Suggestions for high quality headphones

Hey all,

So I've been thinking about splurging a little and getting a really good set of high quality headphones. Something with great sound for all types of music. Must have good noise-canceling properties. Mainly I'll be using them while detailing/polishing, daily commute to school on the train, and while studying.

I don't want any ear buds because I guess I have small ear canals and have never been able to get a pair that fit.

I'm currently using some $10 some earbuds with a wrap-around piece to keep them in. They crap out every few months so I just buy another pair

But I say, "NO MORE"

I was looking at those Dr. Dre Beats but I want other people's opinions. I don't want to spend the cash for those only to pay for marketing and hype.

I suppose my budget is somewhere around $200-300.

Thanks,
Seth

 

I know you said no ear buds... but you might want to check these out. Etymotic Research, Inc. - High-fidelity Earphones, Headsets and Hearing Instrumentation I have a set of the hf3's and to make things even better you can go to an audiologist to get custom fit earmolds. You will not find a better fit.

People like the Beats. I didn't care for them, too bass heavy. If thats your thing, try them out.

 

Most of the BOSE overear headphones fall around that budget.

I've heard the Beats often times break due to cheap production and materials.

 

Sony studio headphones are what I used to use back in my DJ'ing days...

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know what it is, but ear buds (without a wrap around piece) absolutely won't stay in my ear. I bought a set of Sony buds for like $40 at Walmart and even with the different sized rubber/foam ear attachments, they wouldn't stay in. I had to return them. I just don't wanna chance spending $200 on a set only to have difficulty keeping them in


I also don't need any fancy Bluetooth headphones because I just run a wire to my old iPod through my shirt to my pocket.

 

Seth,

I have had great results from Westone - 1 earphones from here -- Shure Earphones and Best Earphones: EarphoneSolutions.com
They are out of Florida, and have all brands of really good earphones that they have reviewed. Their prices are competitive and they have the best warranty.

I like the Westone brand because they fit in the ear and have several different types of ear buds to put on the earphones so you can get the perfect fit. I found the perfect fit for my ears just fine.

The cables are very thin, and flexible, and go over the top of the front of your ears and behind them - just like you see your favorite music artists using them when they play live.

Mine almost totally remove all background noise and are light, the wires are out of the way behind me, and my Ipod fits in my Detailing apron front pocket and I dont ever have an issue with this arrangement during a whole day of Detailing, getting in and out of a vehicle, using power tools, etc..

They are not noise-cancelling in that they produce a sound that tries to eliminate background noise with another type of "white noise", but the tight yet soft fit does wonders at keeping the outside noise gone while Im working. The clarity and accuracy of this lower end model Westone is amazing, and I have heard things in my favorite music that I never heard before. I am sure the higher end models with more drivers, etc., are even way better, if that is what you are looking for.

This company also sells other brands, Shure, etc., and all of them are very good too from what I read.

You can also call these people and explain what your experiences are and they will help you find the best fitting ones.
I also had difficulty keeping these types in until I found this company and the huge amount of really nice fitting earbuds that come with the earphones. I bet they can help you and will even take them back if you cant make them work.

Good luck, hope you find the best ones for your needs !
Dan F

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I do like the phones that are secured in place by going around the ear.

The only thing I worry about is, during the humid/hot months here in St. Louis is sweating. Last year I got a massive ear ache while detailing and I believe it was partially due to the ear phones being inside the ear kinda trapped sweat in there. I could be wrong, but I couldn't put anything in my ear for a while without excruciating pain. And I'm sure that water/sweat coming in contact with the buds can't be good for the health of them.

As long as there is a good enough seal in or around the ears, I don't think phones that produce a noise canceling sound is necessary. My brother had a set of headphones hat required a AAA battery for noise cancelation and when used, it made the music sound worse.


These are all great suggestions and info. Keep 'em comin! I'd like to get as much feedback as buying expensive headphones seems like a costly commitment lol.

 

Everyone is different, but these links should help you
Multi-IEM Review - 216 IEMs compared (Koss KEB70 & Sunrise i100 added 1/23/12)
Shootout: 96 Portable Headphones Reviewed (V-Moda M-80 added 11/27/11)
I just bought the Brainwavz Beta's and they come with Comply foam tips. You might like those tips. My ear canals are odd but these earphone stay in place better than any set I've owned.

 

I know everyone doesnt fall in to the hype of the beats headphones, but they have worked great for me. Brand new I would never buy them for 300 bucks, but I got a pair of refurbished ones with a year warranty from the Monster Cable website for $125 shipped and cant complain. One thing people have to remember is wherever you get your music from is also what determines the output in the headphones, if your on a crappy site downloading bad tracks then they are gunna sound bad in the headphones, they cant fix everything. Since im using mine for detailing primarily and walking around campus then I've had no problem with them, not producing music or anything haha.

 

I am big fan of phones from Grado Labs. American made headphone from Brooklyn, NY. Only thing is Grado Labs does not make nosie cancelling headphones, but the great sound of these cans will make for that.

Read through the forums at head-fi.org

 

I"ve been looking at these IEM by 1964ears.com... I am currently using Ultimate Ears TripleFi as my daily earphones.

 

check out this sites

Best Quality Headphones | Custom Headphones | Moon Audio

Headphone Mania

 

For your price range, look into these headphone, "HiFiMan - HE-300"
Good value for $249, much better than the plastic, overpriced "Beats", lol

 

See the review here:
HiFiMAN HE-300 Reviews

 

I have tried a couple of sets from Shure. the 2 and 3 series. Both had unbelievable mids and highs but bass was really lacking in both. Unfortunately any of the sets above those are gonna set you back close to 5 bills.

 

Not even a question:

Amazon.com: Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones (Black): Electronics

Got these on Christmas and they're Spectacular. Just read the reviews and they'll sell themselves.

 

Dude... I love headphones.

First off you need to look for closed headphones, since it seems that you want to use it in areas where your music does not leak and disturb others.

Second good job not buying Beats (very overpriced, feels cheap, and bass heavy), only the pro are halfway decent, but severely overpriced (like 250 too much).

Everyone mentioned good brands, but I think the best cans you can buy under $200 would be the Audio Technica M50. If you check Head-fi.org then you'll see that this opinion is deemed a fact by many many members. Or the Grado SR80i, but not as comfortable as the ATH m50s. If you have a guitar center in your area you should check it out over there. Noise cancelling is not a feature of the headphones... but plays the music well enough for it to be ample for blocking out outside noise.

 

Grado Labs SR60 $80 SR80 $100 best deal in headphones - over the ear - no noise cancelling though. both have small plug for portable
devices - old school look
Beyerdynamic - many reference quality models
Sennheiser - many reference quality models

 

I have a pair of Grado SR60s; indeed, they offer fantastic - true to the music sound. But for what Seth is going to be using them for they are not a good option. The sound leaking away from the ears is nearly as loud as what comes towards your ears. My wife tells me to turn my music down all the time - even at 50% max volume. If you listened to these on a plane you would receive dirty looks from the three nearest rows.

 

oh btw, AudioCubes.com - Japan's Best Kept Secrets, Delivered. | Japanese Electronics & Gadgets for some hard to find headphones.