Which headphones?

in Headphones
I'm looking into some good cans with a $150 budget.
I'm using some nice Sony ear buds that sound fine but I've always felt they lack somewhere some how. I've gotten to where I'm tired of them falling out of my ears. I'd like a fairly nice pair of over the ear or very comfortable on ear phones that are noise cancelling.
There are some sony phones at wal mart that are $100 and some that are $50. And they've gotten some jbl's in also but all these are "extra bass" types and I'm looking more along the line of more neutral sound. Any suggestions are appreciated and I don't mind getting a used set.
I'm using some nice Sony ear buds that sound fine but I've always felt they lack somewhere some how. I've gotten to where I'm tired of them falling out of my ears. I'd like a fairly nice pair of over the ear or very comfortable on ear phones that are noise cancelling.
There are some sony phones at wal mart that are $100 and some that are $50. And they've gotten some jbl's in also but all these are "extra bass" types and I'm looking more along the line of more neutral sound. Any suggestions are appreciated and I don't mind getting a used set.
2 Channel
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
0
Comments
You can get all the sound reviews you want but if they don't fit your head
It's not going to be right
I have a couple magnolia centers close to me and that's where I tried on several sets of headphones to decide
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Modwright LS100, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers
It's sad the only place I can find something like this here is wal mart:( best buy doesn't have any headphones out to try like that anymore.
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Speakers: Harbeth: P3ESR, 30.2, SHL5+; Usher: CP-6311, Be-10, T-515; Rosso Fiorentino: Elba, Fiesole, Volterra; Polk: T50, Signature S60, S55, S35, S30, S20, S15, RTA 15tl, Sonner Audio Allegro Unum
Preamps: Shuguang S200MK, Dayens Ampino, Parasound P5
Amps: Shuguang S845MK, Dayens Ampino Monoblocks, Parasound A23
Integrateds: Dayens Ampino, Triode Corporation TRV-88SER, MastersounD: Dueventi, Compact 845, Evolution 845; North Star Design Blue Diamond
Sources: AURALiC Aries, AURALiC Altair, Denon HEOS Link, North Star Design: Magnifico, Supremo, Incanto, Intenso, Venti
Cabling: Wireworld
TV: Sony XBR-75X940C
Gotta agree, a long time Senn owner with the first being a pair of HD477s and now the Momentum 2.0 over ear...so comfy even with glasses and the sound is quite nice. The Momentum line is now called HD.
Sorry for the mobile link.
| AVR - Yamaha Aventage RX-A1020 | Preamp - Dared MC-7P | Amp - B&K Reference 4420 |
| Turntable - Yamaha PX-3 | Cartridge - Dynavector DV-20X2H | Digital Source - AURALiC Aries Mini |
| TV - LG 60" 4K | Gaming - Xbox One - PS3 - New 3DS XL - Nvidia Shield TV |
This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal
All this pain is an illusion
I will say that with a dude with a pretty average sized head and probably slightly below average sized ears, I found the momentum on-ears to be very unconfortable. Sounded wonderful; couldn't wear them for more than an hour. Obviously this is a VERY subjective area.
Oh, and they are not noise-canceling. I have LOTS of suggestions, but mine ar elike most of the ones so far, which are not only not noise-canceling, but they are open back. Read people! ;-)
Denon AVR-X4200w; Parasound HCA-1205A; Arcam rDac; Mains: Dynaudio Emit 10 + MartinLogan Dynamo (original) sub; Center - Def Tech Procenter 1000; Heights, Center Surround - Klipsch KHC - 6 In-Ceiling; Surrounds - Monoprice in-ceiling; Sub - SVS PB10-ISD; Sony BDP-S390, FireTV gen 2
Master Bedroom
Marantz SR-5007; Audiosource Amp Two, PSB Imagine Mini, Boston VR-10 center, NHT Super One CI surrounds, ACI Titan subwoofer, FireTV, Arcam rDac; Bryson BPD-1
Speakers: Harbeth: P3ESR, 30.2, SHL5+; Usher: CP-6311, Be-10, T-515; Rosso Fiorentino: Elba, Fiesole, Volterra; Polk: T50, Signature S60, S55, S35, S30, S20, S15, RTA 15tl, Sonner Audio Allegro Unum
Preamps: Shuguang S200MK, Dayens Ampino, Parasound P5
Amps: Shuguang S845MK, Dayens Ampino Monoblocks, Parasound A23
Integrateds: Dayens Ampino, Triode Corporation TRV-88SER, MastersounD: Dueventi, Compact 845, Evolution 845; North Star Design Blue Diamond
Sources: AURALiC Aries, AURALiC Altair, Denon HEOS Link, North Star Design: Magnifico, Supremo, Incanto, Intenso, Venti
Cabling: Wireworld
TV: Sony XBR-75X940C
Those look like a dang couch! Very comfy looking.
