Headphones!

Zeromus

I love my iPod, I love iTunes, and I need some decent headphones.

Basically, my music listening has been done through the white earbuds that came with the iPod, and I'm looking for something more, something better. I don't really know anything about headphones, though, so I can't get terribly specific. I do know that I would prefer non-earbuds, and preferably not something that's going to cost more than $50.

Any suggestions?

Icemopper

I just got some altec lansing headphones, the kind that goes around the back of your head, and they're very comfortable, and have pretty good quality. I'm using them for biking, listening to music, my DS lite, and computer stuff. What I most like about them is that they came with a case and fold up very very well.

The best part: 30 bucks.

The Savior

Sennheiser PX100. They're right at your price point, fold up nicely, and give damn good sound for the money.

MagicToaster

Save $50 more and get some Bose headphones.

asdalskdfjlakjsdf....

They are so good I can't even put it in words.

robaal

If you want to keep the sound to yourself then AKG makes the K 26 P/ K 27i which are sealed portable headphones (portable, meaning: shorter cable and not as conspicuous as full-sized ones).

Cowboy-Bebop

Another vote for Sennheiser PX100. You aren't going to get anything better for $50 that will suit your needs.

Proto

MagicToaster wrote:

Save $50 more and get some Bose headphones.

asdalskdfjlakjsdf....

They are so good I can't even put it in words.

Don't buy Bose. They are way overpriced. At $100 you could get Grado SR80s or some Sennheisers that would sound way better.

OP:
At 50 you are looking at two top models:
Sennheiser PX100 (own a pair, love em.)
Koss Porta Pros (only listened to them, they sound great)
or maybe Grado SR 60s (not so good for portable use though)

JWFokker

MagicToaster wrote:

Save $50 more and get some Bose headphones.

asdalskdfjlakjsdf....

They are so good I can't even put it in words.

Don't ever believe what this guy posts ever again. Bose are garbage. The only way you could possibly believe they're decent cans is if you'd never heard a legitimately good pair of phones.


If you can swing $10 more, you could pick up a pair of Grado SR60's, which own the under $100 price bracket. If you can't swing $60, the Koss PortaPro's for $35-40 are also quite good. They're better than the PX100's and they cost $10 less. The AKG phones mentioned a couple posts up are also decent cans, but they aren't up to the same level as PortaPro's and no where near Grado SR60 quality.

Locust76

I know you said non-earbud, but I've tried a pair of "cheapo" Sony in-ear (the kind that fit in the ear canal) and their sound quality was fucking outstanding, almost remeniscent of my bigass studio headphones, simply because they were so close to the eardrum.

JWFokker

Sony earbuds are actually among the worst you could buy. People frequently mistake the over emphasized bass and treble as "high fidelity" when in fact they are deliberately designed to be sonically inaccurate because many people have that perception. Scooped mids != good sound quality. Earbuds aren't remotely accurate until you get to the $100+ Shure and Etymotics IEMs.

reddog

robaal wrote:

If you want to keep the sound to yourself then AKG makes the K 26 P/ K 27i which are sealed portable headphones (portable, meaning: shorter cable and not as conspicuous as full-sized ones).

I'm actually debating on between the AKG K27i and the AKG K81s. I'm leaning towards the K27i's because most of the reviews say that the K81s are not for people with big heads...and I have kind of a big noggin.

JWFokker

Keep in mind, for $5 more, you can get Grado SR60's which are widely recognized as far superior to anything else in the price bracket.

KalTorak

Sony's Fontopia 71s are less than $35 at newegg.com i think, if you're looking for cheap and extremely effective earbuds.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Can I ask in this thread for good subway/walking around headphones? And are these types of headphones mutually exclusive with good at home listening phones?

Proto

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Can I ask in this thread for good subway/walking around headphones? And are these types of headphones mutually exclusive with good at home listening phones?

Usually subway/walking around phones are of the closed type while home listening phones are of the open type. While you can find great closed headphones, for the same price, you can almost always get better open type headphones.

What kind of price are you looking for? Type?

Check http://www.headphone.com/ .

Pheezer

Where are PX100s $50? They're like $80 CDN.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Proto wrote:

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Can I ask in this thread for good subway/walking around headphones? And are these types of headphones mutually exclusive with good at home listening phones?

