# Looking for headphones



## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

Im looking for a good set of headphones to listen to music with. My budget is 150 dollars. Sorry if this is in the wrong section but i wasn't sure were to put this.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2009)

Critical listening or casual listening? Commuter-friendly or home use?


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## vasthorizon (Aug 10, 2008)

I use the Bose On-Ear headphones. Works great for me. Very versatile.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

I was looking at the bose around ear headphones... i tired them out at bestbuy and they sounded amazing but i dont have anything to compare to because ill i have for head phones is my shitty ipod standards and my hifi sony soundsystem


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2009)

If this if for casual listening I recommend Grado's. The Bose are all over-hyped mid's, crappy construction and flimsy materials.

A set of Grado SR60's can be powered by your iPod. Sound amazing, especially at low volume levels. And help with ear fatigue (at the cost of not blocking out a lot of ambient noise). Comfortable for long listening sessions.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I have a set of these - they are very nice. I think they should be around your price range.

http://www.sennheiser.ca/live/senn/produit/en/275/13


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

If ambient noise isn't a consideration, I second the Grados.

I use Sennheiser HD-280s and couldn't be happier. They block out tons of noise and sound fantastic. Some people complain about issues with fit, I find they don't pose a problem unless I'm wearing them for hours on end.

EDIT: I guess Robert beat me to the punch.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

iaresee said:


> If this if for casual listening I recommend Grado's. The Bose are all over-hyped mid's, crappy construction and flimsy materials.
> 
> A set of Grado SR60's can be powered by your iPod. Sound amazing, especially at low volume levels. And help with ear fatigue (at the cost of not blocking out a lot of ambient noise). Comfortable for long listening sessions.


+1 ... Love the Grados.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I would +1 everyone's suggestions here. I had a pair of Grado SR-80's that I loved, but they let in a lot of ambient noise. If you'll be listening in a noisy environment, you'd be hard-pressed to beat the Sennheiser HD280s.

If you want something ultra-portable, though, check out Etymotic Technology's ER6i


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2009)

And +1 from me to the Senn HD280's if it's a critical listening application.


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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)

Yeah, definitely agree w/ the Grado/Senn recommendations, and stay away from Bose. 

As others have said, depends on the purpose & context of your listening.

My home setup is a pair if Sennheiser HD650s and a Little Dot MKIII tube headphone amp - love it! For portable, I dig my Senn HD228s.

Check out www.head-fi.org ! :food-smiley-004:


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

I have a set of Sennheiser HD515's. They are amazing, plus they have a big jack so you can plug them into an amp's headphone port etc. They do however leak alot of sound as they are open backed. Something to consider if you're listening to them in a cubicle environment.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

What do you guys think of Audio Technica's ATH M series and all of there headphones in general.... ive heard alot of websites say the make some of the best headphones...

Here are headphones I have found...

http://www.axemusic.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=10&P_ID=20846&PT_ID=321

http://www.axemusic.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=21&P_ID=13411&PT_ID=321

http://www.axemusic.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=38&P_ID=2014&PT_ID=321

more money then i would like to spend but.....

http://www.axemusic.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=42&P_ID=12937&PT_ID=321

Also why does it matter if i use the headphones for casual or critical listening. I want high quality headphones either way.

There are also the ATH M50 by audio technica that this site recommended

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-manufacturer/audio-technica/audio-technica-ath-m50-w-coil-cable.php

but again thats really pushing the budget


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I've heard tons of good things about them, but have no direct experience with them. I'm sure they are on par with Grado and Sennheiser in terms of quality.


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

Depending on what you want them for -- critical or casual listening or recording/mixing, certain headphones will not work for all. For example, the Sennheisers have a very flat (as in a balanced frequency response, not flat sounding) midrange, good bass extension and balanced highs, which make them great for studio and critical listening. However, they sound a bit bland (on some albums) if you want them for casual listening -- they don't have the booming bass and scooped midrange that's popular in speakers and phones (but I personally can't stand).

Basically, if you think a boomy car stereo is the pinnacle of good sound, then you'll hate the Sennheisers, or any highend headphone for that matter. If you're used to good sound, you'll love them -- and the ATH-M50s get great reviews both in the studio realm and for casual listening.


