Headphones for laptop

Hi

I just got a new laptop, the HP dv6qte. I intend to buy some good wired headphones now. They will be mainly used to listen to music but also while playing games and watching movies. But listening to music is the main thing.

This is the first time I'm buying some good headphones. I'm a newbie in this things and I have lots of queries.

1. When I looked up sites like tigerdirect.com they have various categories under headsets and headphones like computer headsets, headphones, noise cancelling. This has confused me. I need headphones which I can use mainly for music (games and movies are secondary but I think good headphones should be fine with them as well) and also to listen to music on portable players and cellphones. So they should be able to be plugged in 3.5 mm jack. I think they are called stereo headphones.
Do stereo headphones also come with a mic? And what is noise cancelling? Is it a sub category of stereo headphones or its only for headsets with mic?

2. I am not an audiophile and I'm not aware of all those tech terms. I listen to death metal mostly and I need some good headphones which will add some punch to those songs. I think I need some bass but not too much of it because it tends to overshadow everything else.

3. Also which is better? In ear headphones? Is it comfortable to wear for more than an hour or so? What about those bulging headphones? They are not sleek and easy to carry. Do they give better sound than in ear headphones? What about noise isolation? Filtering out unwanted sounds and noise.

Anyone here who can recommend me a good stereo headphone for listening to death metal?
I think Sennheiser is a good brand. I'm open to others as well. Is it possible to get a good headphones under 35 dollars? Cheaper the better. And also it should have a long wire.

There is a Sony MDR-XB300 Extra Bass Headphones on tigerdirect.com under 35 dollars but it is HUGE! Anyone has any experience with them? Is the bass too overpowering?

 

Hey geekboy,

1. Most audio devices and jacks will be 3.5mm jacks since that's pretty standard in the industry. I know some cellphones have a 2.5mm jack but most smartphones are starting to build in 3.5mm nowadays. Noise cancelling is a process by which a small microphone detects incoming noise and produces background noise to cancel it out. In layman's terms, it just knocks out background noise.

2. Human hearing has been (roughly) rated between 20Hz and 20KHz, which is pretty standard among headphone manufacturers. You should be able to manually reduce bass from within Windows if you're worried about songs having heavy bass.

3. I've had a good pair of studio headphones that were great for all-around gaming and music and a couple of in-ear headphones as well. I mainly use the in-ear headphones as they don't hurt my ears after an hour of wearing them and can provide some pretty great quality sound while blocking out about 90% of background noise. Those were from Sony, and they're great portable headphones. If you're gonna be using headphones mostly at home, though, a good pair of traditional headphones are the way to go.

Hope this helps a little. Just keep in mind that you can tweak bass and treble to your liking to provide a good listening experience.

 

Yes, you can get decent-sounding cans for ~$35. IEMs (in ears) typically don't sound as good as over-ear or on-ear models, but they are more portable of course. All of them can isolate noise well enough if they fit properly. Comfort will also depend on fit. Some headphones are naturally uncomfortable (ES7... ugh ) but chances are, if you have "average" ears then most headphones should be comfortable for an hour or two. Beyond that, I like to take a short break and give my ears a massage.

Stereo headphones just mean that the left and right ears play sound independently. In mono headphones, the "right" and "left" sounds are the same, just pumped out of different drivers if that makes sense. Stereo headphones typically do not come with a microphone; a headphone with a microphone is usually called a headset.

Noise canceling is just what it claims to be. Since sound consists of air pressure waves, active noise canceling detects those pressure changes and creates "inverse" pressure waves, thus canceling out the sound. Passive noise isolation, on the other hand, simply blocks out sound with a physical barrier. I wouldn't go for active noise canceling since it can interfere with sound quality, costs extra money, and often requires another power source (batteries).

Some excellent headphones in your price range are:
-Panasonic RP-HTX7
-JVC HA-RX700
-Koss PortaPro

The Sony XB line is pretty decent as well. They have HUGE bass response and are very comfortable. Whether the bass is overpowering would depend on your listening habits, of course, but you can always mitigate a problem somewhat by adjusting your EQ. You can't go wrong with Senns either, in my opinion, although their high-end models are where their quality truly shines.

I hope this helps.

I will also direct you to head-fi.org for further recommendations and audio information, with a disclaimer that the forum members are all SERIOUS audiophiles.

 

Thanks everyone.

Yes even I feel its better to have on-ear or over-ear headphones. I think they will be more comfortable than plugging those in-ear ones which sometimes may not be comfortable depending on your ears. The over-ear ones have a higher chances of being comfortable to most ears I guess. Plus I will be using it at home only. I'm just hoping that I can carry them properly in my laptop backpack.

