I've purchased 5 new pairs of earphones this summer with prices for being between $60-$130 per pair. Below are my reviews for all 5 pairs. Some are noise blocking and some are not. Some are good for exercising while others are good for travel. Some are great for if you love heavy bass music and some are good for listening to talk-radio or podcasts. All of them are in-ear style earphones. I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile, and over the past 5-6 years I've cycled through countless different brand and models of earphones.

V-Moda Vibrato ~$130 : Sound quality is not good enough for this price, bass levels are a little too high and drown out other sounds, and V-moda has a reputation for their cords breaking at the ends and from the buds within a very short amount of time. I previously had the Vibe first and second generations, and although they look stylish, they had these design flaws and the cord broke within a couple months. They won't block outside noise. Don't buy V-moda earphones. There are far better brands out there and you can get much better quality for less money. 6/10 - this rating is quite generous but its because their lower end earphones are much worse.

Klipsch S4 ~$65 : For the price, these are a good pair of earphones. I use them for traveling because they won't be too much trouble to replace if something bad happens to them. They are nice-looking from a design perspective, and they will block a good amount of outside noise. The sound quality is pretty good for their relatively cheap price, and the bass levels are high, but its never going to overpower the other tones. The cord seems a bit thin and flimsy, but I've had no issues with that so far. These are also great for exercising, and can be worn in two ways on the ear: the normal way or you can flip them up and wrap the cord over and around the back of the ear for a more secure fit. I really like that aspect about these, and the only other pair that I'm reviewing that has this options are the Shure SE215's (see below). They also come with a nice selection of tips and a good carrying case. 8/10.

Etymotic MC5 ~$60 : I had heard and read a lot of great things about this company, so I decided to grab one of their pairs. They are known for their 3-flange tips. For me, these type of tips are nothing special. Actually, the small and medium tips didn't even fit in my ear (with every other company the small or medium tips fit me best) and their large ones barely fit. Thankfully they came with some foam tips that did fit but they are not smooth and are rather coarse and uncomfortable. There was only one pair of tips that worked well in my ears out of the 3 types of tips, and there was only one pair of the style that worked for me, while the others had 3-5 pairs. Anyway, with any type of their tips, the earbuds stick out farther than any other earphones I've had, so I didn't like the way they sat or looked when I wore them. Sadly, I was also disappointed with the sound they produced. There was almost no bass levels whatsoever, and their volume level is the lowest I've ever experienced... you need to have the mp3 player probably 30% louder with the Etymotic earphones compared to any others to have the same noise level. The only reason I kept them is because with seemingly nonexistent bass, they are good for talk-show podcasts and when I listen to NPR. The cord seems decent and sturdy enough, and they come with a nice case. Maybe their higher-end earphones don't have these issues, but for me, they were a huge disappointment. 4/10

Bose IE2 ~$100 : These earphones are perfect for not blocking all outside noise. I use them for exercising and running outside, and at work so I can listen to music or the radio while still being able to hear if someone is talking to me. These are their second generation and a design improvement on the tips makes them stay really secure in your ears while doing any activity. The sound quality is quite crisp with a nice range of tones and good bass levels too. They've got a stylish design and a unique black-and-white striped cord. They stay comfortable and secure in your ears for long periods of time are are well worth their price. The cord is durable and they come with a good selection of different sizes and styles of tips and include a nice carrying case. I think these are the best non-noise cancelling earphones available for a $100 budget. I'm very impressed by these. 9/10

Shure SE215 ~$100 : Saving the best for last. These are the nicest earphones in terms of sound quality, durability, and for blocking outside noise. These are perfect for any situation where you don't want or need to hear anything outside your music. Great for airplanes, long car rides, loud public places, studying, etc. I'll even use them to fall asleep when my roommates are still partying or being loud when I'm going to bed. When exercising, you can wear them pointed up, and have the cord wrap over and around the backside of the ear for a more secure fit. I like to use the foam tips: they're like the earplugs that you squeeze and put in your ears, and then they expand to the shape of your ear canal and block outside noise. As a company, Shure supply's almost every big name musician and performer at large large venue shows with both their high quality earphones and microphone equipment. They far exceed every other brand in terms of sound quality produced. For noise blocking earphones on a $100 budget, there's no reason to get anything other than the SE215's. They'll even replace them for free if you keep a receipt, and they've done this for me and other people I know with their earphones that have broken long after a 2-year period. I had the first generation model for a while and the cord malfunctioned and they upgraded me to the newer model at no cost. With this current model they've deigned the earphones so that the cord detaches from the buds at the base of your ear, so that if and when the cord breaks, you don't need to go buy a whole new pair, just replace the cord. This is also great for if and when you want to upgrade to their higher end models like the SE315, SE425, and SE535 (each higher number is about $100 more than the previous) because the cord works for all of the current SE series earphones, just swap out the buds on the same cord. Once you try any model of Shure's earphones, you will never want to buy another company's earphones. They come with a few styles of different tips, each in small, medium, and large, and their carrying case is quite nice. Ask anyone you know with Shure earphones and they will gladly tell how how awesome the earphones are. 10/10

TL;DR: for the best earphones on a $100 budget, either get the Shure SE215 earphones (blocks outside noise) or the Bose IE2 earphones (does NOT block outside noise).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $244.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $139.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $153.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $89.99 @ Newegg
Storage | A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $57.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card | $629.99 @ Amazon
Case | NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case | $63.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $66.99 @ NCIX US
Monitor | Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor | $259.99 @ B&H
Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $79.00 @ Logitech
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1843.80
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $1823.80
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 11:24 EST-0500 |

Over view


CPU: Skylake is the new norm, supports DDR4, 4 cores but with no hyper threading.

Cooler: One of the best water coolers on the market, it is a great cooler to OC on.

Motherboard supports tons of new features, lots of fan headers and I believe an m.2 sata port if you wish to get an m.2 ssd.

RAM is RAM, faster memory scales better with Skylake offering higher FPS in games.

The HDD and SSD are fast, great drives and reliable. The SSD is the same speed, if not a bit faster then Samsung's 850 EVO for 30 bucks less.

The GPU is the top of the line 980ti, VERY fast GPU and very good for 1440p. Max all games in 1440p 60 fps for a couple more years. Very good GPU, also white.

The Case is high quality and my personal favorite. Offers lots of support for anything really, huge GPUs and space for custom loops. Also great cable management.

The PSU is the top of the line, best of the best for an extremely cheap price.

Monitor is 1440p, 60hz, 4ms response time. Great monitor.

The mouse is regarded as some the best of the best, RGB, lots of mouse buttons, great tracker and more. I almost bought that but it was RGB when I was looking to buy so I got the G600, which is great.

Reviews/Bench marks

CPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_5p9wd2dk

Cooler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0BEepRZBM

Motherboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwFXo31sYWI

Memory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_qKCSGS4U However, expect a bit more. It has a higher clock speed then the 2400mhz.

SSD and HDD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mZcxfbKRLw that is the SSD. This is the HDD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2-lrHAmCI

GPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxzpcmvnPJU

Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-pqVTykMc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNWOgbEXMI

PSU review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=446 got a 9.8 out of 10, only bad part is it includes 2 CPU plugs, not needed.

Monitor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XID3splg1g

Mouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mBEMyO7EmQ

What is

What is overclocking? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPmDSYRKnXM

What is refresh rate? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCWZ_kWTB9w

What are Intel CPUs? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLSPub4ydiM

What is Monitor response time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER1YV42iqrE

Mentions for help

Linustechtips https://www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips For general needs

Jayztwocents https://www.youtube.com/user/Jayztwocents Watercooling and just some general knowledge.

NCIX techtips, just some tech tips https://www.youtube.com/user/NCIXcom and reviews

Techquicke (As Fast As Possible) https://www.youtube.com/user/Techquickie Just some quick learning about more in depth items.

Tek Syndicate https://www.youtube.com/user/razethew0rld Just some headphone reviews, some GPU reviews and tech talk.

HardwareCanucks https://www.youtube.com/user/HardwareCanucks Some reviews of products and benchmarks

Digital Foundry https://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalFoundry Most benchmarks and some reviews.

Awesomesauce Network https://www.youtube.com/user/AwesomeSauceNews Just some reviews, builds and more.

TomsHardware https://www.youtube.com/user/TomsHardware Reviews, benchmarks and more.

Austin Evans https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXGgrKt94gR6lmN4aN3mYTg Reviews, benchmarks and more.

Pretty much covers that section.

How to build a PC

Newegg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF43-0mDk4

Jayztwocents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Q8ksRI1Eo

Audio

Some more expensive headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dj5G0isn9Y

Some less budget friendly options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g

What I'd recommend for open headphones is DT-990 Pros http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-990-Premium-250-Ohm/dp/B00193FT26 and Modmic 4.0 http://www.modmic.com/products/modmic-4-0. Beats ANY gaming headphones, period. Now for headphones here is another alternative for open backed too http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444O3W/ref=pd_sim_23_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=419PS-VvbRL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR86%2C160_&refRID=07TPVYEVH56PG7ZMY9Y9 great headphones. On www.massdrop.com these are in red/black right now for a limited time so I'd get those if you want them. Now for closed back http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457542572&sr=1-1&keywords=DT+770 these are great, a bit more expensive and less of a sound stage but still great.

Other notes

Go ahead and ask ANY questions. Also sorry it took my a while, I got distracted and then my dog wanted out.

It's hard to say what headphone or headset is perfect for you as you perceive audio different as others do. So we can only help you with what a good option is, but you'll eventually have to make priorities and make a decision. It's smart to first decide whether you want a headset or headphone. To do so let's take a look at the pro's and con's of a headset:

Pros:

• Virtual 7.1:
  It's really the only reason I like headsets. Some of these can produce some amazing "soundstage" effect, which can be important while gaming and very interesting for watching "concerts". (Most modern headphones have a very decent soundstage as well).
  
  
• Comfortability:
  While they are quite heavy most of them are very comfortable.
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Weight:
  Damn, these things are so heavy compared to many headphones.
  
  
• Audio quality:
  Compared to headphones headsets are far behind on audio quality. They don't reach the Frequency response of a headphone even if they tried... They are so big and heavy and still unable to provide you with the most important feature of headphones and headsets...
  
  
• Price:
  The prices are ridiculous.
  
  For me the Cons outweigh the Pros of the headset with ease and you should make a choice as well. What is more important?
  
  For $350 you should definitely invest in a dedicated DAC + Amp aswell as a headphone! The overall audio quality will be so much better!
  
  Check out the Shiit Modi 2 DAC and the Shiit Magni 2 Amp. Shiit just released the new 2nd version of the Modi and Magni! You pay $200 in total for this combo and you'll see a huge audio quality improvement over onboard audio or soundcards! They are definitely worth the price!
  
  Then you have like $100 to 150 left to invest in good headphone. Here are a few great options:
  
  
• The Shure SRH750DJ. These aren't the fanciest looking headphones and they aren't the most comfortable either. The audio quality coming out of these headphones outperforms most of the $200+ headphones! I own these and love them! They are great for electronic / bass heavy music and they provide you with an amazing "soundstage" as well!
  
  
• The extremely popular Audio Technica ATH-M50. It's a more comfortable and better looking headphone as the SRH 750. The overall frequency range is not as good. The quality is still superior over the best headsets available though.
  
  
• the Grado SR80e has fairly small cans, but does provide good audio quality. Especially for very busy music (think of rock / metal and similar).
  
  
• The Audio Technica ATH A500X. Another good headphone. They do better for gaming than the alternatives IMO. Although they don't block outside noises... There is a closed version that costs 100$ instead.

Again sorry for the wall of text, I know it's not the easiest to read. The recommendations are first, if you want you can skip the rest of it because it's not all "necessary" info but I do encourage reading it all, there's some good info. I know that's a lot of suggestions but except in fairly rare cases you'd be safe picking any one of these unless the sound doesn't seem like it would suit you. Worst case scenario you return it and try something else. If you have any more questions/concerns I'll gladly help.

The Sennheiser HD 600 -~$300- is basically the crown jewel of /r/headphones. I personally haven't heard it but it's considered one of the best headphones of all times for the past ~20 years. It's mostly neutral so it may not be as exciting but has excellent detail retrieval. The only potential negative other than that I can think of is the soundstage, how wide the sound is. Some headphones sound like music comes from outside the headphone, some sound like earbuds where the sound is right against your head. These have a pretty narrow soundstage so they're more towards the latter.

Monoprice M1060 -~$300- is a bit of a polarizing headphone, people either love or hate it. Some people claim it sounds as good as a $1k pair of headphones, others find it underwhelming and/or hear a high pitch ringing. I've used them and demo'd them to ~5 people, none of which heard the ringing. I love them but don't agree with the "= to $1k headphones" sentiment. Some like them more than my $600 headphones though, so, yeah. These headphones have a lot of bass, boosted mids so vocals are very present and the highs are mostly neutral. The soundstage on these is pretty damn wide.

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 -~$220- is a very highly regarded headphone here. The only downside really is the high frequencies are boosted significantly and a decent amount of people find them unlistenable. If you have sensitive ears then skip these. They're quite V shaped (meaning bass and treble/highs are boosted). They have a decent sound stage, nothing too extreme either way.

The Hifiman HE-4XX(Massdrop exclusive, needs account, long ship times) -$169- are basically a cheaper version of the Hifiman HE-400, another long time favorite of /r/headphones. These headphones are mostly neutral with a slight bass boost, afaik. The downside to these, though, is Hifiman is well known for shitty quality control. I had one of their headphones break on me after a week of owning them. Supposedly the HE-4XX has solved most of those issues but I'd still tread carefully. Most people think this pair is a steal at the price, though.

AKG K7XX(Massdrop exclusive) -$199- These are great. I own them and are probably some of the best ~$200 headphones you can buy. They can also be pretty love/hate, though, but most people who don't like them seem to have a lot of experience with a wide variety of headphones. Out of all my headphones most people I demo mine to prefer the K7XX, even over my $600 pair. They're mostly neutral with slightly boosted mids and slightly lowered highs and a massive soundstage.

---

Out of all of these headphones the M1060 and HD 600 probably have the best detail which would do the whole hearing new things the best. With that said, though, none of these would fail at that even remotely. Those two are also probably the most comfortable out of the headphones, with the potential exception of the K7XX.

Another term worth knowing is planar magnetic. The M1060 and HE 4XX are planar magnetic headphones which instead of using a typical speaker cone-resembling drivers they essentially use a sheet of metal controlled by magnets, some weird sorcery shit. Planar's usually have a signature sound and bass that extends real god damn low into the sub bass frequencies. They also have incredible speed, meaning that they're very responsive and excel with fast paced music. They're often quite punchy as well which is a great combo for double bass, snare and tom spam. Metal won't really benefit from the bass extension but I personally find the rest of the features to help with metal.

---
Some other notes. Soundstage isn't very important with metal but can really make other genres shine, especially those with a lot of ambience and depth. It's also usually recommended to get closed headphones for metal and I can mostly agree with that. The HD 600, DT 990 and M1060 all have closed versions but the M1060 closed are iffy. If you're unfamiliar, open vs closed is pretty much what it sounds like. Open headphones have an "open" back to them, letting more sound in and out which gives a more atmospheric sound to them but also letting outside sounds interfere more. Some sound like you're not wearing headphones at all, letting so much sound in you couldn't tell the difference. Closed are the polar opposite and give a more isolated, intimate sound.

Lastly, when you start venturing into headphones that cost more than ~$200, it's worth looking into the benefits of an amplifier/DAC (digital-analogue converter). They're not necessary but, depending on the headphones, can improve the sound. Bottom line is usually ~$70 and require a USB connection but have mobile variants that plug into your phone. They're definitely not necessary at this price point but it's possible you won't get the most out of the headphones without it depending on the pair, different headphones require different amount of power. Usually it's fairly insignificant sub $500 though.

Budget ~150-200$

Source - Pixel 2 / Macbook Pro

Requirements for Isolation - Some. Not a huge priority, but nice to have for public transit.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes

Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMS or portable over-ear. Possibly bluetooth if there are good options.

Past headphones - MEE audio M6 PRO Liked the sound quality, but they didn’t fit very nicely in my ears, despite trying all of the tips that came with the box.


Brainwavz Delta Black IEM
Again, liked the sound quality, but the buds themselves seemed to be too fat to fit into my ears, even with trying all the tips they gave me.

[Panasonic RP-TCM125-K] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4LGVUO/ref=psdc_172541_t1_B00L2459ZO) Really liked the fit for these. If possible I’d love to find something similar to these in fit, but perhaps a higher quality build or sound quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS Also really like these, but I’ve found that they are too bulky for general portable use.

Preferred Music - Wide range. A lot of quiet female vocalist indie music, as well as a lot of fast and loud ska/punk music. I also listen to a fair amount of spoken audio, such as podcasts and audiobooks. I listen to hip-hop as well, but not as much as the above.

What would you like to improve - As stated in the past headphones section, I am looking to improve the fit of the IEMs that I get. The panasonic ones fit so well compared to the other IEMs I’ve had in the past, so I am looking to get something with a similar fit, but with a better sound stage. Also, I’m looking to try Bluetooth IEMs if anything comes to mind with these requirements, but if not, regular IEMs / over-ears are fine for me.

____

I’ve been eying these: https://www.amazon.com/Jaybird-Bluetooth-Headset-iPhone-Android/dp/B01M7NCT5O and these: https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Bluetooth-Headphones-Controller-RP-HJE120B-W/dp/B071R6VX9Q for bluetooth iem options, but as far as I can tell the reviews for them do not seem completely stellar.

I was also looking into ATH-M40Xs as a portable over ear option, but I’m not sure if I want to sacrifice having a microphone on my main pair of portable headphones.

This is going to sound contradictory, but my personal choice would be the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless, if I was going to use it for the gym. Only because Bose's tips are ridiculously comfortable and the only one that fits in my ears. You can get this off the Apple Store for $200.

However, if your girlfriend is a normal person unlike me, most earbuds should fit her, and you can get something much cheaper. If I were you I'd be pretty pissed at Apple so I would get a $300 item from their store and sell it for like $250 or so, then use that money to buy two things for the lady, something for sports and something nice for home use.

I've personally been using the Philips SHQ1200/28 ActionFit for years now, they're cheap, sound fine, and somehow survived being accidentally thrown in the washing machine twice. I'm not recommending this for you because they don't have a mic, but just listing as example that budget options can last for a long time and imo are more worth the money if you're only using them to work out. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Headphones-Waterproof-Sweatproof-Cancelling/dp/B01G8JO5F2/ might be worth taking a look at, if these fit my ears it's exactly what I would look for if using them for running. I do run, and personally prefer something easy to use, light, stays in my ears, doesn't get in the way, isn't hot, and sounds good. I'm recommending this one because it fits all the above requirements, but mainly because the cable is just a cable and doesn't have controls lined on it, unlike most wireless earbuds. This means I won't feel the annoying tap of a weight on my shoulder or neck as I'm jogging up and down. You should ask her what she likes and go from there.

I'm more of a headphone person though, so if you're here for good sound and durability, I feel like she would love the V-Moda Crossfade M-100. They're tight enough that you could use them for running, though I personally wouldn't (too hot). But you could buy this one and then Senso's and that would be pretty cool. If you don't want the wire you can get the V-MODA Crossfade Wireless, cheaper and wireless, but the sound quality won't be as good.

