May I ask for advice, I’ve got headphones questions… Please?
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
Loading...I can’t say I’m bursting with joy about that, but my headphones are dead, again.
First, a year and a half ago, their wire got cut. Constant wear in combination with a “weak by design” area. I welded the wire back as best as I could, but constant everyday tugging at my welding finally killed it again.
However, I had to cut wires already quite high, near the base of the headphones, and now, I don’t see myself cutting 5 more centimeters for a new welding, it looks dead in the water.
Yay, I need to buy new headphones, it makes me soooo happy T__T
And here I am, asking you guys for advice again 
I’m thinking of purchasing bluetooth headphones:
💀 on the one hand, they’re more expensive
👍 but on the other hand they would last longer (no more wire weak point!)
Would that reasoning stand to reason, in your eyes? Higher cost, longer lifetime?
If it’s not a completely stupid idea, I’d welcome advice regarding choosing a model
My requirements being:
– Max budget in the 200€ (look, 250 USD supermax).
– Over-ear, with the headband
– I don’t care if there is a mic or not.
– Quality sound. The sound of my budget workout BT headphones (Soundcore Liberty Neo, gotten at approx. 50€ – 60 USD), is decent but not great, while I expect sound that is properly balanced, rendered well (no muffled sound ranges, etc), and is non-defective, for my desktop headphones 
A model I’ve seen that seems to fit the bill would be the Jabra 85 H. I found it at just above 200 €, the noise reduction feature is useless to me, but other than that they’d look just fine, IMO…
I’ve had Sony WH-1000XM2 for more than a year now and they’re pretty great. I was looking for good noise-cancelling headphones and out of the ones I tried on in a store, these were working for me the best for being worn over glasses. Just a week ago or so the fourth generation of these headphones was released, so you might be able to find the XM3 for under €200, or XM2 (the ones that I have) for sure.
I personally own the XM3 and I love them. Great sound, great noise-cancelling, great battery life and great comfort. I’ve wore these during my airplane trips and fallen asleep with them on no problem. The one con would be the cost of the headphones. But since the XM4 just got released, you may be able to find a good deal on the XM3. There are only minor improvements on the XM4 compared to the XM3 because it is an already great headphone. If you look for reviews of them, you’ll find many people saying they are the best bluetooth headphones.
Headphones are one of the tech that having them wireless is a must for me. I hate those wires.
Still too expensive, though ^^;;
i don’t have a proper suggestion myself, but do have a look at https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/electronics/headphones/
i used this when choosing my workout headphones and wireless buds, and have been very satisfied with the results.
Cheers!
A review site I didn’t check. I will look at it next, ty!
Definetly go for BT. Although i have in-ear jaybird 3 i am happy to have made that transition. For 200€ you can geta lot of great headphones. Just check some reviews or even better try them yourself if you can.
I’m not really understanding why you’re looking at headphones with noise cancellation when you don’t care about noise cancellation. That is an expensive feature and every dollar spent on it is a dollar not spent on good sound. Sound isolation is fine, that usually just means physically blocking the noise with solid construction, not electronics. Also, the Jabra 85 H doesn’t appear to be known for sound quality.
I liked the specs on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT. I figure if a company tells you their specs, they’re proud of them.
Frequency 15-28,000 Hz
Sensitivity 99 dB/mW
Impedance 38 ohms
Battery life 40 hours (approx)
Charging time 7 hours (approx)
Weight 310g
Bluetooth 5.0
Range 10m (approx)
https://tyvm.ly/gZVttGM
That one looks nice: in my price range, with good reviews, AND a jack chord too.
Added to the “to-check” bucketlist, ty
I’m not *looking for* noise cancellation. It’s just among the things offered alongside some models that caught my eye.
I understand that you’re not looking for noise cancellation, but I went further and ONLY looked at headphones without noise cancellation. It’s like car features: if you only look at cars without an AC, you WILL find cars that don’t cost as much. If you only look at headphone without expensive noise cancellation, you WILL find headphones that don’t cost as much for the features you DO want.
I have various Bluetooth earphones. Even the Airpod Pro (don’t ask.) The best by far are the ones from Sony.
