Headphone recommendations

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Stahlmann
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Stahlmann »

I'll go with Zealot b570 soon :-DDD

flying_pan
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by flying_pan »

Sclass wrote:
Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:20 am
This reminds me of an older analog design engineer I used to work with. Kind of an ERE type.

He was an audiophile and he built all his amps and speakers. He suggested that it was much cheaper to get a very high quality headphone set rather than buy good speakers and power amps. His favorite was a brand called Stax. They were electrostatic drivers and had great fidelity.

They seemed expensive to me but he pointed out that they were practical in that they didn’t require much space. Most of his listening was done alone so speakers were not necessary. Speakers get neighbors upset. You didn’t need a listening room.

This guy was frugal, wealthy and practical guy. Headphones made sense from a minimalist point of view. He claimed the Stax headset was unbeatable by speakers. I never verified this and never really bought into it, but it seemed to make sense and I respect this guy’s opinion when it came to signals and systems.
I agree with it completely. I have a pair of DT 990 PRO which are 11 years old, I think. I got them for $300, maybe $350 (today they are like twice cheaper!), and they work great still! All I had to do is to wash the soft part which covers your ears. Not to mention that they are really comfortable, have great sound and scene (not a proper speakers scene, but still, really good), and in general, I consider them as one of my best quality purchases.

There are downsides, like you need an amplifier for them, but they are pretty cheap, and also, good speakers are all passive as well, and their amplifiers are pricier.

That being said, though, I actually use my sound system more often now. I built one for $150 (subwoofer, 2 speakers + CD player + receiver, mostly from thrift shops), and it is pretty good. Definitely worse in technically complex music (and in music in general), but it is superior if you turn the volume up in most games/movies. So, if you have enough space, I'd go with 2.1 setup; if you live in an apartment, headphones are really good.

LookingInward
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by LookingInward »

The OP mentions headphones with life long warranty? Does anyone know of any brand that offers this? I prefer earphones though.

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Sclass
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Sclass »

I just got the DT990 pro set suggested by @flying_pan. They’re very nice. I don’t think they have a lifetime warranty. But, if you don’t abuse headphones, I suspect they will last a very long time. I have a set of cheap Koss over the ear units bought by my dad in the 1970s that still function. Helps that they don’t use foam ear pads. They’re cheap uncomfortable vinyl.

catpepper
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by catpepper »

Oh yes the Beyerdynamic DT990 is great. I also recommend the Sony MDR7506 and Audio Technica M50X. I own 2 pairs of the Sonys and have tried the M50s as well.

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Alphaville
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Alphaville »

i got sony mdr 7506’s too, tried & true studio workhorses that are comfortable to wear all day, but they’re not noise-cancelling, and you can’t make calls through them if that’s something you need (well, you can hear but they have no mic)

OTCW
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by OTCW »

Grado headphones sound great and are made in Brooklyn. Entry level model is the SR60 I believe. They aren't cheap, but they are quality.

jacob
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by jacob »

Here are my Grados from 12 years ago which I've since modified. Replacement foam pads from Sennheiser and they now accept a standard minijack-RCA instead of the proprietary wiring which came apart after 7-8 years.
Image

Scott 2
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Scott 2 »

chicago81 wrote:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:36 pm
Not really an “ERE compliant purchase”, but I recently bought the Bose quiet comfort 35 noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones, and they are wonderful. Expensive, but wonderful.
I've had mine for over a year now. As someone prone to being overstimulated, the ability to block off everything with a switch is life changing. Sound quality and wireless are great features too.

Outside of price, my only problem has come from wearing them so much, they dent my hair. And maybe my head? We're talking 3-8 hours a day.

ThriftyRob
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by ThriftyRob »

This thread is not helping me suppress and ignore my wants and needs. I have surplus headphones (as noted in my journal the Nuras are going back to the manufacturer) and I may have a clearout of a few other pairs so that I can experiment with either the Beyerdynamics or Grados.

I have a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3s which are amazing with great noise cancelling that I don't plan to give up.

I found a bag of stolen goods in my back yard which I handed over to the police. One of the items is a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 35s. I've been told that if no-one claims the property I get to keep it, so I could have a pair of Bose QC35s in a few months. Plus a few cameras!

Scott 2
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Scott 2 »

I've read the Sony WH-1000XM3s are superior to the Bose Quiet Comfort 35s, with the exception of some issues in sub-freezing temperatures. That was the only deal breaker for me. Otherwise, I would have gone with the Sony headphones.

