Headphones Recommendations
 

My current pair of headphone are just about dead. they are in need or replacing. As such i am looking for some suggestions for new headphones.

I'll use them mostly while warming up to play ultimate (standing in place throwing a disc and some walking), when i DJ, and on road trips/flights.

i have a budget for these of $150 - any recommendations?

http://www.djkit.co.uk/images/produc...ge.320x320.jpg

Skullcandy Hesh. I picked up a pair on Tuesday and so far they've been almost constantly in my ears. Very comfortable and WARM! I got them for 50 bucks in The States.

@jackhammer

thanks. those sennheiser ones a few people recommended look like they may be a good fit.

Yeah, actually... I need headphones that play really loudly so that I can't hear anyone else but also so no one can hear me.

It sounds easy to find, but I have yet to find useful headphones.

The ones I currently have play fairly loudly but I have to play the music really quietly if I'm in a quiet setting.

>.>

an old pair of sony dj mvr - 2 series were the best at that i had ever seen. the 5 series that i replaced them with were not as good.

And they're headphones or earphones?

You would seriously rate these above sennheisers? From what I have read, Skull Candy are more for asthetic purposes and just don't even get close to a pair of sennys.

I've never had the pleasure to try a pair of Sennys, I'm just giving him my recommendation from what I've experienced.

I do agree with the asthetic purpose, I really didn't want ones with a bunch of "Skullcandy" writing all over it, but oh well. Mine sound great and I've been a happy camper for the past 5 days.

i've had a pair of PX 200 for a few years now, and i'm relatively happy with them. the bass is milder than i'd like, but otherwise the sound is very good, and they work well enough. but they're getting worn out, and i'm thinking about going for a pair of in-ear phones, they're more convenient since i use my small pair mostly on the train commuting to and from work.

but at home, i use my HD 580 headphones. god i love those things! i've had them for like 6 years now, and i've had to replace the cord, but they still work great. pads are getting a bit musty, might replace those soon, but the sound is still perfect. i can literally wear them for 10 hours straight and not feel even remotely uncomfortable. they're open-ear so they're no good for containing sound or for use in noisy environments, but the sound is so warm, i just love it. perfect for music and movies alike!

definitely go for sennheiser. i'll never buy anything else...

I hate JVC with a passion, but their HA-M1000 headphones are the best I've ever used.
I like them better than my Sony MDR-7506's

They're not good for tracking, but for DJing and/or music listening... they sound fantastic.

http://www.productreview.com.au/uplo...vc_ham1000.jpg

I don't know if they sell them anymore, because I bought them about 5 years ago at a little under 100 dollars.

I would caution against sennheiser. I've always found them to overboost the bass to the point of a very wooly sound.

I would reccomend a pair of Grado headphones. Anything in the range of iGrados or above should be fantastic. SR60's are a great entry level audiophile heaphone. If you need a more discreet style, theiGrados use the exact same drive unit, in a different housing.

For an earbud type headphone, I would definitely reccomend the Denon AHC551 earbud phones. Cable noise is low, bass is good but not overpowering, and terble detail is excellent.

OK....I have a stupid question. Should the device I use to listen to my music on have a bearing on which headphones I should get? Meaning...I mostly listen to music from my Zune. So I don't want to go out and get a pair of Sennheiser headphones if their greatness will be lost on an MP3 player vs. using them with a stereo set up. I hope that makes sense.

Good quality headphones will enhance the SQ. Why people use the headphones that come with their I pod is beyond me. Do you have in ear phones? Even a relatively small outlay on a pair of sony's will be better.

I have some earbuds that came with my last mp3 player. I detest ear buds though...hence my search for something better.

Better headphones will always result in better sound. There IS a point where the feed going into the headphones becomes the limiting factor in your hi-fi experience, but thats very dependent on the player you're using. IIRC the Zunes have a reasonably good DAC with them. Anything up to Grado SR80 standard headphones should be more than worth the upgrade costs.