I have the Sony WF-1000XM3 (the small one) and the Sony WH-1000XM3 (the big headphones). By far, the Sony WH-1000XM3 (big headphones) are the best! Best Noise-cancelling, the best the sound control with the phone app; but it is big and too conspicuous when you are outside.
The Sony WF-1000XM3 (small one) is almost as good, and they are smaller; which means easier to lose if they fall out of your ears. The Sony WF-1000XM3 (small one) is not easy to fall out of your ears, but if you shake your head enough, they can fall out. And the Sony WF-1000XM3 (small one) is cheaper, around 200$ US, which is around the price you are looking for.
The Jaybird (Vista, Tarah, and X4), the Samsung Galaxy Buds, the Raycon, the Apple Beats and the Apple Airpod Pro are not as good as the Sony ones. So I advise you to consider the Sony WF-1000XM3. Best value for the price by far!
If you don’t wanna go with BT, check out the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO with open design or the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO with closed design. May not be necessary, but you could get a digital AMP for them. Like the FiiO E10K Olympus 2.
Fuck the bt headphones.Costly and always die in 2 years and tge manufacturer cant be arsed to repair it.
Buy meze classic 99.Just buy once and forget about any other headphone or audio tecnicia mx50 if you are too concerned aboit the budget.
Your comment is the thing that makes me wary.
The BT models contain components the others don’t have, and that introduce new liabilities. The battery, for instance.
That made me realize the interest of looking at models that, either, aren’t BT, or also contain the good old jack wire component…
As for meze99, nope, it may be good, no doubt, but it’s above my price range. I’m a cautious guy with my spendings, sticking to the limits I give myself.
For the money you can’t go wrong with the Audio Technica ATH M-50 cans. Not BT but your sacrificing signal for convenience. The cable is swappable on the new models so you don’t have to worry about them going bad and can pair different lengths for different uses.
That swappable cable thing took me by surprise at first, when comments mentioned it.
I saw old reviews for the older ATH M-50 models, that had a non-removable chord. You guys made me check again, and indeed, I now see, that chord can be removed, or replaced, and that is FUCKING GOOD.
It may even make me give up on BT.
Although, as things are going, I may opt for a best of both worlds, the BT version of this same ATH M-50 model, as it also has the jack wire, so it would fly even without bluetooth.
I went bluetooth after my last headphones died and now I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I have a pair of Logitech G533’s and they are great outside of 1 issue. Occasionally when I boot up my PC the USB bluetooth transceiver doesn’t work, but the problem is fixed by switching the USB port it’s plugged into. I just move it back and forth between the 2 ports on the front of my PC when it happens. The range is awesome, literally covers my whole house as well as a few feet around it outside. 7.1 surround sound and super comfortable for long use as well as a 16 hour battery life. There are better headsets out there, but the real kicker is you can get these for like $75-$80, which is real cheap as far as bluetooth headsets go. Yeah, I had the same problem with cords being the failing point of sooooo many headsets, but now I’m living my best life cord free.
But with a price range in the 75-80$, you KNOW you won’t be served great sound. That’s one of the things I’m picky about, if I am to spend hours listening to stuff, music included, I want to hear the real music, not an approximation of it.
I may look like a snob, to write it like that, but really, that’s the idea. Many years ago, I underwent a crushing moment, when I discovered the headphones I had used for a little less than 2 years had shitty sound even compared to budget models. Made me realize all that good music I loved listening to, would have been even better if it had been listened to with good enough equipment. It felt insulting, it felt like a waste of 2 years of music’s listening.
So, snob as it may sound, I’m picky about the sound quality ^^;;
Fair enough, I’m no audiophile. I know I can hear people sneaking around me when I’m playing games that it matters in and what direction they are coming from. But tbh I can’t really tell that much of a difference for music. Assuming there isn’t some obvious quality problem music doesn’t sound all that different to me from one set of headphones to another. Other then like, earbuds are obviously inferior to cans across the board in terms of sound quality. But one set of cans to another? Not unless one is obviously bad in some way. So if you DO notice that difference then hell yeah spend your money were it counts for your enjoyment!