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Skip, how much should these phones cost?
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Are you highly intelligent like I used to be, I had an IQ in the 130's?
Dungeon: Dancer Mini-Two Diamond*Auralic Aries Mini*Dayens Ampino Preamp*Dayens Ampino Monoblocks*North Star Intenso DAC*Wireworld Oasis cables*Wireworld Oasis IC's*Wireworld Aurora power cables*IFI nano IDSD bl*Pangea Silver USB*Cambridge CXU*
Panamax MR5100*Panamax M8-AV-PRO*Furman PST-2+6
Headgear: Sennheiser HD 558*Audio-Technica ATH-M40x*Sennheiser HD 598 Cs*Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7*Philips SHP9500S* Sennheiser 6xx
Hello Kitty boombox
Spare sortta: ifi iDsd nano*Marantz 1504* RX-A1040*Emotiva XPA-1L Gen2 X2*Emotiva XPA-3 Gen2*CSiA6 Center*Monitor40 Series II*SVS PB1000 Sub*Sony BDPS6500 Blu-ray player*POS 37" LCD*Douglas Connection Furez 12 AWG 2 Conductor*Blue Jeans Cable LC-1's IC's*Samsung BD-H5900 3D Blu-Ray*Usher N-6361
The 598C's (closed backs) were on sale for $99 last December. (Dabutcher notifying again!) I picked 'em up then; today's price at that link is $145...
Haven't followed pricing on the open-back 598's, though!
SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Marantz DV-9500 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8
Micro Seiki DQ-50 * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
Dungeon: Dancer Mini-Two Diamond*Auralic Aries Mini*Dayens Ampino Preamp*Dayens Ampino Monoblocks*North Star Intenso DAC*Wireworld Oasis cables*Wireworld Oasis IC's*Wireworld Aurora power cables*IFI nano IDSD bl*Pangea Silver USB*Cambridge CXU*
Panamax MR5100*Panamax M8-AV-PRO*Furman PST-2+6
Headgear: Sennheiser HD 558*Audio-Technica ATH-M40x*Sennheiser HD 598 Cs*Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7*Philips SHP9500S* Sennheiser 6xx
Hello Kitty boombox
Spare sortta: ifi iDsd nano*Marantz 1504* RX-A1040*Emotiva XPA-1L Gen2 X2*Emotiva XPA-3 Gen2*CSiA6 Center*Monitor40 Series II*SVS PB1000 Sub*Sony BDPS6500 Blu-ray player*POS 37" LCD*Douglas Connection Furez 12 AWG 2 Conductor*Blue Jeans Cable LC-1's IC's*Samsung BD-H5900 3D Blu-Ray*Usher N-6361
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06WRMZZ45/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504593339&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sennheiser+598&dpPl=1&dpID=41X8ZPjlKJL&ref=plSrch
Those are open back, there's a few dollars difference in the the closed back.
Ive seen the 558's so low I could get two sets. My head actually isn't that big but it's pretty big lol thanks for noticing hahahA
What are advantages of the open and closed back phones? I have no experience with open back ones.
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Closed can also sound very good, but the main advantage is that the they do NOT leak sound like the open backs. If you are in an office environment where ur neighbor doesn't want to hear what your jamming to, closed back is the way to go.