Bear in mind however Mrs. Wife, that my opinion of Sennheiser is rooted in my prior ownership of HD435s, CX300s. THe PX200's I HAVE listened to and they were OK, lacking Sennheisers trademark overboosted bass sound, but I would say the iGrados are considerably superior within that category of headphone.

Honestly, I was just using Sennheiser as an example since they seem to get alot of love in this thread. I'm not partial to brand...I was just hoping to get the maximum quality without going unnecessarily overboard. So your post was most helpful. Thanks!

By the way - Brands to avoid IMO: Sony, Bose, Skullcandy, Sennheisers to an extent.

ESPECIALLY Bose and Skullcandy. Lifestyle headphones are not audiophile headphones, and its making a mistake to assume so.

Nonsubmissive...

An expensive pair of headphones isn't going to add quality to a song that isn't there to begin with. If you find that happening, then you're not hearing the content truthfully.

Cheap headphones can detract from quality, but unless you're a serious audiophile, you're not losing by not having the top rated Sennheisers or equivalent.

The things you need to look for in a pair of headphones, in order of importance, are:

1. COMFORTABILITY
2. Even frequency response (No exaggerated lows, shrill highs, canny mids)
3. Solid design that can take a few tumbles
4. Price
5. Reputability.

Notice that reputability is last. I like your thinking about not being partial to a brand name. Half the people having Sennheiser's babies are letting other people's opinions influence them down to their own hearing.

Get in there and find the headphone that best works for you.
Don't worry about your MP3 player not playing songs as well as an expensive CD player... I've never once seen an argument that gives any validity to something like that.
MP3's will sound better the less compressed they are.
You want better sound quality, play higher bitrate MP3's. Better yet, WAVs. It's a sacrifice between practicality and quality.
You just have to find out where you fit best.

Thanks JH, GB and VF! Looks like some testing is in order.

Definitely. I would reccomend giving the members journals a read. theres one in there called 'a guide to the audiophiles mind'.

The original post in that thread is a bit of a joke as far as audiophile stuff goes, he gets a great number of things exceedingly wrong. On the other hand, I stepped in later on in the thread to correct everything, and in doing so I ended up writing about 4 solid pages of stuff that you may well find useful and/or interesting when it comes to enjoying your music on any audio system, and being aware of where the weak links are.

i can second the bose and skullcandy. bose are always overpriced for what you get. skullcandy look to be of poor quality.

the sony i have had good and bad ones. depends on the individual product. i have no personal experience with the sennheisers

why all the sudden tip-toeing around sennheiser?

i can't claim extensive experience, but i've never used a pair of headphones with better sound than my old HD 580s. good range, warm sound, perfect bass, and very comfy :)

i just wish they were more usable on the subway or on the street...

Like I said, every pair of sennheisers I've ever listened so besides PX200s, have just been BASS BASS BASS BASS to the point where it dominated the sound. Some people like the feeling of bass pounding their skull with no treble detail whatsoever to be found. I dont.

----------------
Now playing on Winamp: FFmusic Dj - Final Fantasy 7 JENOVAD Trance OC ReMix
via FoxyTunes

i see.

well i'm fed up with my PX200s because they have virtually no bass :)

to each his own i guess!

Listen to some grado SR60s and you'll suddenly realize what sennheisers are missing.

My new $30 pair are better than any of the ****ty, generic headphones that come with every iPod or CD player I've ever had, but they're not amazing or anything, and I'm dubious about how long the cord will last (I've seen some reviews for them that warned about this). I'm thinking of returning them and shelling out another $20 for what I'm assuming are entry-level noise cancelling headphones. Would the sound difference be worth it? Or should I just be cheap and stick with what I've got unless I'm willing to really shell out for something relatively high end?

You get what you pay for. Depending on how badly you actually need the noise cancelling I would just save and get HD-25's or ATH-M50's tbh.

I actually dropped sixty on some Skullcandy Hesh 2s. I was dubious, but apparently new Skullcandies are much better and last much longer than the old ones. Good sound for the money and they cover my entire ears.

Scene kid.

Bat's next avatar....

http://blog.newrelic.com/wp-content/...skullcandy.jpg