Headphones for the ignorant and poor

Kabitzy

So, I am very interested in getting "good" headphones. Of course, I have no idea what constitutes "good" for its price and what not, so I'm hoping I can get some advice from audiophiles.

Features that are most important to me:
*Comfort. I wear headphones practically all day. The pair I own now feel great on the top of my head, but the earpiece part starts hurting my ears after a few hours.
*Noise cancelling. I have a loud roommate, and loud people who live above me.
*Sound quality.
*Budget. I'd rather only spend 100-150 on them which I understand is pretty low for "good" headphones.
*optional: mic.

Right now, I've been looking at these mostly because I can get them for about $100 cheaper than I could from best buy, but I'm not sure if they meet my specifications. They look pretty comfy, and say they have noise cancelling which is cool. I have no idea if they're any good though.

Any recommendations would be very appreciated, thanks!

Iruka

100-150 is a fine budget. as a brand, I recommend Sennheiser, but its been a while since I actually bought a pair. I have their cheap $30 set. they work fine, alright quality and since they are over the ear they block a bit of nice, they have an pair that actively cancels noise, it may be 200, though.

I've only heard bad things about headphones with rappers/djs names attached to them.

Esh

Are you insistent on over ears? If you don't mind in-ears, this pair from Amazon are an absolute steal and the sound quality is amazing.

What exactly are you using these for anyway? Music? Games? What's the sound quality of your files?

Kabitzy

Iruka wrote: »

100-150 is a fine budget. as a brand, I recommend Sennheiser, but its been a while since I actually bought a pair. I have their cheap $30 set. they work fine, alright quality and since they are over the ear they block a bit of nice, they have an pair that actively cancels noise, it may be 200, though.

I've only heard bad things about headphones with rappers/djs names attached to them.

Thanks I'm checking out their website now and comparing some of their headphones.

Esh wrote: »

Are you insistent on over ears? If you don't mind in-ears, this pair from Amazon are an absolute steal and the sound quality is amazing.

What exactly are you using these for anyway? Music? Games? What's the sound quality of your files?

Well, I am under the impression (perhaps wrongly) that in-ears are always less comfy than over ears. Comfort is my main priority so if in-ears could deliver on that I'd definitely be interested in them.

I use my headphones mostly for music, games, and noise cancelling out loud neighbors. Sound quality is important to me but I'm no mixer, or DJ, etc.

MichaelLC

Sennheisers are great. Both their higher-end stuff and their earbuds. Have to shout out for SHURE as well, being a local company.

I've heard the wireless Pulse set from SONY is good; have them on my wishlist so can't speak from experience. Of course works only with PS3 or PC.

Akilae

The last time I looked at headphone tech was quite a few years ago, but the impression I got was:

1) Unless tech has advanced dramatically, noise cancellation doesn't really work. It's okay for steady background noise (say, on a plane), but not for spikes in conversation or laughter. The better route is actually complete noise isolation, which would be...

2) Canalphones. These are NOT earbuds. Earbuds are those things your MP3 player or phone came with and sort of hang around outside your ear canal. Canalphones are foam/gel pieces that are inserted into your ear canal, completely sealing in sound, and sealing out environmental noise. Properly fitted, comfort is top-notch. Sennheiser produces quite a few.

3) "Sound quality" is highly subjective. I love my Audio Technicas for their very clear mids, but I have friends who hate my phones because "there's not enough bass!" Only way to determine quality is to listen for yourself.

EDIT: Might as well throw this out: When I was shopping for headphones, I eventually decided upon the Head-Direct RE0 for my canalphone of choice, available on Amazon for less than $80, and according to online reviews, pretty much the best value out there. But again, I emphasize clear mids and would gladly sacrifice bass. I eventually went with the ear-clip design of my Audio Technicas, but these days I'm thinking about an RE0 again...

Mithrandir86

Just to further the points made in earlier posts.

You probably want these, or these at that price point. These are best over-the-ear closed headphones for your price point according to the HeadFi community.

I prefer (and own) the latter, though I have recommended the former to friends and relatives with great results.

Some people complain about the tight fit on the HD280Pros, which not a problem shared by the ATH-M50s. I believe that popular opinion lies with the ATH-M50. The S just stands for the straight cable, you can purchase the coiled cable is that is your preference.