If she's cool with exercising with the Senso's and using the headphones for commutes and a better music experience and calls (basically everything that doesn't include exercise) then I recommend the Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT. Or, if you think it's too much work haha, just grab the Bose ones. :P

> 1More Triple Driver

For $65, I rather opt for the Zero Audio Carbo Tenores.
I think those sound better than the overhyped 1More Triple Drivers.
Don't get me wrong. The 1More Triple Drivers are great. It probably has a bit more detailing than the Tenores. But the Tenores man. The Tenores. They are tuned in just 'perfectly'. This thing is legendary.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/665111/zero-audio-zh-dx200-carbo-tenore-zh-dx210-carbo-basso-carbon-aluminium-iem-thread

They sound 'lax' while having all the detailing you need. I have listened to the Shure SE846 and have the Noble 4/CKR9Ltd/JVC FX-850/Tenores/Yamaha EPH-100/etc. etc.
And I had the opportunity in my life to listen to a crap ton of iem in my life.
And to this date, I do not think there is any contender for the Tenores in the tuning of the mids. Sure it's definitely nowhere as 'good' technical wise as the upper range products like the Noble 4/CKR 9ltd/JVC fx-850/Dunu 2000/Shure SE846/Yamaha EPH-100 but.... just cause it isn't as clear as those super $$$ does not imply it is bad.

In fact, I think in its price range, there is nothing that can compete with these iem for music lovers. Sure these are almost 5 years old but this is 1 heck of a legendary iem.
If you want your ears to truly open up to premium range sound, opt for the Tenores. Sure the 1More might be nicer (I did not test them but heard much praises) but from my listening career from free earphones to $1000 iems, the Tenores have like a special place in my heart (along with the EPH-100).
https://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-ear-stereo-headphone-Tenore-ZH-DX200-CT/dp/B0093VVP0Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482964790&sr=8-1&keywords=zero+audio+tenore

The only issue is the chord. But as long as you don't abuse your earphone, it should not be of much issue.
That said, don't believe most hypes of earphones/iem. Most 'top class' earphone/iem under 100 sound like the BEST under 100. No more no less. I heard some outrageous things in my life in headfi like the Tenores competing with 500 dollar products and 1More competing with 2500 dollar products.
Truth is, they don't.
That said, I must say, the 1More has a far better design and better boxing. The Tenores is just straight out only for sound. However, give it a try if you can. I think it can be the best $40 you ever spend.

Also little biased view here but.... run away from bluetooth earphones like a plague if you can. Those really have bad sounds. They sound like 10 dollar products in general. I'm sure you have a phenomenal bluetooth iem but but it seems the specializers of the iem markets don't really care to invest in bluetooth earphones. Bluetooth iems are mostly conquered by the 'fashion' brand of earphones. The sound quality including the Jaybirds... are atrocious once you start comparing to true audio iem like the Tenores. (And quite noticeably)

Budget - £100 Hard Limit

Source - My computer, asrock z97 pro4 onboad audiocard. I'll probably buy a better one soon, also, I'm not looking to buy an amp.

Requirements for Isolation - Little, I'm only going to be using these at home but I don't mind if there's none, or a lot.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Not likely.

Preferred Type of Headphone - I would like on or over ear. I really want to try open back too.

Preferred tonal balance - Ideally I'd like a balanced set of Headphones but I'd like a fair bit of bass.

Past headphones - Nothing worth noting. Just some Sony, HTC and Apple IEMs.

Preferred Music - A lot of Rock, Post-Hardcore, Music with a lot of Screaming, Metal, Hip-Hop, a bit of Chiptune and music like Crystal Castles, You Love Her Coz She's Dead and Kap Bambino

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I'm not sure where I'm going after this, this is my first step into better headphones and potential audiophile territory. I will use the pair of headphones recommended to figure out what I will look for next.

I've already done a bit of research and have found a few sets of headphones that I am interested in but I lack the knowledge of if they're good or not.

Grado SR80e - From what I've heard, these headphones are very well received and liked but lack good bass which concerns me. I also LOVE the look of these headphones, they are probably my favourite.

AKG K240 MKII -
These headphones are my second favourite however, I'm concerned that I may need an amp to make these work to their full potential. I was also looking at the regular 240s but heard these were an upgrade.

Finally, the AKG K271 MKII - As with the K240s I've heard a lot of glowing reviews on these pair but I'm worried that I require an amp. I also really love the fact that the two sets of AKGs have detachable wires.

I'm open to recommendations, but if any of the headphones I'm interested in would be good for me then all the better! Sorry if this has been long winded!

I personally own a pair of V-MODA Crossfade M-100's with a BoomPro mic and the XL Ear cushions.

Put simply, they are absolutely amazing and would not go with anything else for gaming or music listening. Now, I'm not going to lie, it's very expensive for just a headset, but I'm an audiophile and want the very best out of my sound. If you want something that is amazing but won't kill your wallet, go for the Crossfade M-80's. Biggest bang for your buck.

As for audio quality, my old turtle beach headset couldn't even compare to these. Everything about them is just amazing. They are better than a pair of Beats and most "gaming" headsets. The 3D soundstage makes playing this game (or any game for that matter) an absolute joy with unparalleled audio quality. Wouldn't go for anything else for the price. I cannot stress how good these things are.

As for comfort level, they're pretty good, but you will definitely want the XL cushions. I can play up to 6 hours on end with only two adjustments on my head before my eyes are like "we're done here." Needless to say, they stay very comfortable for extended periods of time.

The BoomPro mic is nice, but not entirely necessary, because the in-line mic that comes with the cable works just fine.

TLDR: If you have the money, BUY THESE HEADPHONES!! And if you're broke go with the M-80's.

Edit: Spelling

I'm going to gild both of these comments unless you give me an alternative to show my appreciation - box of chocolates? a pint at the pub? Let me know.

Anyway, let me start by saying I'm blown away by the sheer commitment to detail you've got going on. Clearly not only in helping me, but in helping everyone. I'm slurping this up like the beginner I am, but it is just astounding how you go above and beyond indulging my questions - you almost wrote bloody essays on each one! I can't thank you enough. On to the follow-up:

• Sustainability: 4 years seems a good return on investment... I'm convinced!
  
• Mouse: mouse is this one but in terms of scale is likely the same size as the one you linked. I feel I am a clawer now, though I'm sure I wasn't before using this mouse. You are definitely right - the design of the mouse does impact heavily on how it 'feels' in your hand. And they all differ so much... I feel I'd like a heavier mouse too but I reckon that next week I might go in the shops and try a few, and see how I feel (btw, my hand length is 15.5cm);
  
• Headphones: I tried these on once during a flight and I didn't even listen to music, i just turned the button on and enjoyed the silence... But usually I do use my smartphone as an mp3 player to stream spotify. I wouldn't want to spend over 100£ on some headphones...Your note on looking for something lightweight because of flying is also a great catch.
  
• bad dog: Zappa is her name, and she is a rescued french bulldog! She should know better, you are quite right; but her previous owner wasn't as discerning with her education as you and I, so we're still going through the adaptation phase. To be fair, no cables have been chewed (my slipper and my cat's littler box, on the other hand...). Noted on your suggestions and, again, I very much appreciate reading all your arguments for and against what you suggest!
  
• money saving : I know I should be aware of what I'm missing or not, but, like the wireless adaptor, there are things that go over my head. Also, you know what? I think you've done a great job saving me money already, so tomorrow I'm going to buy everything accordingly, except for mouse/keyboard/headphones.
  
  Thanks. You are indeed an awesome person.
  
  edit: I listen to a wide variety of music... probably the only kind I avoid is pop. If I had to pick 2 I listen to the most would be classic rock and jazz. If I had to pick 2 I listen less, would be r&b and lounge

IEMS ONLY

Budget - $10-$50 (Lower the better, sales too) $51-$75 is really pushing it

Source - Phone(iPhone6), laptop, PS4 controller

Requirements for Isolation - Moderate or full isolation, Plan to use outdoors, indoors, home, public transpiration(NYC transit is loud)

Preferred Type of Headphone - Comfy IEMs, Mic, long lasting

Preferred tonal balance - Balanced, clear/crisp and a bit towards the bass side

Past headphones - Top earphones I've used from the past from best to worst.

1)I can't find the exact model but [These] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-II-Precision-Enhanced-Earbuds/dp/B001EZYMF4/ref=pd_sim_23_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=31F3zlJecaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0ZC2CA08ZMJG2XXZ138J) The one I had a volume slider. It was one of the best I've ever used Handsdown. The sound was so rich with the perfect amount of bass Felt good(sliped a couple of times), great sound, Volume slider. | Bad wire, lacks mic and button(s)

2) [JVC Marshmellow] (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAFX32B-Marshmallow-Earbuds-Black/dp/B00DVH265G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463378188&sr=1-1&keywords=jvc+marshmallow+earbuds) Good overall sound, felt great in the ear, rarely fell off | Cheap, lack of mic and buttons

3)JBL J33 Good sound, great bass w/o compromising the clarity, mic.,good wire | big af, heavy, not comfy at all.

4) Skull candies. Hate em.

Preferred Music - I listen to a wide range of music. Rap/hip-hop (Kanye, Future,Chance, Drake) Electronica (Crystal Castles), classical, and relax/chill Something to keep my head bumping (Bass)
Some Links, enjoy!

Affection

Saint Pablo

Aloha

At Home

What would you like to improve on from your set-up
Something that feels good in the ear (can listen to music for hours without my ears or head hurting is a must), has a mic/button(preferred) . Something similar or better than the ones I used before. Crisp rich sound with moderate or medium high bass

I was thinking

Klipsch X4i,MEE Audio M6 PRO,Zero Audio,Etymotic Research MC5





Thank you.

Hi and welcome to /r/headphones!

Glad to see that you want to make the step towards trying something new, although hopefully you don't fall into the rabbit hole like many of us have in this hobby :-)

The IE2 is an okay IEM from my memory, definitely not worth the retail price ($100~ i believe?) but ok at $49 in terms of sound. For your budget, the RHA MA750 is a very solid pair, especially if you're looking for a deeper audio profile. RHA's customer service team is very good and their 3 year warranty is quite sound; along with their actual sound too!

>if better options will cost me double the price of the replacement, but not double the quality.

How about something that's less the price of the replacement, but with better quality? The RHA S500 is a fantastic relatively new IEM that's extremely good value right now. It boasts a clear and detailed sound and a small form factor, in contrast to its larger sibling the MA750 (which has a warmer and more bassy sound).

The Meelec M6 PRO is also a great IEM at a low price. Detachable cables means that "replacing" them when they break is a lot cheaper and more simple, as the cable is the most common breakpoint in IEMs.

Hope that helps!

Please wait two weeks for the GPU conference news to come out. I struggled to get over $5k, any more and it is a real waste of money. Tech changes way too fast to make spending anymore worth it. Strongly suggest you wait till AMD's Polaris and Nvidia's Pascal get announced and benchmarks posted. We are all setup for the biggest leap in GPU performance from a generation in years[5+/-].

• CPU: 6 core Intel 5820k plenty of processing power that isn't outrageously priced like the 5960X
  
• CPU Cooler: Triple radiator
  
• RAM: 32GB(4x8GB) DDR4 3200MHz RAM
  
• Motherboard: Any X99 board is premium, with all ATX sizes I have seen supporting at least 3-way SLI.
  
• SSD boot drive: Samsung 950 Pro 512GB m.2 SSD is one of the fastest you can possibly get right now.
  
• HDD RAID: 4x 6TB HDDs in a RAID10 will give you 12TB of redundant storage that is also fast.
  
• Case: My favorite ATX case the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
  
• PSU: 1300W PSU over powered for the build.
  
• Monitor: 34" curved ultrawide 75hz G-Sync monitor.
  
• Keyboard:Corsair K70 might as well, one of the best if you like RGB mechanicals
  
• Mouse: Corsair Scimitar, great and will match the keyboard
  
• Mouse pad: Glorious Extended Gaming Mouse​ Mat XXL, I'm not making that up. That's the name of the product. Can fit the keyboard and mouse.
  
• Headphones: I own the G930 wireless headset and really like them. My wife regularly sneaks up on me while wearing them. If you really need active noise cancelling then look at these Bose Quiet Comfort Acoustic 25. Don't get wireless active noise cancelling headphones. Expect them to be way overpriced and will most likely use BlueTooth that will have latency issues or poor reception in population dense areas. Threw in a 2.1 speaker system too.
  
• Mic: Yeti USB mic is one of the best at a still reasonable price.
  

• UPS that protects against brownouts, blackouts, and surges. As rated should last 5min, enough to turn off the computer while playing a game.
  

  
  

  Just thought of this. You might as well buy a VR headset too. Either HTC Vive that is embedded with Steam or Oculus Rift that is embedded with Facebook. ($600-800)
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor | $351.98 @ Newegg
  CPU Cooler | Thermaltake Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360 40.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $174.99 @ Amazon
  Motherboard | MSI X99A SLI PLUS ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard | $222.98 @ Newegg
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $169.99 @ Newegg
  Storage | Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $322.57 @ Newegg
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ NCIX US
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ NCIX US
  Case | Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Mid Tower Case | $179.99 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $192.98 @ Mac Mall
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $86.86 @ Amazon
  Wireless Network Adapter | Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $36.00 @ B&H
  Case Fan | Phanteks PH-F140SP_BK 82.1 CFM 140mm Fan | $16.99 @ Newegg
  Monitor | Acer Predator XR341CK 75Hz 34.0" Monitor | $997.98 @ Directron
  Keyboard | Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $169.99 @ B&H
  Mouse | Corsair Scimitar RGB Wired Optical Mouse | $79.99 @ Amazon
  Headphones | Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset | $86.69 @ Amazon
  Speakers | Logitech Z323 30W 2.1ch Speakers | $53.99 @ Mac Mall
  UPS | Tripp Lite OMNIVS1500XL UPS | $198.53 @ Amazon
  Other| Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone - Blackout Edition| $119.99
  Other| Glorious Extended Gaming Mouse Mat / Pad - XXL Large (36"x11"x0.12")| $23.99
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $5586.42
  | Mail-in rebates | -$50.00
  | Total | $5536.42
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-27 22:24 EDT-0400 |

Alright, incoming rant.

Let's start off with the difference of 5.1 vs 7.1, shall we? The logitec set is only $10 more expensive and it's full 7.1 not just 5.1, surely it's got superior sound quality! Well, no. No it does not. Why? It's a pair of headphones, and this particular pair is powered by two drivers. Now this raises the question, what the hell is a driver?!? Put simply, a driver is the speaker cone, it makes the sound. Technically, it's a piece of <material> ringed with <metal> with a small disk in the middle, with a high powered magnet behind it, that's where the power consumption is from. The magnet receives anywhere from 44.1 thousand to 192 thousand on/off signals per second, depending on your sound card's settings and capabilities.

But back to that 5.1/7.1 thing. The logicec set decodes the audio in 7.1, which means if you play back something in 7.1 out of the computer, it will not be converted to your setup at that stage. The feature of 5.1 or 7.1 is strictly a *marketing gimmic. Any headphones made by almost any company other than sennheiser, audio technica, shure, head-direct, or <other makers of fine small driver gear> will be only meh sounding, and importantly, only powered by 2 drivers.

So, what exactly does 5.1 vs 7.1 mean in this case? Well, it means jack shit. At the driver level, both of them convert to 2.0, meaning two channels, left and right. Typical 7.1 would be front center, front left, front right, rear right, rear left, right, left, bass (bass being the 0.1). 5.1 is the same without the dedicated left and right outputs. The problem here? I just told you these headphones only have two outputs, and will only ultimately read to left and right. Sure, logitec vied for the chip that costs an extra $2 so they can write 7.1, but that means nothing here.

Understand that the 7.1 vs 5.1 is meaningless now? Good.

-----

Thermaltake has stuck to the more technically relevant specs in their listing, terms like "diffuse-field equalized " and nominal ohms mean nothing to the end user, and again, with only two drivers will make no difference at the end of the day.

What you should take form this is that both sets have the same reproduction range (high to low / vice versa) and have the same impedance (sound dampening/time treating, nothing to be worried about, 32ohms is normal.) Your Ohm count only needs to be raised when doing mega-scale amplifying, because high frequency sound moves faster than low frequency sound and you might get audible "tearing" without adjusting it on the ultra-loud end. Again, nothing to worry about, this doesn't matter here.

----

So, blah blah blah rant rant rant, what do I recommend? Well, I recommend getting a good pair of headphones, and a cheap mic. This is the internet and your voice is being transmitted at anywhere from 16 to 84 kilobits per second (your music is probably being played at 128 or 320kbps), in short, studio mics won't have studio level performance for this.

So, recommendations.

Do you want in-ear headphones (some are called earbuds, what I will recommend here are IEMs, in-ear monitors [a monitor is an expensive driver/speaker cone])? Or do you want over-ear headphones? Over-ear phones typically have better quality, but can be uncomfortable. Likewise, in-ear phones will be more convenient, but probably sound a bit worse and have a bit less bang for your buck, while possibly being less comfortable.

IEMs:

1 - Absolute sonic clarity, across the board even and neutral reproduction: HeadDirect RE0's + Zalman mic - total: $95.09 - These babies sound much more like the dramatically more expensive IE8s than otehr ~$100 headphones, top notch recommendation. The average listener would probably miss bass, however.

2 High bass - Bose IE2 + Zalman mic - Total: $111.05 - This is your best bet if you want the best sounding headphones at face value, the drivers in these are pretty damn bass heavy and will sound amazing to the common man, an audiophile would want something with more neutrality and better across-the-board sound quality. Additionally, the stayhear tips are surprisingly effective, if you wanted to take them out with you. Jogging, riding a bus, in a car, they won't fall out.

-

Over-Ear's

1 -best quality Sennheiser HD555's + Zalman mic - Total: $116.07 - worth every penny.

Gotcha.

I'll give you three different options.

The first would be the Roland Cube 80. Sweetwater has these on sale right now for $220 (I know, I know) -- but this is a legit amp. You can gig with one of those. In This video Captain Lee has 250 pounds (~$325USD after factoring in tax) and goes with the cube 80 to keep up with Rob's all-tube Fender Bassbreaker 15. his tone is pretty fantastic as well.

Option 2: Yamaha THR5. These are killer amps for the price. not as loud as the roland, but maybe a bit more versatile. It can even run on batteries, so you can just grab it and play anywhere.

Option 3: headphones. Your Zoom has some pretty damn decent models in it. Unless you're going to go play gigs or with others (which I'd recommend doing as soon as you think you might be ready), You'll do best to just plug your guitar into the zoom, run a good set of headphones to it, and jam away.
Couple of options here. if you're not sure you want to commit to this route, These Superlux headphones are a phenomenal buy anyway. They're the same ones that come with most of the $2-300 "home studio" bundles, so you can easily use them for recording down the road if you change your mind and go with an amp. But they're nice, loud, clear, and comfortable. If you want to spend a bit more, You literally can't go wrong with the Grado SR80e

Note that both of these headphones are also great for listening to music through your phone/computer/whatever as well.

Hey guys! As a first-time buyer, I'd greatly appreciate any advice.

Budget + Source - $200 or so, more or less | iPhone 6s, PS4, Macbook Pro.

Requirements for Isolation - Not really any.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Comfort is king!

Past headphones - On-Ear Sol Republic Tracks HD are the only pair of recognizable headphones I've owned. I have no issues with the top part of the band, but my ears start hurting after about an hour or less, which makes them basically only good for the gym at this point.

Preferred Music + Tonal Balance - Pop, hip-hop, rock, and classical music are my favorites. I love bass, but love listening to classical as well.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up? - Anything that sounds better than my Sol Republics and is miles ahead in terms of comfort. Beyond using them for music, it would be great if they could be used when gaming on a PS4.

I've been considering the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xWH, the Sennheiser HD 598, the AKG Pro Audio K612PRO, the AKG Q 701 Quincy Jones Signature, the V-MODA Crossfade M-100, the Beyerdynamic DT line, and finally the Beyerdynamic 709093 Custom One Pro Plus which I was almost dead-set on buying, but figured I'd post here first. Thank you for taking the time to read this, any help (or suggestions) would be greatly appreciated!

I'm kind of new to the world of quality headphones, but I have always appreciated the art. The most I have had are a random pair of cheap headphones from my local store, and the crappy apple earpods. So its time for a change. I've spent quite a few weeks learning and researching about headphones in general, I have visited the /r/headphones' Purchase Assistant which was not only very helpful but also helped me understand what I want. After it all, I have narrowed down the selection to a handful of potential headphones which I think are suitable for my specific needs. I have included my list below, after some useful information for you guys to understand me better..about my headphone needs:

• Budget - £100 - £400. I can push it up couple of quids if needed. But ideally, something that is best value for money. Currency: Pound Sterling.
  
