New pair of headphones

Since my ATH-M50 got stolen, I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones. The desired size is similar to that of the ATH-M50. I already got a pair of HD25-1 II for my commuting needs. What I'm looking for is something that remains comfortable for long periods. I'm going to be wearing those when I at my office and it could be for a whole day sometimes. I'm looking for something as good or better than the ATH-M50. They can be closed or open headphones as I don't usually crank the volume up that much when I am working.

I know I didn't give a budget as I'd like to consider the suggestions and decide accordingly, but the tentative figure is up to a few hundreds $CAD.

 

Why not look into some Sennheisers?

I also take it you want a corded pair of headphones and not earbuds, yes?

 

I have some Sennheiser HD 429 headphones and they're pretty fantastic for the price paid.

 

You could always just upgrade to the ATH-M50x. I've heard they're a bit better for a bit more money, but haven't used them myself.

I use V-Moda M100s which are fantastic and many people would recommend these if you have the cash for it. V-Moda also makes a boom microphone that is surprisingly good and makes the M100s a great (and expensive) headset. They're a little uncomfortable at first, but they will get better as you use them.

 

I use Sony MDR-MA300 for indoors and Philips SHP 2000/10 for outdoors. The first are fantastic in terms of both sound quality and comfort while the second are quite good, very cheap and I don't have to worry about them even when it's rainy or snowy outside.

 

Yes, circumaural headphones. Also, I'm looking for a mostly neutral sound signature, I said mostly, because it is a) quite hard to get something entirely neutral without spending a ton of money and b) I found the signature of my M50 adequate and those weren't exactly neutral either.

 

Interesting. I never even heard of sounds signatures before. I researching sound sigs, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and Sennheiser seem to be the names that always pop up.

I wonder what type of sound sig my Bluebuds have? Then again, there are a lot of things I wonder about my Bluebuds...

 

Well, some headphones tend to overemphasize bass for example. I don't mind some emphasis on one frequency range over another as long as it's mild, but I definitely don't want a pair of headphone that will obscure anything that isn't bass or w/e is really overemphasized.

 

So then it's safe to say you should avoid Beats, Monster, and other high-priced branded garbage then

 

I use those , though i've got mine as a gift and i've had them for 2 years now... so i can't complain until they stop working

 

Well, you can't really complain about something with the price of free. I was more referring to buying them at retail or even at discounted prices.

 

If you're for comfort Beyerdynamic can't be beat especially with velour pads. Can wear those all day long. If you're looking for neutral, capable of handling some bass but slightly.recessed mids, Beyerdynamic dt770 250, 80 or 32 ohms. The 32 and 250 are probably the most popular of that model. 32ohm ones dont need an amp but would still benefit if you want some.extra oomph. I have the 250's and I love them with my JDS labs cd5 DAC/amp. You might want to try the Beyerdynamic custom one pros. Signature is a little warm but they sounded much better than I was expecting. Adjustable bass. Not using the bass switch they're pretty flat and neutral, though still a little warm but the bass switch takes it to the next level.

Sent from my SM-N9005

 

They are exactly the same except for a detachable cable.

 

Can Earbuds replicate the neutral sound feature too?

 

Lol. No. Earphones can't compete with headphones.

Sent from my SM-N9005

 

Actually, the answer to that depends on how much money you're willing to spend. You will have to spend more for the same level of sound quality for in ear monitors (IEMs) than you would for larger headphones in general and there will still be tradeoffs associated with the small size. That said, you should still be able to find pretty neutral IEMs if you have the budget for them. A high price tag won't guarantee a neutral sound signature (or frequency response if you prefer), but the reverse if often true.

This is one of the reasons why I said mostly neutral and mostly neutral is fine with me anyways.

 

I'd recommend the Grados I have for a good, fairly neutral sound at affordable price points, as long as you do keep the volume moderate. Their SR60i through SR125i models are open and prone to leaking sound (which is why I use my SR-80i's at home), but their $200 SR225i look like they may have better sound insulation.

I'd recommend these over the Sennheiser HD 280s, and thus likely the HD 429's as well (which, though I haven't owned the 429s, are less expensive than the 280s). Having both and occasionally still using the Sennheisers since they are closed-ear, the sounds is noticeably better with the Grados, although I'm not enough of an audio enthusiast to tell you exactly how it's better.

