Headphones

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Broc
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Headphones

Post by Broc »

Apologies if there's been a thread on this before but all I could find was one for MP3 players.

Anyone have any tips on good stereo headphones for under €100/£80? Not my area of expertise!

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
runcible
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Re: Headphones

Post by runcible »

I use Bose which seem to capture bass better than any others I've heard.
TheWarmth
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Re: Headphones

Post by TheWarmth »

I like my Sennheiser HD 280 pro set. They are a bit bulky, but I still wear them on the train to and from work.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... Hd_280_Pro
redcloud
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Re: Headphones

Post by redcloud »

I have Grado's (Prestige Series). I love them as they were affordable yet the sound wasn't compromised at all.
Broc
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Re: Headphones

Post by Broc »

Thanks guys for all the help. Three posts and three different brands :?

I'm 40 in a few weeks and think my folks may have got me a pair which would be cool, will have to go with the flow in that case...
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Re: Headphones

Post by Shinesalight »

*BUMP*

So, its my 40th coming up in the summer, and I too am after a decent pair of headphones for use at home. I guess as my listening tastes have started veering towards the louder end of the spectrum (White Hills, Gnod, The Heads and the like) I need to spare Mrs Shines from this sonic bombardment!!! I'm probably looking for a pair between £100-£150 (or maybe even some of a higher spec if I can get them for a lower price on E-Bay) that can handle these louder bands while regaining the clarity and warmth of some of the mellower numbers. Also, does anyone got any experience with wireless headphones... would I be losing some of the sound quality while gaining more portability? Sennheiser, Bose and Grado all seem to be popular. What do you reckon?
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runcible
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Re: Headphones

Post by runcible »

Bose every time for me. No other phones convey bass like they do. I have some Sennheiser ear pods and hate them - tinny and with no bass.
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Re: Headphones

Post by burningwheel »

Sennheiser
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Re: Headphones

Post by Shinesalight »

A friend bought me a pair of Sennheiser HD 558's for my 40th...I'm well chuffed. :D 8)
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TheWarmth
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Re: Headphones

Post by TheWarmth »

Aftetr 10+ years of daily abuse, my Sennheiser HD 280 pro cans finally bit the dust. I ordered a new pair and they arrived via FedEx today. Wow, fucking amazing. They must have improved the design, because the low end is just PERFECT now. So fat. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. A steal at $100.
clewsr
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Re: Headphones

Post by clewsr »

I got a pair of Etymotic phones a few years ago and was very pleased with them. If you want to get rid of all the back ground noise they are perfect.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html
moop
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Re: Headphones

Post by moop »

TheWarmth wrote:Aftetr 10+ years of daily abuse, my Sennheiser HD 280 pro cans finally bit the dust. I ordered a new pair and they arrived via FedEx today. Wow, fucking amazing. They must have improved the design, because the low end is just PERFECT now. So fat. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. A steal at $100.
I can't believe those are only $100 but still over 100 pounds. What's that all about?! Anyway, I decided I need some nice headphones that would cover both listening and mixing, and these seem to have great reviews. I was just wondering if they're still good without a headphone amp (for example just using with an ipod) or not, because some of the reviews seem to indicate that they might need one to be worthwhile. I have a usb audio interface, but I'm guessing that probably wouldn't count as a headphone amp?

I also read that the Shure SRH840 headphones sound great, but they seem quite heavy and uncomfortable...so i think the Sennheisers seem better for me. Anyone got any experience with them?
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Re: Headphones

Post by TheWarmth »

I use my HD280 pros with my iPod everyday. I'm listening on my MacBook with them right now. Wonderful headphones. I don't think you'd be disappointed. Actually, the studio my band is recording in now uses these exclusively.
moop
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Re: Headphones

Post by moop »

Thanks. It's really hard to make a decision based on internet reviews, especially with something so subjective as headphone sound. I noticed quite a lot of people saying the 280s don't have much bass and that they would have to add EQ to fix that problem. Does that ring true or is it just cos they aren't used to headphones being monitors? Sorry for all the questions!
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Re: Headphones

Post by mojo filters »

If the headphones are going to be used for extended periods of listening, fully-enclosed types can become uncomfortable on the ears. If I needed a pair for such usage I definitely look for a set of semi open-backed phones, which are often favoured to avoid 'tiring' the ears over long listening sessions.

Given the difficulty in trying before buying, with the above budget I would confidently purchase the proven, well regarded audiophile favourite Grado. Their least expensive are excellent quality, and would leave enough money to also purchase a specialised headphone amplifier. This ensures you get the full benefit of spending such an amount on phones, which would otherwise be subjected to and limited by the sonic bottleneck of the cheap components usually used in the headphone outputs built into otherwise decent quality hifi amplifiers. It would also allow their use to best effect with other audio sources, such as iPhone, TV/DVD and so forth.
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moop
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Re: Headphones

Post by moop »

hmmm... seems like good advice, but i think i'm set on closed-backed headphones. Another thing is that I'm trying to kill 2 birds with one stone here, in that I want some headphones that make listening to music more amazing but also act as accurate monitors for mixing purposes. For that reason i'm torn between the shure srh840, audio technica ath-m50 and the aforementioned sennheiser 280 pros. Also, not gonna bother to buy a headphone amp, so that's another reason why i'm being so specific. (sorry for hijacking the thread..must be boring to read!)
beaker73
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Re: Headphones

Post by beaker73 »

I can recommend Beyer Dynamics headphones: detailled sound, good bass. They don't need a headphone amp. I also use 'm for mixing. Maybe worth considering.
But you should really go and listen to a couple of different ones. Trust your ears :-)
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