Jasconius

Sony MDR-7506

TheKoolEagle

Audio-Technica-ATH-ANC7B is what I use, and they are wonderful. As most people have said Audio Technica and Sennheiser are both great companies to go with, the only problem with this set is the cable is only 1.6m long so its fairly short. Although you can buy a longer cable to solve that problem if you need to.

a5ehren

Mithrandir86 wrote: »

Just to further the points made in earlier posts.

You probably want these, or these at that price point. These are best over-the-ear closed headphones for your price point according to the HeadFi community.

I prefer (and own) the latter, though I have recommended the former to friends and relatives with great results.

Some people complain about the tight fit on the HD280Pros, which not a problem shared by the ATH-M50s. I believe that popular opinion lies with the ATH-M50. The S just stands for the straight cable, you can purchase the coiled cable is that is your preference.

This. Buy the Zalman clip-on mic if you need one. It's pretty cheap and works fine.

Noise cancelling won't help your situation. It's only really useful on airplanes or other places with constant background noise you want to get rid of.

bowen

Kabitzy wrote: »

Well, I am under the impression (perhaps wrongly) that in-ears are always less comfy than over ears. Comfort is my main priority so if in-ears could deliver on that I'd definitely be interested in them.

I use my headphones mostly for music, games, and noise cancelling out loud neighbors. Sound quality is important to me but I'm no mixer, or DJ, etc.

Some people cannot wear in-ears comfortably. Like myself. It's all up to personal preference here.

Best not to chance it dropping $100~ on some headphones. The only people that I hear bitch about over-ear are hipsters anyways.

Donovan Puppyfucker

Avoid anything with some rappers name on them. Beats, Soul, Street, steer clear. Monster and Bose are both best avoided, too. They're all overpriced for what they are, and there are an arse-load of knock-offs out there for these brands.

In your price range the Audio Technica ATH-M50 is meant to be the best set of closed cans available. No active noise cancelling, but that is iffy at best, and downright annoying at worst. Being closed cans they actually offer moderate sound isolation though, and will leak very little sound out to others around you. I got a pair for Shazkar Shadowstorm, ask him how they sound.

Cowboy-Bebop

http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-107-portable-headphones-reviewed-astrotec-as-100hd-as-200hd-added-12-02-12

A pretty extensive post on headphones with reviews

Kabitzy

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions everyone. I feel up to date on headphones at last!

So, my decision was to go with the sennheiser pc350 because a fellow PA-er offered me a great deal on them (under my budget!) and Sennhieser is apparently a very well recommended brand.

Esh

Kabitzy wrote: »

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions everyone. I feel up to date on headphones at last!

So, my decision was to go with the sennheiser pc350 because a fellow PA-er offered me a great deal on them (under my budget!) and Sennhieser is apparently a very well recommended brand.

Putting them in the mail tomorrow USPS priority. Just had to find some packing material.

Karrmer

PC350 is a great gaming headset.

Mithrandir86

I concur, a good choice if music is not your absolute priority.

Professor Snugglesworth

I've actually been looking into getting a replacement pair myself, but my budget is much lower. I'd prefer a decent but also functional pair around the $20-$30 range, if it exists.

Karrmer

http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Audio-655-USB-Multimedia/dp/B001SEQN3K/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1360109448&sr=8-7&keywords=plantronics+headset

Those are surprisingly good for the cost. I don't think you'll find anything better anywhere near that price point. If you up it to the 55-60$ range, http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom-780-Surround-Headset/dp/B006ZS5ATM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360109448&sr=8-3&keywords=plantronics+headset is quite good too.

Assuming you're looking for a PC / gaming headset, not headphones for an iPod or something.

Professor Snugglesworth

PC and/or TV, yes. Eventually I need to replace both, but PC would be the first priority since it's the most worn.

Hard to tell if those will fit my humongous head though.

Great Scott

I bought a Logitech USB Clearchat Pro (a-00008 version) from a local brick and mortar in an emergency, and I have to say the audio quality is decent, probably borderline good. High praise for a $30 quick purchase. I'm still using it as my main headset now.

ceres

I really, really wish you two had kept your deal to PMs and not discussed it in the thread.