  
• Source - Going to be plugging the headphones into my PC. As far as I know, there's nothing special about my motherboard (MSI Gaming 5) so I wouldn't be too fussed if the headphones require a DAC and AMP, as long as headphones + dac/amp doesn't go too much above my budget.
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - As much as I like the idea of complete isolation, I cannot afford to do so. Since I will only be using these at home, there are times when I will need to respond to phone calls, door bells, conversations, people chatting shit about me, etc. so I can't completely isolate myself. Sound leak is fine - I have my own room. Long story short: Open back headphones are be ideal.
  
  
• Will I use these Headphones in Public? Nope. Home set up only.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Over-ear/Full sized (that's what she said)
  
  
• Preferred Use of Headphone - The main aim for these headphones will be gaming > movies > music in that order. Games: Single players as well as competitive multiplayers. Solely based on what I have read, when it comes to gaming, headphones with a large soundstage would be ideal as long as there is localization/imaging present to accurately portray where the sound is coming from. This is best achieved by open back headphones. However, one particular thread on tomshardware made me doubt what I understood. TL;DR of that post: open back headphones with big soundstage create too much echo, effectively making the localization much worse because you don't know where the sound is coming from - especially in an already echoey environment of a game. They recommended closed-back. This is probably where I will need input the most, from guys who have tested both types of headphones for this specific use. When it comes to music, yes I will definitely be using them for music but not as much? Music type is usually theme songs of games and movies, classical, vocal, and random stuff people suggest on internet.
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance - As mentioned above, since its mostly games with not as much music, and even in music, its pretty random I think it would be best if the signature is balanced, neutral, flat? The word flat makes it sound boring..
  
  
• Past headphones - Crappy cheap earphones not worth mentioning.
  
  
  
  So that's basically what I have deduced for myself, at least what I think I want. Based on the above, below is a list of headphones I think fits my needs. However, a few are included in the list simply because of their songs of praise all over the internet.
  
  
• AKG K702 Reference Open-Back Over-Ear Studio Headphones
  
  
• Audio-Technica Professional Open-Back Reference Headphone - Black
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium Edition HiFi Headphone - Fully Open Backed Construction
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones - Black Limited Edition
  
  
• HIFIMAN HE-400i Full-Size Planar Magnetic Headphone
  
  
• HIFIMAN HE400S Over Ear Full-Size Planar Magnetic Headphone
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 650 Audiophile Open-Back Dynamic Headphones

An overview of all submitted deals will be collected in this sticky comment. If you find that one of the deal has run out please let me know. Off-topic top level comments asking what to buy will be removed, deals that are missing some of the info will not make it to the list. I have changed the the suggested sorting to "new".

Official Manufacturer Sales

CIEMS

• 64Audio: 20% discount on selected custom In Ear Monitor models with code "BF2017"
  
• Alclair: 20% discount on (C)IEMs with the discount code "BLACKISBACK17"
  
• Cleartune: 20% discount on universal & custom In-Ears
  
• Empire Ears: 20% discount on all custom and universal IEMs
  
• InEarz: 25% discount on Custom In Ear Monitors with code "BF2017"
  
• Noble: 15% off all Custom IEMs
  
  Headphones
  
  
• hifiman: He400i for $219 and several other options
  
• beyerdynamic (GER/AU/CHE only): DT880/990 Manufaktur for the price of regular models 199EUR and several other options
  
• Status-Audio: 30% discount on the CB-1 with code "PREBLACKFRIDAY", Amazon.com deal with similar price
  
• V-Moda: Crossfade Wireless for $180
  
• Monoprice: Monolith M560 for $150 and Monolith M1060 for $250
  
• Audeze: Selling off B-Stock, all deals are 2nd hand factory refurbished units
  
• 1MORE: 30% discount on all models with code "HEARMORE30"
  
  Amplifiers and other peripherals
  
  
• FiiO: Special deals on selected DAPs and portable Amps
  
• Violectric / Lake People: 12% discount now 25% on headphone amplifiers with code "BLACK-25"
  
• Plussound: 20% discount BT cables on Massdrop and on everything from their store
  
• Bottlehead: Everything but parts, gift certificates and repair service will be on sale at 15% off on Friday, November 24th. Forum Announcment
  
• JDS LABS: Discounts on the entire line up of DACs and amps.
  
• WOO Audio: 10% Discount on all Audio Electronics and free shipping within CONUS
  
• Mayflower Electronics: 10-25% discount on all items
  
  

  Audio Stores
  

  
  

• Romania: AV Store 10-30% off of headphones, speakers and amps
  
• USA: Musictek 10%+ discount on various Shanling DAPs and high-end universal IEMs
  
• China:Shenzen Audio Black Friday 2017 tons of deals...FLC-8S for $269 and much more
  
• China: Taobao: Boeing 747 for $24000000 (only one left) self pick-up only.
  
• USA ALO audio: B-Stock sales of Campfire Audio universal models
  
• USA MusicDirect: Audioquest Nighthawk for $300
  
• Singapore: NullAudio has discount on cables and AAW universal IEMs.
  
• Canada: Hivemind Cables ZMF Atticus for $899(USD) and deals on all ear-pads and cables
  
• Ireland: Hifi Hut: Open Box Hifiman HE400S / He400i and He560 -50%
  
• Sweden: Inet has the Plantronics Backbeat Pro for 899kr
  
• China: Penon Audio tons of deals
  
  

  Online / Retailer
  

  
  USA
  
  

• Amazon: Brainwavz HM5 ear pads in various colors for $13
  
• BestBuy: Jaybird Freedom F5 for $50
  
• Various: Sennheiser HD4.40 for $99 at Amazon and for $99 at BestBuy
  
• NewEgg: beyerdynamic DT990 Limited Edition for $125
  
• BestBuy: Audio Technica DSR7BT for $130
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH MSR7 for $149
  
• ebay (buydig): beyerdynamic DT990 (600 Ohm) Chrome Edition for $140
  
• buydig: beyerdynamic DT880 (600 Ohm) Chrome Edition for $150
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD1 (different versions) for ~$250
  
• Various: Sennheiser PXC550 for $300 at BestBuy, B&H Photo, Amazon
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for $228 and WH1000XM2 for $298
  
• Adorama: Shure SE535 Clear for $299 and Shure SE535 Red for $349
  
• Amazon: beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro for $499
  
• Adorama: Audeze LCD2 variants for $650
  
• Amazon: NAD Viso HP50 for $170
  
• Amazon: Beyerdynamic A20 for $299
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR-1A for $198
  
  CA
  
  
• NewEgg: Philips SHP9500S for $60
  
• BestBuy: Sennheiser HD4.40 for $100 see page 41 for all headphone deals
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR100AAP (black) for $126
  
• Amazon: NAD Viso HP50 (white/red) for $198
  
• NewEgg: Hifiman He400i for $282
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for $330
  
  GB
  
  
• Amazon Status Audio CB-1 for £42
  
• Amazon: Meze99 Classics (Maple) for £199
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for £250 now down to £190
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser PXC550 for £290
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH M50X (gunmetal grey) for £99
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD579 for £70
  
  GER
  
  
• Amazon: Bose QC25 for 170€
  
• Amazon: Anker Sound-Buds (BL) for 15€
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH M50X (gun metal) for 119€
  
• Amazon: Sony WH1000xm2 PREORDER for 299€ item will ship on Jan. 18th, 2018
  
• MediaMarkt: Sony WH1000XM2 for 299€
  
  ES
  
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD1 (Momentum 2) for 155€
  

You can have a killer setup for under $500.

Mic: Audio Technica AT2005 - A great mic that a lot of let's players use (draax, zueljin, kingdaddydmac, etc.). It also accepts xlr or usb inputs (more on that at the end). I use the atr2100, which is the same mic, just different color and warranty. The at2005 is cheaper by about $25 right now, so buying today, that's the one I'd get. It's a dynamic mic, so it blocks out sound that's not in front of it. Much better for noisy environments. Condenser mics like the blue yeti will pick up a lot more background noise. Other mics I've used are the V-Moda Boompro, which works with most headphones that have detachable cables (in my case the M100s) and sounds good, but changing the cable for when I didn't want to use the mic became old pretty fast. You can leave it attached, but then the boom mic is there all the time. I've also used the antlion modmic 4.0 and can't recommend it. It has white noise unless you use a usb soundcard, the cable is stiff and it's kind of expensive compared to full fledged mics. $56

Stand: Pyle PMKSH01 Suspension Boom Scissor Microphone Stand - A decent cheap stand. Nothing special, but it comes with an integrated xlr cable. I use this one, but may upgrade to the Rode PSA1 ($100) later on. The shock mount will not fit the at2005 however. $21

Shock Mount: On-Stage MY420 - A great shock mount that fits the at2005/atr2100. Shock mounts reduce noises from bumping your desk or tapping on your keyboard; things that may reverberate to your mic. It might not even be necessary if you're not a heavy handed gamer or if your desk is made of a thick, dense material. $25

Wind Filter: On-Stage Foam Ball Windscreen - Reduces wind/breathing noises as well as minimizing plosives. Not a complete necessity, but extremely cheap and it does help, so why not? $3

Cable management: Velcro One-Wrap Cable Wraps - I use these for keeping the usb cable for the mic attached to the stand. Extremely useful and cheap. $6

Headphones: Very subjective to user preference. I prefer closed vs open for noise isolation. Here's what I've used:

Audio Technica ATH M50: Good (not great) headphones for ~$100. Considered the standard by many, but to me they're just good. $155

V-Moda M100: Excellent sound with very potent bass. They make the M50s sound muddy in comparison. HOWEVER, the M100s have a design flaw where the "wings" (the parts above where you adjust the headphones) will crack over time. It happened to two pairs of my M100s. Unacceptable for the price of these headphones, regardless of how good they sound. $222

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm: Amazing. Potent bass like the M100s, but even a bit clearer. Very wide soundstage for closed headphones. I paid $219 for mine and don't regret it a single bit. I might grab another pair at the price they're currently at. $150

All that adds up to around $261 + tax choosing the DT770s, and will be a killer setup for gaming. Far better than any "gaming" headset, and it even opens the option of streaming or let's play videos (the reason I got my setup). There is one more thing I'd add though, given the budget if you're serious about mic quality, and that's the $99 Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. It's a usb audio interface that accepts xlr mics. It gives you a bit more control over the audio coming out of your mic and cleans up the signal so you get less "noise" from the usb interface. Quality is good without it, but with it, it's noticeably better.

Hope this helps some! I spent quite a while researching things when I put my own setup together. :)

hey guys, hoping to get some quick help on buying. Coming from an iPhone and the standard apple earbuds, I'm now using a Google Pixel and need a pair of decent, cheap-ish earbuds. I have a pair of OE Bose for more stationary listening so just looking for something small, portable, and decent to good quality. Went through the stickies on sound signature & usage, etc, so for reference:

• looking for IEMs (no over-ear or on-ear)
  
• using them primarily for my commute to/from work (~30m to and from + some street/walking time) and for short to medium drives
  
• need a mic for phone calls
  
• would love for them to be bluetooth but not required
  
• neutral sound sig - I listen to a range of music, podcasts, and calls on my phone so they need to be able to handle all 3 fairly well
  
• somewhat noise-canceling
  
• not really picky on over-the-ear vs straight down fit; whatever provides more value
  
• In Toronto, so you know... cold winters if it matters
  
• ~$50 budget
  
  I'd like to keep the price within $50 but I'm willing to spend a bit more if the value is that much better. Based on articles I've read and comments from others the Mpow Swift,MEE audio M6 PRO, ADV M4, and Brainwawz Deltas all seem like recommended, decent buys.
  
  Are the ones i've linked to fairly well received here? Are there any other recos anyone can give?
  
  Really appreciate any help. Cheers

Sony XB950BT. I'm sure some audiophile will come along and recommend something better where you can actually hear the musician's hair growing for only four times the price, but these are only a little over $100 and sound pretty great to me. I don't know what technical terms to use to describe the audio quality. Good range? I like the bass, and there's a Bass Boost button if the standard bass isn't cutting it. 20 hours of battery, an aux-in port so you can plug them directly into a stereo jack, NFC pairing... Highly recommended. They do a good job of passive noise reduction as well.

Maybe all BT headphones in that price range are just as good, and maybe I'm just biased because this is the pair I ended up with. I tried out a few at Best Buy and liked these best (except for the Bose, but those weren't in my budget). Sony has never let me down.

edit: /r/hailcorporate

I see. Personally, I picked up these during Black Friday for use at the gym. Though, they were on sale for $99.99 when I got them.

They're pretty nice since they're Bluetooth and don't have to worry about cables. They're also really comfortable. They are a bit big, but no one really stares at other people at the gym anyway. If you like exaggerated bass, these are pretty nice, though you can turn off the exaggerated bass as well. I like them a lot, but I mostly listen to EDM with the exaggerated bass on.

I've tried listening to other genres of music with it with the exaggerated bass turned off and while the sound quality I feel is still pretty good, it is still a bit of a letdown compared to how great these sound when you listen to EDM.

I actually bought them at my local Best Buy. They had a demo of these headphones up so if there's a Best Buy near you, it may be worth checking out.

The Beats are fine if you're listening to music that's already bass-heavy and you don't mind headphones that color your sound a bit (honestly, most people can't notice). They're a bit pricey but they get the job done and in my opinion don't sound bad at all. I'd stay away from Bose, overpriced and the sound is mediocre at best.

If you are looking for a truer representation of what was recorded I'd look into something like the Shure SRH-440 I've had them for awhile and for the money they're the best headphones I've ever used. As someone else said take a look at Sennheiser and Etymotic as well (Etymotic's in-ear headphones are amazing as well).

Hope I could help and good luck!

These are often recommended on /r/audiophile for good, low-cost headphones. It doesn't have a mic built in, but I use the Zalman one that clips onto your cord, and it's pretty decent quality for the price. I hang out in a Mumble server with some friends, and none of them complain about the quality.

The headphones are amazing though. I listen to a lot of music and play a lot of games, and everything sounds great through them. They're also super comfortable, I can wear them for hours without my ears hurting. They're also very sturdy and well-built. All-around a great pair of headphones.

Budget - Looking between 200-300 USD but its not a hard number. If there is a set thats beyond next level for 350 I would spend the extra

Source - Mostly a desktop setup. Going to be using a DAC/amp, modi magni combo

Requirements for Isolation - Dont really want any noise leakage so it is most likely going to have to be closed back. Dont have to be noise cancelling but dont really want any ambient noise coming in or bleeding out

Preferred Type of Headphone - I have a massive melon so I feel its going to have to be a large set of over ear.

Preferred tonal balance - A nice overall balanced sound would be nice. Some slightly pronounced bass but nothing too punchy.

Past headphones - Havent really owned a sweet set of cans. I have a pair of AKG K181 for DJing but nothing serious

Preferred Music - Little bit of everything. Dont need absurd bass but I do want to have some clear mids and highs. Something universal for all

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Its just a gaming headset now, so anything really is an improvement. Switching to a mic setup that I want to pair with a great sounding headset to hear things like I have never heard them before


Location - I do live in Canada but most products will be purchasable here. Getting most items isnt a problem.

A couple sets I have been looking at are:

Focal Listen

Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK

V-Moda Crossfade M-100

I would like to hear input about what the more seasoned audiophiles think of my choices or other suggestions I havent considered. All input is appreciated :)

I need a pair of IEMs for use outside of the house.

Budget: ~120 CAD. That's 92 USD. Budget is somewhat flexible.

Source: iPod Touch 5th Generation, Nexus 5, occasionally my computer.

Requirements for Isolations: Lots.

Public Usage?: They will be used almost exclusively in public.

Type of Headphone: IEM

Tonal Balance: Neutral

Past Headphones: Sennheiser CX 2.00, Sennehiser HD360, Sennhsier HD449, Sennheiser HD558 (The headphones I use at home currently)

Preferred Music: I listen to basically everything, from classical to punk rock, with the exception of pop country.

Location: Canada

I've been looking at the Massdrop for the HiFiMAN Re-00 and from what I can tell that's my first choice as of right now. I'm slightly nervous about the build quality, although considering that they improved the cable and they come with a case I think they're probably find (although please correct me if i'm wrong).

I'm curious about the Sennheiser Momentum In Ear, but don't know much about them so if anyone could tell me their tonal balance and whether you think they're any good or not that would be great.

I'm also curious about the Zero Audio ZH-DX200-CT. There was a thread talking about how great they are , but similar to the momentum's know nothing about them. So if anyone could tell me their tonal balance as well as any information about them that would be great!

If there are any IEM's that I've missed and you would recommend I'd love to know, but if not I just would like to know which of the three above you would recommend the most.

Also just in case I go with the RE-00 which cheap temporary pair of IEMs should I get until they're delivered. The JVC HAFX40B High Quality In-Ear Headphones or the Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ear Earbud Headphones RP-HJE120-K ?

save a bit more and get a pair of M50 Audio Technica. I'm not a huge AT fan, but those are really good. If you don't mind "open" headphones - Grado SR60i is the headphone to beat in that price range. Grados are awesome but they are "open" and others can hear your headphones...

save EVEN more and check into some Sennheiser 25 1 II -- the number 1 DJ headphone on the planet, and fully replaceable everything.

Save more than that and you are in a whole new price point where there are tons of choices. after senn 25 1 II I really like what I have at work - Vmoda M100. Serious bass, and they sound incredible.


Headphones are a tricky one because, it can get CRAZY expensive very quickly. There are headphones in the 1000s of dollars...so it comes to "what do you want to spend"

you can often find good buys on those 25 1 II -- and those are very good. The M50 - also excellent. Weirdly enough the unit that is a step up from the 25 1 II, the Amperior - the older model (the blue caps) is selling for less than the 25 1 II. if you see the amperior cheaper, and you want the 25 1 II, get the amperior.

I would say this: if you have the money for the Marshalls, wait a bit longer and save more to get a much better pair.

here's some links:

Grado SR60i

http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-Series-SR-60i-Headphones/dp/B0006DPMU4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205203&sr=8-3&keywords=Grado+sr

Audio Technica - M50

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205266&sr=8-2&keywords=audio+technica+m50

Sennheiser 25 1 II

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD25-1-II-Closed-Back-Headphones/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205301&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+25

Sennheiser Amperior (the higher model of the 25 1 II)

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Amperior-Blue-Headphones/dp/B0070U6N6I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205355&sr=8-4&keywords=sennheiser+25

Vmoda M80

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-On-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B005HSDLCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205401&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+m80

Vmoda M100

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00A39PPCG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205438&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+m100

Couple choices you need to make. Do you care about isolation? Are you gonna be listening to grindcore on them during class? If so you want closed backs.

If you don't care about isolation, open or semi open backs may be preferable, as they will generally give you a better soundstage. The reasons for that and the exceptions are manifold, but it's a pretty good general statement.

You say you want over-ear? I have these and these and I recommend both. The second link, make sure you select the style (under the price) to be 250 Ohm Pro. Just an older model that didn't get the refresh the others did. nbd. Still awesome cans.

How much money do you WANT to spend on headphones? I mean, you said you could spend up to $250, but wouldn't you rather spend $30 on headphones and $220 on something else like more music or concert tickets? If you spend $250 on cans, you're gonna hold them to a standard that will result in wanting to spend even more to see how much better they are. In /r/headphones there are no survivors, only junkies with good really advice. (Mine: Don't get hard into the headphone hobby. Buy a pair that is really good and love them and use them a ton, but for fucks sake stop there.)

Or don't. Whatever. Your money.

I'm pretty sure that the headphones look pretty much the same aside from serial number. The greatest difference I've seen on the knockoffs is poor printing on the box that the headphones came in.

