Headphones (Recommendations)

[The Boston Crab]

I've been meaning to start a headphones thread for ages, got some good recommendations with the SoundMagic PL50, the Munitio Sliver Bullets and the Klipsch S4 but I'll come back to them another time.


Basically, the Fischer Audio DBA-02 have come back into limited production. There were only 25 pairs left when I got mine so if you're interested, PM me. My mate gave me a link to a Russian store where they're available. It may look like buying/selling if I post direct links on here and would prefer to avoid the ambiguity, don't want Neil to get the wrong idea.


Review here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484569/review-fischer-audio-s-dba-02


Now I just have my fingers crossed that 'Russian registered mail' is much much less dodgy than I imagine.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I'm currently using Ultimate Ears superfi 5's for my ipod usage.  Got 'em cheap at £35 from dabs - amazon are selling them for £80.

They're better than anything else I've had in the £30-£50 range, in that they're clearer and make the most of my mp3s.

I've also just got some JVC Bi-metal in ear phones, but haven't tried them out.  Again a bargain at £18.

It's worth keeping an eye on hotukdeals - they regularly find great value earphones.

Headfi is a bloody dangerous place though - you'll end up wanting about 30 different sets of head/earphones.  I used to be happy with the ones you got for free with the player...

[Lfbarfe]

Still getting good use out of the Sennheiser HD25SPs I bought 10 years ago. For home listening, when the closed-back isn't as necessary, I use the HD590s I bought around the same time.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I got a pair of Shure SRH440's reduced from $120 to $80 (about 55 quid) that are excellent for my purposes (recording, mixing and mastering). Only downside is that they're relatively heavy and after about an hour they feel a bit uncomfortable on the top of me head.

[HappyTree]

I cannot stand earbuds, they pop out of my ears far too easily and are uncomfortable. I use a pair of Sony MDR-7509HD for studio work, but they're so good I use them for everything else like iPod use. Best headphones I ever had, amazing sound and so comfy around the ears.

[The Boston Crab]

I cannot stand earbuds, they pop out of my ears far too easily and are uncomfortable.

You certainly do need to get the right tips to get anything whatsoever from earbuds but I like the 'closeness'. It may be just that I'm so accustomed to sound being presented to me that way but I find that over-ear headphones lack 'impact', no matter how good they are. I borrowed a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 recently and found that as much as I enjoyed the incredibly balanced sound and the enormous 'soundstage', certain types of music suit seem to suit the upfront direct sound of buds so much better. Jazz, ambient and classical sounded wonderful but anything electronic/rock seemed a little distant/weak. So much of it is personal taste, though.

Thanks for the tips so far, especially about hotukdeals. I used to think I'd only ever want/need one pair but the feeling is very different with different pairs. You can have many different shades of pleasure. Kind of like having the peaty delights of an Ardbeg and then the super smooth drinkability of a Glenmorangie. They're both wonderful and complement different moods.

[El Unicornio, mang]

As far as earbud ones go, I got a nice pair of Sony ones for about $40 (25 quid) which come with three different sized soft ear bud attachments ( I have small ears so use the smallest ones). You can barely even feel them in your ear, they block out a lot of sound, and they sound fantastic, very good bass.

[HappyTree]

The earbuds I use very occasionally are the ones you get with the iPod. They let in a lot of outside noise so I find them pretty useless for walking outdoors. I only keep them because of the microphone, to be honest. I've tried other earbuds but I just think I have the wrong type of ear to hold them. Usually the left ear goes first.

I'd take a nice, soft cushion around my whole ear any day.

[The Boston Crab]

Not to be too persistent (or a wanker) about this, since you did say you've tried others but the ones you get with the iPod are probably more useful as shoelaces. I do happily admit that the fit is absolutely crucial to enjoyment of earbuds and I've been through a good half dozen pairs which just never quite felt right. The Klipsch S4 are tiny, super light and can be worn straight down or over-the-ear and either way, you don't even notice they're there. I should say that my earholes are also quite different so I do totally appreciate the grief that buds can bring. You sometimes need to buy standalone tips to get a decent fit. Ideally, I'd get some moulds but I think they're way too expensive. If the DBA-02s turn out to be lifers, I might treat myself for Christmas.

[Spiteface]

I just cannot get on with earbuds anymore.  Maybe it's because i end up getting ones that cost £10 or less from Argos or somewhere, but I find them to be tinny-sounding. I prefer the over-ear type now.  Sometimes they don't seem as loud because they're not right inside your ears, but I prefer a fuller sound now. I'd put up with them because I had difficulty finding over-ear set with a lead that wasn't 3 metres long.  Leads that long are no good for an ipod or similar personal music player.  Recently I came acrosse these in HMV:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003A8416I/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

1.2m cord and decent size.  Comfy as well.  I like them a lot.

[QDRPHNC]

Grado.

[Buchstansangur]

I haven't bought a pair of headphones since my Sennheiser HD 580s over half a decade ago. I've been listening to music through laptop speakers for about four years now :-(

So yeah, I'm in the market for a new pair, and they don't make the HD 580s anymore. HELP. I am out of the loop. I'll pay around £150, maybe more. I don't want ones I need an amp for because I'll mostly be plugging them into the laptop. Can anybody recommend something similar the to 580s that are suitable for my requirements?

[HappyTree]

I'm sure the perfect earbud's out there now, just waiting for my ear to snuggle into. I am open to being proved wrong, it's not like I want to have ears that don't fit :-D I suppose my exposure to earbuds has been limited, but then I'd say if they're that hard to get right it's not worth the bother. Plus I like having a big pair of headphones, it makes everything into an occasion.