Usually subway/walking around phones are of the closed type while home listening phones are of the open type. While you can find great closed headphones, for the same price, you can almost always get better open type headphones.

What kind of price are you looking for? Type?

Check http://www.headphone.com/ .

Mm, I see, that's what I thought. Then again, I kind of like to be able to hear if someone is yelling at me or going to run me over or something when I'm walking around... but I guess open ones bother other people too much eh? Is this the case?
I've been goin around with cheap Koss KSC-75's for a while. I kind of want some like headphone type headphones. Cans if you will... or something. Probably 100 dollars or less, but who knows.

JWFokker

pheezer FD wrote:

Where are PX100s $50?

In the United States.

JWFokker

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Proto wrote:

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Can I ask in this thread for good subway/walking around headphones? And are these types of headphones mutually exclusive with good at home listening phones?

Usually subway/walking around phones are of the closed type while home listening phones are of the open type. While you can find great closed headphones, for the same price, you can almost always get better open type headphones.

What kind of price are you looking for? Type?

Check http://www.headphone.com/ .

Mm, I see, that's what I thought. Then again, I kind of like to be able to hear if someone is yelling at me or going to run me over or something when I'm walking around... but I guess open ones bother other people too much eh? Is this the case?
I've been goin around with cheap Koss KSC-75's for a while. I kind of want some like headphone type headphones. Cans if you will... or something. Probably 100 dollars or less, but who knows.

When it comes to closed phones in that price range, you should be looking at the excellent AKG K240. They're pretty much exactly what you're looking for. You might also want to check out the Sennheiser HD485's, but the AKG K240's do sound better and are more solidly built.

Yar

There's an AFK on this, for additional reference.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

JWFokker wrote:

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Proto wrote:

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote:

Can I ask in this thread for good subway/walking around headphones? And are these types of headphones mutually exclusive with good at home listening phones?

Usually subway/walking around phones are of the closed type while home listening phones are of the open type. While you can find great closed headphones, for the same price, you can almost always get better open type headphones.

What kind of price are you looking for? Type?

Check http://www.headphone.com/ .

Mm, I see, that's what I thought. Then again, I kind of like to be able to hear if someone is yelling at me or going to run me over or something when I'm walking around... but I guess open ones bother other people too much eh? Is this the case?
I've been goin around with cheap Koss KSC-75's for a while. I kind of want some like headphone type headphones. Cans if you will... or something. Probably 100 dollars or less, but who knows.

When it comes to closed phones in that price range, you should be looking at the excellent AKG K240. They're pretty much exactly what you're looking for. You might also want to check out the Sennheiser HD485's, but the AKG K240's do sound better and are more solidly built.

Won't I need an amp for that? And then, what kind do I get that's portable enough to carry around... plus, where can I get these headphones that cheap?

JWFokker

You don't NEED an amplifier for any headphones (aside from electrostatic phones). However, most phones do benefit from a discrete amplification stage because the amplifiers in portable music players and soundcards suck. You'll want to get a MINT amplifier, which fits in an Altoids tin, if you want to have an amplifier for portable use. Just make sure you use the line-out on your portable rather than the regular headphone out jack to bypass the integrated amplifier. It will make a considerable difference in sound quality. It's often been said, amplification is just as important as the phones or speakers you use.

AKG240S for $99
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--AKGK240STU
http://www.adorama.com/AKK240S.html?sid=11707041801313037
http://www.directproaudio.com/product.cfm?directid=56219

You want to make sure you get the K240S and not the K240M, because the M, predecessor to the S, is much higher impedance and lower efficiency and will not get to adequate volume with a low power portable amplifier like the MINT.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Sweet links. Do I have to build or can I buy one of those MINT amps?

JWFokker

It's much cheaper to build one, and it's pretty easy too, but if you register with the Head-fi.org forums, you can buy one from one of the members. They're pretty popular so there are always a couple being built or sold or traded.

Also keep your eye out for the PINT amplifier, which was intended to be the successor to the MINT, but the creator wasn't satisfied with it and is currently working on the PINT 2.0. The PINT is still as good or better than the MINT and would be worth a purchase.

Zeromus

JWFokker wrote:

MagicToaster wrote:

Save $50 more and get some Bose headphones.

asdalskdfjlakjsdf....

They are so good I can't even put it in words.