And you know what? You can do whatever you want, but since you came here, I'm gonna tell you anyways. You're wasting your time looking for Beats. I'm not sure about the details of this trade, but those things are ridiculously overpriced (as you may have figured out), and the knockoffs are probably better in price/performance than a real pair.

It's not totally unheard of for something to look and sound good, you know. The Sennheiser Momentum comes to mind. All sorts of people have different tastes, too. My sister said she liked to look of Grados. These things. If I can get a teenage girl to like Grados, I'm sure there's something more worthwhile than Beats that your daughter will find attractive and love all the same. She won't care about what her friends have when she's listening to music in better quality than they could possibly imagine :) (hopefully)

I hate sounds so here’s what I devised:

Musicians Ear plugs:

Pros: easy to hide, cut sounds well
Cons: uncomfortable for long periods of time, easy to lose.

Low profile ear muffs:

Pros: best thing for cutting all sounds, impossible to loose or break
Cons: not super comfortable with glasses, very obvious.

Sound cancelling headphones;

Pros; you can hear conversations super well but it blocks out the back ground sound, you can also play music to cut out all sound, socially acceptable, the most comfortable solution.
Cons: very expensive for good ones, they use batteries, they are fragile, they don’t cut out as much sound as ear muffs

I own all three of these. I wear sound cancelling her phones all day and at social events such as a diner or party since I can easily have conversations with them, I used ear plugs at fancy events or places that I don’t want people to look at me or ask me why I’m wearing ear protections (ear plugs are also tiny and great to bring as an emergency back up) and I wear ear muffs in class. I will link the best of all of these:

Sound cancelling I used, they are good but use aaa batteries instead of recharging them with USB: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1NEUKK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IbIHDb74TF6XZ

Sound cancelling of the latest and best technology (almost double the price but they are worth it if you have the cash): Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756CYWWD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7cIHDbGR2SXTV

Low profile ear muffs of high quality (they are on sale
Right now too!): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VWJL9LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xeIHDb94GJN4V

Any “musicians ear plugs” will work but apparently these are the best ones: www.amazon.com/dp/B018WPOQSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YfIHDbZ20X0Q4

I am in the market for a new pair of over-ear BlueTooth headphones after my last pair (a Sony MDRXB950BT/B ) had a hinge break recently.

Budget - $250ish (flexible)

Source - iPhone X (BlueTooth)

Isolation - No requirement for noise cancelling. Needs to keep noise in though.

Usage - At work (quiet office), traveling (plane)

Type - Full Size Wireless (over-ear)

Tonal Balance - Balanced is good, but a little extra bass is better.

Past Headphones - Sony MDRXB950BT/B (see above) - I really liked these headphones as far as comfort and performance goes, but they barely lasted 2 years of gentle use before breaking (never dropped, always stored in a hard-shell carrying case).

Music Preference - A wide range from EDM (Louis the Child, CMC$, San Holo) to Alt/Rock (Thrice, Brand New, QotSA) to Rap (Drake, J Cole, Curren$y) to Jazz (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald).

Improvements / Objectives - See above re: Sonys. I would like something a little higher quality for my next setup, otherwise I am tempted to get an exact replacement a couple model years newer.

Current Research (feedback appreciated) - I am a big fan of the styling and reported durability of B&O Play H7's ($280), and like I mentioned before I liked my Sonys well enough to consider the Sony XB950B1. Bose QC 35ii's are a little out of my price range (and not that aesthetically pleasing imho). But I'm sure there are a bunch of other options out there that I haven't considered yet too!

Any recommendations, experience, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Yep - bought them!

I was after a pair for gaming primarily - though I've concluded I'll use the wire when gaming (they come with a wire so you have the option) - there's a tiny moment of lag with bluetooth, no matter how premium the cans. When you play an album, lag behind your iPod doesn't matter as the song just plays. But gaming - yeah that tiny mismatch between pulling the trigger and hearing the shot is off-putting.

The 4.40s feel great to wear - wide soft pads that are snug without squeezing your ears (hate that!) parts all have that premium 'soft-coat' feel. And the sound quality is really good. Deep bass, with an isolated intimate space - if you want a wide-stage feel, these aren't for you.

I tried on every display set in the store and the others on my short list were: Beats EP's - (though NOT wireless) everyone likes to rag on Beats but these had a great build quality and sound. Also the Jabra Moves Those are two options Id recommend if you want to spend a bit less but the discount price from $249 to $187 was a factor!

only 'phones I thought were a lot better were the Bose QuietComforts - those sounded great and were really soft to wear, but pricey! The 4.40s were 90% as good for a third the price.

Im not that good at selling - particularly headphones as they are hugely subjective. I just went with what felt good, sounded good and was a good price! Check the reviews on Amazon for more detailed feedback!

"Preferred Tonal Balance" is simply how do you like your music, example: "I listen to Rap so I want as much bass as possible!". With your taste it would be safe to say you want a bit more bass.

Personally I wouldn't recommend buying something from Bose unless you really wanted good noise-cancellation (tip: you don't). They are a bit pricey for what you get.
At that price range you might want to check out headphones from Audio Technica, specifically the M50's or the M40X's. Now I like the M50's because they have nice slightly punchy bass but it doesn't overpower the rest of the song. Sounds pretty good with Glitch-Hop and other electronic music in general IMO. I've had them for 3 years now and is a solid common go-to with their sweet price tag.

The list goes on and on since around $100 is where you start getting good headphones but i'll throw in another two headphones for you to consider: Shure's SRH440. For more bass, check out the V-MODA Crossfade LP. They're quite stylish, come in lots of colors and have a more bassy sound. V-MODA has a few other headphone line-ups you might like if you like their headphones.

Hope that helps, give us updates!

Hello, I know this isn't the usual format for a question in this thread but I recently received a pair of crossfade M-100s as a gift.

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00A39PPDK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was provided the receipt so if needed I can return these and I was just wondering for the price range would these be considered a good set of headphones? Noise cancelling is pretty important to me since I live in a very noisy house but I figured I would consult you guys to see if this would be considered a good investment in a headphone or not. If these headphones are generally considered a good build quality I will most likely decide to keep them, unless there are far better options available for the price range.

Budget would be around 300$, since that is how much these headphones were priced at.

Source - Samsung galaxy S3, soon to be S5, nintendo WIIU, and windows computer.

Requirements for isolation - Noise isolation is pretty important to me since I live in a noisy house.

Preferred type of headphone - Over ear

Preferred tonal balance - neutral/ balanced I suppose

Past headphones - Astro A50 gaming headsets which I still own and love, other than that nothing other than cheap 20 dollar IEM headphones.

Prefered Music - Mostly classic rock, I also enjoy classical music and listen to a lot of audio books.

Thanks for all the help!

Budget - Up to 300 dollars

Source - My Mac, Iphone and my ps4 for gaming

Requirements for Isolation - I will use them in school, public transport and places like that so isolation from outside and to outside is necessary for me

Preferred Type of Headphone - On ear or over ear are both fine as long as they aren't stupidly big to the point where it looks weird

Preferred tonal balance - I don't really know what I want in this area but I mostly listen to hiphop if that means anything

Past headphones - I have the Sennheiser Momentum in ear s right now and I absolutely love them

Preferred Music - Pretty much hiphop exclusively

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want something that'll

1- Block out sound from outside because my in ear pair obviously cant do that.

2- I will use it for gaming as well so I want a built in mic.

3- I also want them to look good, which is the reason why i dont wanna buy something like the Audio-Technica M50s even though it's really good (is what i heard)

These are the few that I looked at so far, if anyone owns these, I'd love your opinions or recommendations:

AKG n60 nc https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011N9FW4A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ALW50LDV7V0PP

Sennheiser Momentum (1.0 or 2.0, on ear or the regular)

Audio-Technica ATH-WS77 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FRPN4M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A22H61A0V729QB

Bose QuietComfort 25 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M1NEUKK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

AKG K545 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E89ASQK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=AKR88PAWTQVN2

Budget - max 250€
Source - Android Smartphone, Computer
Requirements for Isolation - Not necessary, but would be good to have.
Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes
Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear
Preferred tonal balance - Balanced with a good bass.
Past headphones - JVC HA-FX1X-E Xtreme Xplosives for Android, Logitech G430 for my Computer
Preferred Music - I listen to a lot of different things, this is my current playlist
What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Overall better sound quality.
Location: Germany

Would also be nice to be useable in the gym.

Other Information: I was in an electric store a few hours ago (german media markt) and I tryed a pair of headphones for a minute and had to go after that because my train was about to arrive. I had to pair them with my phone to test them and the linked device was the Bose AE2 SoundLink, they were really comfortable and sounded really nice to me. They were 329€ in the market tho and this is what I found on amazon, it doesnt say Ae2 tho, only around ear. I'm not sure if it is the one I tested. Maybe you guys know.
Something around the sound range of these would be very fitting for me.

Currently rocking some of these sennheisers and they're pretty sick. Only complaint is the cords is SO long. I catch it on fucking everything. Like when I bend over to tie my shoe or some shit the cord will catch on my knee when I stand back up. They sound great though. You can also get them in black/silver if you don't want that metallic red (I went with the black).

I used to have these Bose ones and dude, they are honestly the best headphones I ever had. Unfortunately mine got stolen and now that exact model isn't made anymore. The ones they sell now are the same headphones plus cellphone functionality and they're like $30 more or so.

I know people talk so much shit on Bose and how they're a rip off and I believe some of it (hence why I went with the often praised Sennheisers for my next pair), but honestly those Bose were the best 'phones I ever had. Maybe they just fit my ear perfectly but they had amazing bass, very clear sound, they were so comfy I would forget I had them on and that rubber wing looking design keeps them in your ears no matter fucking what. You think it will look stupid but that whole thing is invisible inside your ear so they look fine. You can run/jump/dance/anything with them in and they won't go anywhere. Very happy with my Senns but I will never not miss those Bose ones I had.

EDIT: I now understand you were looking for proper closed headphones, not in-ear. I prefer in-ear myself and if you ever want a good pair around the $100 range, check those 2 out^^

Budget - My budget is about $290 dollars

Source - A Samsung Galaxy S5, an Asus ROG laptop, and an Xbox One controller

Requirements for Isolation - I don't need a ton of isolation, although obviously some would be nice.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Probably not, maybe rarely

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full sized

Preferred tonal balance - I like the sound to be overall balanced with not too strong treble and a bass that is pronounced but not muddy or overbearing

Past headphones - I currently have a pair of Bose QC15, which are nice for the noise cancelling, but aren't exactly the most incredible sounding headphones in the world. I also have a pair of cheapo JVC earbuds which sound suprisingly nice given they were only $7

Preferred Music - I listen to lots of different kinds of music, but if I had to narrow it down it would be classic rock/rock/metal/etc

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want a pair of headphones that sound great (duh) and potentially be used with the mic I have. Right now I think I've narrowed it down between the V-MODA Crossfade M-100s along with the XL Memory Cushions
or the Blue Mo-fi headphones, which are on sale on this website for $270 dollars. The Crossfades seem like a better choice at the moment because I already own the mic, and I don't think the mic would work with the Blue headphones, but the built in headphone amplifier seems pretty nice too.

I love my MadDogs by Mr. Speakers

They are a mod of the Fostex T50RP, here's a good review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCIRlC_TSrQ

Some say they require an amp, I bought a small FiiO E12 which is small and portable, but it's not required to get them up to a good listening volume. I listen to everything from Rap/Hip-hop to EDM to Classical on these guys, had them 2 years. Might upgrade to the Alpha's soon.

If you want more of a lifestyle headphone, I'd go with something like the Sennheiser Momentum or the VMODA M100

People also rave about the Beyerdynamic DT 770, someone else will have to weigh in on those, I've never heard them. I hear they are on the bassier side, but not overwhelming. Not sure what Ohm option will suit you best, so do some research on that if you're interested in those cans.

Finally, if you want to go cheaper, bought these for my buddy last year to use as office cans, I'm pretty sure he just never takes them off. Very neutral sound, light, but durable, I love them but my ears stick out and touch the drivers which gets irritating after a while. Part of the reason I went with mad dogs is there's plenty of room for my Dumbo sized satellite dishes.

Good luck.

> this just means I need to turn up the resolution

yep. just set the resolution the the graphics options of whatever game

Hz = the highest fps your display can effectively display. you can run content at a higher or lower frame rate than the monitors Hz but without something like Gsync or Freesync you can see stutters or tears. you can lock your frame rate with vsync but that creates lag(unless you use Gsync too).

if your budget allows for the Gsync I would highly recommend it. IMHO its almost required to make the most out of your hardware
Of these id say Acer(Gsync)>>>>BenQ>Asus

your monitor is an older TN panel. Looks like a decent display, i would for sure hold on to that for a second monitor or something. Looks like you could easily overclock that monitor to 75Hz which is a noticeable difference.

The M50x are great. i personally like V-Moda I have These and These and the LPs are killer

Most games are not cpu bound, especially offline. games like cities skylines will use a lot of cpu because there are a lot of things going on. also online games can use a lot of cpu if there are lots of players online

Its only important if you plan on doing things like overclocking, SLI or Crossfire, etc. I spent a lot of money on my motherboard because it had features i wanted that others didn't. at the time it was the only board that had all the overclocking features and a M.2 slot that was tied to PCIE lanes instead of sata.

Build looks almost perfect. ram sales change every day so unless you are in love with the heat spreaders i would just grab the cheapest 16GB kit of DDR4 2133 or 2400 CAS 15. 2133 or 2400 wont make any difference so just grab whatever is cheapest

I'm not looking for something great, just a little better than my current headphones. I want something that's just as portable (at a pinch, these can be folded down to fit in most pockets) and has Bluetooth. As a student, I can't really afford anything over £80 ($120).

Budget - £80 ($120) but the cheaper the better to be honest.

Source - I want to be able to wirelessly connect to my phone (anything wired just breaks on me). I know that this limits the sound quality but I find wireless just so much more practical that it's worth it (to me at least).

Requirements for Isolation - I would like some isolation but to be honest, it's not a huge factor (at this budget, I can't afford to be any more fussy).

Preferred Type of Headphone - On ear and very portable, wireless headphones is what I'm looking for.

Past headphones - These are my previous headphones and whilst cheap, I was very pleased with them. I love how portable they are and how easy the Bluetooth functions make it to use. The only issues I have are the sound quality and when I'm talking on the phone (using the built in mic) it's reportedly really quiet.

Preferred Music - I like acoustic guitar based music mostly. Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Location - I'm from the UK.

Any left out information is probably something I'm not too fussy about but the main features I'm looking for are wireless capability, portability and sound quality (at least compared to my current headphones which aren't great).

Type: Wireless in-ear

Budget: around $100

Source: Nintendo switch (via bluetooth adapter), PC, phone

Requirements for Isolation: it would be nice but not critical

Will you be using these Headphones in Public: yes, public transportation and such.

Preferred tonal balance: balanced, a little bit of bass wouldn't hurt.

Past headphones: in-ear cheap skull candy wired did the job

I've been looking over a few options and i've stumbled upon these:

$37 SENSO Bluetooth Headphones - great reviews

$130 Jaybird X3 - recommended by a friend, quite pricey

$80 ADV Sound Model 3 - hardly any info online though

I'd love to hear your opinions and other recommendations :)

Thanks!

Using correct format:


Budget: £60, its a bit flexible


Source: Onboard PC Motherboard, iPhone, Nexus Tablet


Requirement for Isolation: Reasonably, most likely won't be used in too quiet of enviroment


Preferred Type of Headphone: Wireless with option to be wired, microphone


Preferred tonal balance: Balanced


Preferred Music: Leaning preference to dubstep/ electro but pretty much everything


Location: UK



Extra stuff:

I've never been a big Audiophile, I enjoy my music/ movies/ game sounds generally with these cheap speakers


and use these earphones more on the go but also to plug into the speakers if I'm playing games late




What I am looking into getting is a decent pair of headphones, good sound quality, microphone, wireless, ability to be plugged in (would that improve the sound?, also for non Bluetooth devices), the bluetooth is not a required feature but I haven't found wireless headphones with a microphone.

I'm looking at these headphones and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on these or has a better option?


Also I'd be running them off of onboard audio and a bluetooth dongle if I get a bluetooth one


I'm not looking to spend too much on them, maybe up to about £60. Any help would be appreciated!

If you value comfort and also have a DAC + amp setup, why not try for something from Beyerdynamic? I only suggest Beyerdynamic as I know they are extremely comfortable, and can very easily benefit from that DAC + amp whereas the Sennheiser HD598s won't necessary see any benefit.

Since you don't need to worry about bothering others, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro is an open design headphone. Here's a link - the 250 Ohm pro is $165, seems well within your budget.

I only suggest these headphones as they will easily benefit from your Magni + Modi stack, as well as being open design, give you a larger soundstage for more accurate gaming. The Sennheisers are an excellent choice as well, I just feel like you could probably do better for the money and with a source like that.

Well the higher the impedance the harder to drive the headphones, thats the basics of it. In DT990s case the 600ohm is the best sounding one, but not by much. The DT990 250ohm premium is almost as good. The DT990 32ohms is also pretty good. You will only be able to tell the differences when listening to all three of them at the same time. But i think the one you were considering must have been the Pro 250ohm model, which is quite a bit different compared to its premium counterparts. It is more uncomfortable, has a smaller soundstage with muddier bass. It is also the cheapest at 200$. If I were you I'd go with the Premium 250ohm or 32ohm models. They both cost around 300$ new and run around 200$-250$ used(on Amazon via Amazon warehouse). If you get the 32ohm model you CAN skip getting an amp, as it wont be necessary, it will certainly improve the sound but wont be necessary. With the 250ohm premium an amp becomes a necessity. If you're going with a brand new 250Ohm premium then just get that along with a AMP+DAC like the E17 or if you want to go cheaper get the E11(it is the same amp as the E17 but without a DAC). You can skip getting a E9 as it wont give as much benefits and would unnecessarily push you overbudget. This should cost you about 440$ if you buy from Amazon(New DT990 Premium 250ohm + Fiio E17 or E11, with the E11 you'll be in budget but will loose on getting a DAC. Or you can get a used DT990 Premium 250 ohm(check out the 4th listing that lists it as like new, if Amazon says it is like new it means it will impossible to differentiate it from a brand new one) with a E17 to stay within budget

Apologies for wall of text, and thank you so much to whoever helps me out!

Budget: <$300 (can hover around/slightly above $300)

Source: HTC One, Macbook. I have a FiiO model E06 amp I lost the charger to (can you point me to a charging cable that will work? The amp looks like this).

Isolation/Noise Canceling: I want to use these out and about, so noise isolation (not canceling) is a requirement.

Preferred Type of Headphone: Full Size, Over Ear (Closed), Reasonably Portable. For examples, I'm looking at the [Sennheiser Momentum]
(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Momentum-Headphone-Brown/dp/B009QV15DU) and VMODA M100. Anything like these.

Importance of aesthetics: Sound is paramount, but I don't want hideous cans on my head. As long as it looks reasonably cool I won't mind. Aim for this, or any of the above examples.


Owned headphones:

• ATH-M50: loved these but they broke a while back.
  
• JVC HA-RX700: nice, inexpensive over ear stereo headphones but are 1.) too bulky and cumbersome for listening outside the home 2.) are open eared.
  
• VMODA Crossfade M80: really enjoyed how these sounded. Only problem is I prefer over-ear sets.
  
  The other pairs I've owned are some inconsequential earbuds.
  
  Primary Genres: Priority #1 Sorry if I'm assigning these bands to the wrong genres
  
  
• Indie Folk/Pop/Alternative. I guess another example is Phoenix.
  
  
• Pop Punk. A Part of Me by Neck Deep is another song indicative of what I like.
  
  
• Acoustic/Indie Rock/Folk (?) See City and Colour, Hozier, Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, Shakey Graves, Keenan O'Meara, The Head and the Heart, Florence + the Machine, George Ezra, Ben Howard, Lewis Watson, Eric Hutchinson, The Old Hello's, Walk Off the Earth, Noah Guthrie, and more. Kind of a jumbled bunch of artists but I don't know how to differentiate between these. Here's another example.
  