Maybe one day I'll be a bud convert, but for now the only bud I want to see is green and smells funny.

[The Boston Crab]

As an earbud experiment, I can totally recommend the SoundMagic PL30. They cost about 20 quid, sound about five times better than they have any right to and are the polar opposite of tinny. Chunky bass, almost unnervingly wide soundstage and about a dozen sets of tips to guarantee a good fit.

If you fit them right - and get a good pair - earbuds don't sound tinny in the slightest. They also isolate sound much better than all but the most expensive on-ear/over-ear phones. Kind of surprised by the lack of love. Just a recommendation then. Likewise, the Klipsch S4 at 60 quid have a fantastic mainstream sound. Tight, full bass and plenty of space at the top end. It doesn't suit every type of music, it's not always very delicate but they're a shitload of fun. Pure impact. Also, the oval tips give such a natural fit. Can't praise the SoundMagic and Klipsch enough. Enormous steps up in sound quality from the default stuff, without breaking the bank.

[El Unicornio, mang]

You definitely can't skimp on earphones. I have a friend who buys the cheapest ones she can find, I listened to them once and it was like the music was being played through a 1950s radio inside a tin bucket down the bottom of a well. Also, when you get a good pair make sure to insert them at the right angle and depth to get the full sonic benefit. And I recommend ones that look something like this:



As opposed to the old style:



The former are very comfy indeed

[Steve Lampkins]

Earbuds last me about 6 months before the jack gets totally broken. I'm lazy and wind the cable round my iPod. As it's quite hard to find ones with L jacks, I decided to buy a short extension cord. Hopefully that will go rather than the earbuds, and it's cheaper to replace.

No, I can't be bothered to learn how to solder jacks onto cables, or whatever you have to do to repair them.

[Pepotamo1985]

Just the standard iPod ones, kna wha i'm sayin

[Artemis]

I'd like to like earbud headphones, but aside from feeling too intrusive, they also fall out all the time. I seem to have oddly shaped ears for that. I prefer the 'fuller' sound of a full pair of headphones, but do sometimes get a complex that I look a bit ridiculous strutting down the street with them on.

[glitch]

These are the ~£20 in-ear headphones I've tried. I had some lovely Shures I bought for £50 before and although they were absolutely fantastic, I always seem to break headphones far too quickly and can't justify constantly spending that kind of cash on them.

And the iPod/iPhone ones are bloody dire.

[AsparagusTrevor]

And the iPod/iPhone ones are bloody dire.

Headphones that come bundled with products are almost universally shit. However, I was quite impressed by the ones that came with my current phone, the Sony Ericsson W995. I think they're the HPM-77 ones and the quality is very good.

I bought some in-ear Sennheiser ones a while ago, about £30 back then, and they literally fell apart within a day. The first time I tried them the earbud and speaker fell away from its body, leaving it in my ear. I had to use tweezers to get it out! Put me off Sennheiser a bit, although I still have some over-ear ones from a few years ago that have only just started to wear down a bit.

[Lfbarfe]

I haven't bought a pair of headphones since my Sennheiser HD 580s over half a decade ago...Can anybody recommend something similar the to 580s that are suitable for my requirements?

You want open-back? The HD595 is the successor to the HD580. Do you still have the 580s? Top end Sennheisers are very easy to repair and the spares are readily available.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Earbuds last me about 6 months before the jack gets totally broken. I'm lazy and wind the cable round my iPod.

Coo - that might explain why my earbuds always get screwed.  Anyway, HMV do Sennheiser earbuds for £15 which sound amazing

[katzenjammer]

I also don't like ear buds.  I've never managed to find a pair that stay in my ears and they're always getting clogged with wax.  They're OK for watching films on planes though. 

I've been using Koss PortaPros for about five years, they look a bit weird but they're definitely the best portable headphones I've ever owned.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I also don't like ear buds.  I've never managed to find a pair that stay in my ears and they're always getting clogged with wax.  They're OK for watching films on planes though. 

I've been using Koss PortaPros for about five years, they look a bit weird but they're definitely the best portable headphones I've ever owned.

I've got the Koss PortaPros too - I use them for the laptop/PC.  I wouldn't wear them in public though.

[NoSleep]

Now I just have my fingers crossed that 'Russian registered mail' is much much less dodgy than I imagine.

I don't know if things have changed much from a decade or so ago, but I remember friends who had contacts in Russia preferring to wait until they knew somebody was either coming from or visiting Russia and delivering via them.

[Buchstansangur]

You want open-back? The HD595 is the successor to the HD580. Do you still have the 580s? Top end Sennheisers are very easy to repair and the spares are readily available.

Ah, thanks. No, I sold the 580s years ago when I was short on cash.

[The Boston Crab]

I don't know if things have changed much from a decade or so ago, but I remember friends who had contacts in Russia preferring to wait until they knew somebody was either coming from or visiting Russia and delivering via them.

Haha, ok. Well, given my experiences in a Moscow airport, I fully expect to be deaf by the time they arrive. My mate's in the same boat though, so at least we're going down together.

[katzenjammer]

I've got the Koss PortaPros too - I use them for the laptop/PC.  I wouldn't wear them in public though.

They make the Sporta Pros for blouses like you

[vrailaine]

I've been using Koss PortaPros for about five years, they look a bit weird but they're definitely the best portable headphones I've ever owned.

Yep, I've these and like them, took me a bit to find a comfortable way to wear them though. Cost me slightly about €20.

They've basically been the same model for over 25 years now, which means they must be doing something right.

[The Boston Crab]

The Munitio SITi S look as sexy as any existing small pieces of metal and plastic but they sound rubbish unless you're just a pure basshead.



Fortunately, I didn't buy them...