Don't ever believe what this guy posts ever again. Bose are garbage. The only way you could possibly believe they're decent cans is if you'd never heard a legitimately good pair of phones.


If you can swing $10 more, you could pick up a pair of Grado SR60's, which own the under $100 price bracket. If you can't swing $60, the Koss PortaPro's for $35-40 are also quite good. They're better than the PX100's and they cost $10 less. The AKG phones mentioned a couple posts up are also decent cans, but they aren't up to the same level as PortaPro's and no where near Grado SR60 quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Koss-PortaPro-Headphones-with-Case/dp/B00001P4ZH/sr=8-1/qid=1170805441/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6444145-3828408?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

These ugly mamma jammas what you're talking about?

Rohaq

I my Sennheiser PX200's.

Keep in mind that not all players have high enough quality sound hardware to actually make a difference with better headphones, and you'd better be encoding your files to a decent quality, referably lossless, if you want to have the best effect.

contraband

SR60s, SR60s, SR60s... They're open. But, could I still use them walking around? I usually walk in my quiet suburban neighborhood, they would be fine then, right? How about on the bus? I grab the three o'clock bus after school and it's full of noisy middle schoolers. Would they still be usable? How about walking down a sidewalk in a medium-commercial zone with light traffic? I'm guessing I'd be able to hear the traffic and still hear my music? If I used them in class, which I never really do, would I have to keep them pretty quiet as to not annoy the people around me?

TM2 Rampage

I think SR60s are just too large for on-the-go use. I dunno. And I always felt self-conscious wearing them in public... ^_^;;

EDIT: Well, a BIT self conscious. And that long cord... you either shorten it a bit by wrapping it up using a twisty tie or rubber band, or you double over the cord and sling it over the back of your neck. And the cord is almost as thick as a pencil...

Khaczor

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

JWFokker

Zeromus wrote:

JWFokker wrote:

MagicToaster wrote:

Save $50 more and get some Bose headphones.

asdalskdfjlakjsdf....

They are so good I can't even put it in words.

Don't ever believe what this guy posts ever again. Bose are garbage. The only way you could possibly believe they're decent cans is if you'd never heard a legitimately good pair of phones.


If you can swing $10 more, you could pick up a pair of Grado SR60's, which own the under $100 price bracket. If you can't swing $60, the Koss PortaPro's for $35-40 are also quite good. They're better than the PX100's and they cost $10 less. The AKG phones mentioned a couple posts up are also decent cans, but they aren't up to the same level as PortaPro's and no where near Grado SR60 quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Koss-PortaPro-Headphones-with-Case/dp/B00001P4ZH/sr=8-1/qid=1170805441/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6444145-3828408?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

These ugly mamma jammas what you're talking about?

Shit yeah. They're ugly but they sound far better than they should. They're like the crown jewel of Koss phones. They may not be as good as a pair of Grado's, but they're still very respectable phones.

contraband wrote:

SR60s, SR60s, SR60s... They're open. But, could I still use them walking around? I usually walk in my quiet suburban neighborhood, they would be fine then, right? How about on the bus? I grab the three o'clock bus after school and it's full of noisy middle schoolers. Would they still be usable? How about walking down a sidewalk in a medium-commercial zone with light traffic? I'm guessing I'd be able to hear the traffic and still hear my music? If I used them in class, which I never really do, would I have to keep them pretty quiet as to not annoy the people around me?

It depends on how self conscious you are and how much you care about the people around you getting irritated. Just to give you an idea what the SR60s are like, take a pair of regular phones and put them 3 or 4 feet away from you with the drivers facing you if possible. That's how loud the SR60s will be for the people around you. The same amount of sound that is sent towards your ears will also be sent outward and then some because some will be reflected off your head and sent outward. I don't have a problem using them in public because I'm inconsiderate, but you might have some compunctions about doing that.

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

Stop posting. Please. This is the worst advice you could give anyone.

I suggest you listen to more than two pairs of headphones before you start tossing around recommendations.