I’ve been through a lot of headphones and I can highly suggest DO NOT GET SKULLCANDY! Amazon Basics has a set I got that work great, but if you want to and since you have the money I would say go with these Audio Technica ones. They’re an amazing international brand that is known for quality not for who’s running it or endorses it. Good Luck and Thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50xBT-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B07HKVCVSY/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=headphones&qid=1597419075&refinements=p_36%3A5000-20000%2Cp_72%3A1248879011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A12097501011&rnid=386442011&s=electronics&sr=1-26
Am I visited by the ATH-M50 gang, or what, so many of you guys praising it
I’d say some Audio Technica headphones. Plain and simple. I’ve had my ATH-M50s for about 7 years so far and they are great
You guys start giving me audio technica ideas, that’s the mob effect at work
I’d echo the Audio Technica suggestions. In addition to the aforementioned ATH-M50xBTs, I would also recommend the Audio Technica ATH-ANC700s if you want active noise cancellation with the Audio Technica flat frequency response.
jebus, another Audio Technica ATH one! Help, I’m surrounded
Noice cancellation is no concern of mine. It simply came with a few models I’ve had my eye on.
I would suggest AKG 845bt if you like reasonably large over ear headphones as they are well made and produce excellent sound if something smaller they do a fair range our styles.
get the kingston hyperx. dont get bluetooth tho. coded is fine, and cheaper
I am not a fan of wireless headsets due to battery issues. Some do last long for sure, but battery life is a constant issue with them. I had a few wireless headsets and don’t recommend them. I am currently using a wired headset that should not have issues with the tugging you explained. If your interested check out Astro headsets from Astrogaming. Mine is the astro a40 which is compatible with both pc/ps4/xbox1.
Actually just realized you may be asking about headphones for phones and daily use outside. If that is the case disregard my suggestion. That is mainly for gaming/indoor pc use. You can plug into a phone.
nope – full desktop use. But I’m trying to stick with known models from brands with recognition, it may help in the future for spare parts, or simply getting deep enough reviews regarding sound quality and the like.
If that’s the case you should check astrogaming.com. its a big gaming headset brand that is at PAX(Penny Arcade Expo) every yet. The headset has interchangeable cushions and exchangeable cords.
I would recommend picking headphones without a mic because they never break at the same time. And also pick headphones with an exchangable cord.
I blame myself for not having that “exchangable chord” before. It would have saved me money, and trouble.
https://www.poly.com/gb/en/products/headsets/backbeat/backbeat-fit-3200
intra-auricular for 5 hours a day? No thank you
Dude, I’m not trying to convince anyone, but in my experience, I’m trying to advise.
It’s eight actual and effective hours with a single charge under continuous sound pressure (equivalent to the sound pressure of a diaphragm of 40 mm and more), not forgetting the automatic standbye, the times are much longer.
If you’re the nerd type to wear a helmet on your head 24 hours a day, (in the sense that you also sleep with it while listening to music) then you can do without it.
I’m from AKG K-series and I also know what good timbre and isolation means, especially on bass.
And also a couple of good built-in microphones in case of emergency.
If you have any money left over, think about it.
ps: you wouldn’t keep the headphones for more than 3 hours, I can confirm it, as a former music lover.
In other words, I’m not the classic bullshit shooter from flyers and Sunday reviews.
Greetings.
Hi, I’ve been using HyperX Cloud Flight S for about half a year now. Wasn’t a fan of wireless headsets until them, but I’ve been in love with these since very first day. Long battery life, great ear comfort (for me at least), descent sound quality, in terms of both mic and dynamics. Sure, they communicate with PC via coded wireless signal, so they work via usb adapter. That means no phone usage. Still, as a PC-only headset, they are pretty #1 for me. Take a look, at least:
https://www.hyperxgaming.com/en/headsets/cloud-flight-s-wireless-gaming-headset
My wife has the sony xm3 and she loves them, about $278. I personally use the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, for about $250. I also use the Razer Hammerheads, pretty load and connect to my PS4. My best advice is to YouTube it. I buy my stuff from Best Buy in the US. Great warranties.
