Headphones -- Hoping for suggestions

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:24 am

Well, to start off with, I've looked at Newegg, Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA (the store, not the site), TigerDirect, Walmart (store and site). Such a huge selection, everywhere, it's hard to pick a set I like. So, I guess what I'm looking for here is suggestions, based on your experience with various models, the price of different models, and different "style" of models (ie: earbud/over ear). Basically, what I'm looking for is a pair of headphones that have decent bass, clear treble, are under a hundred USD, and are comfortable to wear. By comfortable, I mean that I wear glasses, so certain over-the-ear headphones hurt after wearing them for a while. I've had horrible experience with earbud-style headphones, but maybe some of you have had good experience with them (ie: good sound, easy to keep clean, comfortable). I almost forgot to mention, I don't have a portable music player (mp3 or otherwise), so I will only be listening to music at home. They can have a 1/4" stereo connector, S/PDIF (not sure if optical connectible headphones exist), 1/8" connector, they need not be iPod or anything else "compatible." Professional or consumer-grade, depending on price. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thank you, isohunters! You all rock, and hopefully my ears will be soon!

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:46 am

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/audio-headphones-circumaural-headphones_504628

I have a pair of the 518's very good stuff.
It would probably help if you identified a price range a bit more, audiophile headphones go up into the 500 + dollar range.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:10 pm

Crooked_Ferret wrote:

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/audio-headphones-circumaural-headphones_504628

I have a pair of the 518's very good stuff.
It would probably help if you identified a price range a bit more, audiophile headphones go up into the 500 + dollar range.

Thanks for the link. Sorry though. Am looking for something more in the $100 range.

Also, from the looks of things, Sennheiser seems to have really great headphones. I'm still kinda nervous about (circumaural? seems to be etymologically correct word) headphones, due to me wearing glasses. But I do see they offer comfort in that pair.

Will check out some others on the site, thanks. Smile

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:12 pm

I once got a pair of the 2xx series senn headphones for 100 bucks on sale. If you look around you might find something. They don't have the serious drivers in them the 5xx series has, but they are still top notch headphones.

Another benefit with senn is if the cable gets damaged or something they do actually sell replacement parts, warranty service isn't too shabby either.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:15 pm

Try this site, it has a "selection wizard" where you put in your price range and where you will be using the headphones. They recommend Sennheiser HD280 at $80 .....

http://www.headphonereviews.org/

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:36 pm

robmead wrote:

Try this site, it has a "selection wizard" where you put in your price range and where you will be using the headphones. They recommend Sennheiser HD280 at $80 .....

http://www.headphonereviews.org/

perfect they've apparently come down in price since I got the pair I had. ...look a little different now too though.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:02 pm

i prefer a headset than headphones, this what i use:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265065&cm_re=plantronics_gaming_headset-_-26-265-065-_-Product

got them in best buy for 600 pesos on newegg are like 49 dlls ,never had a problem with them ,amazing for games,skype, etc etc...

i actrually talked with a friend of mine girl and she told me how good my voice sounded through this on skype i was really happy , my wife got angry lol.

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:14 am

Looks like I really fell behind in responding. Embarassed

Thank you peeps for great replies, though! I've got to say, the Sennheisers look great, probably feel great and sound great, but the plantronics gaming headset seems like it would probably work best for me. I haven't played a game that used a headset in a long time, last one was for the Playstation 2, for SOCOM, I think. I think the price and some of the functions of the plantronics are great, and suit me pretty well. Thanks all!

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:19 am

I'm sure there was a torrent for them around here somewhere...
Hey ferret ...
Do you still have that link bookmarked? Shocked

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:26 pm

i'm partial to sennheisers too. but any model with a range of 4dB-22,000dB will be on par with sound studios. (typical human hearing range is 9dB-18,000dB)

i prefer over-ear when i'm audio editing because ear buds tend to boost the base and thus don't deliver a clean unadulterated sound.

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:52 pm

I have a pair of Sennheiser CX500's which are good all rounders and are as cheap as chips. (Seen a pair on the link Rob provided for $45)

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/headphones/sennheiser-cx-500-sound-isolating-earphones-review-49295479/

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:34 am

IsoBrother69 wrote:

i prefer a headset than headphones, this what i use:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265065&cm_re=plantronics_gaming_headset-_-26-265-065-_-Product

got them in best buy for 600 pesos on newegg are like 49 dlls ,never had a problem with them ,amazing for games,skype, etc etc...

i actrually talked with a friend of mine girl and she told me how good my voice sounded through this on skype i was really happy , my wife got angry lol.

Same headset I use, pretty good choice for the price. Great for gaming, music and VoIP applications. The fold away mic boom gives them a cleaner look too.

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:32 am

Yeah, I have a pair for 40 dollar plantronics for a headset myself. I can't even begin to compare their sound quality to the actual headphones I have though. I do agree about the moveable mic arm though.

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:42 am

For a good headset for gaming I mean really gaming just get the 7.1 headsets but they are expensive for sure but you get what you pay for!.
Have a look at Turtle Beach's headsets Wink

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:46 pm

Depends what you want your heaphones for to be honest, Gaming Music Movies. different style's more or less powerful depending on the demand.

i'm a bit of a online gamer so i bought a pair that helps me detect the enemy from the other continent of the map. also i use the same headphones for when i dj from when dj from time to time. and they serve me well.

SteelSeries cost me 170 and well worth the buy. very sturdy and comfortable on the ears for exceedingly lengthy periods of gaming.

Also own a pair of Skull candy ear-phones that i use to plug into my phone. work very well and capable with dealing with alot of BASS! cheap too!