First pair of Headphones

neonman

Hi all,

Looking to buy my first pair of headphones as the in-ear ones have in the past caused issues with my ears and it has been recommended to use headphones instead. I've never had a pair of headphones before so looking for a bit of guidance from the community here.

My budget is €100 to €150. I was looking at Dr Dre Beats solo HD but I've read in a few posts here that they're over priced / sh*t.

I will be mainly using them at work via my laptop, using with my phone and then at home when watching tv/movies listening to music on iPad or laptop.

Any suggestions would be great.

Neon

neonman

Anybody have any feedback for me ?

Dont want to spend good money on sh*t.

kkhornet

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-II-Closed-Headphone-headband/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_20?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337349526&sr=1-20

DubDJ

kkhornet wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-II-Closed-Headphone-headband/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_20?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337349526&sr=1-20

+1 for these.

Fuzzy Clam

If you want to spend that kind of money then fine but i bought a pair of Sony MDR-V150 for 20 Euros a couple of years ago that are good headphones. The better version with a higher frequency response are only a little dearer.
Spending 150 Euros on 'phones that are little better than 30 Euro 'phones is madness.

Morf

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

If you want to spend that kind of money then fine but i bought a pair of Sony MDR-V150 for 20 Euros a couple of years ago that are good headphones. The better version with a higher frequency response are only a little dearer.
Spending 150 Euros on 'phones that are little better than 30 Euro 'phones is madness.

Depends on your definition of "phones that are little better than 30 Euro". Lots of people appreciate the big leap in quality that a good pair of cans bring. Possibly you don't, which is fine.

pleasant Co.

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

If you want to spend that kind of money then fine but i bought a pair of Sony MDR-V150 for 20 Euros a couple of years ago that are good headphones. The better version with a higher frequency response are only a little dearer.
Spending 150 Euros on 'phones that are little better than 30 Euro 'phones is madness.

oh, so, it's not fine? :pac:

The 150's don't compare to the 25's soundwise at all, they're extremely bass heavy and muddy. Outside of SQ, the 150's are cheap and this is reflected in their build quality. They're made of weak plastic, the headband will snap, the part that holds the earcup in place will fail, the crazily long cable will frey, they will break easily. The 25's on the other hand are built to take a beating and in the event that a part does break that part is replaceable - as is every part of the 25's.

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@OP, another couple of headphones to look into are the Audio Technica ATH-M50's and the AIAIAI TMA-1's

Weepsie

I'd second the AIAIAI TMA-1 if you can get em. I got them in the blitzme deal a while back, so they were something of a bargain. They said they might try and get them back, but not til end of the summer.

Otherwise V-Moda Crossfade LP are about 130-150 on amazon at the moment, though I'd hope they get a bit cheaper.

K.Flyer

Good suggestions from above, but...

It really comes down to how good your own hearing is and what you usually listen to. Best thing is to go and test out several different types. You may find you do not need to spend as much money as you think.

neonman

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm not saying I want to spend that much it's just what I've set aside.

I would like a pair that can fold so if I'm out and end up in a pub for example i can fold them up and put them away.

Can you recommend places around Dublin that has a good range to try before you buy?

Thanks again.

K.O.Kiki

At the lower end, you can always get started with Koss PortaPro/KSC75 or Sennheiser PX-100 & a cheap amp (e.g. FiiO E5/E6)

Generally, you won't be allowed to try cheaper sets in-store but most stores should have a 30-day return-for-credit feature.
Tower Records do have a selection of good Sennheisers to test (though I can't remember if you can plug your player in).

neonman

Looking at the following headphones.

AKG K450 & Sennheiser PX200 II

Any thoughts?

K.O.Kiki

Only thread I'm reading on the AKG450 gives it a great review, and mentions it gets good reviews on Asian boards.

PX-200 from what I remember is meant to be not worth the extra cash over a set of PX-100s.

Any particular reason you want closed phones? (I'm guessing for studying without annoying everyone else? )

neonman

I have always used in-ear headphones but they've caused me some issues with my ears over the last couple of years so Dr recommended using on-ear or over-ear headphones instead.

pleasant Co.

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

PX-200 from what I remember is meant to be not worth the extra cash over a set of PX-100s.

IIRC, the newer 200's closed that gap significantly (or some px200 varient) but then closed headphones, in general, won't sound as good as open ones anyway..at least you'll be able to hear them without cranking it up to eleven though

As for AKG, I've only ever had one consistant problem with their portables, that being the clamping force of their headbands - it's always been much to tight for prolonged wear. BUT I have no experience with the 450's so hopefully they've fixed this, and they do look like neat headphones.

Fuzzy Clam

Mactard wrote: »

oh, so, it's not fine? :pac:

The 150's don't compare to the 25's soundwise at all, they're extremely bass heavy and muddy. Outside of SQ, the 150's are cheap and this is reflected in their build quality. They're made of weak plastic, the headband will snap, the part that holds the earcup in place will fail, the crazily long cable will frey, they will break easily. The 25's on the other hand are built to take a beating and in the event that a part does break that part is replaceable - as is every part of the 25's.

---

That's not accurate at all. If anything the 150's are a little lacking in bass, the only fault that I found compared with my older 'phones I replaced.

If you're going to jump and down on then yes, I expect the parts will break but my haven't in about 5 years:) (used mainly in a studio envioment)

The cable is only 1.5 feet longer, hardly "crazily long":rolleyes: Oh and it's never freyed.

pleasant Co.

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

That's not accurate at all.

Sure it is, they are bassy muddy headphones, they are poorly built, they are cheap and priced as such.

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

If you're going to jump and down on then yes, I expect the parts will break but my haven't in about 5 years:) (used mainly in a studio envioment)

I don't understand in a clear enough manner what you're saying here, but not having a set headphones that have mainly been used in a studio environment break in 5 years isn't that big of a deal, although since it's the V150's I am very impressed with that statement

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

The cable is only 1.5 feet longer, hardly "crazily long":rolleyes: Oh and it's never freyed

The cable on the V150's I had was 2m long (I didn't realise they made one with a shorter cable), which was much too long for real world, day to day usage, great for a studio environment though :rolleyes:

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Since we don't agree it's probably best that the OP uses google or some other search engine to research the points we've made and make their own mind up.

neonman

Thanks everyone for their input.

I ended up buying a pair of Sennheiser HD 228's

They're very comfortable and I like that it blocks out some of the surrounding noise when you have them on. Great for open plan office environment.

I tried the 200's II but found them not as comfortable as the 228s. However they are great if you need them for travelling as they fold up nicely.

For my first pair of headphones I'm so far very happy.

One thing that I have noticed however that when using them with the iPad the right ear doesn't work so I have to pull the connection out slightly and then it pops back working. Strange as its only on the iPad that this happens all other devices, MP3 player, Laptops all work fine. Any ideas.

Thanks again.
Neon