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## bscott (Mar 3, 2008)

I have been considering headphones for listening agian, so really appreciate this thread. I was wondering about the large jack versus the small jack size you see with ipods and all that. My Technics sound system has the 1/4 jack size the same as my amp.
Most of my listening would be for pleasure but with a critical side, listening for various guitars parts in songs and dissecting them. Sounds like the Sennheiser's would be the ones for me. Who carries these?? Best Buy or someone else?? Anyone with pricing experience here in Ottawa would be welcome to make a recommendation.
One BIG question - and the reason for my post - is anyone listening with headphones who suffers from tinitus?? I find the "bud" type earphones really difficult to use as they really kick up the tinitus. I am finding that phones that cover my ears completely but are not seclusion type better for my tinitus. Anyone else have experience with this??

Brian


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2009)

bscott said:


> I have been considering headphones for listening agian, so really appreciate this thread. I was wondering about the large jack versus the small jack size you see with ipods and all that. My Technics sound system has the 1/4 jack size the same as my amp.


Most of the cans listed here, certainly the Senn's and Grado's I talked about, have adapters. So It's an 1/8" plug but it comes with an adapter for 1/4" jacks.



> Most of my listening would be for pleasure but with a critical side, listening for various guitars parts in songs and dissecting them. Sounds like the Sennheiser's would be the ones for me. Who carries these?? Best Buy or someone else??


Only way to know for sure is to try them. 



> Anyone with pricing experience here in Ottawa would be welcome to make a recommendation.


No clue. Maybe try Bleeker and that place on Clyde just north of Baseline...name escapes me right now. For Grados you can get them at Planet of Sound (they also carry Senn), possibly elsewhere.



> One BIG question - and the reason for my post - is anyone listening with headphones who suffers from tinitus?? I find the "bud" type earphones really difficult to use as they really kick up the tinitus. I am finding that phones that cover my ears completely but are not seclusion type better for my tinitus. Anyone else have experience with this??


I can't say I've been professional diagnosed with tinnitus but I can say that buds irritate my ears and my ear drum/canal to no end. The Senns, because they're about as isolated as you can get, can fatigue my ears if I'm wearing them for many hours. Keeping the volume low helps (and they sound fantastic at low volume). The Grados are an absolute pleasure to wear for long stretches.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

Andy said:


> Depending on what you want them for -- critical or casual listening or recording/mixing, certain headphones will not work for all. For example, the Sennheisers have a very flat (as in a balanced frequency response, not flat sounding) midrange, good bass extension and balanced highs, which make them great for studio and critical listening. However, they sound a bit bland (on some albums) if you want them for casual listening -- they don't have the booming bass and scooped midrange that's popular in speakers and phones (but I personally can't stand).
> 
> Basically, if you think a boomy car stereo is the pinnacle of good sound, then you'll hate the Sennheisers, or any highend headphone for that matter. If you're used to good sound, you'll love them -- and the ATH-M50s get great reviews both in the studio realm and for casual listening.


That makes alot of sense. Everyone kept talking about that it was flat now it makes sense . I think somthing like the M50's or the HD280 would be good to get and if i want to change the sound to "spice it up" or somthing i have eq's and the XFI crystalizer in my soundcard. As for wanting lots of bass... i like bass but my dads truck stereo is horibble. it has lots of bass but its over powers everything else and it sounds off. Like its playing the worng frequency or somting. Ill try the heaphones out at axemusic they have everything on dispay to try out there. Having the flat eq headphones would be good when i go to college for audio engineering and it would allow me to modify the sound (if iwanted to) to whatever i like.


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## bscott (Mar 3, 2008)

Thanks for the info on Planet of Sound. I will definitely be giving them a visit.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

Sorry I know this is a dead thread but I had to tell you what cans i got, I got the Sennheiser HD280 pros and holy crap! there amazing, more then i could have ever thought, they sound soooo much better then my hifi stereo. Thanks to all who reccomened them, I was unsure about buying them and it wasant till tonight that i actaully did and they were worth every god damn penny. THANK YOU!kksjur:bow::bow::bow:


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Pepper_Roni said:


> Sorry I know this is a dead thread but I had to tell you what cans i got, I got the Sennheiser HD280 pros and holy crap! there amazing, more then i could have ever thought, they sound soooo much better then my hifi stereo. Thanks to all who reccomened them, I was unsure about buying them and it wasant till tonight that i actaully did and they were worth every god damn penny. THANK YOU!kksjur:bow::bow::bow:


Haha, you're welcome! I've loved those cans since the moment I bought them. Fortunately, they're built really well and I'm sure they'll last me a long while yet.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

kqoct ok now it seems that the phones are already starting to go bad 

im starting to get some sort of static in the right driver, it almost sounds like its rattling against something, it isnt very loud but its very annoying especially when i payed so much for them


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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)

Pepper_Roni said:


> kqoct ok now it seems that the phones are already starting to go bad
> 
> im starting to get some sort of static in the right driver, it almost sounds like its rattling against something, it isnt very loud but its very annoying especially when i payed so much for them


Man, that sucks. Take 'em back and exchange for a new pair.