  
• "Singer-Songwriter:" some of the above artists kinda fall in here.
  
• Modern Soul/Funk. Also see St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
  
  
• Alternative/Indie Alternative(?): See We Were Promised Jetpacks, Two Door Cinema Club, Bastille...
  
  Other Genres: These aren't the types of music I listen to very often, and when I do it's usually when I'm working out; therefore, I probably won't be using these headphones anyway.
  
  
• Hip-Hop See Chiddy Bang, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco.
  
  
• Electronic. Pretty much just any chill, synth pop/indie electronic like this. Passion Pit, The XX
  
  Tonal Balance/Sound Preferences: The takeaway from the genres: not sure. I want a versatile, balanced headphone. No overpowering Bass.
  
  Thanks a ton for any recommendations you share!

Alright, Also do you consider yourself a big fan of sub-bass? I'm thinking about recommending the classic Schiit Magni 2 amplifier and Modi 2 DAC combo with the Sennheiser HD-600s. These are for home use only as they require a USB connection via your computer for the DAC, and the amp is definitely not portable haha. Those are a fantastic pairing, but the Sennheisers are a little bit lacking in the low end. Absolute magic in the mids and treble though. This is an endgame combo for many people.

Those Senns are open back, so they leak sound but provide a better soundstage compared to an closed-back pair. When it comes to closed back headphones, (Isolated - doesn't leak sound) I really, really recommend ZMF Vibros They are quite a bit more expensive, but an absolute endgame pair of planar dynamic closed back cans. The bass response is unreal on these pairs and work very, very well with hip-hop, electronic music, and pop. The Schiit amp and dac above would drive these just fine.

For the gym, I'd just get a pair of these MEE Audio M6 Pro In-ear monitors, or a good old pair of Koss Porta Pros if you don't like the IEM style. Both of those would be fine options, as they aren't super expensive but still sound great, and are durable. Just plug into your phone and you're set.

For any case though, do try to audition headphones before you buy anything! This will give you a solid idea of what kind of pair you're looking for.

In terms of comfort, they barely fit my ears and mine are proportionally sized to my over 6' tall body. They also make my ears sweat. They're okay but you can find other brands that are similar for a little less.

I'll save the story of my adventure in headphones and just say the ATH-AD700X are probably my personal pick for headphones for people with big ears but I've heard pretty much any of the Audiotechnica headphones are about the same comfort.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ

I bought the ATH-AD700 (no longer sold) for their accurate sound quality and high quality comfort. They're not exactly portable, so I don't get to wear them as much as I'd like to but they've been my favorite headphones for a decade now. I spent a stupid amount of time reading head-fi.org forum threads about headphone recommendations before picking the ATH-AD700 out and they did not lie about the pros and cons related to them.

My second choice but I never bought them because of price were the DT 990 headphones. I knew I'd have to buy an amp for them and the price isn't exactly cheap either.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00193FT26/?coliid=I2F1YZCSXF66N7&colid=1BOTIPM7PEEBD&psc=0

Of course, their cheaper line, the DT 770, is probably just about as good and don't require such a powerful amp.

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0016MNAAI

If you're looking for something cheaper with a mic attached, try the HyperX Cloud Stinger.

https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Stinger-Core-Playstation/dp/B07BB3PYD8

Alternatively, just google "headsets for big ears" and see what looks good to you. This list actually seems to do a decent job explaining the advantages from a gamer perspective.

https://headphonesaddict.com/best-gaming-headset-gaming-headphones/

Jesus that TWS Dacom...

The video doesn't exactly encompass a lot of the true wireless stuff on the market but I think it does get it's point across that the Airpods aren't that bad as an overall package for the features although you could definitely do better and cheaper if sound quality was your only concern.

I would have liked to see him include a few more semi wireless IEMs like the Anker Soundbud IE20 or Taotronics stuff, more true budget wireless earbuds like the QCY 29(rebranded here) or Syllable D900 mini.

I think bluetooth earphones will see a large swing by the consumer market in the next few years and I look forward to trying a few of the true wireless products out this year. Whilst it won't be replacing my daily drivers, I've already made the switch at the gym to sport bluetooth IEMs like Jaybirds and find them indispensable.

I'm looking for a good pair of Bluetooth headphones. I travel a lot with my marching band and its overall easier to listen to music on the long bus rides without having to deal with cords and wires. I'm going to primarily be playing music off of my phone because of its storage space so the actual music player is not that advanced. The headphones have to be good at isolating sound (loud band bus) but I don't want to damage my ears by having them so loud. I was looking at two headphones in particular and was wondering on your opinions:
The Bose Soundlink On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones
Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth Headset

Budget - Up to $250
Source - Samsung Galaxy Avant Smart Phone, tablet for watching movies, Nintendo 3DS for mobile gaming.
Requirements for Isolation - A lot, loud band bus rides.
Preferred Type of Headphone - Over the ear or On the ear (as long as it does not hurt after hours of use)
Preferred tonal balance -I really do like bass for my Hip Hop stuff, but I want some balance for my other genres of music. I listen to a lot of Jazz and Classical as well as R&B.
Past headphones - I'm using Auvio Elite series headphones now from radioshack. Sometimes it feels like my music is far away, the bass isn't as good as I want it, has decent isolation.
Preferred Music - Mostly Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk, Jazz, Classical. I also dab into Pop, Rock, Alternative, J-Pop, Electronic

I heard the Bose headphones at best buy using my own music and I really liked them. My only concern is that because they are open headphones that I would be forced to turn them up very loud in order to block outside noise and I don't want to be very damaging to my ears. With my current headphones which are closed ear at most I have to turn up my music 3/4 of the volume. I heard the Sony Headphones only with the preview tracks at Best Buy and that did not have the bass boost on for me to try out. I'm weary about that one because I don't know how it will sound with my music specifically and my device specifically so I don't know if it will be a good match. Also my laptop does not have bluetooth so it's an extra bonus if the headphones have cord adapters so I can use them on my laptop or other computers/devices.

Budget - $150-$250

Source - Desktop PC

Requirements for Isolation - Some to a lot

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - No

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-sized

Preferred tonal balance - Basshead, but I don't mind an overall balance

Past headphones - I have been using the Logitech G930 since 2012

Preferred Music - Drum and bass/electronic, punk rock

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I have had to replace my G930 twice since I bought it five years ago (both were through my warranty) and while I have enjoyed it, I feel like I could get another headset of much superior quality, both in build and audio quality, with the $150-250 budget mentioned above. I would prefer to stick with a wireless headset while knowing that there will be some sacrifice in sound quality.

I'm currently thinking of going with either the Sennheiser 4.40s or the Sennheiser 4.50s but I'm also curious if anybody thinks there is a better option based on the above information. Thanks in advance for any help/input!

Heya! I was looking for some IEMs for work and general use and I'd love some advice.


Budget - Something around 50€

Source - Computer or Android Phone

Requirements for Isolation - Would be super helpful a lot of isolation to make calls in public but also be comfortable at home.

Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs

Preferred tonal balance - I've read that Balanced is the best for conversations, but I'd like to listen to some music and play games with them.

Preferred Music - Prog Rock and Metal

Location - Spain. Would love to use amazon.es


I made some research and those are my current options:

• Xiaomi Pistón 3
  
• Brainwavz M1
  
• MEElectronics M6 Pro
  
• SoundMagic E30
  
• SteelSeries Flux

Got the Sony MDRXB950bt (Extra Bass) but find the bass is too much. Should I switch to the MDR10RBT?

MDRXB950BT Extra Bass

MDR10RBT

This was my first time buying headphones. I decided to go with the xb950bt because it was on sale during Boxing day at $123.00 Canadian which is a good deal and also had a lot of good reviews. Plus comfort is important and this ones are very comfortable even with eye glasses.
Also I have to say the bass on this are amazing. I listen to a lot of EDM and House so that is a great thing.

However the problem comes when I want to listen to other genres. The bass muffles the other parts such as the vocals. I'm now thinking maybe to get headphones with a more balanced sound. I wonder how the 10RBT matches in terms of sound and comfort. The original retail price is $220.00 but I can get a used one for $130.00 from Amazon.

I posted yesterday, but only got 1 response;

Budget: $50-$200 CAD (total for headset and mic)

Location: Ontario, Canada

Source: standard USB port (need more info?)

Isolation: For use at my home desk. Need some cancellation (I live with 3 others); just enough to not annoy them.

Public?: Not at all

Type: Over-ear

Tonal balance: I have very little knowledge about this, but I will be mainly using them for gaming and Skype. I think balanced?

Music: Classic rock, but mainly just games on my PC.

Past headphones: Logitech G430;

Pros: comfortable, mic (not needed), decent sound (not a huge audio expert though), straight wire.

Cons: white noise when silent (I like to wear them whenever I'm at my desk), pretty quiet overall (even at max.), controls on wire in the way.

Improvements: Though I have little knowledge on audio terms or concepts, I want next-to-no white noise (sound & mic).

Comfort is a must, since I often game for hours at a time. An attached mic is not necessary (apparently they often suck), but I'd like it to be on the headset (like a separate, attachable one). I'm also used to straight cables; coiled ones just seem too in-the-way (but I may be wrong).

Smooth surround sound (virtual?)

What I've found: (based of Amazon reviews alone) Too lazy to find Amazon.ca ones ATM, hopefully I can ship here.

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO

Shure SRH840

Shure SRH440

Sennheiser HD 558

Audio-Technica ATH-M50S

Edit: prices

Hello /r/headphones users! I am going to be changing my current daily driver headphones again and I want to make sure that I've got a decent enough setup to drive these.



Whenever I built my gaming/multimedia PC that I own, it was in the 2012 era. I don't really remember having access to as many cool external headphone amp/dac combos as we do today. (OR I am just ignorant in regards to their existence) So what I did, was install a PCI Soundcard.

This one in particular, the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus. It has been great to me and I have been loving this card's peformance. The software UI is easy to use and it has the ability to drive some pretty wicked headphones (I believe up to 150ohm).

Currently, I use the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 and they have been great to me. However, now that my wife has moved in - the closed back headphones make it difficult to hear her when she is in the same room. :(.

I am planning on switching to the new Massdrop x Senheiser HD 6XX headphones.

I know that my Phoebus will be able to drive these guys properly, but I'm curious if I would see any additional performance gains if I switched to an external dac+amp combo. I was specifically thinking about one of these two:

• Schitt Magni 3 x Modi 2
  
• JDS Labs CD5
  
  Would I gain any additional performance on my current (or future) daily setup by purchasing one of these units?
  
  Thank you for any help that you all can provide - I really would like to discuss this further with the community.

I am new here, but I'm looking to get some iems, and heard the Carbo Tenores were pretty great. I found these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0093VVP0Q/ on amazon, but heard that they are usually like $50 and didn't want to end up with counterfeits.

The order is fulfilled by amazon, so I'm not sure if that makes the seller any more reputable, but if anyone has any experience with this seller, I would like to know what it is.

Thank you for the help!

Budget - $300 CAD / $225 USD, willing to go a little higher if needed

Source - My phone mostly, a google pixel xl

Requirements for Isolation - I'll mostly be using these at home so isolation isn't super important

Preferred Type of Headphone - Definitely wireless, but I don't know if I want on-ear or over-ear. I'll be wearing these while doing stuff like cooking or cleaning my apartment. Would over-ear be too bulky to use in those situations?

Preferred tonal balance - I don't really know what this means, I'm sorry lol. I listen to some bass-y stuff, but I also love stuff like Radiohead and heavy metal.

Past headphones - I've only ever used >$10 earbuds

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want a decent pair of wireless headphones so I can listen to music while walking around doing stuff at home, without being tied to my phone. I was originally looking at getting a pair of Beats Solo 3, but after reading some reviews, I got the impression that Beats don't have the best sound quality... so I'm wondering what else I could get in my price range.

Location? Canada

Additional note: I live with my SO, so I'd prefer closed-back headphones with little sound leakage.

I found these Sennheiser HD 4.40 wireless headphones, but again, I'm wondering if over-ear is the right choice for me if I'm going to be wearing these while walking around.

Thanks in advance!!

Hmm. If you were in the NY area, you could stop by the Head-Fi meet next Saturday.

Looks like you just missed a recent Head-Fi meet in Ohio. Keep an eye out for meets near you.

Other than that, I would say try out good cheap headphones (and IEMs), and if you end up enjoying any of their qualities, there are always logical upgrades.

For example:
1.) If you purchase the Koss PortaPro and enjoy the warm tilt and thick bass, the HD 650, LCD-2 and ZMF Omni are logical upgrades.

2.) If the RE-400's or Carbo Tenore's neutrality floats your boat, give the HD 600 (smoother with less sub-bass) and HE-400i (brighter with more sub-bass) a spin.

Learning to read measurements is a great help as well. Lots of great stuff available for cheap (especially with IEMs), if you look around. =)

If you really do grow to love this hobby, you can make a habit out of buying and selling headphones, amps and dacs used to keep things fresh. /r/AVexchange and Head-Fi's classified section are reputable places to do this, although I have no experience with them.

Hi! first time posting, looking to buy a new pair of earphones, im not very fond of IEM but i think thats what i'll get since i plan on using it for music mainly, to follow the format

Source: ipod classic

Budget: up to 35$

Genres that i listen to: synth-pop, chiptunes, alternative rock and podcasts

i've been searching for one that is confortable and affordable, i dont expect to get the best experience, but i'd love to get the most out of my budget.

After looking at the lists the JVC HAFX1X seems like the one im looking for but im not sure that is the best for me.
Some background: i love my Sennheiser HD205 but after breaking the wires twice i've decided i need a smaller set of headphones/earphones to use it in the bus.

I'm the thrifty kinda guy.

Refurbished Denon receiver, 2 Micca bookshelves, a Micca center channel, and a Bic America subwoofer. About 700 bucks total. Sounds good enough for me. I know much better is out there but it's hard to justify the costs.

My Sennheiser HD598SE's are great ($150), and I have a FiiO E10K ($75) that they plug into at work, and at home I just plug them in directly since the onboard soundcard isn't too bad surprisingly on my motherboard. I have a Sony SRS-X5 bluetooth speaker plugged into the back of it as well. I have those cheap-ass sony ANC headphones (20 bucks at the time I bought them) and they get the job done at a cheap price for planes and for the AC unit blasting in my office (I know... killing me, 80db of white noise all day long).

I have a friend from work that spent 50,000 bucks on his setup. It sounds great, and it's worth it, but I couldn't spend that much on it.

I'm more of a headphone kinda guy. My next upgrade would probably be going all out on headphones. A pair of Sennheiser HD800's probably. That's in the far future, I got stuff I want to do around the house first.

These are my workout earbuds

They are a great value.

Budget - $150 - $200 CAD, $250 MAX

Source - I phone 5 SE and computer

Requirements for Isolation - Yes prefer Isolation. Using while traveling on bus, walking, at school (can get noisy sometimes). Using while studying

Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear preferred unless IEM is very comfortable.

Preferred tonal balance - I like Bass but for studying it can get annoying, so balanced I suppose?

Past headphones - cheap OEM earbuds (Samsung, apple) and KZ Zs3

Preferred Music - Deep House, [Rap]
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRXzrbZ89Y)

Location -Canada

Other relevant info - slightly bigger ears. Lol

Current Black Friday Opportunities

Sony MDRXB950B1 - CDN$ 123.00

Bose QuietComfort 25 - CDN$ 229.00

Sennheiser PXC 480 - CDN$ 199.95

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - CDN$ 232.45

Sennheiser HD 598 Cs - CDN$ 158.95

ATH M50X - CDN$ 168.00

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus - CDN$ 184.37

Jaybird X3 Sport Bluetooth Headphones - CDN$ 89.99

Shure SRH440 - CDN$ 109.00

I would love to hear your experiences with either of these and which one you recommend given my situation. Or even other ones not from this list you suggest. I would love to purchase one this weekend. So your advice is much appreciated.

Thanks everyone

There are a few great headphones for doom metal in the price range.

Grado makes some of the best headphones for rock/metal for the fast and tight bass response the Grado SR80e would be a good choice for a more well rounded sound. However they can be bright and sound a bit cold however they are very fun headphones. Since they are open they also provide no sound isolation.

Superlux HD-681 EVO are another great pair in the price range. They come in two colors black and white they have a nice warm sound with good bass and decent mids these are also fun for doom. They come with a nice set of accessories 2 detachable cables 2 sets of ear pads velour and leatherette and a bag.

I own a pair of grados and wear the evos for about 8hrs a day at work. So I have experience with both sets. Depending on your choice in doom and other music would be the other types of music you listen to honestly.

Hello all, I need some purchasing help on a Christmas gift for my girlfriend. She mentioned that she would like some nice headphones, and I am trying to find something she would appreciate without breaking my budget. I've been looking at these Bose SoundTrue and this pair of Sony's. I'm pretty far out of my element here and could really use the advise. One requirement is that they have to be somewhat stylish or she will never use them. Thanks in advance for the help.

Budget: $150 max

Source: Android phone, PC, laptop

Requirements for Isolation: Not a huge necessity but it would be nice if they were moderately isolating

Preferred Type of Headphone: Over-ear

Preferred tonal balance: She really likes bass

Past headphones: All super cheap ear buds, I have a pair of Monoprice 8323 that she isn't a fan of because they're not very comfortable

Preferred Music: She listens to everything, but most commonly R&B and pop

Would Like to Improve: Anything would be an improvement over her cheap gummy earbuds

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G8JO5F2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_PaFMAb80PRERV
These are Amazon's choice for Bluetooth headphones. Pretty sure they're the most ordered pair of sport Bluetooth headphones especially available on Amazon. So far they've blown me away on how good they sound for the price, they're IPX7 water resistant, have a mic, $30, and on Amazon prime. I'd definitely recommend them, and already have to a couple of friends and they love them as well. Happy hunting!

I have cauliflower ear from wrestling, so finding earbuds to stay in my ear has always been difficult, but last year I bought bose IE5 inear headphones with my credit card rewards points. They are pretty pricey at $90, and most will say they are overpriced, but they've never fallen out, even when running and playing sports, and I think the sound is great. They even come with three sizes of gel earbud inserts so you can see which size works best.

I would recommend a good pair of in-ear headphones. The Etymotic MC5 and HF5 can be found for under $100. Both offer good isolation across most of the frequencies you'd run into, in-flight (engine noise, cabin conversations and acoustics, etc). Here is a comparison graph of the isolation offered by both. Both offer great sound, as well.

If you want cheaper (and slightly less noticeable by people around you), I'm going to recommend what I consider to be the best in-ear headphones, sub-$50: The MEElectronics M6. They're cheap, come with a range of silicone tips to ensure a good fit, comfortable, isolate well, and have wrap-around style memory-wire which not only keeps them securely in your ears, but prevents microphonics (noise caused by the cord moving or rubbing on things). Of all the in-ear headphones I have used, they're my favorite for everything from airline travel to jogging, to casual use. And they sound pretty damn good.

Hm, I can't speak to that mic as I've no experience with it. Personally, if it works and it's not outrageously priced I'm a fan of it!

As for headphones I'm a big fan of these 280s I have, great value for the price. I rotate between the 280s, these AKG k240s which are another great headphone for their price, these Grado SR80e for some music. Once upon I time I read a ton about entry level audiophile headphones and those were on a few lists. Bought them and have enjoyed them over the years.

I have more expensive headphones and audio set up but honestly after years of listening it's been an experience of diminishing returns for me so I really do praise lower-priced, great sounding headphones.

Curious – the Mi Piston IIIs are usually pretty good. Did you have issues with them?

Zero Audio's ZH-DX200 are pretty good in terms of durability. Have pretty great sound isolation as well for their price and pretty comparable to Piston III in general.