I was a bit skeptical about rushing to head-fi.org because I'M NOT an audiophile. Thanks for your recommendations. I will look into them. The Koss PortaPro seems to have acquired a legendary status in Amazon.

I seem to have taken a liking to the Sony MDR-XB300 because it has good bass and it looks VERY COMFORTABLE which is very important for me. Was just worried about the EXTRA bass since many people have said that the bass drowns the mids and the high freq. But the EQ can help I guess.
The Sennheiser HD 202 seems to be a good deal too.

 

on-ear or over-ear headphones would be the way to go. How do u think about this Urbanears Plattan On-Ear Stereo Headphones? Looks cool stuff, righ? Hope u find the best bet. Good luck.

 

I would consider the JVC HARX700, really tough to beat for $33 free shipping.

 

^I'll vouch for that, or its slightly higher-end model, the HA-RX900, which I have had for over a year and couldn't be happier with

 

How about this ----> Amazon.com: Sony MDR-XB300 30mm XB Diaphragm Driver Extra Bass Headphones: Electronics

32.44$ + free shipping!

Plus I read that these headphones are also good for watching movies and playing games!

 

Hi i have owned both the sony xb300 and jvc harx700 and i would rate the jvc miles ahead of sony.. The sony xb series only has Xtra bass.. Jvc meanwhile outperforms the xb300 in all the classes. You can check out headfi.org's official review on jvc rx700. They rate it along with the headphones in 100$ range.

 

skull candy.

 

So the JVC beats the Sony in terms of bass also?
People at amazon are complaining that it gets heated, its uncomfortable and that its noise isolation is pathetic!

Head-Fi.org review link please

 

Not an exact review, but this Head-Fi thread might be of interest.

JVC HA-RX700. Best headphones ever.

 

Razer Orca. Be sure to order the soft leather replacement muffs for a much softer feel. Sound wise, I been using other brand and this one is probably one of the best. Whatever you hear from speakers forget it. This one you can hear water flowing or wind blowing in the background of the starcraft game which is absent if you listen to it in a normal speaker. The bright green colur is a bonus.

 

I've almost finalized the JVC HARX700. I just have one fear. The black material on the earpads is flimsy. Will it last long (2 years)? I've had headphones in the past (very cheap ones of course) with that kinda material on the earpads and they tend to tear into fragments after some time and they get stuck on the ear. The JVC HARX900 has leather ones I think but thats way out of my budget. Can I replace those cups?

 

All the Leatherette in all the headphones i have used has wear down on time, no matter the brand, Audiotechnica, Sony, Sennheiser, etc. My JVC HARX700 still is fine, but i don't use them that much, but in time i think as all others it will start pealing. I would save more if you think this might be an issue toward the 900s, but it should last a while depending on your use, still its a $30 hp, so for its price, i think they are really good.

 

Just wanted to say that my Sony MDR-NC60 (noise cancelling) have worked superbly for me. You can hear audio whether or not noise cancelling is on (or if you have a battery installed) and it's really rugged (wore it in rain, snow, etc.). Also reasonably priced.

 

Is the 900 much better than the 700? I hope it does not add too much bass. The 700 was the best VFM I thought considering price and performance. I think I'll have to manage with the plastic leather.

 

I'm very happy with my 900, and the ear cushions are great quality. I've never used the 700 myself, though, so I can't say how different they are. That's the issue...people usually either have one or the other, not both

 

If you are strictly for a gaming headset I suggest Steelseries Siberia V2. Currently using it right now. Great sound effect and really confortable. Keep most of the outside noise away too. Mic volume is loud and clear. Plays music pretty decent too.
If you are looking headphones take you can use outside to listen to music I suggest Klipsch Image One. Klipsch have been making speakers for over 40years (I believe) and is great quality. I currently use Klipsch Image One when I listen to music on my way to work. Really nice headphones. Good quality but base is lacking a bit. Headband is really confortable as there are a lot of padding on it. The earpice does seem a bit weird but fits fine.

 

LOL, don't get Skull Candy headsets/earphones, I've gone through at least 5 of their products and they all die because the cables are crap quality. And since you're listening to Death Metal Like me ) I suggest you get headphones that are high-ish on treble and bass. You don't want a just-bass headset because the sound will mostly be muffled. Treble is a main point here.

 

Yeah I get that. The JVC HA RX700 seems to be good for all freq, it seems to have a balanced curve, not only bass. I know too much of bass sort of muffles everything. I was never interested in skull candy, always felt they are not VFM.

Btw which headphones are u using currently?

 

I use Philips design-it-yourself headphones. The cable is weak, concerns me.