 

One interesting thing about the ATH-M50's sound signature: When they came out, everyone was raving about how neutral they were compared to almost everything else below $200. If I remember correctly, their MSRP was below $99 at that time too, and they could be picked up for $85 or so. That sold me on them! Of course times have changed. Now they cost a lot more, and there are lots more competitors. Now they are just an OK value for the money and their sound signature is also just "good" and no longer considered "great."

If I were you, I would try something new just to try something new. I would stay away from open headphones though, unless your office is dead silent.

 

I like my V-Moda M-100s.

 

Oh yes they can. My old Westone ES3X are by far the best sounding headphones I have ever used. They completely blow away my ATH-M50, Denon D2000, Beyerdynamic DT-770, and everything else I have tried. I've purchased many sets of headphones and returned them just to test them out. If you go to websites like zzounds.com and musciansfriend.com they will let you do that all day long. I have even called them prior to ordering and told them I'm going to send most if not all of them back and they said they didn't mind.

I would stay away from the DT-770's I'm not exactly sure why they get such high praises I thought they weren't impressive at all, and I run good gear so you don't need to explain that a good source is needed. And make sure you don't buy the DT-770M model, they are by far the worst sounding headphone I have heard that cost over $5, and yes, there are $10 headphones that sound 100 times better than they do.

The V-moda M-100 headphones are the the next ones on my list, I've heard good things about them and will probably end up picking a pair up in a month or two when I start working out of town more.

 

I use Philips. I bought from ebay last year.

 

wow. disagree with absolutely everything you said. and then top it off with v-modas, which i've heard sound good, but they were hyped up to sound good, just as is all their other overpirced blingy hardware. and i believe the dt770M's were made for percussionists so i doubt they were supposed to be spectacular.

 

Yesterday I received my new headphones: Jabra Revo Wireless. So far, I like them, but I haven't tested them much. They are over-ear, so may not fit everyone. Some things about them: bluetooth, NFC, corded option (if there's no battery, plug in the jack cable and they work), touch control (must get used to..) and they can be used as a headset (has microphone). About confort... I must get used to them, until now I always used in-ears. Price was also ok I think: 140€ on amazon.de.

 

wat

So they are bad because they were hyped up to sound good, even though they do actually sound good? I don't understand what the point you're trying to make is.

 

I didn't say they were good, I said I was going to try them next, and if they aren't good then they most certainly will go directly back to where I bought them from.

And yes, the DT770M's are built for percussionists, but they still sound terrible.. I'm not a percussionist, but I don't see why you would want your headphones to sound like that if you were.

 

Really starting to wonder whether I should splurge on a pair of HD650 or not.

 

Those are open though. I've never been a fan of open headphones. I don't get the appeal of allowing sound leakage.

 

I like open cans for gaming headphones. I have my back to the door when I am sitting at my desk and I don't like when I can't hear people coming up behind me. I also want to be able to hear if someone is yelling for me.

 

Well if you're looking for a decent closed back headphone, the two current 'hot favourites' are:

* NAD Viso HP50- I own a pair, on the small side for a circumaural, good mids, punchy but not boomy bass, decent but slightly artificial sounding treble, reasonable isolation, headband isn't great, looks ridiculous on your head.

* Focal Spirit Classic/Professional - I've only auditioned the Professional, sounds excellent, very well extended bass (better than the HP50's), good mid range, detailed treble, earpads are stupidly small (again this is marketed as a circumaural but they are borderline for me), high clamping force, good isolation, seems to be built like a tank.

If you ears aren't bigger than normal, the Focal's would be an easy pick.

Other options to look at would be the numerous Fostex T50RP mods (MrSpeakers Mad Dogs, ZMF Basic V1/V2, Mayflower T50RP) which for the most part are pretty good (they are a bit heavy and ugly looking) and the T50RP driver is very responsive to a good housing (I've currently got the MrSpeakers Alpha Dog and it sounds fantastic).

The HD 650's are a great set of headphones, I owned a pair for a couple of years and it still remains one of my all time favourite headphones regardless of price. Be aware that the bass is not the punchiest (it's got a decent mid bass bump but lacks speed and sub bass extension) and the treble is often considered to be a bit rolled off/reduced (I think it's fine but then again I like a fairly dark sounding treble).

 

They're not garbage. They are just a different brand to suit different tastes. I've heard similar statement about Bose, but they too have their audience. And if it weren't for their innovation and ingenuity all speakers would be the size of refrigerators. Then again, something tells me you know this already. but you just couldn't resist the temptation.

 

I would agree that they're not garbage, but I would say that they're mostly for people who buy it for the brand rather than for the sound quality.