I once had to return two pairs of Shure in-ear 'phones in a row, which really sucked because it was all via mail to the US, whole thing took about a month. The first pair I ordered cut in and out when you moved the cord, the second pair had crappy, discoloured rubber that started crumble around the cord connecting point. I ended up switching to a (much better) pair of Westones.

I'm surprised to hear this with Senns, though. I've never had any issues with mine, or heard of any others having problems.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Pepper_Roni said:


> kqoct ok now it seems that the phones are already starting to go bad
> 
> im starting to get some sort of static in the right driver, it almost sounds like its rattling against something, it isnt very loud but its very annoying especially when i payed so much for them


How strange. Yeah, Senns are usually very well made. I'm sure you can exchange them for a new pair, no worries. A company like Sennheiser isn't going to let a bad pair of cans hurt their rep.

Just a question, though. Is it with everything that you play through them, or only specific things? I ask because sometimes a quality set of headphones can reveal shortcomings on the source material. For instance, I can't listen to RHCP's _By the Way_ disc on my HD280s because it sounds like crap. Not the Senn's fault, though. The mastering of that disc is terrible. So bad in fact, that if you listen to an unmastered version that is floating around out there, it's way _better_!

Anyway, just wanted to check if it was only with low-quality material like mp3s or badly recorded stuff, or with everything.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

It happens through the left right driver when i play guitar, or listen to music with bass heavier stuff. My entire music library is encoded at 256kbs VBR AAC, and it does it with different songs and games i play... im gonna stick with em for a week and see if it changes and if not ill go back cause its an hour and a half drive to the city

EDIT

ok thats weird i just tryed them again and the sound in the driver is gone, ill keep listenin for it but its gone lol, maybe its part of the headphones breakin in? i dunno

EDIT EDIT

its doing it again LOL what a headache, and i know it aint the guitar cause in the left driver its fine but in the right driver there is a slight buzz when i play lower end notes


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Pepper_Roni said:


> its doing it again LOL what a headache, and i know it aint the guitar cause in the left driver its fine but in the right driver there is a slight buzz when i play lower end notes


Check to see if it only does it when the cable is touching your guitar while playing. If so, then it's a ground loop caused by the cord touching your guitar. Mine does the same thing when I'm recording sometimes and it's annoying, but has nothing to do with the headphones, it's just the way electricity works.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> Check to see if it only does it when the cable is touching your guitar while playing. If so, then it's a ground loop caused by the cord touching your guitar. Mine does the same thing when I'm recording sometimes and it's annoying, but has nothing to do with the headphones, it's just the way electricity works.


no dice, tried playing the guitar and music and i get the same buzzin in the right driver, this is a real shame, because I've been told by many (including my light and sound teacher) that Sennheiser is the best, and its a real pain the drive back to the city after i just went there


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

just listened to U2 beautiful day, and the bass thumps at the start are clear in the left but have a buzz in the right, it sounds like when i leave my guitar tuner on my amp, like the vibrations,


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

ima leave U2's with or without you on for a while... see if the phones sort out the problem lol


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

It seems to go away (for the most part) if i listen to real bass heavy songs for 30 mins or so but if i turn up the volume even more it comes back and i have to wait for it to go away and even then it doesnt always. I half to do this every time to make the buzz go away. Does anyone else have this problem? Im still going to return them, since either way its unacceptable.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Pepper_Roni said:


> It seems to go away (for the most part) if i listen to real bass heavy songs for 30 mins or so but if i turn up the volume even more it comes back and i have to wait for it to go away and even then it doesnt always. I half to do this every time to make the buzz go away. Does anyone else have this problem? Im still going to return them, since either way its unacceptable.


No, those are definitely defective. I'm sure the retailer will exchange them no prob.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> No, those are definitely defective. I'm sure the retailer will exchange them no prob.


will do, they'll work good enough for now untill i get to the city in the next few weeks. It really is a shame because i LOVE these headphones and dont want to wait, thats why im more mad then anything. Even when the busted I want MORE MORE MORE:rockon2:kkjuw


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