Wapsi Square Forum

I'm looking for some nice over the ears that don't cost an arm or a leg - around here it seems like everyone gets Skullcandy headphones, and while I do like supporting a local company, I have also heard that they aren't as durable as I might want.

I've always been pleased with Sennheiser phones. Currently I have three sets... HD580 over-the-ear here at home, another over-the-ear with a boom mic for radio use...

...and a pair of HD424 on-the-ear phones that I bought back sometime in the 1980s! This'll tell you something about their ruggedness! I've replaced the earpads a couple of times; they're still available!

Well, unless you're looking for headphones that totally cover your ears and keep the surrounding noise out (which I'd hate to have while going to/from work) I'd vouch for Koss' PortaPro - 25+ years and still the same lifetime warranty, sturdy construction, leather pouch to fold them into and great sound quality...

Well, I have two sets hanging over a hook about ten feet from me, and from what I've found, there's no real difference between the $20 headphones and the $200 headphones - as long as you're using them in a normal environment, and you _don't_ crank up the volume. The high end is the point where cheap headphones crap out. (I prefer 'cover the ears' headphones myself, because then I don't have to listen to what's around me)

I have a set of Sony MDR-V700 DJ style headphones. They sounded great for a good while but eventually one of the speakers started rattling (or maybe buzzing is a better word) and the faux leather pads disintegrated. For regular listening I now have Phillips SHE9500 buds. Of course buds never sound as good as a full size set but they're as good buds get. The different left/right cord lengths so they hang to one side is wierd, though.

I commute to work a long distance on the train. About 1.5 hours each way, most days. To me, one of the best investments I ever made was to get my Bose QC15 (and the QC2 before them) Noise Cancelling around-the-ear headphones. They even work well in Airplanes. Yes, they cost about $300, but they're quite comfortable (they don't crush my ears like some other ones might do), and I can keep the volume quite low, so I'm not ruining my hearing any more than it already is. I can pop the cord out if I only want silence, or they've got a special cord that has a microphone built in so you can use it on your smartphone. I've found that I can hear conductor (or plane) announcements much better with the phones on and cancelling noise, than with them off. No -- they do not cancel out the loud person sitting next to you (as much as you wish they could), but for train and plane noise, they're quite good. I think they've kept me sane these past 10 years commuting from CT into Manhattan almost daily, and as I said, they've been the best investment I've ever made for the amount I use them. (And, when they break, I've been able to replace the muff pads, and if it's a hard failure, I can purchase a replacement unit for half-cost if it was way out of warranty.)

I've heard good things about the bose headsets - I didn't mention them because they're really oriented towards loud repetitive noise. (train, plane, road noise, etc)

I use my AKG K-44 headphones everyday; a quick Amazon search leads me to believe they're typically priced between $50 - $80, which is pretty reasonable. Full disclosure: I didn't actually buy them (that's why I had to look up the price), I found them. Since then, they've been dropped countless times & even chewed on by a puppy - yet still sound great. To me, anyway.

Bookworm wrote:I've heard good things about the bose headsets - I didn't mention them because they're really oriented towards loud repetitive noise. (train, plane, road noise, etc)

small children? They are loud and repetitive...

I prefer over the ear to in-ear because I have tiny ears and a lot of eardrum scarring/hearing loss, I get a better feel for sound when it goes around my whole ear, especially if I can get a little of my temples right by that ear cartilage flap thing(tragus?) underneath the padding.

I'd try some of the basic $15-20 headphones. Keep in mind that your audio _source_ is half the battle. An MP3 player isn't exactly the London Philharmonic in concert hall. Get a good mp3 player, and even halfway decent headphones will sound okay at the mid-level volume. Just terrible at the high end.

I'll agree with Bookworm on that -- places like Radio Shack have had some pretty good headphones for not so much money (I've been quite satisfied at the time).

I do recommend the "around the ear" type, rather than the "squish your ears flat" kind, as they're much more comfortable to wear, act a bit like hearing protectors to outside sound, and allow you to hear quite well with a lower volume level. (That's why I recommended the Bose QC15 or older QC2, rather than the ear squashing QC3.)

With earbuds and ear-squashers, you'll probably have a tendency to crank up the volume in order to try to drown out your surrounding noise. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS! It is very very possible to ruin your hearing if you listen to loud volume levels close up for too long -- it may already be too late. (I know -- I've already got one bad ear and one that's not so bad but I have to be careful; my sister's got two bad ears and wears hearing aids.)

Plantronics Game Com.

Full over ear with a nice mic.

I generaly use Abby Road as my Test audio and it sounds very good. Even when using a 320kbps MP3 ripping from as near a pristine album as I can find.