Also, nobody except you has mentioned Bose in this thread, so your strawman is pretty pointless.

 

Well those brands, you're paying for the marketing and getting less for your money.

Sent from my SM-N9005

 

I am a broadcast engineer who is an audio professional. In headphones, Sennheiser, Beyer Dynamic, AKG, Stax, Grado, and their ilk rule the roost on headphones. I dislike the in ears, The makes I mention are the best on sonic accuracy.

 

Except that they are. They wouldn't be garbage if they were priced accordingly to their abilities (and any idiot can make a speaker that's got the sort of sound profile those things have), but for $200+? Sure, blame it on "different target audience", but that's not a really good excuse for their quality and price.

Anyway, nice Bose strawman. Never mentioned them, but even those are only okayish (I've used their stereo system and tried out one of their Comfort series, and they're only really good for sound isolation (headphones)). But the sound quality isn't much better than my cheap Sennheisers, subjectively speaking.

 

I was making a point, and I think you all got it. Strawman indeed.

As you say, these are professional brands designed for accuracy, not individual listening preference.

 

But that's it you see - brands like Bose (and Apple, etc) are successful in the consumer space because they make things easier to live with, not necessarily better. For people who're unequipped to make an informed choice (but usually don't want to be told that), those other attributes are more important, especially when it's handed to them on a plate as a single brand. i.e. If you made your computer choice the way you did headphones if you did choose Bose as the best option for you, in your case you'd probably have a Barbiebook Pro. You don't buy a Bose living room system because of performance: You buy it because your wife said that's the system she will allow in the living room.

It's also interesting how the user dynamics change when something like that becomes more widespread and popular - A lot of such uninformed people with a nevertheless sizeable ego attempt to then spin the negative comments from informed enthusiasts around to suit their view: You see this in Beats for example now - a lot of the online arguments for their quality isn't becoming about how they suck: it's becoming around how they're expensive for the level of sound quality they provide*, even when the item isn't really that expensive in the product category, relatively speaking. See the self-delusion evident within?

*And no, [redacted] things are [redacted] things, no matter how much they cost. Although there are half-decent items in their lineup, the overwhelming majority of the Beats models that sells in quantity are total [redacted].

I don't mind the AE2 for example, and it is exactly what I mentioned above - it's probably the best compromise of comfort (better than pretty much anything similar, I certainly haven't come across a more comfortable, actually portable around-ear), reasonable isolation (beating out e.g. the similarly sized yet bulkier Ultrasone Edition 8), social acceptability (totally inoffensive styling) and light weight (the only one that's lighter that comes to mind is the HD25-1). It folds flat, comes with a nice case and is very liveable with. But in terms of what it actually should do - make sounds - it's far from the top of the class. It's OK, even halfway decent, but you could do a lot better by spending not much more although that involves other compromises - and once again in that respect you can draw the laptop Apple vs others parallels.

In my case, I keep the Bose's around for situations where comfort is more important - for the AE2 example, winter ear warmer commute use when I'm just listening to podcasts. So sure, as an overall package there are situations where you'd be better off going Bose - but I don't think anyone can legitimately argue the choice based purely on sound quality, even flavour of sound.

 

This is pretty far off base. Headphones have normally been judged on value and competition at different price points. From the initial release, it was your "informed enthusiasts" who kept saying that they are expensive for the sound quality they provide. Smart people like to measure things objectively, and not classify things subjectively such as saying that they suck or whatever it is you think about them. There was no spinning going on by anybody. Also, for the vast majority of people, Beats are the most expensive headphones they have ever bought or considered buying. The "such uninformed people with a nevertheless sizeable ego" are the ones who say that Beats are worth buying.

 

I thought you taught English? I could have understood others not getting the nuance in text, but maybe it was just too unclear.

- "informed enthusiasts" kept saying that they are way too expensive for the crap sound quality they provide. However, its fair to say that a larger number of uninformed enthusiasts jumped on the same bandwagon and muddied the waters by just talking smack without knowing exactly what the problems are.

- the newly prevalent way to spin this by owners / advocates that I was referring to is "well yes, they are expensive for the sound quality they provide. But you see, I can afford it. If you criticise it in that way, you can't, and you're jealous."

Now that could apply as an elitist but nevertheless somewhat warranted comment if the majority volume of the SKU's they sold (and the SKU's that these comments are most frequently being made about) were *not* complete junk at practically any price.

And that's the thing you see - you can't rebrand yourself as an elitist if you're standing all smug next to your Trabant with Swarovski accents.