Usually recommend the Piston II, the Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear (too expensive for you) or the Zero Audio for what you're looking for (more details on all this here and here)

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to this sub and I just got myself a pair of Sony MDR-XB950BT's. One thing I didn't really consider is a case for my headphones though (my other pair of Sony headphones came with one). Is there a Way to find a good case, specifically that'll fit my 950's? I'm worried that most of the ones out there will be too small since the 950's are pretty big, they barely fit in the case for my other Sony headphones. I'd also prefer a hard case if possible, but a soft case works too. Any thoughts? So far from preliminary searching, I like this Geekria case and this SLAPPA case. I kind of prefer the SLAPPA, but I want to make sure my headphones would fit since the earpieces are pretty big on the 950's. Thanks all!

these, and these, and these, and these and these and these are probably the only your budget options, with the best being the last 3. The stuff I listed usually applies for people below 100 dollars but I am not aware of any great options apart maybe from the hd 4.50 that are between those prices. I think the best sounding headphones are hd 4.40, atleast according to people at r/headphones and reviewers, but their earcups, if you have above average ears, will be over ear and there won't be much comfort. The other pick would be the wh ch700n, I actually tested those and really liked them, they were a nice budget pair. If you have any chance to try them out yourself, I highly suggest you to do so

I'm not an audiophile by any means but I tried the HD 4.50 at Best Buy and thought they were pretty good. I think they're a fantastic choice if you're on a budget for a good noice cancelling headphone. They've been price around $200-250 on Amazon for the past 2-3 months. Cheapest it's been was $130 a long time ago (posted on this sub).

​

That said, the HD 4.40 is also on sale for $109.95, but I don't know if this is a good deal as I didn't follow the price trend.

https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-4-40-BT-Bluetooth/dp/B01MSZSJE9/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1542970731&sr=1-2&keywords=hd+4.40

​

No headphone is BiFL, especially workout headphones that will get wet/bumped. That being said...

Just picked up these JayBirdx3 knockoffs - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GNYFT8E/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_22?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2KUZVNQ9LP7N9

So far, they are the best bluetooth headphones I have owned. Sound is amazing, they are very secure while running/working out, there is a magnet on the end of each one so they clip together when not in your ears, and they claim to be waterproof and from what I have seen I am not doubting that. They are also noise cancelling, which is a great feature in an already solid product.

Had them for just over a month, 23 workouts/30 runs and still working perfectly. If they last 6 months, at $40 that is a great value in my opinion.

Budget - $50-$100

Source - Android phone/Sansa Clip+ (also might be interested in a portable amp if necessary and that would be a separate budget)

Requirements for Isolation - The more the better. Used in public transportation, driving, gym, noisy work place when on lunch or break.

Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs

Preferred tonal balance - I prefer overall balance with maybe a hint of focus on bass or highs depending on mood and what I am listening to.

Past headphones - Recently purchased the monoprice 8320 variant that came with extra tips. Over all I did enjoy the sound they produced, but the fit and isolation regardless of what tips I tried (even 3rd party) left a lot to be desired. The 8320's cord is also very terrible when it came to tangling, but I do feel like the cord itself is very durable because of the material. Before the 8320 I had some skull candy inked that fit into my ears really well and I liked the isolation, but they were very bass heavy. Headphones that I use now at home on my desktop are Sennheiser HD595. I love the sound I get from these overall, so if there was an IEM that had a similar sound I would not be opposed.

Preferred Music - I listen to a little bit of everything I suppose. In current order of frequency as of late (most listened to least listened): Rap, hip hop, rock, alt, pop, electronica, classical, country.

I was looking at the following as well, but decided to look into maybe spending a bit more money for better quality.

MEElectronics Sport-Fi M6

VSonic VSD1

VSONIC GR02

Klipsch Image S4 -II

I have had many high end sets of headphones, but my current favorite right now would have to be my Bose in ears. (I bought them for 75 I think.)

To be honest the sound quality isn't fantastic, but the rubber molds that go in your ears are FANTASTIC. I couldn't care less if these were Bose headphones, but someone had a good idea and brought it to fruition. =)

I think that Bose headphones tend to be pretty solid, its their stereo speakers that really get to me. They just sound so small and lack depth of sound. Bose headphones are understandable. Bose speakers...eh.

Hey guys hopefully you can help me decide on my first good pair of headphones
Budget - $200,somewhat flexible
Source - iMac, Android smartphone
Requirements for Isolation - I will mainly use these at home, but I would still like a good amount of isolation
Preferred Type of Headphone - full sized
Preferred tonal balance - I am really not sure what I want; I enjoy bass and mids, but if I had to choose, I'd rather have clear vocals over bass.
Past headphones - JVC HAFX1X -  http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004S7Q8CA?pc_redir=1413179178&robot_redir=1
I found them bass heavy but lacking a lot of clarity.

Sony MDRZX300 -  http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005GXDDVO?pc_redir=1413200557&robot_redir=1
I found these to sound somewhat boring.

Preferred Music - I mainly listen to alternative, indie, rock, and pop. Some artists I listen to are: imagine dragons, AFI, two door cinema club , capital cities.

Location -US
Other notes :
I have heard a lot of good things about the ath m50x, and Beyer custom one pro. I definitely need removable cables.

I'm actually using my workout buds.

http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Fit-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00KJLMBQQ

They actually work out beautifully. You would think the Vive cable would mess with the back of the headphones where it goes around your neck but it never actually does since the Vive wire goes straight down and your neck is in further than that.

I'm used to my headphones like my HD800 and high end IEMs and I was not at all unsatisfied with the sound quality from these buds.

I just do not like extra wires for VR and I like they I can lift up the HMD without having to worry about my headphones.

These are also good at letting you still hear your friends during a VR party and also they work fine through the wall as my PC is actually in the next room over.

Pretty much. A high amount of bass "hides" mids and highs therefore reducing clarity and soundstage/imaging.

You can still have good bass as in tight, defined etc. but yes, if you enjoy a good amount of bass, you'll have to trade off clarity and soundstage.

There's the Beyerdynamic DT 990 250ohms who's shaped in 'V' (good bass, neutral mids and bright highs) that are known to have a wide soundstage but that's the only one I can think about.

They might need an amp though (O2 will do).

Hey there!
I think that in that price range the combination of small and cordless is rather hard to find. However, I do happen to know two in that price range with good ratings. The first: Plantronics BackBeat go 2.
What I like about them is the price, and the fact that they have above average rating. In Europe the will cost you 60 Euros but in the USA (I checked the wallmart site) they only cost $34 (how unfair! :P)
I also checked Amazon and found a certified refurbished pair for only $19,99! There is also a version of the product with an included charging case, but in the case of wall-mart the price doubles, so that's a choice. The charging pack is actually a sachet with a build in powerbank... so you can get that cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Wireless-Earbud-Headphones/dp/B0100XAH7M/ref=pd_lpo_107_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PTRST0JTF45ZE6G7BA0Y

Second: TaoTronics Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 Magnetic Earbuds
I have heard great things about these! They get an excellent rating, and they cost almost the same as the plantronics. On amazon they go for 37,99, they look in my opinion pretty good, and they look smaller in comparison to the plantronics.

https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Bluetooth-Headphones-Wireless-Earphones/dp/B01GNYFT8E/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1484083139&sr=1-2&keywords=TaoTronics+Bluetooth+Wireless+4.1+Magnetic+Earbuds

I owned a pair of jaybird x2's but they broke and I got a refund, but now after doing some research for you I am genuinely thinking about getting a pair of TaoTronics!

I hope all of this helps!

Budget - 150$

Source - Laptop mostly

Requirements for Isolation - A must have. Will be using at home when it's really loud most of the time.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Conflicted between IEM and full-size right now. I want the portability and isolation of the IEMs but I feel like I can get so much more from regular headphones at the same price point.

Preferred tonal balance - Nothing really preferred since I'm new to all this

Past headphones - Cheap 20$ hand-me-down from a friend

Preferred Music - All sorts

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want something durable that'll last for a good while. Need isolation above all else though.

I've been looking at the Shure 215 and the RE400 as my top picks so far. But I can get the ATH m40x for the same price as the 215s. Any advice?

Edit: The m6 pros look like a nice cheaper alternative too.

• Budget - Around 200 bucks Canadian ( Maybe a little more)
  
• Source - My desktop and my Fiio E17K
  
• Isolation - None needed, less isolation is a bonus because I want to be able to hear others, but it doesn't matter that much.
  
• Public? No, purely for home use.
  
• Preferred type I prefer over-ear, but am open minded for on-ears
  
• Tonal Balance Emphasis on mids or highs, don't care too much about bass. Also want to avoid reference/ neutral headphones.
  
• Past Headphones I use these for gaming [ATH-AD900X]
  (https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD900X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU)
  and these for travel and school Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear. I like them both for their purpose, but I'm not particularly fond of the Sennheisers shrill highs, and I feel the Audio Technicas are a little too neutral for my music.
  
• Music I listen to a good amount of nu-metal bands like Slipknot, Avatar, Korn, Ghost, System of a Down, and Megadeth + plus a little bit of jazz like John Coltrane
  
• What would I like to improve I'm just looking for headphones that are a bit more specialized for jazz and metal, unlike my current audio gear.
  
• Location I live in Canada, so prices in Canadian would be appreciated. Thanks.
  
  I've also been looking for headphones myself but am stuck between the Motorhead Iron Fist, the ATH-M50X, and the Grado sr80e, any new suggestions are welcome, though.
  

Cool project, it's kind of imitating this which would be the perfect solution for him (only other options being buy an android phone or buy a wireless headset). I don't see any other way around this.

I have a Galaxy S6 and bought a cheap pair of earbuds. They happen to be wireless bluetooth earbuds. I didn't buy them for that, I bought them because most 30$ headsets on Amazon were fake or garbage. They're pretty awesome for the price, 8 hours of battery, decent mic and audio quality.

Turns out, bluetooth headsets are fucking awesome, especially when you pair them with wireless charging. I can walk around the house while my phone is charging, and be listening to music or talking on the phone. If I walk a little too far out of range, it's very easy to pick up the phone to move with me. I'll even wear them while driving sometimes. My phone charges in the car, and I can get out at the gas stations and keep listening to my podcast without needing to touch the phone.

I thought I'd hate wireless earbuds but I ended up loving them. I have a tough decision about whether to buy wired headphones or wireless now. If your friend bought an Iphone X and Iphone 8, he should certainly have enough money to buy some Airpods or something else to solve his problem of keeping the lightning port free while moving around and charging.

I'm in the same boat (drummer, I assume). Recently purchased some MEE M6-PROs as they were on sale for $40 (now $48). I run a click off my phone and the monitor out from our vocals mixer at practice/my monitor mix at shows into a cheap little Behringer mixer I keep by my kit and use the IEMs out from there. Eventually I'll go wireless with it and probably upgrade the IEMs as well. For now here's my review:

Pros: cheap as fuck and seem to be of at least a fairly decent sound quality- I'm not super well versed with how good IEMs can sound, but these sound better than any earbuds or headphones I've used that cost <$100. With the provided foam tips they're significantly louder and cancel out more noise than any of the other cheap foam or rubber earbuds I had before. They're comfortable enough to wear all day at work, through a 3 hr practice, or an hour+ gig. The memory wire and wire clip keep them in place and keep the wires from danging around all over the place. They came with 2 sets of cables* (one has a mic and volume slider so you can use it for phone calls), 1 set of foam tips, multiple rubber tips, an 1/8-1/4" adapter, and a nice little case.

CONS: for some reason the 1/8 plug doesn't play nicely with other 1/8-1/4 adapters, but I've only tried with a couple and it comes with one so no huge deal. The biggest con I've found is that with one set of the wires (the set without the mic) the right side monitor is finnicky. I'm not sure if there's an issue with the leads, QC, or what, but it has a tendency to cut out and then you have to wiggle it in your ear a bit to fix it (several others on Amazon mentioned this in their reviews). I don't have this problem with the wires that have the mic, so I pretty much just use those. Again, not really a big issue for me- the sound from either set of wires seems to be identical so whatever. That said, the cables could be longer. They're a great length for using as ear-buds, but for how I had my shit set up they were too short and I had to move my little mixer table closer to my kit, again not really a big deal.

Verdict: They're definitely good enough for me, for now. The main things I was looking for were noise protection/enough volume to hear the click over drums, comfort, and cheapness. I wish that both sets of cables worked, but that's less of a con so much as a not-pro. Eventually I'll upgrade them but for now these get the job done.

I have a pair of JVC HA-RX900s that I adore. I got these recently (with a cheap Logitech mic) and rarely use my 2.1 system anymore. The bass is great, but not overpowering and they have a very crisp mid/high. I'm not an audiophile per say, but I love listening to jazz and play a lot of video games. From Battlefield 3 to Starcraft 2, these cans are seriously phenomenal. They have a lot of padding and are very comfortable for long gaming sessions (I've had them on for upwards of 3 hours before).

I got them for around $75, they are on Amazon for about $68 right now. Hope this mini review helps!

I use Xtreme Xplosivs. They're easily the best quality earbud I've ever owned, and they're very reasonably priced. My old pair lasted 2 years before the left ear bud went out (probably due to the way I wrap them around my phone in my pocket without removing them from the port). They do get slightly uncomfortable after extended use - like 2+ hours of consistent listening.

I only really use earbuds because of their portability. When I'm at home, I use these Sennheisers which are very comfortable and sound great. Like you mentioned, they will mess up your hair and matt it down where the band goes over your head, but when I'm at home, I don't mind sacrificing my looks for comfort and superior sound, lol. Also, a quick ballcap usually satisfies the situation.

Fear cuts deeper than swords

1. on my WL, something grey.
   
   
2. NOT on WL, rain reminiscing
   
   
3. on my WL, yes i find this food unusual.
   
   
4. on my WL, my husband, he is deaf like no other and LOVES action movies.
   
   
5. this book is a fast read, and hillarious.
   
   
6. I have nothing for this...
   
   
7. on my WL, poopin litters fer kikat
   
   
8. SO thinks its useful, i do not, but it is pretty
   
   
9. UHF/not on WL because it has to be one of the best B rate movies of all time. And its just stupid funny.
   
   
10. Kukri for your zombie ass/not on WL
    
    
11. ONE TRILLION DOLLARS would prolly help me out/not on WL
    
    
12. I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't have been for those pesky add-ons/on WL
    
    
13. Monitor for moi/Obviously on my WL
    
    
14. definitely bigger than a breadbox/on my WL
    
    
15. Bouncy balls are smaller than a golf ball/not on WL
    
    
16. Best smells ever, imho/on my WL
    
    
17. SFW is relative i suppose./on my WL
    
    
18. Most helpful for going back to school/on my WL
    
    
19. Obsessed with crochet/on my WL
    
    
20. Unicorn meat/ on my WL Because really, who can say they own unicorn meat? And when its opened its even BETTER.
    
    Thanks for the contest!

• Budget: Up to 100$ I'm a little flexible if I can get a great upgrade some a just a little bit more.
  
• Source: My phone. Samsung Galaxy S4.
  
• Requirements for Isolation: Not a requirement. But I do travel a lot with bus and those can be loud, not a very good experience with my previous, not isolated headphones.
  
• Will you be using these Headphones in Public?: Yes, though looks doesn't really matter. If it's possible it would be nice if they didn't leak very much sound.
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone: IEM / Earbuds
  
• Preferred tonal balance: I honestly don't know. I guess balanced?
  
• Past headphones: Bose IE2
  
• Preferred Music: Rock / Metal, EDM.
  
  Avenged Sevenfold - MIA
  
  Stonebank - Be Alright
  
  TIN - Ticking
  
  Asking Alexandra - Moving On (Acoustic)
  
  
• What would you like to improve on from your set-up: A punchy bass is really nice in my opinion.
  
  I had the Audio-Technica IM70s recommended for me, though they don't seem to be available in my country. I have been thinking about RHA MA-750 instead...

Budget: 200-300

Source: Zune first Gen, 80 GB. Note 2

Requirements for Isolation: doubt I'll get any dancing type earclip type set of cans that are isolated but yes I prefer isolation.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes, but not much.

Preferred Type of Headphone: Full sized, closed

Preferred tonal balance: Balanced

Past headphones: Koss Ksc75, Darth Beyer Dt770s 80 ohms, Shure SRH440 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DP1FTU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), JVC HARX900 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013P3ZOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Preferred Music: EDM trap right now. Then 90s gangsta rap (2pac, bone thugs, ice cube) LOVE IT. Dubstep, Hard Rock, indie. Mainly bass heavy trap tho. Future bass as well.
What would you like to improve on from your set-up? Sounds very good with some power to the bass, doesn't look too bad, and stays on my fuckin ears... I dance HARD. It's gloriously therapeutic, but not when I step on the chord and break my $400 pair of cans that cost me $200 to fix last time.

SECTION | CONTENT

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Title | Moonlight Feels Right Starbuck HQ Audio
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Hi ,

So I currently have the apple earpods , but after 1 year and half of daily usage , they're in pretty bad shape and I'm not sure if I should buy them again or if there are better choices for the same price range , so here I am !

Budget - 5-60€

Requirements for Isolation - Some isolation would be cool I guess , even though I usually use them in quiet places.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes , at the gym and at work mostly.

Preferred Type of Headphone - I've always used earbuds , I don't mind IEMs if they're better than earbuds in my budget.

Preferred Music - I mostly listen to classical , pop and rock.

I also did some research and found those two :

SoundMagic E30

Zero Audio Tenore

Not sure if they're good or better than my apple earpods , but they're in my budget , feel free to suggest something else of course !

Thank you !

Interesting. I can never listen to my iems on full volume with the V10 because it hurts how loud it gets. Anyways, I still think what I mentioned works in this scenario.

As for headphones, it depends. I used the DT 770 because they came to mind only haha they are good, and probably a good pair to test things with. They'd be fairly close to the V-Modas in sound signature, but unless you're very curious on amping the small difference in sound probably won't justify spending $150-$200. You could try a pair of DT 990 instead to test. They are open and have more treble than the M100, so it could be interesting for you.

I own a pair of HD 650 that can be picky with amping, but they might be too pricey (along with the HD 600). The V10 doesn't get them running at 100%, but it does a very great job compared to pretty much every other portable I've tested.

I bought these Sony MDRXB950BT's at my local Best Buy after hearing some good reviews about them. When I arrived home, I quickly opened the box and used the included wire cable to listen to some music (it is originally a BT headphone). I tried a large variety of genres and I can safely say that they are a good buy for the price at $200 (especially considering the wireless feature); the bass is very rich and the mids and highs sounded very good! Although more emphasis is on bass, it is essentially a headphone for any preference. The noise cancelling is not as good as headphones such as the Bose QuietComfort 25 (which I tried at the store) but it still does a good enough job of keeping sound out. I would recommend these to anyone, especially bass lovers such as myself.

I would highly recommend these. For the money, the sound is fantastic, and they come with a variety of tips to fit your ear - some more isolating than others. You mold the wire to fit around the back of your ear and it works really well.

They also make them without the molded wire. Those are the ones I have now. I clip it to my shirt so they don't tug on my ears every time I take a step. Either way they are fantastic (I have had both). Incidentally, when my first pair broke, amazon replaced them for free, so don't be intimidated if you haven't heard of meelectronics before. Their products are fantastic.

Had a couple of Shure srh440 two years ago. The bass was pretty solid but the mids are a bit recessed(am I using that word corectley?).

They were also a bit uncomftable wearing for long periods of time, I would say after 2 hours your head starts to feel heavy.

I switched to AKG K 242 HD but I felt they lacked in the bass department. But I would say they are more versatile and more well balacned, just a little weak on the bass for my taste. On the other hand they are great for longer studio sessions as you almost forget you are wearing them because they are, in my honest opinion, the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. They recently broke, me being all clumbse and what not, so now I'm thinking of also buying a couple of new headphones so good timing on your part haha.

I'd suggest a pair of open-backed headphones since I've found that those headphones tend to have better soundstaging to help me pinpoint where people are.

I found closed headphones tend to have more "immersive" sound with more bass, but if you're looking for something for purely competitive performance I think an open-backed pair would do you well. There's some generalizing going on here, but in general I personally feel open-backed headphones are better for gaming.

