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Quality Headphone Recommendations

Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:05 pm
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:05 pm
I'm looking for a decent set of on ear or over the ear headphones. Possibly noise canceling? Listened to the Bose QC3 (smaller - "on ear" style) and QC15 (larger, over the ear) and thought the QC3 had more bass and volume, but the QC15's sounded clearer. Also listened to the Beats wireless studio. Those had a lot of volume and decent sound as well, but mostly just loud as hell. That's what the apple store had, I'm sure there are better brands out there for the money.

Looking to spend between $300-400. TIA
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77929 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:08 pm to
Sennheiser
Posted by LaBornNRaised
Loomis blows
Member since Feb 2011
11004 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:10 pm to
Save some money and go with the Ultrasone SL-1 ...

Unbelievable headphones for the price.
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:12 pm to
quote:

Sennheiser

Any particular model(s)?
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77929 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:14 pm to
HD Series. Check their site. You can spend as much or as little as you want.

This post was edited on 5/28/14 at 7:16 pm
Posted by Big Saint
Houston
Member since May 2009
1453 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:19 pm to
Bowers & Wilkins P7
Posted by ILikeLSUToo
Central, LA
Member since Jan 2008
18018 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:21 pm to
Question: What will you be your audio source(s)?
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:24 pm to
phone/tablet/laptop mix. Maybe the occasianal Home theater reciever, but mostly on the go.
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:31 pm to
quote:

Bowers & Wilkins P7


Those look pretty

Review from Amazon...

quote:

Unlike most of the other headphones I reviewed in the past, Bowers & Wilkins choose a more "formal tuxedo" look of their box to showcase this new P7 model. There is no flashy presentation with description of every bit and piece of functionality and the spec, they tried very hard to build a suspense!!! The job well done, and once the box cover is off - you are greeted with a smell of a brand new luxury car. Yes, you read it correctly, that was the first impression I got after opening the box, the smell of a fresh premium leather. Upon taking headphones out of the box and unfolding them, you presented with a true work of art with hand-stitched premium real leather padded headband, soft premium leather surrounding foam earcups, beautiful leather accent of outside of earcups along with a brushed metal shields with etched "Bowers & Wilkins", and a precisely crafted chrome tubing which connects earpads to the headband and interweaves with a breaded wire. Adding a smooth headband adjustment mechanism and a cylindrical hinge made out of the same chrome material - these are the best looking headphones I have ever seen. The design strikes a perfect balance between art and functionality, and will make them look great in any environment you decide to wear them, either sitting on the couch at home, or riding on a bus to work, or relaxing during your lunch break outside.


Couldnt help but think of American Pyscho. That was only one paragraph too.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14942 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:34 pm to
Sennheiser Momentum or HD 600 (open back, may be a dealbreaker for you), AT ATH-M50s will really fool you by competing at a much lower price tag than the others, Sony MDR1R are a very decent selection (noise cancelling version available for an extra $130 (side note: adding noise cancelling is usually ~$100 in addition to the cost of the comparable non-NC headphone, and it really doesn't add much to the sound)), and lastly the NAD VISO HP50

Your best bet for full, professional reviews is Innerfidelity. Your best bet for hyper-critical user reviews is probably head-fi.

Most of the above is what's in your price range from the Inner Fidelity Wall of Fame + the top rated over-ears from head-fi. I didn't pull any on-ears in, but it's easy enough to dig through the reviews yourself.

If it were me, I'd probably very critically be listening to the NAD vs Sennheiser Momentum and then really weigh if it's worth more than double the Audio Technica pair (~$120). Also, a very important thing to learn is that "brands" have a certain "sound," and no matter how expensive or high-end that brand gets, it still has the brand's characteristics in it. If you hate $300 Sennheisers, you'll probably hate $1500 Sennheisers. If you like $80 Logitech headphones, you'll probably enjoy their upper end ones, too. So with brand/sound preference in mind and realizing that it's my own personal preference, I'll also toss the b&w p5 and p7 into the list, but I'll admit that I don't like particularly the way they look. When it comes to looks alone, I think the AT or Sennheiser Momentums win out.