I am currently rocking the philips fidelio L2 as I said, they are semi-open back so the k let leak a little bit but have a nice open presentation. Really good sound quality and they have been on sale a lot lately...
Denon AVR-X4200w; Parasound HCA-1205A; Arcam rDac; Mains: Dynaudio Emit 10 + MartinLogan Dynamo (original) sub; Center - Def Tech Procenter 1000; Heights, Center Surround - Klipsch KHC - 6 In-Ceiling; Surrounds - Monoprice in-ceiling; Sub - SVS PB10-ISD; Sony BDP-S390, FireTV gen 2
Master Bedroom
Marantz SR-5007; Audiosource Amp Two, PSB Imagine Mini, Boston VR-10 center, NHT Super One CI surrounds, ACI Titan subwoofer, FireTV, Arcam rDac; Bryson BPD-1
The only NC headphones I have tried are the 'retired' Polk Audio Ultrafocus 8000's. I got them during a Friends & Family 50% off sale. I really like them - they are comfortable, sound pretty good, and do an OK job at NC. You can probably find them on the used market for under $100 now. Or new (and still within your budget) for under $130 here:
https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-ULTRA-FOCUS-8000/dp/B0080OHGZA
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Denon AVR-X4200w; Parasound HCA-1205A; Arcam rDac; Mains: Dynaudio Emit 10 + MartinLogan Dynamo (original) sub; Center - Def Tech Procenter 1000; Heights, Center Surround - Klipsch KHC - 6 In-Ceiling; Surrounds - Monoprice in-ceiling; Sub - SVS PB10-ISD; Sony BDP-S390, FireTV gen 2
Master Bedroom
Marantz SR-5007; Audiosource Amp Two, PSB Imagine Mini, Boston VR-10 center, NHT Super One CI surrounds, ACI Titan subwoofer, FireTV, Arcam rDac; Bryson BPD-1
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
Dungeon: Dancer Mini-Two Diamond*Auralic Aries Mini*Dayens Ampino Preamp*Dayens Ampino Monoblocks*North Star Intenso DAC*Wireworld Oasis cables*Wireworld Oasis IC's*Wireworld Aurora power cables*IFI nano IDSD bl*Pangea Silver USB*Cambridge CXU*
Panamax MR5100*Panamax M8-AV-PRO*Furman PST-2+6
Headgear: Sennheiser HD 558*Audio-Technica ATH-M40x*Sennheiser HD 598 Cs*Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7*Philips SHP9500S* Sennheiser 6xx
Hello Kitty boombox
Spare sortta: ifi iDsd nano*Marantz 1504* RX-A1040*Emotiva XPA-1L Gen2 X2*Emotiva XPA-3 Gen2*CSiA6 Center*Monitor40 Series II*SVS PB1000 Sub*Sony BDPS6500 Blu-ray player*POS 37" LCD*Douglas Connection Furez 12 AWG 2 Conductor*Blue Jeans Cable LC-1's IC's*Samsung BD-H5900 3D Blu-Ray*Usher N-6361
As @DSkip mentions, a good set of IEMs with a snug fit isolate way better than most closed back cans I've used, including Senns, Sonys and Beyerdynamics.
The best "non-active" noise cancelling solutions I've found are Shure IEMs with memory foam tips, which seal very well. I'd suggest no lower than the 315s, which have removable cable function. Shure makes a lightning cable with built in DAC that you may want to migrate to at some point.
The most isolated over ears I've found are: https://www.gk-music.com/product/ultraphones/
These are customized phones, with Sony drivers mounted in Peltor Shooting headsets. Pretty ugly but highly sought after by drummers. I use mine for practice as mic my drums and can cut my 110Db smacking down to a comfortable 85Db and save my ears for my audio addiction.
2 Channel Studio: Marantz PM8004 Integrated ; Marantz SA8004 ; Music Hall MMF 7.3TT w/Ortofon Bronze; Schiit Bifrost DAC ; Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2s ; Polk PSW 350 Sub
"And these children that you spit on, as they try to change their worlds, are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through."