Here's a couple suggestions around your price-point - disclaimer that I haven't actually owned any of these (except for the original AD700 which I can vouch for being great for gaming), and it's merely meant to serve as a starting point for cans to check out. Filter the reviews and find the ones where people mention the words "gaming" or "soundstage".

• Audio Technica ATH-AD700X
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 558
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  
• Grado SR80e
  
  
  I personally use the Sennheiser HD 600 which are open-backed but these are out of your $100 budget.
  

Yall sure are lookin' mighty fine today. Must be nice to be that good lookin' with zero effort...

Gift one, I would love these headphones. I am sick and tired of getting tangled in wires while running, and with this new fangled technology no longer does one have to suffer with antiquated cords. Science!

and for gift two.... C'mon...gimme these lovely legal pads to make work more bright and shiny. Or gift card. Or maybe a hug. It's been a hell of a week.

Thank you again for your unending generosity.

Got a Best Buy gift card for my birthday, its about $100, so I decided to get a new pair of headphones with it. So the big restriction is that I must be able to buy them at Best Buy. They can be gaming or not, idc as long as they dont look awful or have a big honking mic.

-Budget: $120>, but I can be flexible

-Source: PC and iPhone. While on PC, they MUST be wireless, but on my iPhone a wire is fine.

-Requirements for Isolation: I prefer closed headphones, but they dont have to be noise canceling. Also, I only prefer closed headphones, I am willing to fuck with open.

-Will you be using these Headphones in Public?: Yes, but really just while on public transportation, planes, trains, automobiles.

-Preferred Type of Headphone: Over-ear, definitely no on ear or in ear.

-Preferred tonal balance: Definitely more balanced, but anything as fine as long as the bass isnt muddy.

-Past Headphones: Sony Things, Bose Soundtrue, Razer Krakens, Razer Orcas. Idk probably others, cant remember.

-Preferred Music: Typically classic rock/metal.

-What would you like to improve on from your setup: I have had leather pad headphones for a while, which get really hot. I would like to try mesh or different types of padding.

I'd wager you were doing something wrong and it was simply a tech-support fail/cop out, but there's no way of knowing for certain.

I have both the BackBeat PRO and the BackBeat FIT. Neither has given me any issues with Win 7, Win 10, or Android. I'm sure the audio quality is less than in the more expensive audiophile offerings, but I'm more about form and function coupled with cost, than I am about pristine audio quality in a wireless device.

And, honestly, I didn't set out to buy Plantronics. I started shopping for a set of features in a product with good reviews and a reasonable price. Both sets of criteria led me to Plantronics products. I really thought they'd gone out of business before that.

Budget - No limit

Source - Smartphone (onePlus phones, iPhones)

Requirements for Isolation - For on the go, public transport, work area.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-size, wirelss preferred but not mandatory.

Preferred tonal balance - overall balance, some good bass.

Past headphones - SONY MDRXB950BT and Sennheiser HD598+modmic.

Preferred Music - Techno, rock, metal.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I love the sony's but I need to use those headphones for long period of times and for conf calls. The microphone grabs all sound (omnidirectional) and makes me sound inside a Costco with just minor voice chat around.

I am looking for an alternative to the SONY's if I can find some with better isolating microphone.

Extremely confortable, great for gaming and watching movies. For music it needs a bit of burn in but they sound really good for the price. JVC HA-RX700

Extremely confortable, great for gaming and watching movies. For music it needs a bit of burn in but they sound really good for the price. JVC HA-RX900

Clip on headphones. They sound great. Might hurt ear after a while. Koss-KSC75

Check some suggestions on the head fi guide too. http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide

Still closed? Some feautures like detachable cable might not be there in this price range.

Jvc http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0013P3ZOE/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1419182366&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Koss prodj http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003X1BEKI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419182440&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Superlux http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0062OOFAY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419182600&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Also sony has good products that are probably your best bet for finding in retail stores. The XB and MDR series is solid. You really can't go wrong with sony. Guitar center will have a good selection as well. This price range is very competitive so you should be safe sticking to these brands along with sennheiser.

Well, your problem could be any number of places, but a proper mixing situation is almost more important than any other aspect.

If you need to stay with headphones, try this model from Shure, they're great. If 138 quid is too much, you can go down a step with these ones (also from Shure).

Getting a good pair of monitors would be better, of course, but maybe that's not an option for you. These can be good alternatives.

I think they have 5-8 hours of life. It has a little usb plug to re-charge. I usually do that while I'm at work.

These are the ones I bought for $30, but there's a ton of manufacturers making similar-priced sets. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GNYFT8E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I think a lot of people go for the ones made by Beats, but I read those don't necessarily have the best sound.

I love these though. Even for something like washing dishes, it's nice not to have a cord dangling.

All I know with a decent level of certainty is that the Bose brand are the best when it comes to minimizing hiss.

However, there's something else you have to watch out for: If the 400$ model you're looking at is the "Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700", you should stay clear of it: It's among the newer models of Bose headphones that disable themselves until you install surveillance software on your phone:
   https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/your-bose-headphones-are-spying-you-0177193/

So don't buy any Bose headphones until you've verified that the package doesn't contain the "Bose Connect" "companion" app.

I know for sure that the 130$ Bose headphones don't have that requirement. I'll have another look to see which other Bose models are free of surveillance software.

Edit: Okay, so the QuietComfort Series 1 is free of spyware. Series 1 is their old range, so there aren't many left on the market, but luckily, one of the best ones—Bose QuietComfort 35 Series I—is still available (in silver):
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E3SNO3E/
However, all of the more expensive models come with integrated batteries: When they go flat, you have to wait for them to charge, and when the battery wears out after a couple of years, you can't replace it, and have to buy a whole new pair of headphones.

So you have two choices, both of which have high quality noise cancellation; and neither of which harbor any surveillance software:
 

Bose QuietComfort 15
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1NEUKK/

• 130$
  
• Black color
  
• Wired 3.5mm connector (no wireless)
  
• Takes standard AAA batteries that you can replace easily
  
• Battery life per set: 30 hours (wired)
   
  
  Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series 1)
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E3SNO3E/
  
  
• 342$
  
• Silver color (black color is out of stock)
  
• Wireless Bluetooth + wired 3.5mm connector
  
• Built-in battery; can't be used while charging; can't be replaced when worn out.
  
• Battery life per charge: 40 hours (wired), 20 hours (wireless)
   

I don't know if these earphones are still meme'd much around here anymore as I haven't been on here in a few months but I own the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore's which I find are pretty damn good under the $50 mark. Just make sure to treat them with care as the strain relief on some units can be slightly shoddy.

https://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-ear-stereo-headphone-Tenore-ZH-DX200-CT/dp/B0093VVP0Q/

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-327279-0020-IE2-Audio-Headphones/dp/B003XU6H8I

Bose ear buds, yes they are over $50 but under $100. I have had mine for two years and they are rock solid. They sound great and have a super sturdy cord. The buds don't ever fall out of my ears which is key, and they don't stab my ear like some other designs. One tip, I do keep them in the little zippered pouch that comes with them which could have something to do with their longevity.

I have these. They are buds but they are a bit different bc they wrap around the back of the ear. They also come with several tips so you can get a comfortable fit. I think it makes them more practical. The sound quality is absolutely fantastic for the price. I highly recommend them for that. As far as fashion, they may not be what you are looking for but I thought I should still put them out there. Good luck.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/JVC-HAFX1X-Xtreme-Xplosives-Headphones/dp/B004S7Q8CA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333846204&sr=8-1

These JVC IEM's are an awesome pair of headphones, only £16 and they have a ton of bass, it may sometimes be overpowering but i love them. I only really use them when i go to the gym but they are a great pair and if your looking for bass + your style of music im sure you wont be disappointed.

Zero Audio Carbo Tenore are the greatest IEM I've ever used.

https://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-ear-stereo-headphone-Tenore-ZH-DX200-CT/dp/B0093VVP0Q

They sound wonderful for all type of music, great highs and lows. Very well balanced in general. They sound like they could be $150-250, amazing quality for <$50

does anyone have a nice go to pair of bluetooth earbuds for workouts my price range is about 75-100$ but if they were a bit cheaper thatd be ok ? I want something that sounds great without blasting out my eardrums.

Or does quality not matter much anyway with bluetooth ?

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Headphones-Waterproof-Sweatproof-Cancelling/dp/B01G8JO5F2/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1500058332&sr=8-16&keywords=bluetooth

I had these which I liked but if I could get better quality audio Id be willing to spend more.

earbuds

• MP8320 :http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2
  
  switch the tips to more comfortable ones... gets tangled quite a bit but the bass and sound stage is alot better than generic iphone ones. I personally use these for gyms. do not throw these in the laundry.
  
  
  
  
• MEE audio Sport-Fi M6: http://www.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Sport-Fi-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B0038W0K2U
  
  
  great reviews from /r/headphones for the under 20 section
  
  
  
  over ear closed headphones
  
  
• MP8323.
  http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=8323&seq=1&format=2
  
  
  I used these walking, on the train, commuting and sometimes at work.. These things pack a heavy punch for how much they cost now. I WOULD NOT BUY IF YOU HAVE A BIG HEAD. Earpads can be a bit uncomfy but you can replace them with other ones they sell.
  
  
  
  great place to start researching: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/wiki/recommendations
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Depends on the use to be honest with you.

Crystal clear quality with a very flat response? (Very suitable for audiophiles who do studio work and/or don't need an overwhelming bass response) : Sennheiser HD280s

Great quality for over the ear headphones and that have amazing bass response (Perfectly suitable for casual listeners that like a bass heavy response but still has a great amount of clarity) : SOL Republic Tracks

Need something for athletic activities that stay in the ear very well? I use these for just about anything from running, biking, weight lifting, or just walking to class : Bose IE-2

Hi flecko,
I know you can't bring any PC parts, but I was wondering if you could bring a set of headphones instead?

I'd really like the headphones the [4th listing down] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00193FT26/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used) which is $258 & "Used like new".
I'd be terribly happy if you could bring it to Australia with you. I'm willing to pay via Paypal immediately, as I'm worried that someone might snatch it up before I get a chance, so if you'd be happy to do it, please state what account I'll be making a payment to.

Thanks so much flecko!

https://www.amazon.in/Sennheiser-HD-4-40-BT-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B01MSZSJE9

I bought Sennheiser HD 4.40-BT after lots and lots of research and I can confidently say that you can go for this.

Sound Quality - I find it excellent and clear, there is good bass and the bluetooth range from the phone is pretty good as well.

Gym Use - I haven't tried while running but no issues when you lift weights.

Durability - Seems durable. Can't say without using for long but definitely doesn't feel cheap or inferior quality.

Battery Backup - Excellent. They mentioned it lasts for 20 hours. I usually listen it for 2-3 hours in a day and pretty much lasts for at least 10 days.

Finally the convenience factor is so much better with Bluetooth headset that I am surprised that I didn't consider it way before.

If you are in Bangalore, there is a official Sennheiser store in Cunningham Road, you can give it a try there before buying online.

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party. I had a really good pair that lasted me 2 years(longer than any pair of earbuds ever) They were the best quality earbuds I ever had, and they stay in your ear really well, as they are designed with being active in mind.

They're usually 30 dollars, but right now are on sale for 16 on Amazon right here.

I know the name sounds sketchy and nobody has ever heard of them, but they're honestly great, durable headphones.

Anyone considering these might also want to look at
these awesome buds from JVC, they have a fantastic range, and thanks to their huge drivers for earbuds, have great bass without having to change the sound. Highs, mids, and lows are all really clear.

I work in a very similar situation to you. Nerf guns, video games etc. It can definitely be hard to concentrate.

I have the BOSE QC 25 They are expensive, but completely worth it. Sound quality is great and the noise cancellation is the best out there.

There is a convention people follow in tech companies that is if you have one headphone not on your ear (on the side of your head) people can tlak to you. If you have both headphones on your ear, you are "in the zone" and shouldn't be bothered. Another thing I've seen is red/green signs. When you are focused you flip a sign on your desk to red.

For me, I mostly just wear headphones and zone out. But if I need to really focus I just go book a conference room and sit alone or go work at a coffee shop for an hour (assuming you can do that).

I just got a pair of jaybirds x2 (http://www.amazon.com/Jaybird-Sport-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B013HSW4SM) as a gift. They are something I didn't even know I would want but now absolutely love. I used to be constantly shoving my headphones back into my ears during a run, but with these headphones I forget they are even there. They are super light, and because they are wireless I feel more free when I am running as there isn't some cord flapping around. Highly recommended. The only downside is the price.

They are not the best headphones in the world, but I am quite happy with them and think they are just fine for working out/walking around in. They have better range than my Beats Studio Wireless headphones which I use more for relaxing & ASMR and wouldn't wanna work out in. Plus, I wouldn't freak out if I lost or broke them since they are cheaper - even though losing them is pretty unlikely with the magnetic feature.

Editing to add that I REALLY like that the Taotronics will reconnect and start playing again on their own if you leave and re-enter their range which my Beats don't do.

Also, these are the ones I have in case you wanna know! Sadly, it looks like they are a little more expensive now, but still way more reasonable than Bose.

I have gone through quite a few headphones and I would not recommend the Technicas.

These remain to be one of the best headphones I currently have, and for the price, I'd say unbeatable.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

They come close to matching my VModa Crossfade M100's, but if you ever get the $ for some truly great headphones, the VModa CM100 is amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/product-reviews/B00A39PPCG/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

A lot of people recommend Yurbuds. You sort of twist the rubbery part into your ear and its supposed to 'lock' in place, but they never really worked for me.
I have been using these Bose earbuds for over a year now and love them. A little expensive, but they are comfortable and the little rubber fin wedges into the curve of your ear and really holds them in place. I've actually dropped my iPod with them in my ear and they a) stopped my iPod from smashing into the floor and b) didn't move an inch from where they were. Plus, the sound is really great for earbuds.

My go-to wired earbuds were always these: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Headphones-RP-HJE120-K-Ergonomic-Comfort-Fit/dp/B003EM8008/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458855593&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+earbuds

Super cheap and sound great.

I recently bought these: http://smile.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Fit-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00KJLMBQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458855617&sr=8-1&keywords=plantronics+backbeat+fit+2

I actually like them a lot. The band that dangles backward could be super annoying because it's floppy, but I wear a headband to keep it in place. Sweat can accumulate in/around these, but I did a 10-mile run last week and it never affected the sound for more than a moment. Really digging the bluetooth/wireless aspect and I would recommend them, even though they're not perfect.

edit: it looks like the yellow Plantronics are on sale for $76 right now, great deal.

I use these. They're cheap and fairly low profile. The wire also goes around the top of your ear so they stay in place better.
MEE audio Sport-Fi M6 Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphones with Memory Wire (Clear) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0038W0K2U/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_DvJlybH4F7R52

I also use these
Comply Premium Replacement Foam Earphone Earbud Tips - Isolation T-200 (Black, 3 Pairs, S/M/L) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003JBWYLK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_yxJlybYM4QR02

They basically turn any set of earbuds into plug phones. The noise cancelation with them is amazing.

I ride with a sena smh10r and I absolutely love it and have convinced a few friends to buy their own. It's very enjoyable riding with others and having a casual conversation.

I actually found these on this sub, ending an exhaustive search for amazing IEMs I could afford. They are the best audiophile purchase I have ever made. The bass is deep and round and tight and powerful, the mids are strong and intricate and well balanced, the highs are lucid and crystal clear, and the soundstage is incredible.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093VVP0Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought these to use while I ride my m/c. They stay in place under a full face helmet.

http://www.amazon.com/MEElectronics-M6-CL-Sound-Isolating-Headphones-Players/dp/B0038W0K2U

Up near the ear bud, the last two inches or so of the cord is a pliable material that you can shape around your ear for a nice secure fit. They come with 4 or 5 different tips that help give you more secure fit depending on the internal shape of your ear. Sound quality is decent but not on par with Etymotic or Shure.

If you are having issues with them staying in place, Comply Foam Tips would be another good option to try. I have replaced all my earbud tips with these.

http://www.complyfoam.com/

You roll the foam tip like an earplug and it expands in your ear to seal out ambient noise and provide a snug fit.

$69, but they're a fugly neckband design that is worthless/uncomfortable AF if you intend to use them for anything active.

Which sucks, because I WAS excited for them, hoping they'd be like a cross between the Bullets V2 driver+housing and the headphone design Jaybird uses.

Hopefully version 2 is designed more with active people in mind instead of desk jockeys.

I've been using these Sony MDRXB950BT Heaphones for a while, they're fantastic if you want something Bluetooth with an especially good bass response. I love 'em. I also have a pair of Jaybird X3 wireless earbuds, and I absolutely love them as well.

Hello all, wall of text approaching.


Budget - $100-$150 MAX

Source - Retina Macbook Pro, Iphone 4s. No amps here.

Requirements for Isolation - Moderate to High Isolation. I'll use these at work with one headphone in.

Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs,

Preferred tonal balance - Balanced with a lot of bass/sub bass. (not really balanced I know, but the rest of the tonal range is important to me)

Past headphones - Meelectronics M6P's these have nice bass, but not the best over-all sound quality. Astrotec AX-35. Picked these guys up on a recent Massdrop.The bass is a little flat on these guys, but everything sounds really nice, IMO.

Preferred Music - EDM, Rap, Alternative, Rock, etc. A lot of bass-heavy stuff.


I'm leaning toward the Shure SE215's and the RHA MA750i's. I know I'm looking for clear bass and sub-bass. But mids and highs are important to me too. Some of the pairs I've had in the past will either put bass center stage leaving the mids/highs muddy or distant, or visa versa. I like everything sounding clear with a lot of bass presence.
RHA's warranty is a big plus to me. And I know that the SE215's have been known to fail.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

i just got some senhiezzer urbanite xl bluetooth like new from amazon fro like 130. maybe look at their models too.
i have only tried the sony extra bass and they sound like shit to me. muddy boomy . they feel great though. if you like that feel maybe look at these senneizers ive tried on the mdrzx77 and they felt like cheapo dogshit but didnt get a chance to test sound. audio technica is hailed as the best value cans, but never tried the bluetooth. id say get those or look at the urbanites or 4.40s

If you want an open headphone try the Grado SR80e. They were my gateway into good sound. They are not exactly neutral headphones but they give out great pleasing sound that makes you enjoy your music even more.

$99 USD

https://www.amazon.com/Grado-SR80e-Prestige-Series-Headphones/dp/B00L1LXOWS/ref=pd_sim_23_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00L1LXOWS&pd_rd_r=H2WV79P71HS3V74QNDE8&pd_rd_w=Pvqbg&pd_rd_wg=R7f3y&psc=1&refRID=H2WV79P71HS3V74QNDE8

Jaybird Bluebuds are amazing earphones if you can afford them. They are in ear, but you don't have to put large ones in your ear as the wings will keep them there. I do recommend Comply ear tips (the new X2s come with them) as they are memory foam and not only increase the sound quality but also increase comfort.

As far as what you're looking for, I don't they really exist. Not any good ones anyways. That style of earbuds aren't good for quality and fall out way too easily. I didn't like the marshmallow buds myself until I grabbed the Bluebuds X. They really do work and have never fallen out of my ear. In addition to the Comply tips the wings have helped them stay with a tight fit to keep sound in for better quality as the earbuds lose base when they aren't completely in.

Original Bluebuds X (doesn't come with Comply tips):
http://www.amazon.com/JayBird-BBX1MB-BlueBuds-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00AIRUOI8

New X2s (come with Comply tips):
http://www.amazon.com/Jaybird-Sport-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B013HSW4SM

My favorite Comply tips:
http://www.amazon.com/Comply-Tsx-500-Comfort-Earphone-Black/dp/B00AQU2VLA/

Interested in AKG K240 as an intro to good headphones without breaking the bank. The soundstage is appealing for listening and for gaming. I want something I can enjoy without extra DAC/amp spending to find out if this is going to become a hobby I spend more on. Is there a less expensive option to suit the same requirements, or is there a similar priced option that's better?