Other things to pay attention to that you may not think about:
Presence or absence of detachable cord
Cord length (if not detachable)
coil vs straight
Presence of memory foam on ear covers
Reviews of how big-eared or small-headed (or vice versa) people like the fit
Posted by Phat Phil
Krispy Kreme
Member since May 2010
7372 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:39 pm to
headphone with b logo on it. Lebron James and other celebrities wear it. it's pure marketing genius and it dominates headphone industry market share while having zero substance.
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:40 pm to


Look's like I have my night cut out for me. Thanks for the knowledge drop.
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:45 pm to
quote:

headphone with b logo on it.


Pretty much decided I would never wear them, but thought I'd at least try them out. They had a "studio" pair that were all black, no frills, that I could possibly make an exception for, but still... there freakin beats, right?. Sounded ok, honestly. Like I said before, mainly just loud as hell. I'm no audiophile, but I do enjoy all the details of music.
Posted by Big Saint
Houston
Member since May 2009
1453 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:45 pm to
quote:

Bowers & Wilkins P7


Those look pretty

Review from Amazon...



I just bought me a pair a month ago and love them so far. Admittedly, it sounds like Hopeful Doc knows a tad more about headphones than I do but I did like at the Momentums and PSB M14U I believe in addition to the P7s.

Now doing some research on a DAC/amp and whether or not it's worth it.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14942 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:46 pm to
I guess I hit on it without explaining, too, but "open back" vs "closed back." Closed back is going to give much more of the noise-cancelling aspect you want and sound like what most people think of when they think of headphones in general. Open back ones don't really do this. You can hear what's going on around you quite easily, and people around you can hear what you're listening to quite easily. It's much more akin to having speakers sit really close to your ear than having headphones. Based on your NC request and wanting to use these "on the go", it's probably a poor choice. You also mentioned using them "on the go" a bit, so be sure you look at how these things fold up, whether they come with any sort of protective carrying case (and some high-end ones come with large, wooden, lined cases that would be wildly impractical to travel around town with...so pay attention to WHAT kind of case/bag it has, not just the presence of one), and what their ability to stand up to the kind of use you are expecting from them.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14942 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:49 pm to
quote:

Admittedly, it sounds like Hopeful Doc knows a tad more about headphones


Nah. He bases most of his experience from picking up high-end stuff that he has no intention of buying and listening to it. He only owns a pair of the cheap Monoprice ones (worth mentioning: They're on the InnerFidelity Wall of Fame )


My love of B&W comes from these guys:
and having spent one full afternoon listening to these


ETA:
quote:

Now doing some research on a DAC/amp and whether or not it's worth it.

This is where I haven't made the jump to full-blown audiophilia yet. It's a road that you can't come back from once you've gone down it. Remember that before pursuing any further.
This post was edited on 5/28/14 at 7:51 pm
Posted by Big Saint
Houston
Member since May 2009
1453 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 7:56 pm to
I'd love to get my hands on those 800 series. WAY out of the price range though obviously.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14942 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 8:01 pm to
They blew me away. The guy I knew that had them has since traded them in for a pair of Wilson Sashas. I've been invited to go back and head them, but I haven't found the time yet. And I also don't want to make my 803m's sound bad.
Posted by TigerDeBaiter
Member since Dec 2010
10257 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 8:04 pm to
I was reading a little about that just now. You're right, closed back is definietly the route I need to go. Great point about the portability too, although it would mainly be airplanes and cars or something with light activity. Certainly wont be jogging in these.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14942 posts
Posted on 5/28/14 at 8:08 pm to
quote:

mainly be airplanes and cars or something with light activity. Certainly wont be jogging in these.


Right. Lifestyles between people differ so drastically without them even realizing it. Some carry a briefcase (very safe place to hold things like these) everywhere. Some carry a booksack (or backpack, bookbag, etc), with other things that kind of gets tossed around. I assume you're a guy, but for all I know, you're a woman and carry a flimsy purse. By "activity" I was more trying to point out 1) where you go each day and 2) what you have when you go to these places moreso than whether you'd wear $400ish headphones to the gym.
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