening to is low bitrate mp3s then they will certainly reveal problems that cheap headphones might mask. Also, if you are using them with a portable player they really will benefit from even a cheap headphone amp to give them enough juice at reasonable volumes; I use a little Headphonia/Headstage amp with mine and it makes a world of difference.

This thread is firing AKG want too, plenty of love by the sound of it.

First of all, any suggestions would be really appreciated by me. i need help choosing good, relatively cheap earbuds. i own Sennheiser PXC 300s for my serious phones usage but when i'm working out or falling asleep i prefer buds & my cat destroyed the buds that came with my mp3 player. i don't want to spend a lot on secondary phones but i would like an upgrade, or at least, the best bang for my buck (thinking in the $20-$35 range). Comfort & sound quality are important obv. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

I like my Sennheiser CX300s. The ear-canal thing really works for me. Love being able to lie with my ear on a pillow and them still be comfortable.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX300-B-Earbuds-Black/dp/B000E6G9RI

I swear by these things:

http://www.amazon.com/Koss-SPARKPLUG-Stereo-Ear-Plugs/dp/B00081A2DQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245164620&sr=1-1

they're dirt cheap, sound pretty good (way better than more expensive earbuds headphones I've tried), and I love the earplug type design. they don't fall out of my ears (which I hate), I don't have to feel conscious of my music "bleeding" and annoying other people, and I don't have to blast them to hear the subtleties of what I'm listening to.

if you don't like the way earplugs feel, you probably won't like em. but I'm used to that after playing in bands for years. obviously, they don't sound as good a nice pair of over the ear headphones, but for what they are, they're great.

only thing is, they're definitely cheaply made. I've gone through two pairs but don't really care because they're so cheap. koss does offer some warranty but I've always been too lazy to file for it. probably should do that....

I love my Audio Technica in-ear buds but they're a bit above the price range you indicated (approx 70 USD if I remember)

Thanks for the recommendations. i wouldn't mind paying a lil more but i just don't use them often enough to justify sinking a bunch of cash on em.

I also love my Sennheiser CX300s for normal walking around, riding the bus listening. But I absolutely hate the uneven cord lengths for each earbud.

koss does offer some warranty but I've always been too lazy to file for it. probably should do that....

fyi: koss warranty is the greatest thing in the world. it would make me a LIFELONG CUSTOMER if it hadn't already made me a lifetime-requester-of-free-replacement-goods. they're awesome though.

i need better earbuds for the gym, but obvs i don't want anything expensive since they get all sweaty and shit. those koss ones look tight, thanks for that.

fyi: koss warranty is the greatest thing in the world. it would make me a LIFELONG CUSTOMER if it hadn't already made me a lifetime-requester-of-free-replacement-goods. they're awesome though.

ok, I have to do this now!

But I absolutely hate the uneven cord lengths for each earbud.

This really put me off them as well. I think I might have oddly-shaped ears, too, because I couldn't quite get them to fit very well. They were always on the cusp of falling out of my ears.

I'm using a Shure pair now, but they'd probably fail your price requirement by a few bucks.

Yeah uneven cord lengths are not cool. The sparkplugs don't have that problem do they?

But I absolutely hate the uneven cord lengths for each earbud.

Never thought of this as a problem before - you don't run one cord round the back of your neck and have the iPod/whatever on one side?

Ditto.

Yeah, it took me a while to realise that was how you dealt with them. It has two advantages:

- you can take one earbud out when you need to talk to someone without the other one taking extra weight (and potentially falling out too as a result)

- it stops the cord swinging about so much, which is especially important if you've got ear-canal ones where cord friction tends to be picked up and send to your ear

koss sparkblugs make my ears hurt : /

not physically (well, ultimately physically, i suppose): just pretty much everything i've listened to with them made me go OW TREBLE OW

I can't get into running the cord over the back of my neck for some reason - it feels wrong and I always end up getting them tangled on something. I also like the option of swapping my ipod from one pocket to another without being limited by cord length.

Want: cheap earbud style that will last for more than a couple of months with uneven cord lengths.

Sennheiser CX300 fits that bill. They've been mentioned above.

I love my CX300s about 90%, would love 100% if they didn't have uneven cord lengths.

checked 'em upthread, didn't seem cheap enough. Done a little ebaying and they look more reasonable.

I have just have a pair of Sennheiser MX560s break after two months, I'm trusting these are better?

Hi ILM, I need headphones that I can use in a noisy office. They will not be used for travelling to/from work or anywhere, they will stay at my desk. By 'noisy', I mean co-workers who yell across the office at one another and often play their music on the office speakers so loudly that my current set of headphones can't override it without me risking eventual tinnitis (or that's what it feels like anyway).

So basically I need something over the ear and capable of completely blocking out external music/noise while still on a safe volume level. Help?

Would you consider in-ear sound isolators rather than over-ear cancellers?

Sennheiser HD-25. Compact and a favourite in the broadcats insudtry because they don't allow sound in or out. Have been my workplace headphones for years, also good for plane journeys, even with screaming children. In fact I am listening to mine right now.

A little on the bass heavy side and less definition than the alessandro baby grado's I have at home but comfortable enough to use all day and then fall asleep wearing them.

also look at beyerdynamic dt770

Sennheiser HD-280pro

Cheaper and larger. Can't compare blockage though.

i have had great luck with my beyerdynamic dt - 231s

I like the Dt770s but they are huge.

Hd280s can be uncomfortable until you break them in; the headband has a viselike grip xp

I love my Grado SR-80i's very very much.

But they're aren't good for an office.

yeah i love grados but they are sooooo open, they don't block out any noise at all..

honestly those beyerdynamic dt 231s are one of the best values in headphones i swear.

I think I'd consider in-ear ones as long as the sound quality is still good! (I'm not an audiophile type so what's 'good' for me doesn't have to be super state of the art/top of the line quality). They would also have the benefit of being guaranteed to fit my smallish girly head, which a lot of over-ear kinds don't. So I guess either kind will do. I should probably leave myself open to as many options as possible.

Thanks for suggestions so far, everyone xx

in ears would be best as they provide the most isolation and sound quality. there's been an explosion in the number of manufacturer of these, but imo you can't go wrong with shire or sennheiser... if you told us what you consider good we could be of better help!

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