---

Budget - Flexible. Interested in a get-your-feet-wet <$100 set

Source - Phone, chromebook, Wii U, PS4

Requirements for Isolation - None

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full size

Preferred tonal balance - Neutral

Past headphones - ipod earbuds, LG/sony bluetooth, random over ears

Preferred Music - rock, acoustic, electronic, classical

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - NA

---

Curious about the Philips SHP9500.
I'm not too big on IEM's, but if these zero audio ones are that good for the price, I could be convinced.

My father recently tried my Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium headphones with some tunes from his iphone, and loved it.

I pretty much want headphones as close to these, but for $100 instead of $230.

Things he seemed to like in particular:

• All the songs sounded "very crisp" or "sharp"
  
• He loooved the stronger base on these (vs his usual headphones)
  
• The open headphones were definitely a like. I think it gave more of an encompassing sounding music
  
  Any suggestions?

"Problem is, I only have about 100 bucks to spend and he wants over-ears."

Uhm... There is no such over-ear Beats product for that price. The 2013 studios and the Solo2 are both well made, have metal construction throughout the headband, and sound just as good, if not better, than alternative bass-heavy headphones. I would say the V-Moda M-100 is better sounding, but not the LP or the LP2.

The real reason why you don't want to buy the Beats is because you don't want to pay for them.

The beats Studios 2013 cost $199 on Amazon.

The V-Moda M-100, that I said was better than Beats, $60 more.

The V-Moda LP2, which is worse than Beats Studios, cost $60 less than the 2013 Studios.

I don't think the Beats Studios are overpriced anymore. They improved the sound quality. The fit and comfort of the Studios is amazing. The only downside to the Studios is that they leak sound. If Beats can fix that, then they will have some very competitive headphones for the price.

I wear these bad boys. They were $20 when I got them 2 months ago but now they're an even better deal at $14. I love them for the price. Since they stick into your ear they are pretty good at blocking out the sound around you and that makes the sound quality fairly nice. Even the call function works decently. They might not be perfect for running tho; you can hear it whenever the cord hits anything, and while they have a clip for the cord for that reason, I can't vouch for it completely fixing the problem.

Since I didn't feel comfortable shelling out a bunch of money for headphones I'm just gonna sweat all over, I figured the cheapest buds with the best reviews would be the more frugal choice. They blast podcasts into my ears as I lift and I am pleased.

edit: forgot to mention they are bluetooth because cords suck and bluetooth is simply where it's at.

Yeah, it should be. I'm real excited about it!

And about the socializing, it'll be fine I think. I went to see Radiohead the first time during their last tour. Both nights I saw them, the people were relatively nice. People were reasonable, as long as they're not drunk. Shouldn't be anyone that drunk in GA anyway. I reckon I could get someone to hold my spot and at least hold small talk.

I really like your idea with not bringing the bag. The only class I'll have is just going to be a discussion section for calculus so I'll at most need a paper and a pencil, then my food, phone/charger, and wallet.

About ear protection, I have some of these headphones with these tips which might be good for noise suppression. Not sure if it's worth possibly losing them though. Your call really.


I REALLY REALLY appreciate the tips. Thank you so much.

For $100, I'd recommend this pair of sennheisers. Audiophile level headsets will get you a lot further than a gaming headset, and I have found they are way more comfortable and durable. These also eliminate the need for a cable completely, because they're bluetooth, and they work just fine with windows MR, but have the cable option if you prefer. If you want to step up, the 4.50BT model adds noise cancelling for $160 currently, which is very nice, or the 4.20s sound just as good in a smaller package without bluetooth. I've recommended these sets to my friends and I've been using the 4.50 for over a year and it works very well.

I really like the Bose QuietComfort 25 but I feel its too expensive for what it is. I really like the sound quality and the noise cancelling on them. What are some better but similar alternatives? A compatible volume and pause control button for Android would be a bonus. Thanks!

These are the best "inexpensive" headphones I have used. Be sure to try the different ear adapters included, to find the best fit and thus, the best sound.

[Mee Headphones] (http://www.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Sport-Fi-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B0038W0K2U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449425298&sr=8-2&keywords=mee+headphones)

https://www.amazon.com/Jaybird-Sport-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B013HSW4SM/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1479227820&sr=1-2&keywords=jaybird+x2

My favorite by far. I also have the TaoTronics that's the 'best seller' on amazon. Both are good options. The jaybird's sound better, feel more premium, and are more comfortable to me. Also have better battery life. Only issue with the JB's are the tips that sometimes come off the earbud if you snag them the wrong way. If you're on a budget or think you'll lose them, taotronics is a good option.

The best noise canceling headphone are Bose Quiet Comfort 25, they cost $299 but it's worth the extra $99, they sound great and they are very light and comfortable.


Inner Fidelity thinks they are the best


Cnet thinks they are the best


The wire cutter thinks they are the best


Tom's guide thinks they are the best

My [wireless Skullcandy Crushers] (https://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-Bluetooth-Headphones-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B01DWH77GC/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525612489&sr=1-3&keywords=skullcandy+crusher) give out unreal bass which you can adjust through a bass-slider, while the treble and mids are good enough. As far as I know, these are the best sound quality WIRELESS headphones with an emphasis on bass at it's price on the market, primarily beating out the Sony XB950B1 extra bass with overall sound and build quality, and with the extra option of a slider on the Crushers.

It's around 150 bucks so I'm not sure if it's within your price range. I know skullcandy gets alot of shit, and there are definitely better choices out there in terms of better overall sound quality, but the slider and the wireless capabilities at this price were enough to sell me on these.

edit: I notice the Sony's are around 100 bucks now on Amazon, instead of 150 like when I last checked the price. If the extra 50 bucks is an issue, these are also perfectly adequate alternatives.

or you could try the Jaybird X2
I bought a pair for working out w/ fucking love it. Awesome Sound quality and my research said their Customer Service is pretty awesome. I haven't used it yet.

Definitely look into a Headphone + Attachable Mic Combo

I recommend the JVC HARX900's With a Zalman mic that you can clip on the headphones

If you do end up pushing your budget, I don't really recommend the G35's like the other guy (No offense, really) I do on the other hand recommend the Audio Technica AD-700's, if you get these for gaming they will last you a lifetime, they are built very well too, I love Audio-Technica for that

I have these and I honestly love them, plus they're very reasonably priced. Sound quality is pretty good, as is battery life, and they don't fall out easily.

I actually got comply foam tips to use with mine and they make everything better I promise.

I have the Kinetic and it is good ... you could always order one off the internet. That said a second-hand cheap (<$100) stationary trainer will work fine, biggest real difference is that they're louder. Just check amazon reviews before you buy anything.

Power meters are expensive (many hundred $'s), heart rate ($70) and speed/cadence sensors ($70) are both very useful and cost a fraction of a power meter.

Trainer Road (~$12/mo or $99/yr) is a neat alternative to Zwift ... check you have the right equipment for it here

HIIT sessions calibrated to your FTP (check out the sufferfest ones on Trainer Road) are great for indoor short (<1hr) sessions.

You'll get hot exercising hard without the wind ... get a big fan. You'll sweat a lot so a mat underneath is a good idea.

Sitting on a trainer for many, many hours is dull ... netflix helps but you'll likely need bluetooth headphones to listen to it at a reasonable volume. I have plantronic backbeat fit ones (~$90) I also run with and they've been excellent.

And there's always the ever-reliable DC Rainmaker if you have a week or two to research ;)

> Vmoda M100

Lol. on amazon they have some nonsensical pictures, what with them on a scantily clad lady as well as wrapped around a microphone for some strange reason.

Hopefully they sound great and feel comfortable on you. I have a pair of audio technica ath m50x's and they're utterly fantastic for me.

Looking for earphones I can use in the pool (only 1.5 meters, it's like 3 gallons I think, deep). If not the pool then in the shower would be acceptable as well. I don't need too long of the battery, really 4 hours enough. I want it to last a bit and I need the price not to exceed 45$.
Which of the two is better? Or if there's something better please tell me.
https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Headphones-Waterproof-Sweatproof-Cancelling/dp/B01G8JO5F2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486806973&sr=8-1&keywords=senso+bluetooth+headphones
OR
https://www.amazon.com/XR500-Headphones-Cancelling-Waterproof-Secure-Fit/dp/B01G60GO7K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486806988&sr=8-3&keywords=treblab+bluetooth+headphones

Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for some combination of headphones and microphone, around $100 total. So far I am leaning towards a JVC HARX900 with a ModMic 4.0 when it comes out. While I don't need any specific setup (full headset, desktop mic, removable mic, etc...), I do have a mechanical keyboard. As I do a large amount of voice chat, the noise from the keyboard causes me to lean away from a desktop mic. Required to work with Linux.

Sound requirements: All around (Gaming, music, videos/films, and voice).

Budget: Around $100(including microphone), no more than $120 including shipping and tax.

Source: Desktop computer

Isolation: Not necessary, but would like some. Mostly used at home, which can get a little bit noisy.

Type: Full sized. A little preference towards closed. Significant preference towards over ear.

Tonal balance: All around.

Past Headphones:Nothing of note.

Music: Variety of "older" music (~60's-80's). Preferably the headphones are more jack-of-all-trades.

Location:US


While I do have pretty good ears at discerning quality, I don't have any "specialty", so would prefer more all-around quality.

Most important qualities:Linux compatibility, some combination of microphone and headphones, little interference from mechanical keyboard.

Thanks,

--Mpa

Looking for a good pair of headphones for listening to musis and gaming on my laptop.

Budget: Flexible around $100

Source: My laptop (I use it as a desktop so I do not need these headphones to be portable)

Type of Headphone: Closed Headphones

Preferred Tonal Balance: I'm sorry but, I am very new to this so I can't answer this properly. Balanced leaning towards bass maybe?

Past Headphones: JVC IEMS. I still have them and will continue to use them for portable use.

Preferred Music: Electronic( Nightcore, Nightstep, Dubstep, House, Trap, Glitch Hop, etc.) Classic Rock.

Location: USA

Headphones I am looking at right now: Right now I have had Logitech UE 6000s recommended for me and Sony MDR10Rs and I think both suit what I am looking for and want to know your opinions.

Side Note:I have a large Bose store in a mall nearby so, if you guys have any recommendations from Bose that would fit my needs that'd be awesome.

Thanks!

I have the M100 + XL pads for work. They're great. My pads are smashed now though, need to replace them. If mine ever break, I'll most likely buy another pair.

​

They seem to be on sale for < $150 on Amazon right now, but you won't get them for a month or two: https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00A39PPDK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536373670&sr=8-3&keywords=m100

Edit: should've read more carefully, yeah they won't be ideal for mixing or recording since they're fun cans, not neutral. I've not heard them, but the AT r70x gets a lot of praise for being neutral.

They can ask the person who made the comment, like you just did :)

The difficult aspect of recommending headphones is preference. Personally, I do not like "bass-heavy" sound. If I did, Beats would be the place to go. If you prefer a flat response where none of the frequencies are emphasized by the headphones (which I do), I recommend dropping $100 on the Grado SR80e. Others will often recommend Audio Technica, which are also fantastic! Just find a pair within your price range, and they will be better than $300 Beats. Sennheiser is also highly recommended. If possible, go to an electronics store and try them out to see which ones fit your listening style.

Budget: $20-40

Source: Everything, really, but mostly my laptop (nothing fancy)

Music: Similarly, all purpose. Nothing too heavy on either end, no house or EDM.

Isolation: Rather have it than not, but I'm not too picky.

Type: Earbud or IEM. Over-ear headphones are uncomfortable.

Previous: Currently use these JVC Xtreme Xplosives for my computer and occasionally my devices. They're good, fairly comfortable. Had them for almost four years and starting to show some wear. Also have gone through three pairs of the $8 classic Panasonic buds which I use mainly while working out. Very unglamorous but reliable

Tonal balance: Balanced or V shaped.

Improvement: I prefer an L shaped jack over a straight jack (I don't know any of the technical terms, I'm a newbie).

Currently looking at Xiaomi Hybrid IEMs and Symphonised NRG IEM but super open to suggestions. Thanks!

good bunch of bass and gaming is gonna make me recommend the V Moda M100s with their attachable mic. bit above the prices of the ones you listed, but these things are absolute bass cannons while also honestly sounding pretty damn good playing all types of music, very probably far better than any of the ones you listed. they're what I use for gaming and discord as well.

For Earphones I use these

They are cheap, but they are the best earphones I've used, and I've had pairs that cost £70.

For headphones I use these

They are good, but I don't know if they are worth £120. You could probably find just as good ones for much cheaper.

Haven't used the Freedoms but I like the X3 more than the X2 for my purposes. Lower range isn't a problem for me and I find the battery lasts longer as a result of BT 4.1 being more efficient than BT 2.1 in the X2's. Proprietary charging cable can kind of be a bummer but I like that I don't have to plug anything in and risk port degradation of micro usb since the X3 just clips into the charger and uses contacts. The MySound app is a bonus in my eyes as well since I find these buds have a bit too much bass emphasis out of the box for my tastes.

X2 is definitely cheaper though. Amazon has some used ones from their warehouse deals in the $75-$80 range EDIT: Looks like these are gone now. Worth checking every once in a while though if you're interested.

I picked up a set of MEElec Sport M6's a couple years ago and they're still going strong despite daily workouts. Comes with lots of different tips and mine has a detachable cable extension so I can shorten it if I want to plug it into an upper arm case for running or something. The included tips are good and these have pretty decent sound. Best of all - haven't had any sound loss problems with them like skullcandies that lasted like a month normally. Only thing worth noting on these is that after 2 years or so of use it seems like the rubber sheath on the cable might be starting to get hard. For the price - I don't think these can be beat. http://www.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Sport-Fi-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B0038W0K2U shit I paid $30 for them and Amazon has them for $15 now. I'd gladly pay $30 again for these.

I also recently upgraded the tips to Comply memory foam tips and it's just made them even better. HIGHLY recommend swapping out for Comply tips. $10 for tips sounds like a rip but I'm using them every day. They help isolate the outside noise better and keep bass from 'leaking' out around a bad ear seal since the memory foam comfortably fills in your ear hole.

I've been using these Plantronics Backbeat 903+ for a few years. It's got okay sound and fits comfortably, plus about 6 total hours use between charges. When I bought, the reviews were acceptable and the price around $50. I like that it's designed to let ambient sounds in, which is important for not getting hit on runs. I don't like earbuds because they never stay in, so I like the over the ear support. It doesn't look like they make this anymore, so the price is higher, but they do make a model called the Backbeat fit which have a similar ear-hugging shape, but are also much more expensive.

There are plenty of discussion over in /r/running, like this one, and I thought I found a decently priced (~$50) well-reviewed one that I said I would purchase once these go kaput, but now I can't find it. Just search 'bluetooth' over there and you'll find more discussions than you really want to dig through. Just be aware that many BT headphones will have mediocre sound quality, accept it, and you won't pay hundreds of dollars on them. If you need good sound, you can venture into the higher regions.

For home use only (or on-the-go if you're brave, these all leak sound):

Sennheiser HD558

Sennheiser HD518

AKG K240

Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X

Grado SR80e

For both at home or on the go:

Shure SRH440 *

V-Moda Crossface M80

Sennheiser Momentum on-ear

Sony MDRV6 *

have longer cables.

It's not so much a durability thing but a usability thing. You won't to hear everything going you in the subway while listening to music, and the people around you don't want to hear your music either. So that is why I recommend open headphones for home-use only, and closed back if you need pair for both applications.

For the most these headphones are easy to drive, and you should be able to power them straight out of your phone or computer.

I highly suggest reading reviews for all of these as they are very different from each other. My personal* picks for each application:

At home:

Grado Sr80e

Both:

Sennheiser momentum

Also check out /r/headphones and head-fi.org, both are great resources.

I use Jaybird X2s. They are not wired, but the are the best headphones I've ever had. I had the first gen, then got these. Nice tones, long battery life (8 hours avg), and very light in weight.

Let me just give you of my favourite pairs for studio use.

My first and foremost personal recommendation go out to the V-Moda Crossfade M-100's. They're a bit more bass heavy and just about on the upper limit of your budget, but they look amazing, sound amazing, and are tough as nails.

My second favourite pair of headphones would be the Sol Republic x Calvin Harris Master Tracks XC. Again, another bass-heavy pair, but this set is fully modular; everything is replacable, and again, tough as knobs. The frame doesn't fold, though.

My third favourite pair are the Sony MDR-V06. These have been an industry standard for a little while and are relatively older, but they're relatively lower cost, easier to find, and the earcups are replacable. Treble-heavy more than anything, but a great pair still.

Fourth place goes to Sennheiser's HD-25-II's. A bit tight around the head, but one of the most balanced. Tough, modular, and really made for studio work.

http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAFX1X-Headphone-Xtreme-Xplosivs/dp/B004S7Q8CA

These are the greatest earbuds i have ever had. Their drivers are huge, making the audio quality and bass quality amazing. Also they are $30 and are completely worth it as the only earbuds which have come close to the quality of these are more than $70. They are amazing.

I think I've got the perfect headphone in mind, the V-Moda M100. They're very bassy and as comfortable as the AE2, in my opinion. This link is a review by a very well respected headphone reviewer and audio commentator. Enjoy!

JVC Etremes. I went on Amazon when I wanted to buy a new pair of earphones, sorted by 'top rated' at the time. These come top out of around 5000 listings. I always assumed JVC to be a crappy brand til I got these I love them! I love electro music and they blast so much bass. On sale for around £12 aswell! Great value.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004S7Q8CA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407339667&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40

What is your budget? For the sake of discussion I am going to assume $100.

Depending on how fun or serious you want to get and he intends or currently makes music, there are a lot of ways to go.

You can certainly buy him some plugins or a sample pack. The Vengence ones are usually pretty good. A ton of VST's can be had for around $100. Discovery DSP I think for example would be excellent. Others here can probably give you a ton of suggestions on that.

Headphones. The Shure SRH440's are probably my favorite studio headphones in the $100 price range.

A DAW: Depending on what he has or uses. Tracktion, Reaper, Renoise or even a version of FlStudio can be had for $100.

Synths: For some fun tweaking the Korg Monotrons are $49 a piece The soon to be released Volca series is $150 a piece.

Also a midi keyboard is a great investment or a 4x4 pad set.

Finally, what about a 1 on 1 session with another artist. I know an artist (Silverfilter) who has a studio and actively does one on one courses. Not sure what he charges, but worth sending him a message. https://www.facebook.com/silverfilterofficial?directed_target_id=0

This might not help you much immediately, but I find a good pair of headphones worth it in the long run. I get earbuds because I walk around a lot and listen to my iPod, so I don't have time (or really money) for a big pair of headphones. But since music is really one of my priorities in life, splurging a little on some good headphones is worth it.

These are the ones I have: Bose ear buds. They cost $100 there, but I'm pretty sure I found mine online for $80.

That'll make the all-around listening experience, no matter what the piece is, much better. And don't even tell me you eff around with those awful apple headphones, Steve Jobs shouldn't be remembered for those (too soon?)

I love these:

https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Fit-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00KJLMBQQ

The bit around the backside of your head is very flexible - the pictures make it look less than great, but it's amazing.

Sound quality is very good, durability is off the charts for me.

Ditch 'gaming' headsets forever. Gaming is just an advertising word used by companies towards people who play video games (gamers) and their families. You don't want to buy something from Logitech, a company who also makes mice, keyboards, webcams, 'gaming' headsets and so on.

What you want are headphones built for music by a real music company that would also be great for video games. I can tell you that you'll probably want something 'open' that will leak some sound but in exchange, you get great 'soundstage' which is great for music/gaming. I don't know your specific music tastes, so I'm just going to give you some basic recommendations:

Audio Technica ATH-AD900X

Sennheiser HD598

Beyerdynamic DT 990, these you would need a sound card or DAC/AMP for.

Go check out /r/headphones and their Daily Headphone Purchase thread. You won't regret it. :)