Headphones

My $20 Sony headphones finally broke. It's probably my fault as I was trying to get one of the dogs to wear them. So, what to buy now? I saw Mitchel's recommendation for the Grado SR 60i. Before I order a set, any others to consider? Main use is music from my iPod and computer--figure an equal mix of jazz and metal.

My dad has Grado SR80s and loves them.

Grado SR125s here. Very nice.

They weigh over a pound, but my KOSS pro/4aa's have been going strong since my dad was 15. If you need something light, I've been happy with the Sennheiser PX100's. I still get made fun of for not having earbuds, though.

I had a set of Koss Pro 4AAA's, they lasted forever. Weighed a ton though. But you gotta love headphones that go as low as 10 Hz!

Over ear> earbuds always, well almost always.

wherethefmi wrote: Over ear> earbuds always, well almost always.

ehh decent ear buds sound better for cheaper. They also do a better job blocking out background noise.

I absolutely love my Sure E2c. I always hear people talking about skull candy now, and while I have never used a pair their $10 set is apparently good for the money.

For a while, I wore headphones professionally, 8+ hours a day. They were about like Tommy's. Mine were communications specific, and I went through a cord about every 6 months. That was 30 years ago, and I still have them here somewhere. Anyway, try them on and make sure your ears don't touch anything, like the foam covering the actual speaker. If you have Obama ears, that could be a problem, unless they are bucket sized.

Audio Technica ATH-A700, ATH-A500, both rock!

I actually use Sony MDR-XD400s. Not THE BEST out there.... but amazing value.

I'm partial to Sennheisers for over the ears models. I have yet to find buds that will fit my seemingly tiny ear canals comfortably.

I'd check out Headroom's reviews at www.headphone.com

I've had:

Denon AHD-950--very nice sound, a little extra bass, but an "on the ear" design that was not comfortable for me for more than a couple hours.

Sennheiser HD-280 Pro--very comfy, over the ear sealed design. Sounds good with an iPod and a headphone amp.

Etymotic ER6i: A good sound-isolating in ear headphone. Great for mowing the lawn, flying, or just shutting out the world for a bit. When they are new, people will sneak up on you because you can't hear anything. Sounded good, but a little bass-shy. The foam and silicone ear pieces start to degrade after a year or two, and replacements are kind of expensive.

$20 JVC marshmallows from Wal-Mart-- In ear 'phones with OK isolation. These sound good (for the money) and you won't care if your dog chews them up.

I'm with the Grado crowd. I got their cheapest model, the SR-60, but they still sound better than my ears are capable of appreciating.

I like these. I prefer the on-ear fit versus the over-ear fit.

mistanfo wrote: I'm partial to Sennheisers for over the ears models. I have yet to find buds that will fit my seemingly tiny ear canals comfortably.

Here I thought I was the only one that cant use those stupid ear buds, but I cant wear them because they just fall out of my ear. I even bought a pair of ear buds with the plastic ear hooks but they just fall out of my ear too and I have to keep pushing them back in so it doesnt sound all tinny.

David S. Wallens wrote: I was trying to get one of the dogs to wear them.

David has Mariah Carey on his iPod? Turn in your man card sir.

John Brown wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I was trying to get one of the dogs to wear them.

David has Mariah Carey on his iPod? Turn in your man card sir.

No Mariah on my iPod, but I did go to high school with her.

David S. Wallens wrote: It's probably my fault as I was trying to get one of the dogs to wear them.

Probably?

I've got two pairs - JVC Marshmallow for commuting duty, and Sennheiser HD595 at the office. My favorite that I've heard though is the AKG K271.

Remember that the Grado 'phones are open-backed, so people around you will hear what you're listening to, and you'll still hear folks around you. If you need to be blocked away from those around you, look into something like the Sennheiser HD280 and the AKG K271.

How about headphones with the boom mike? I work with these for hours at a time, and the cheapy Office Depot ones just don't hold up. Right now I have a Logitech set and they are very uncomfortable and the volume control is wonky. Any suggestions?

$10 Sony mdr-w08

I love these. I have had 3 pairs, due to the fact that the cats have chewed thrue the cords. Once the iPod buds die out I will go back to these heaphones. I was thrilled to see that sony still made these.

cwh wrote: How about headphones with the boom mike? I work with these for hours at a time, and the cheapy Office Depot ones just don't hold up. Right now I have a Logitech set and they are very uncomfortable and the volume control is wonky. Any suggestions?

I use a wireless model made by Plantronics, but it has apparently been discontinued because I cannot find it on their site. It is not the kind that hooks onto your ear, it has a cushioned headphone like speaker and gets a great reception, I can even go outside and still get great signal strength.

Grado SR60s here as well.

They sound great even without an amplifier, although a good amp does help the bottom end.

This fall I'm thinking of stepping up to the Grado 225i with a quality amp since I spend 4-6 hours a day at work listening to music.

I will warn you though, if you like good sound in the car or at home, headphones are going to ruin you.

Earbuds for lawn-mowing (sweaty foam FTL.) $50 over-the-ear Sonys for enjoying vinyl quietly, playing guitar, etc.

Yup. Grados. Hell, SR60s are even on sale this week, according to BoingBoing Gadgets. (Too lazy to link. )