5ts
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by 5ts »

Noise canceling
Bose QC35

Regular
Grado SR80e (US)
Sony MDR-V6 (Thailand)
Beyerdynamic DT 880 (Germany)

I don't own noise canceling phones, but I own these three regular headphones, and linked to good, short reviews for each. I'm on a never ending search for great headphones. I prefer speakers, but don't have the aural space (neighbors). I like highs most, so snare drum over bass drum. If you like highs, Grado are superb. I think they are too much actually. It's severely fatiguing over more than an hour. DT 880 are very close without being so fatiguing. Sony is for studio monitoring. It's flat and sort of boring sounding, but it's all there. All headphones hurt my head. Sometimes the top of my head, but always my ears. My ears don't really stick out far but they always seem to press hard on the headphone driver area. It's actually painful. DT 880 hurts least, Sony hurts most.

So as of now, all things considered, it's DT 880 > Grado > Sony. I'm sure my quest will continue. I'm looking for good sound and comfort.

Tyler9000
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Tyler9000 »

ThriftyRob wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:15 pm
I have a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3s which are amazing with great noise cancelling that I don't plan to give up.
+1. I splurged on a pair last year (when they were discounted before Christmas) and don't regret it one bit. It's a terrific product.

2Birds1Stone
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

My wife just picked up a pair of Sony WH-CH510's, which while not noise cancelling sounds pretty great, are lite, and get 35 hours of playback on a single charge. The mic is also good enough for professional phone calls.

$40

https://www.techradar.com/reviews/sony-wh-ch510

ThriftyRob
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by ThriftyRob »

@5ts thanks for the review links. Ken Rockwell's reviews are always worth reading and his comparison of DT 880 vs DT 990 is helpful.

Indulging in headphones may be non-ERE, however, in my case it's part of a paradigm shift away from big, heavy, hifi boxes and will pave the way for a new approach to music listening in a more modest home where there's a good chance that we will have neighbours on the other side of our lounge wall (and possibly above and below us as well).

horsewoman
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by horsewoman »

My Technics RP DJ 1200 EK headphones have been with me since 2000, so in terms of longevity they are great. I've used to perform as a DJ so they have seen some rough use in their early years, too.
The ear pads had to be replaced a few years ago and the cover of the head band is slowly desintegrating, but technically they are still fully functional. I can't compare the sound since I've never had any other headphones.

5ts
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by 5ts »

@ThriftyRob
I think headphones are ERE approved. The bang for the buck is outstanding, and you minimize space required for the activity and huge hassle when moving. If someone goes up into the thousands of dollars for headphones, that gets questionable, but a couple hundred for something that should last decades and is portable and minimal, just excellent. Even Jacob has decent headphones. I love speakers, but I think it's rude when you have neighbors, even during daylight hours, plus they are bulky and expensive for the good stuff. Now if you're talking about some ascetic endeavor of not needing good sound at all and just bypassing all of this stuff, well that's true, but you're either afflicted with the sound disease or not.

Crusader
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Crusader »

For a cheap set of headphones, I highly recommend these ones:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=16150
Very comfortable as well, unlike wireless ones.

For noise cancelling ones, I have:
https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/head ... wh-1000xm3
Very good noise cancellation, but heavy and uncomfortable after you wear them for a couple of hours. And having to think about charging them is a hassle. I never use them, will probably sell them on my next de-cluttering iteration.

For wireless earbuds to use outside or for exercise:
https://www.bose.ca/en_ca/products/head ... ess_citron
I highly recommend them. I have used a few wireless headphones and these stay in and the fact they have a clip means you won't lose them.

For a cheap set of wired earbuds, I also tried a few, and I found these to be the best:
https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/in-e ... mdr-xb50ap
(especially if you like bass)

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Alphaville
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by Alphaville »

i got a pair of sony xm4's a few months ago.

my wife has been working from home since march.

they headphones were expensive. they don't magically cancel every sound either. they just dampen. and they make the middle ear feel strange.

but they were cheaper than moving to a bigger place, and they saved my marriage :lol:

elkend
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Re: Headphone recommendations

Post by elkend »

I bought a pair of Bose OE2 a decade ago on sale for like $60 and use them at work, have a pair of Bose AE2 I use at home I got a decade ago for a similar price. Just got a pair of “higher end” Sennheiser RS180 for $180ish for playing guitar and video games wirelessly and they sound quite a bit better than the Bose, but feel it was kind of a waste because I don’t use them much and could’ve stuck to wired.

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