Topic: Headphones

[M forever]

4. How will I drive them? Not sure what you're asking.

What do you mean, "not sure"? Either you understand what he is asking or not. Since you don't (you aren't "not sure", you just have no clue), and that is one of the most baqsic questions of audio, it is clear that it doesn't matter what you get since you have no clue anyway. Just buy some cheap crap, you won't be able to tell the difference.

[Brian]

An explanation of what driving headphones means might have helped op. 110 more than an excoriation for not knowing.

[btpaul674]

but really,

back to headphones?

headphones anyone?

[op.110]

but really,

back to headphones?

headphones anyone?

agreed; do you have any suggestions? or care to enlighten me on this "drive"

[op.110]

op. 110,

I'll be honest with you. I took a pair of 10 dollar sony headphones from years ago, cut off the strap that goes around the ear, and shoved 'em in a pair of shooting headphones. Other than that, I own ipod headphones.

(way off in the distance, you can hear M hammering away at the keyboard on a post claiming my hearing ability, and thus my entire musical ability, is reflective of my headphones and their quality, regardless if the majority of my listening is done live.)
 

Sorry M, sorry all, that was uncalled for.

But this is really fun. Seriously.

Ummm op. 110 I do hope that you find a pair that is suitable to your needs.

Haha, ohh well, thanks anyways.

[Gustav]

op. 110,

I'll be honest with you. I took a pair of 10 dollar sony headphones from years ago, cut off the strap that goes around the ear, and shoved 'em in a pair of shooting headphones. Other than that, I own ipod headphones.

Man, you have no business recommending others what headphones they should be getting, stay away, this man doesn't know shit about audio!

[Gustav]

To OP: If you want really high-end headphones for music, I recommend the AKG 701. They are open phones that have relatively high impedance, meaning that you need a power amplifier to get the most sound out of them. I know this could be out of your budget, but when I bought my pair it was only for 215 USD. But for classical music, especially orchestral music, the 701's are second to none (maybe Sennheiser 650/600s). Try to head down to the store and give them an audition before you pay, to see if you like the particular sound stage they have.

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/all-headphones/akg-k-271-s.php

I have the AKG 271S, which is a nicely built headphone. It's also mp3-friendly(i don't need to drive it with an amp to get decent sound, although you could). It fits nicely on my head, and it looks coll on top of that. It costs about half of a AKG 701, but delivers a nice sound. The bass isn't over powering like some other cheap headphones, but it is really really nice for chamber music. But, i have tried it with all kinds of classical music, and it sounds all fine really. There is also a nice mechanism where if you take the headphone off your head, you won't hear the music coming out of the headphone at all, pretty neat stuff.

[op.110]

So this Monkey Forever is acting doggy this time around? Barking shit and spilling crap on everyone's thread?


To OP: If you want really high-end headphones for music, I recommend the AKG 701. They are open phones that have relatively high impedance, meaning that you need a power amplifier to get the most sound out of them. I know this could be out of your budget, but when I bought my pair it was only for 215 USD. But for classical music, especially orchestral music, the 701's are second to none (maybe Sennheiser 650/600s). Try to head down to the store and give them an audition before you pay, to see if you like the particular sound stage they have.

Righto; I'm thinking I may have to pay a visit to J&R in Manhattan to try out different headphones.

I don't have the balls to drop a significant amount of dough on a pair of headphones only to find out that I'm completely miserable with my hasty decision.

Thanks for your suggestion.

[Gustav]

Righto; I'm thinking I may have to pay a visit to J&R in Manhattan to try out different headphones.

I don't have the balls to drop a significant amount of dough on a pair of headphones only to find out that I'm completely miserable with my hasty decision.

Thanks for your suggestion.

http://headphone.com/

this is a pretty nice website for headphones/amps/ear buds. The reviews are very helpful, but the heaphones are pricy, so just read their reviews and either buy the headphones from a store or via Amazon/ebay.

[op.110]

http://headphone.com/

this is a pretty nice website for headphones/amps/ear buds. The reviews are very helpful, but the heaphones are pricy, so just read their reviews and either buy the headphones from a store or via Amazon/ebay.

Awesome. Thanks for the help.

[Papy Oli]

Righto; I'm thinking I may have to pay a visit to J&R in Manhattan to try out different headphones.

I'd recommend taking with you a couple of CD's that you are very familiar with and that you deem being of good sound quality for you to judge the various headphones. 

[Gustav]

I'd recommend taking with you a couple of CD's that you are very familiar with and that you deem being of good sound quality for you to judge the various headphones. 

yeah, that's a great advice there. Take a couple CDs that's really challenging for the headphone. For example, music with extreme low notes and high notes; extreme loud and soft passages, and music with a few instruments and music with many instruments (orchestral) etc... just make sure that the sound quality is good or "audiophile", otherwise it would be a waste of time.