To solve the issue of the cables/headband and some other pieces that forces you to change your headset when they wear down, you could go with a brand that allow you to change them when you need to…
So, you might consider this one:
https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/custom-one-pro-plus.html
The brand is not well-know, but they have some nice products with a nice sound a some of them are not that expensive
Beyerdynamics is good, I’d add Sennheiser products, too. If you’re looking for on-ear with detachable cable, the Sennheiser HD 25 Plus (ca. €200,-) is kind of the DJ gold standard.
https://de-de.sennheiser.com/hd-25-plus
Scroll down to “HD 25 Comparison” for a list of what you get (extra cable etc.) with the HD 25 PLUS model.
Hi,
Wireless is always comfy, but in therms of quality cable will be better.
Instead of going with very expensive heasphones with denoise features I would suggest more of an oldschool approach. Studio headphones tend to have much higher impendance( or electrical resistance) mostly between 400 and 800 Ohm, I’ve seen more. Most of the noise on the headphones is atmospheric static noise generated yb weather und all the electric gizmos we tend to have in our homes. The cable works as an antenna for these, but the signalpower is to low to overcome the higher resistance of the studia gear so basic physics is you rfriend. another mayor noisesource is xour computer, gpu and gpu are high frequency signalsources with quiet some power and with onboard or build on soundcards they are only centimeters away from the soundcard, hard so insulate against. these signalnoises get weaker by the square-law, meaning you double the distance you reduce signal-power by 4. even a relative cheap external soundcard standing 1.6m away from the cpu against a good onboard 5cm away has an enormous advantage (e.g. 5cm/x1; 10cm/x4; .2m/x16; .4m/x64; .8/x256; 1.6m/x1024). Again, physic is your friend, use it. So final proposal:
Split the money, get an ok external soundcard and see to it that it can drive hardware with high impendance (the cheap once and onboard stuff tends to be to weak on the exit-signal) pair that with a decent headset with matching impendance and you gold plus by placing the new card in a good spot you can easily draw the cable in a way that you don’t run over it with your chais or similar problems.
Thats all and sorry, english is not my strong suite so I hope reading my rambles was bearable.
You’re reminding me that I had problems with using a cable, I was picking up all kinds of nasty signals. Then I suddenly realized it was because I was using a long cable and I’d coiled the excess wire, making a great antenna. I uncoiled it, laying it out across my desk, and most of that nasty interference went away! Got a shorter cable, better yet. Went Bluetooth, problem solved.
IMHO
https://a.aliexpress.com/_B1ds0M Very good for daily use. Got both type of wire connection – type-c and 3.5 jack. Both wires are unplugable.
I like my Audio Technica ATH-M50x with Antlion Modmic, replaced fat memoryfoam ear pads from Aliexpress and easily removable soft cover for headband (Keeps everything clean and helps with wear and tear). I use it for everything at home so when playing I can just clip the mic on with magnet and use the cable with modmic cable clipped into (Modmic has everything to make this easy) and when I’m just listening to music I can just remove mic and change cable.
I listen to a lot of classical/epic orchestral stuff and metal so the whole range of sound is important. Super happy with them.
For work and out of house activities I use Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. I know those are past your price point (They were past mine too), but trying them and hearing how well they performed from my friends and coworkers I bit the bullet and bought them. Best purchase ever! You can code in the middle of construction site with minimal distraction and they have a amazing sound.
I got the logitech artemis spectrum. it has some rgb if you want them lights. lasts 12hrs+ on wireless mode, has a built in wired mode and replaceable batteries. It does not use bluetooth but a rf dongle that also has a 3.5mm adapter so you can just plug that dongle to a usb port to give it power and have an aux cable from whatever device plugged in and it’ll play.
the most important part: guaranteed latency is so low you’ll never notice it.
I don’t know when it’ll be back in stock in the US, but from the years i’ve been enjoying your site, I think you’re somewhere in Europe so maybe it’s available there. I paid 130 USD for it, so it should be within your range.
Here’s the link
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0148NPJ78
I have ATH-M40X, they are great and you option to remove cable( you have 2).
audio-technica are ok middle ground for headphones, but watch out since not all of them are great.
if you have the option to go to shop, the use headphones there,go for it.
HEY
A lot of headphones, even those way under 250, have detachable cables, meaning you can replace them for cheap if they do get damaged. Reliability is not a reason to go wireless over wired.
I’m a fan of Sennheiser
Currently using Sennheiser GSP 600 but my requirements are a bit different from yours so you might want a different model