Maet:
My Headphones:
- Sennheiser HD280 Pro
- Sennheiser HD555
- AKG K701

I use my AKG's with a project head box II headphone amp, although I had a cheap C-Moy for the longest time. The 280 Pro is my main headphone when I'm out of the house. My dad's using the HD555's since I've got my bases covered.

I'm going to buy a pair of Shure IEM's since the seal on my HD280's is loosening. I also want to upgrade my headphone amp, and one day by the Grado GS-1000.

Everyone thinks I'm nuts and that I have way too much money.

I just got a pair of HD555s......They're majorly awesome.

So clean and crisp in their sound quality.....

Jamanticus:

I just got a pair of HD555s......They're majorly awesome.

So clean and crisp in their sound quality.....

I throw them on every now and again for the sake of old times. Those headphones were the pair that seriously got me into audio.

I always found the upper mids to be a bit muddy though.

Maet:
Lots of high-quality expensive stuff

You're nuts and have too much money. I wish I was you.

I can kind of see how being exposed to high-end audio can be damaging to your wallet - once you've heard a really good pair of 'phones, you immediately think "I wonder what the better model sounds like?" and your money goes down the drain from there.

It's almost like an upgrade addiction.

I'm fine with my SR-60's for now - and I hope I will be for a while. My wallet can't stand too much punishment.

EDIT: Maet, you wouldn't happen to be a member of head-fi.org, would you?

I recently got Senheiser HD-555 for my B-day. Love them.

haha.. I glued my headphones together with a sock because I didn't want to replace them (as seen in my previous post)

I wish I had money to replace them

zoozilla:
Maet, you wouldn't happen to be a member of head-fi.org, would you?

I registered, but never post. I completely forgot about it until their automated message system sent me a birthday wish.

The thing about headphones (and I suppose a lot of tech hobbies in general) is that after a certain point, you're spending hundreds of dollars for only tiny improvements. The difference between iPod earbuds (a pittance) and AKG701's (~500$) is night and day, but from AKG701's to any ultra high-end headphone is only a few fractions of a percent (it's also a matter of preference at that point too).

I just want Shure IEM's so I can enjoy my music on the subways in noiseless bliss. I want the Grade GS1000 for the same reason any business man wants a Rolex; a status symbol.

Yeah, as said, there's a world of difference between a Big Mac and fillet steak, but then to go from a $50 fillet steak, to a restaurant charging £500 for one, there's very little difference, except for the 'packaging' as it were.

Plus, if you're listening to mp3s, is there any point to good quality earphones anyway? you're listening to a low quality source, therefore you can't improve it that much surely?

There again, I was working in a music store when they release audio DVD, and Super Audio CDs, and I couldn't hear ANY difference between that and CD quality.

I love my senheiser HD280 Pros

I always have to practice on my bass with them on, and to tell you the truth, it sounds better in the headphones than through the amp

SuperFriendBFG:

Jobz:
I don't get why people spend hundreds of dollars on headphones. I've listened to those fancy Bose ones that cost like $350. And I honestly don't notice a difference between those and my $15 Sony ear buds.

You are either lying, or you just didn't hear the difference. When it comes to headphones you should be able to notice the difference between low end and high end.

The better headphones are able to pump out more bass without degrading the finer sound quality.
The better headphones usually play louder (not always the case though).

Before I got my first pair of Sennheisers (through sponsorship), I never actually bought a separate pair of headphones beyond whatever came with my CD players. With the better headphones I hear sounds in music that I didn't even know was there.

The best bang for your buck headphones usually come at the 50-100 dollar range.

S'pose it also depends on the quality of the original recording & the type of music he/she was listening to. If it was your usual chart bothering pop nonsense I am not surprised. If there is not much going on in the first place any difference will be minimal. Like someone previously said bands like Pink Floyd benefit from a good pair of headphones. I use Bose myself. The Screaming Trees Album, Dust, sounds like 2 different albums with crap & awesome headphones.

I have an old pair of Digitor headphones. This is my second pair of them, but I will gladly buy a third.

The sound is great, they handle bass beautifully, they cancel out outside noise enough (including tinnitus, to an extent, which is fantastic), but not so I cannot hear anything around me and best of all, they only cost me $40.

They are cheap, but they work perfectly for me. I love them.

SuperFriendBFG:

Jobz:
I don't get why people spend hundreds of dollars on headphones. I've listened to those fancy Bose ones that cost like $350. And I honestly don't notice a difference between those and my $15 Sony ear buds.

You are either lying, or you just didn't hear the difference. When it comes to headphones you should be able to notice the difference between low end and high end.

The better headphones are able to pump out more bass without degrading the finer sound quality.
The better headphones usually play louder (not always the case though).