[gomro]

1. Noise-isolating earbuds are preferred (though I'm looking into a pair of bose headphones, but these might not be practical for city commuting).

2. Up to $200 (but I'll be happier if I dish out $100)

3. Earbuds and headphones are both pretty portable, but earbuds would be more convenient for storing when I'm on-the-go).

4. How will I drive them? Not sure what you're asking.

5. Ehh; it's hard to say. They had pretty good sound quality, but were uncomfortable (made my ears tender and irritated, and the chord was always rubbing up against my face and neck, which was also very annoying).

Don't buy a set of Bose earbuds if you're planning on using them in a noisy environment. They absolutely do NOT block out external noises. I tried a set, and ended up taking them back 3 days later. Still don't have a really good set of earbuds; the things I'm using obviously have a "boxy" sound, if that makes sense, but I can at least hear music through them.
For more details of my Bose experience:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=14671423&blogID=397796116

[DavidRoss]

1. Noise-isolating earbuds are preferred (though I'm looking into a pair of bose headphones, but these might not be practical for city commuting).

2. Up to $200 (but I'll be happier if I dish out $100)

3. Earbuds and headphones are both pretty portable, but earbuds would be more convenient for storing when I'm on-the-go).

4. How will I drive them? Not sure what you're asking.

5. Ehh; it's hard to say. They had pretty good sound quality, but were uncomfortable (made my ears tender and irritated, and the chord was always rubbing up against my face and neck, which was also very annoying).

op.110--For use exclusively with my iPod, I've been satisfied with Etymotic ER6i buds: excellent isolation, decent sound quality, easy to drive with the iPod alone, very compact, and for $80 from Amazon they're nearly cheap enough to regard as disposable.  For about twice the price, you could get the ER4P buds with better sound quality.  Shure has revamped their line lately and there are a couple of new entries on the market that have gotten good press for around $100.  At home, when I choose to listen privately, I'm currently using AKG 701s driven by a Channel Islands headphone amp.  (As you've probably figured out by now, by "driving them" I'm referring to what I'm using to power them.  Some cans and all buds that I know of are efficient enough that they can be adequately driven by an iPod.)

[mn dave]

Don't buy a set of Bose earbuds if you're planning on using them in a noisy environment.

I have headphones, but I wear Bose buds when I want to hear music but don't want to bother anyone else around me.

[That didn't make sense, did it? Wake up, Dave. I wear Bose buds when I don't want to bother others and don't mind being interrupted. There. That's better.]

[drogulus]

     op.110 , do you want another set of in-ear 'phones, or are you looking for something more comfortable? Closed or open? I should point out the "ear buds" is not a correct description of what you have, so you'll be looking for something much better than any buds out there. I think you'll find some good choices on the HeadRoom site. They make headphone amps, not 'phones, and they seem to be reasonably impartial in their judgments about quality. They even tell you to stay away from products they carry. _{(no doubt because they are carrying a line)}

[Brewski]

Recently I bought a pair of Sennheiser 595s from www.headphone.com for around $200, substantially less than elsewhere, and I couldn't be happier with them.  The sound is quite extraordinary.  Lately I've taken to using them with my television set (e.g., late at night so as not to bother the neighbors) and they give unbelievable realism and a sense of space.  Plus, they are extremely comfortable: the padded top rests on your head without squeezing your ears, and the phones themselves are covered with velvet.  I have worn them for 4-5 hours with no stress whatsoever.

Here they are...

--Bruce

[drogulus]

     One consideration is how long the cord may be. I don't mind wearing my big fat Senn's on the bus or at work but the long cord gets tangled rather quickly. The problem is that restricting your search to only short cord units knocks out many of the most attractive options. I wish I could get something like the Senn 280's with a 4 foot cord. My Pod would drive those quite easily.

[Joe_Campbell]

I got these for about ~160 CAD
http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/sr125.htm

I love them, but be warned: they are an open ear design, and I don't recommend them for noisy places. They might do well with an amp as well, though I never had any problems with the SQ.

[Bunny]

If you are still interested in IEMs (in ear monitors), Ultimate Ears, Westone and Shure make excellent dual armature and triple armature models that you can upgrade to.  Costco carries Ultimate Ears at a very good price, too (they have the superfi on line).  Otherwise, most discount audio stores carry Shure and Ultimate Ears.  Westone is also good, but they are pricey and you can only buy them from Westone.com.  They are similar to Shures, but a bit warmer.

If the regular latex or silicon tips are irritating your ears, try out the foamy tips which conform to the ear and are extremely comfortable.  When I use the foam tips with my Shures I don't even know they are in my ears.  Also, the cords should come out of the phones pointing upwards so that they can wrap behind the ears.  When the cords are wrapped behind the ears it cuts most of the conduction noise and the cords cannot rub against the face.  Etymotics are also good, but they don't wrap around the ear (unless the 4p has changed?).  I found them to be the least comfortable fit.