Any Recommendations for On Ear Headphones?

[Demosthene]

Whatever you do don't take the Beats suggestions.
Awful headphones with a high price tag.
Not a fan of Bose either, not as neutral as I prefer my sound (still a million times better than beats though!)

So you want on ear closed back headphones for around $250?

Id recommend the Beyer Dynamic DT1350
(these actually do sound fantastic and are very comfy for on ear)

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-D...Dynamic+DT1350

Bowers & Wilkins P5

http://www.amazon.com/Bowers-Wilkins...%26+Wilkins+P5

Sennheiser HD 25-1 II

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD2...ser+HD+25-1+II

Originally Posted by vitalsignsrn

Now on to the Grado

Grado's are excellent but also open backed and don't isolate at all.
Although the iGrado is exceptional value for money.

[watchdog507]

I've bought headphones here before. He has a large selection and his prices are OK. You can try some out if he has them open. All are factory authorized. He's in the north of Toronto.

http://www.headfoneshop.com/

[vitalsignsrn]

Originally Posted by watchdog507

I've bought headphones here before. He has a large selection and his prices are OK. You can try some out if he has them open. All are factory authorized. He's in the north of Toronto.

http://www.headfoneshop.com/

LOL We seem to shop in the exact same spots. I bought my Westone's from earlier in the year. I thought I had actually passed his shop because the address was for Canada Post. I walked in & he had his stuff to the left. Pretty creative business he has. I'm going to have to give him a call to see what he has. Thanks for the reminder.

[vitalsignsrn]

Demosthene...thank you.. I will check out the Beyer ones on You Tube since I didnt know about those. :-)

[J!m]

Not sure how useful this is, but not too long ago I undertook the task of getting a decent set of headphones for monitor and "mix down"(such as it is) when I master from cassette or vinyl to digital, or just quietly listening to something the rest of the world may not want to hear...

Anyway, I ended up with the AKG K702.. They are open back because I was unable to find a closed back that sounded right. I think it has a lot to do with echoes in my hollow skull but that is a discussion for another time...

If the sound is important, and it should be, give these a listen. They do benefit from up-graded cables allegedly, although I have not bothered to upgrade mine (it detaches from the headset with a tiny XLR type connector) and like all decent headphones, a break-in is a good idea to maximize their potential. Just loop something full range overnight and you should be good to go.

I have used various Sennheizer cans in the studio in the past and their fine for monitors, but not for critical listening in my opinion. Their microphones, on the other hand, are to die for!

Finally, consider the format. If you are listening to over compressed FM or MP3 files, they will sound very different than (at the other extreme) good vinyl does. And, good cans will really highlight the good as well as the bad of a recording. Beats (I assume) are optimized for the compressed formats, and probably also dreadful with a really high quality source. But that is speculation as I never bothered to listen to them.

Well more than two cents but take what you will from it.

[vitalsignsrn]

Jim, thank you for your 5 cents, much appreciated. :-) You're correct in thinking the music I listen to is of average quality (usual iTunes downloads). I don't listen to vinyl anymore. LOL I think the last time I had an LP was probably back in the early 80's before Walkman became a household word. LOL

Again..thank you very much.

[J!m]

Glad I could help.

When assembling a home stereo system you have to be mindful of the room. The "best" components may not sound good at all if not matched to the room.

Good luck!

[Demosthene]

Originally Posted by J!m

I have used various Sennheizer cans in the studio in the past and their fine for monitors, but not for critical listening in my opinion.

You should really listen to the HD800's if you want to quickly change your mind about that.

[J!m]

If I didn't have the AKGs I would do.

[vitalsignsrn]

I've been out listening to whatever I could. Selection isn't that great here & the Best Buy's don't have a Magnolia centre like a lot of U.S stores have for higher end equipment. Here's what I think so far...

Bose Q3... While over my price range, I tried them on & they were good. I like my music with a good bass but thats not the only thing I want to hear. These seem very good with all the genres of music I listened to them with..classical, country, pop, dance music & heavy rock.

Sennheiser On Ear Momentums... I REALLY want to like these. I love the style of them, so classy & they feel great on. ONLY problem...surprisingly, they are VERY heavy on bass. Not a neutral set at all. Still... I don't hate them, just don't love them either. They have dropped considerably in price since I put up this thread. They must be getting phased out for some new styles? They were $249.99 & now can be found for $159.99 at Best Buy, which is the lowest I've found in the GTA (greater Toronto area). If these sound good to you, is a great price. The U.S Best Buy has em for $155.99 (Reg.price was $199.99).

Beats Solo 2... I like these a lot better than the Sennheiser On Ear. Oddly, & I'm chuckling as I write this, they aren't as bass heavy as the the On Ear ones. Still bass heavy, don't get me wrong, but the vocals were much more clearer to me. Not a bad unit but for the money, I'm going to keep shopping. I have my IEM that are working just fine so no need to rush.

Havent gotten to listen to the B&W P3 or P5's, Grado or Beyerdynamic yet.