Before I got my first pair of Sennheisers (through sponsorship), I never actually bought a separate pair of headphones beyond whatever came with my CD players. With the better headphones I hear sounds in music that I didn't even know was there.

The best bang for your buck headphones usually come at the 50-100 dollar range.

If you look at the two bold statements, you'll see that that is exactly what I said.

I use the ones that came with my iPod nano, anything else seems weird. The only problem is that the cushioning material stuff is peeling off quite badly and i dont want to fork out 20 QUID! for a new pair.

AuntyEthel:
Nothing can beat Sennheiser in my books.

I've got a pair of Sennheiser CX-300(? uncertain of the #) earbuds now, and had two sets of their astonishing PX-100s for years and the battery-powered PXR-250 for a a year and a half. I love the sound they all put out, but I've found the Sennies to be so damned fragile with their wiring and at $80-$100 a pop they're a bit pricey to chuck-and-replace every time the warranty runs out. (And yet I keep throwing my money at them...)

-- Steve

There's also the fashion element - I know there's a bunch of teenagers who get a pair of headphones purely on looks rather than sound or build quality.

My Grado's sound phenomenal, but they look like a remnant of the '50's - not a great fashion statement. I would definitely take them over good-looking headphones with poor sound, though. Maybe I'm just not "hip" (materialistic).

I ♥ my headphones.

I wish chavs loved their headphones, there's nothing I hate more than a chav on a bus blaring out their crappy music.
Their poor headphones must be neglected.

Sad to say that I only got a Koss Portapro, but I just bought a fantastic Harman Kardon amp and a pair of matching speaker.

I get my headphones for .99c at FYE. They generally last about two months.

I've been considering investing in a nice set of headphones, but I honestly don't know if the increase in audio quality is worth the huge price increase.

HSIAMetalKing:
I get my headphones for .99c at FYE. They generally last about two months.

I've been considering investing in a nice set of headphones, but I honestly don't know if the increase in audio quality is worth the huge price increase.

That's highly subjective. For me, the answer is "yes"; I tried using the cheap earbuds/headphones included with iPods and other players, and I just wasn't happy with them after having heard the "good" ones. (I don't know if I personally would shell out for the $300 sets out there, so I guess I'm not an audiophile, but I am picky enough that the bargain ones don't sound good enough for my tastes. A friend of mine who works in metal stamping, however, genuinely can't tell the difference between the cheapos and the good ones... so going upscale would be a waste for him.)

My suggestion would be to go to an audio store and try out some of the "over the ear" full-sized headphones (for wall units and component stereo play) they have out as demos... listen to how they sound to you. If you do find a big enough difference that you feel going upscale is worth it, then you can take the step to pricier portable earphone models with a bit more confidence.

-- Steve

I use headphones all the time, but that's because I have always had my computer in a public area, and I think it's rude to force other people to listen to what I am listening to if they don't like it (unlike some folks, like my roommate). I'm not an audiophile, so quality doesn't really matter to me. I would like to have a great sound system at some point, but for now a $20 pair of earbuds is good enough for my purposes.

zoozilla:
I recently received a pair of Grado SR-60 headphones, and they have pretty much changed the way I listen to music.

They are so good, some albums sound completely different now. A far cry from the Apple iBuds, for sure. I can actually tell where instruments are coming from, and it's like I finally understand the magic of stereo. They're awesome with games and movies as well.

I guess this thread is just for anyone who uses headphones - here we can discuss them at great length.

Oh, and please don't take this as an advertisement for Grado or anything. This is more about headphones in general.

yeah i had the same thing happen to me got some good quality ear phones and it changed my life also earphones keep my ears warm in the winter what more can you ask for?

SuperFriendBFG:
I use a nice pair of Sennheiser Earbuds for travelling / MP3 Player.

Click Here for Earbuds

I use a large pair of earmuff type headphones for my home / PC usage.

Click Here for Earmuffs

For Headphones I really recommend NOT getting full headsets. I've had a headset with a microphone once and it just gets in the way. I do know some headsets have removable microphones and those are fine. Even if you can rotate the microphone and it'll stay in place, after some time it'll loosen up and just keep falling back down in front of your face.

I use those earbuds too, great headphones they are especialy considering that I got them for a fiver, having one wire longer than the other really annoys me though.

speedcoreXdandy:

SuperFriendBFG:
I use a nice pair of Sennheiser Earbuds for travelling / MP3 Player.

Click Here for Earbuds

I use those earbuds too, great headphones they are especialy considering that I got them for a fiver, having one wire longer than the other really annoys me though.

