Looking for some headphones

zonic505 · 08-19-2008, 01:03 PM

My headphones finally died on me yesterday & I'm looking for some new ones. What I'm looking for:

- Either wired or wireless are fine. If wireless, they can't be Bluetooth since I'd be using it for my Zune & laptop.
- I perfer behind the ear/neck. No earbuds. I can't stand those.
- If possible, if it didn't leak sound &/or something that'd cancel out noise so I can hear my music better when I mow my lawn.

I've been looking around, but all I find are mostly cheap (like <$10) & not all that great.

Hiryuu · 08-19-2008, 02:15 PM

Hehhh...most of your noise-cancels that come out these days are small are going to be in-the-ear. Few are going to be outside of that unless you get bulky ones, at least for the ones I've seen. I'm partial to Sony or Koss...most of the ones in the 40 buck range are good and I have a pair of Sony Fontopias that cracked the 50 dollar range. They're behind the neck but they aren't noise-cancel (or they barely qualify) and they're earbuds, so that's no good. I actually prefer those.

But since you've said otherwise, you MIGHT want to take a look at some Koss PortaPros.... These've been around for some time (they're as old as I am) so the design may seem old-style but the sound quality you get out of these are really good. Very good dynamic range (15Hz - 25KHz) and sensitivity (>100dB) for a binaural pair. The price-tag is up there at about 40 dollars, so it's not really that bad for a travel pair.

That's probably the best I've got for doing a brief, on-the-break look-up.

zonic505 · 08-19-2008, 02:35 PM

Yeah, $40 isn't that bad for those. They look great, not to mention they can fold & be stored easier (like in my pocket during school). I'll have to see if I can get them. Other suggestions are welcome.

I've been having to use the earbuds (not inside the ear, but close) that came w/ my Zune. They HURT. I can hardly leave it in my left ear for 5 minutes before I have to take it out & rearrange it. I can't believe people can stand those...

stuartwood89 · 08-19-2008, 05:06 PM

I use the earphones that came with my Sony Ericsson W850i, which unfortunately for you, are in-ear. However they do come with different sized rubber buds so that they fit your ears nicely, I forget that they're in there, and the sound quality is very good for a set that comes with a phone. Very good bass as well, and sound doesn't get in either.

The cable is short, but an extension cable isn't hard to get.

Hiryuu · 08-19-2008, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonic505

...I've been having to use the earbuds (not inside the ear, but close) that came w/ my Zune. They HURT. I can hardly leave it in my left ear for 5 minutes before I have to take it out & rearrange it. I can't believe people can stand those...

The thing is, there are different sizes for different ears in some headphones, but there are people that get hung up on even the 'different sizes' ones. An example would be my stepmother who's maybe five-foot-nothing and swears that the headphones with her iPod are much better than any in-the-ear she's ever had. The answer to that one's simple - ear structure. Hers are very small and, somehow, the iPod ones work a lot better.

I think they're garbage myself. I've got that pair of Fontopias that do a much better job. However, if I'm not traveling, I've got a pair of Koss UR-40s that do an exceptional job if I need to listen to something at home. Very nice, foldable pair that I keep around. Generally, this isn't the case, because I usually have my 450W 2.1 system going that's attached to practically everything that pushes sound out in my apartment...so they get, unfortunately, little use.

Those are the only two I've had and they've done their job quite nicely.

*Loserbait* · 08-19-2008, 05:28 PM

I love my Sennheiser HD25s

Hiryuu · 08-19-2008, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loserbait

I love my Sennheiser HD25s

I'm not arguing that those aren't a kickass pair of headphones...Sennheisers are awesome...but you're looking at 200 dollars. Wouldn't want that stolen if I was outdoors with it a lot.

That's more for a DJ or person who's going to be monitoring audio. Constantly. A LOT.

Think the most expensive I've seen was from Audio-Technica that I ever laid hands on and got to mess with for a time. Nearly 1000 bucks for the pair (some show I went to once) and it had its own huge case and...[whistles] quality was unreal.

**helix eternal** · 08-19-2008, 08:05 PM

If you don't absolutely have to have behind-the-head style something like these would be great:

Sennheiser HD 202 Intense Stereo Headphones and more Headphones at GuitarCenter.com.

the cushions around the ears make them incredibly comfortable (I don't know this particular model, but other sennheisers have never failed in the comfort department.)

zonic505 · 08-19-2008, 11:28 PM

I just ordered the Koss PortaPro from Amazon along w/ some replacement pads (some reviews said the pads wore out or something).

THD5% · 08-20-2008, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helix eternal

If you don't absolutely have to have behind-the-head style something like these would be great:

Sennheiser HD 202 Intense Stereo Headphones and more Headphones at GuitarCenter.com.

the cushions around the ears make them incredibly comfortable (I don't know this particular model, but other sennheisers have never failed in the comfort department.)

I have a pair of HD202's that just started to fail on me, because the headphone jack started to get really worn. Of course, this is 6 months after I got them, and I've been literally wearing them for hours every day.

After really long-term listening, my ears start to burn a little bit right near the top.

However, they're really, really great headphones. Get these.

Blackraven · 08-20-2008, 09:44 AM

Those from Belkin and Logitech are pretty neat if you ask me.

Pricing is quite okay (depending on the model......esp. if it has noise-cancelling,etc)

RETROFLEX IMPLOSIVE · 08-20-2008, 02:13 PM

I'm wearing a pair of Philips SBC HP200's right at this moment.

Good bass, pretty cheap (from what I can dig up on the internet) and really comfortable ear-swallowing design. They're pretty large and not very pretty, but that's a minor issue with private use.

Audiophiles might sneer at these, I have no idea, but these are the best general purpose headphones I've ever owned.

kimcicle · 08-22-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiryuu

I'm not arguing that those aren't a kickass pair of headphones...Sennheisers are awesome...but you're looking at 200 dollars. Wouldn't want that stolen if I was outdoors with it a lot.

Hahaha, I was traveling with my Senn HD595s for a while. Then I went with the Shure SE310s. Just as long as you keep tabs on your gear there shouldn't be an issue IMO. But recommending HD25s to somebody stating they want budget headphones probably wasn't a good call in the first place.

Baroque Obama · 08-24-2008, 04:09 PM

the koss portapros are open headphones. they will not block ANY noise.

hd280's are alright. supposedly they don't sound good enough for their cost level but have good sound blocking.

active noise cancellation headphones are generally not worth their price.