Quality Headphones - Discussion encouraged

[mummyjohn]

I grew up in a house and we own a nice, big stereo, so I've always been used to (and a major champion of) big speakers, and have been able to play music loudly without disturbing anybody nearby. However in a college dormitory blasting music at any given hour is not necessarily enjoyed by everyone around you; I'm also hurting for room and it's tough to store big speakers (along with everything else) somewhere for three months over summer. Furthermore, I just took a listen to a friend's new headphones (he owns Beats, I'm not sure which specific model) and was blown away. I am definitely now a believer that headphones can deliver real respectable quality sound across the spectrum, and am looking to get some nice ones to replace the free earbuds that the student union gave out.

So what I'm asking here iswhat recommendations to you all have in this arena? I don't really have any working experience regarding headphones. Frankly, other than KOSS, Sennheiser, and Pioneer, I can hardly name another brand that manufactures famously quality cans. I'll be getting a separate headphone amp, so don't worry about power (or about powered models like the Beats). Any help is gladly welcomed.





P.S. If this would better fit in another area of the forums, feel free to move it.

 

[Edward]

Can't help you on brand, but I would suggest you look at the possibility of bluetooth / cordless if you don't want to sit in one spot beside the stereo all the time.

 

[vitanola]

I've always preferred Baldwin Type C's:

with Western Electric 521's a close second:

For sets with a step or two of amplification I generally prefer the Brandes Superior units:

Of course none of these will be very useful when playing high fidelity or perhaps Binaural recordings. Older Koss units ffrom the 1970's are very nice, if the rubber padding hasn't perished. The better house branded headsets offered by Lafayette, Olson and Allied back in the 1960's and 1970's can also be quite fine, and generally sell for a negligible sum. With these no-name units weight is generally the indicator of quality.

 

[Connery]

I use Sennheiser HD 280 Professional Headphones. They have been durable and while I have an amp I used it a few times and found it unnecessary. The parts are replaceable. I use the headphones everyday. The ear cups swing around and turn so they are utile for various purposes.

 

[MikeKardec]

Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic are all good. Grados, especially the older models, have a retro look like some of those above and they are pretty damn good phones though maybe not as good as the best Sennheisers or Beyers. The Grado foam surrounds die pretty quickly but places like Audio Adviser sell replacements. Headroom amps are pretty good and their website (http://www.headphone.com/) evaluates headphones quite honestly.

The best I have ever heard the Ultimate Ears in ear phones that are custom made for your ear like a hearing aid ... but these are really a 'professionals only' alternative, they cost as much as a good stereo system! They are often used by production mixers in the film and TV biz.

I think you could have a nice setup if you bought a good used set of top of the line phones from one of these major manufacturers. The best of a couple of years ago is probably better than a budget pair that are new. On the other hand, headphones are a bit "personal" so maybe you want new.

Headphone amps are very different from one and other so be alert!

 

[John in Covina]

i have AKG's that i like but also have Grado 125's which are extremely precise in detail and imaging. I do like the Sennheisers too.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Today's New York Times has an article on this very subject:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/arts/04iht-gear04.html

 

[MissLaurieMarie]

Great topic! I too am on the lookout for good headphones, mostly to listen and edit audio or video interviews.

I did find these i-mego Retro Headphones. The reviews for them have been fairly good, but of course I'm in it for the looks.

 

[normanpitkin]

bose for indoors and new marshalls for my iphone

 

[mummyjohn]

Miss Laurie, those are some sharp looking 'phones!

It seems like Sennheiser is looking to be the most popular choice so far. I'll definitely have to read up on that HeadRoom website though. I'll post all when I finally snag a pair.

 

[Edward]

I've always preferred Baldwin Type C's:

with Western Electric 521's a close second:

For sets with a step or two of amplification I generally prefer the Brandes Superior units:

Of course none of these will be very useful when playing high fidelity or perhaps Binaural recordings. Older Koss units ffrom the 1970's are very nice, if the rubber padding hasn't perished. The better house branded headsets offered by Lafayette, Olson and Allied back in the 1960's and 1970's can also be quite fine, and generally sell for a negligible sum. With these no-name units weight is generally the indicator of quality.

Oh, my..... if somebody did a pair of modern music headphones that aped these in looks, I'd love that - hell, I'd buy a pair and use them out and about with an iPod...

I do get a chuckle out of seeing folks on the street in huge headphones, especially popular with the hip hop kids. I remember back in the day when it was all cassette Walkmans (Walkmen??) - we all wanted the phones to be smaller and smaller.... nowadays it almost seems that it's the box that is getting smaller and smaller, while the headphones are getting bigger. Pretty soon they'll just build the player into the headphones, then we'll have come full circle in looks, with something just like those seventies big 'phones with the FM radio built in.... lol

 

[Connery]

I do get a chuckle out of seeing folks on the street in huge headphones

This is a good point...I have Philips SHS8200 Foldable Neckband Headphones for iPod for when I am working out or taking a walk. They are small. portable, inexpensive and have a decent sound for their purpose.

 

[mummyjohn]

Oh, my..... if somebody did a pair of modern music headphones that aped these in looks, I'd love that - hell, I'd buy a pair and use them out and about with an iPod...

I do get a chuckle out of seeing folks on the street in huge headphones, especially popular with the hip hop kids. I remember back in the day when it was all cassette Walkmans (Walkmen??) - we all wanted the phones to be smaller and smaller.... nowadays it almost seems that it's the box that is getting smaller and smaller, while the headphones are getting bigger. Pretty soon they'll just build the player into the headphones, then we'll have come full circle in looks, with something just like those seventies big 'phones with the FM radio built in.... lol

I am glad that the market at large has not gone gaga for the tiny in-ear things; they're none to comfortable and they don't have that same drive that the real cans do.

I totally agree with your desire for modern, high-quality loudspeaker construction in 'classic' styles. Honestly, this is the big gold boat that 'most near every company in the world is missing. If GM dropped today's horsepower, transmissions, and heated seats into the body of a '57 Chevy, you think they'd have any competition? No way. Fortunately, hi-fi is one of the few realms of industrial design that hasn't taken a nosedive since the sixties (McIntosh, my absolute favourite stereo-maker, probably has niftier looking units now than ever before). Design in general seems to be sloppy, and in many products wholly absent, which the manufacturers would have you think is justifiable given the engineering advances. That's sloppy - a great product should have an exterior appearance evocative of its interior function. To give examples of that here, though, would take enough space to fill a decent college dissertation.

TL;DR: New tech + classic, attractive cases = Profit.

 

[mummyjohn]

ALSO: For anyone else lurking on this thread, that nice headphone amp on your desk or in your listening room may be great, but supplying the B+ voltage to the tubes is going to keep you tethered to the wall (or to one big battery). So, for high quality gain-on-the-go, check out the now famous "CMoy Amplifier."

Just do an Internet search for that phrase and you'll come up with dozens of pages about how you can build one yourself; it can be done for under $30 a lot of the time and the whole unit fits inside an empty Altoid tin. Here's just one page of instructions, alternately you can check out the likes of eBay for some pre-built units.