The longer wire is supposed to go behind the neck before you put the bud in your ear; the idea is that it takes the weight of both leads onto the neck so that the buds are less likely to be pulled out of your ear canal by gravity. I find it handy, both in keeping them secure and in telling which earbud is which without looking (!), though sometimes the longer wire gets caught on my collar and then it's annoying.

-- Steve

I'm more partial to speakers. Mono, Stereo, 5.1 Dolby Digital, It always sounds brilliant.

Anton P. Nym:

AuntyEthel:
Nothing can beat Sennheiser in my books.

I've got a pair of Sennheiser CX-300(? uncertain of the #) earbuds now, and had two sets of their astonishing PX-100s for years and the battery-powered PXR-250 for a a year and a half. I love the sound they all put out, but I've found the Sennies to be so damned fragile with their wiring and at $80-$100 a pop they're a bit pricey to chuck-and-replace every time the warranty runs out. (And yet I keep throwing my money at them...)

-- Steve

I got a pair of ancient ones, the writing on them has pretty much rubbed off so I can't remember what model. The wiring is really solid on mine and the sound absolutely kills. The best thing ever for properly produced stereo music and games that have proper sound production Could be that they're going the way of most electronics, becoming more fragile and 'cheap,' which is a pity as I've always stood up for Sennheisers quality.

AuntyEthel:
I got a pair of ancient ones, the writing on them has pretty much rubbed off so I can't remember what model. The wiring is really solid on mine and the sound absolutely kills. The best thing ever for properly produced stereo music and games that have proper sound production Could be that they're going the way of most electronics, becoming more fragile and 'cheap,' which is a pity as I've always stood up for Sennheisers quality.

I think there are a few rare cases of Sennheisers falling apart. I remember my friend had a pair, and a small plastic plate kept on falling off (it was glued on). Anyways Sennheiser still glues the plate, but they also added a screw to hold it tight. My previous pair of Sennheiser earbuds were stepped on and they didn't even dent. So I think Sennheiser kept their sturdy building policies.

I have pink earphones. £5.99 in Argos.

I had some BOSE acoustic noise-canceling around-ear headphones (about £300 I think) with a gold-plated extension cord for watching TV and they got sent back within the 30-day trial period. Reason?

....hisssssss....

Ok, all you headphone freaks, help me out. I need a new pair of earbuds(not headphones, teachers get mad at headphones) that can last more than a few weeks in my care. I do not take care of my stuff, although I've been trying to fix that. I sort of expect it to be as strong as I am. Most often it'll just be one of the buds not working and the other will continue, but I've also had the wire break completely pretty often, the wire breaking partially somewhere and leaving me constantly fiddling with it to try and get the connection working, the actual buds breaking apart, and others that I don't even know the cause of at all. So, is there an invincible earbud out there somewhere for me, or am I better off just buying cheapo ones en mass?

Anton P. Nym:

HSIAMetalKing:
I get my headphones for .99c at FYE. They generally last about two months.

I've been considering investing in a nice set of headphones, but I honestly don't know if the increase in audio quality is worth the huge price increase.

That's highly subjective. For me, the answer is "yes"; I tried using the cheap earbuds/headphones included with iPods and other players, and I just wasn't happy with them after having heard the "good" ones. (This is a good point).

My suggestion would be to go to an audio store and try out some of the "over the ear" full-sized headphones (for wall units and component stereo play) they have out as demos... listen to how they sound to you. If you do find a big enough difference that you feel going upscale is worth it, then you can take the step to pricier portable earphone models with a bit more confidence.

-- Steve

Then again, maybe you should refrain from listening to high-quality 'phones and stick with the cheap, replacable ones.

I mean, if you find that the sound quality is spectacular, you're going to either have to buy better headphones or forever view your current ones as inferior.

I'm sure a lot of people think the sound quality of their iPod buds is good - once you listen to quality headphones, though, it's hard to go back. If you have the money, I'd definitely put some down for a good pair - but be prepared to spend at least more than $50.

SuperFriendBFG:
I think there are a few rare cases of Sennheisers falling apart. I remember my friend had a pair, and a small plastic plate kept on falling off (it was glued on). Anyways Sennheiser still glues the plate, but they also added a screw to hold it tight. My previous pair of Sennheiser earbuds were stepped on and they didn't even dent. So I think Sennheiser kept their sturdy building policies.

Mine don't fall apart; the compenents are really solid and I have no complaints there. It's that the wiring connections keep cracking at the plugs, leading to either drop-out or horrible crackling, and I find the braided conductors they use to be utter bastards to rewire by hand with more durable plugs so I can't repair them myself. I do know of a couple of other people with PX-100s, and they've both had to replace the plugs too. (A pity, because acoustically they're great.)

-- Steve