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
I'd like to check out the ATH-M50x and ATH-M70x as well.
Also got on the $99 Senn 598cs deal, and like them in general, but they're not quite as comfortable as I'd like and the fit feels a little odd to me. The earpads seem a little stiff too.
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
That's a good deal Bruce posted above with the Massdrop Senn HD650s back on sale again. I think they're around $200 if you can manage it. The 650s seem to be a reference for many people.
Marantz UD-7007 Cd Player
Parasound Halo P5 Preamplifier
Marantz ST-7001 Radio Tuner
Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier
Polk Audio Monitor 10B's
5 channel
Sony Bravia 32" LED
Yamaha RX-a3010 Receiver
Marantz UD-7007 Blu-Ray player
Klipsch RB-61 Main Speakers
Klipsch RB-41 Surround Speakers
You have to sign up to get a Massdrop account before you can do anything, and then "Join Drop" means "Take My Money"
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx
Dungeon: Dancer Mini-Two Diamond*Auralic Aries Mini*Dayens Ampino Preamp*Dayens Ampino Monoblocks*North Star Intenso DAC*Wireworld Oasis cables*Wireworld Oasis IC's*Wireworld Aurora power cables*IFI nano IDSD bl*Pangea Silver USB*Cambridge CXU*
Panamax MR5100*Panamax M8-AV-PRO*Furman PST-2+6
Headgear: Sennheiser HD 558*Audio-Technica ATH-M40x*Sennheiser HD 598 Cs*Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7*Philips SHP9500S* Sennheiser 6xx
Hello Kitty boombox
Spare sortta: ifi iDsd nano*Marantz 1504* RX-A1040*Emotiva XPA-1L Gen2 X2*Emotiva XPA-3 Gen2*CSiA6 Center*Monitor40 Series II*SVS PB1000 Sub*Sony BDPS6500 Blu-ray player*POS 37" LCD*Douglas Connection Furez 12 AWG 2 Conductor*Blue Jeans Cable LC-1's IC's*Samsung BD-H5900 3D Blu-Ray*Usher N-6361
Dungeon: Dancer Mini-Two Diamond*Auralic Aries Mini*Dayens Ampino Preamp*Dayens Ampino Monoblocks*North Star Intenso DAC*Wireworld Oasis cables*Wireworld Oasis IC's*Wireworld Aurora power cables*IFI nano IDSD bl*Pangea Silver USB*Cambridge CXU*
Panamax MR5100*Panamax M8-AV-PRO*Furman PST-2+6
Headgear: Sennheiser HD 558*Audio-Technica ATH-M40x*Sennheiser HD 598 Cs*Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7*Philips SHP9500S* Sennheiser 6xx
Hello Kitty boombox
Spare sortta: ifi iDsd nano*Marantz 1504* RX-A1040*Emotiva XPA-1L Gen2 X2*Emotiva XPA-3 Gen2*CSiA6 Center*Monitor40 Series II*SVS PB1000 Sub*Sony BDPS6500 Blu-ray player*POS 37" LCD*Douglas Connection Furez 12 AWG 2 Conductor*Blue Jeans Cable LC-1's IC's*Samsung BD-H5900 3D Blu-Ray*Usher N-6361
We need a button that says “thanks for the great insight jackarse”!!!
Denon AVR-X4200w; Parasound HCA-1205A; Arcam rDac; Mains: Dynaudio Emit 10 + MartinLogan Dynamo (original) sub; Center - Def Tech Procenter 1000; Heights, Center Surround - Klipsch KHC - 6 In-Ceiling; Surrounds - Monoprice in-ceiling; Sub - SVS PB10-ISD; Sony BDP-S390, FireTV gen 2
Master Bedroom
Marantz SR-5007; Audiosource Amp Two, PSB Imagine Mini, Boston VR-10 center, NHT Super One CI surrounds, ACI Titan subwoofer, FireTV, Arcam rDac; Bryson BPD-1