Gotcha Force

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

this is like me going into an mp3 player thread and then saying the diamond studded mp3 players are what the person should get... and obviously they are not because they are overpriced pieces of crap

i would get the akg k 81s from djdeals.com... sealed, look decent, pretty comfy apparently, and $56 after google checkout

reddog

Gotcha Force wrote:

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

this is like me going into an mp3 player thread and then saying the diamond studded mp3 players are what the person should get... and obviously they are not because they are overpriced pieces of crap

i would get the akg k 81s from djdeals.com... sealed, look decent, pretty comfy apparently, and $56 after google checkout

Does anyone have the AKG K81s or have tried them? I've heard many people say that they crush your head. I'm still on the fence about getting these or the ATH SJ5s, http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-SJ5_Portable_Headphones.html

Gotcha Force

reddog wrote:

Gotcha Force wrote:

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

this is like me going into an mp3 player thread and then saying the diamond studded mp3 players are what the person should get... and obviously they are not because they are overpriced pieces of crap

i would get the akg k 81s from djdeals.com... sealed, look decent, pretty comfy apparently, and $56 after google checkout

Does anyone have the AKG K81s or have tried them? I've heard many people say that they crush your head. I'm still on the fence about getting these or the ATH SJ5s, http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-SJ5_Portable_Headphones.html

it seems to be a mixed bag of complaints if im not mistaken, some people say it fits well, some people say it crushes your head

basically get these babies:
http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A500_Art_Headphones.html

reddog

Gotcha Force wrote:

reddog wrote:

Gotcha Force wrote:

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

this is like me going into an mp3 player thread and then saying the diamond studded mp3 players are what the person should get... and obviously they are not because they are overpriced pieces of crap

i would get the akg k 81s from djdeals.com... sealed, look decent, pretty comfy apparently, and $56 after google checkout

Does anyone have the AKG K81s or have tried them? I've heard many people say that they crush your head. I'm still on the fence about getting these or the ATH SJ5s, http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-SJ5_Portable_Headphones.html

it seems to be a mixed bag of complaints if im not mistaken, some people say it fits well, some people say it crushes your head

basically get these babies:
http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A500_Art_Headphones.html

I think I'm going to go with the Audio Tehcnicas...now which ones...I have no idea. I don't have much to spend and I think the ATH-SJ5s are the way to go for me.

JWFokker

Audio Technicas really don't sound that good for the money. They don't sound terrible, but you're definitely paying for form over function. At pretty much every price point, there are a dozen alternatives that sound far better than AT phones.

AlwaysAngryGuy

JWFokker wrote:

Audio Technicas really don't sound that good for the money. They don't sound terrible, but you're definitely paying for form over function. At pretty much every price point, there are a dozen alternatives that sound far better than AT phones.

No, this is wrong. At least it is for the ATH-A500 and ATH-A900. These headphones blow anything in a similar price range out of the water, especially the A500s which are an incredible bang for the buck.

SithDrummer

Gotcha Force wrote:

Khaczor wrote:

Any type by Bose. Seriously they are totally worth the price.

this is like me going into an mp3 player thread and then saying the diamond studded mp3 players are what the person should get... and obviously they are not because they are overpriced pieces of crap

i would get the akg k 81s from djdeals.com... sealed, look decent, pretty comfy apparently, and $56 after google checkout

Does he really want full-size DJ cans for his ipod though?

The 27i or the 28NC are what I'm considering getting right now.

JWFokker

AlwaysAngryGuy wrote:

JWFokker wrote:

Audio Technicas really don't sound that good for the money. They don't sound terrible, but you're definitely paying for form over function. At pretty much every price point, there are a dozen alternatives that sound far better than AT phones.

No, this is wrong. At least it is for the ATH-A500 and ATH-A900. These headphones blow anything in a similar price range out of the water, especially the A500s which are an incredible bang for the buck.

MANY people would disagree with you. Sennheiser, Grado, Beyerdynamics and AKG all have phones that sound as good or better than any similarly priced AT phones.

Cariblue

I just want to say I love my SR60's so much. Unfortunately i loaned them to my sister and they came back broken, so I have to send them in to be repaired. Till then I have to listen to music through my laptop speakers.

Sigh.

reddog

I like the sound from the SR 60s but DAMN are they ugly. Plus I prefer the closed headphones for some reason.

I keep on going back and forth now with the AKG K81's and the 27i's...arggg!!!!

gundam470

http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com/catalog/23/5316/?affiliate_code=PG

Does anybody know if these are still pretty good quality?

I'm not a super-audiophile so I like the street style headphones best.