BUT..what I really really like so far...is the Senheisser Momentum Over Ear. They're actually pretty small compared to a lot of over ear headphones. Like their On Ear counterparts, I find them classy & very comfortable to wear. The headband isn't massively padded & they sit pretty close to the head. They don't fold. :-( What a totally different sound than the On Ear ones. I didnt have to try to convince myself I liked them, I just did. The price has dropped for these too. Cheapest I found was $269.99 at Bay Bloor Radio.

Thats it so far. Not a lot of progress. LOL I've called some of the specialty audio shops in the city & they don't have a lot of what I want to listen to set up. If I buy them, I own them. So I would rather make sure I can listen to them 1st. If I have to spend a bit more for the ones I've listened to, is better than spending a lot more for something I wont like. I'm heading to Buffalo some time this month. I want to take a listen to the V Moda XS if I can while there. :-)

Have a great weekend. :-)

[J!m]

You are a smart lady!

Listen to everything and make your choice.

When I was auditioning hi-fi components, I always used the same cd for testing. (Robbie Robertson from 1987) so I have a common base line. You may have more to use for testing but that particular record is particularly revealing in the vocal track.

Keep at it!

[vitalsignsrn]

Thanks J!m...LOL Sorry..realized I called you Jim earlier in the thread not realizing the ! wasn't an I. LOL NOT too smart. ;-)

I do the same thing as far as music. I select the same song from a few different genres & only listen to those songs. Its easier to compare them that way. A lot of listening stations have pre-set music or videos & is hard to do a side by side comparison. At least it's better than not being set up for auditioning though. ;-)

[Frankie6212]

I've always been a huge fan of Klipsch. Newbie here but wanted to add my 2 cents!

[J!m]

No problem! Jim is my name so it's fine.

Best if luck on your quest.

[vitalsignsrn]

FYI to anyone living in the East end of Toronto but the Best Buy on Progress across from Scarborough Town Centre has the Sennheiser On Ear - Blue colour for $116.99. Not sure why just the blue ones ( black ones are $159.99) are on sale, sales kid didnt know why, boxes are new & sealed. Website does not state item is further reduced. So, that being said, there is only 1 left in the locked case at $117. I picked one up for myself & have 30 days to return it if I choose to not keep it. In the meantime, I'm not opening them up till I'm sure these are what I want or I won't be able to return them. Btw, the Sennheiser display does not work at this Best Buy so you'll have to listen to them at another location. I'm not sure if this in store special is exclusive to this location or not. Happy bargain shopping. Lol.

[vitalsignsrn]

Well...as an update to this thread. I decided on the Sennheiser On Ear headphones. I was very fortunate to have gone to an audio store that I was able to plug in to my phone & listen to my own playlist. Made a huge difference! And it sounded GOOD. :-) They sound great new & can imagine once I've burned them in how well they will sound. Been wearing them for a couple hours now watching a movie & feeling pretty good. I'm more than pleased. Especially that these were the ones I wanted, AND I found them at a great price. No compromises here. Well...except they don't fold but are small enough to throw in a carry on or my purse so all is good. :-)

[Silvio Mosiello]

Sennheiser makes great stuff I hear.

If this turns into a giant dre beats are not good headphones and are overpriced thread im gonna laugh.


Sent from my Iphone while at a AD.

[vitalsignsrn]

LOL Matt..ironically, I liked the Beats Solo 2....they sounded pretty good! But for $100 more, not THAT good. ;-) As much as they look slick, & perhaps more for the gym look or the younger crowd (ya, you..LOL)..the Sennheisers have the look I was after. BUT, the OVER ear Momentums sounded a lot better. I just found them a tad too big for me.

Cheers!

[Silvio Mosiello]

Originally Posted by vitalsignsrn

LOL Matt..ironically, I liked the Beats Solo 2....they sounded pretty good! But for $100 more, not THAT good. ;-) As much as they look slick, & perhaps more for the gym look or the younger crowd (ya, you..LOL)..the Sennheisers have the look I was after. BUT, the OVER ear Momentums sounded a lot better. I just found them a tad too big for me.

Cheers!

I have the beat solos. I wanted to feel cool at the gym too They suck to be honest. You may want to get a pair of wireless headphones ESPECIALLY if ( like me) you hate having ear buds ripped out of your ears when the wire gets caught on something. It happens to me all the time and drives me turtles. Im not sure if Momentums make them wireless.

Personally, i stick to cheap headphones now and avoid listening to loud music. I have permanent tinnitus ( ear ringing ) from blasting music.


Sent from my Iphone while at a AD.

[J!m]

Glad you're happy Judy!

It sounds like you made the perfect choice.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by Silvio Mosiello

Personally, I stick to cheap headphones now and avoid listening to loud music. I have permanent tinnitus ( ear ringing ) from blasting music.

Party animal?

[incontrol]

Sennheiser makes great headphones. They have been doing it for years. Enjoy them!

[charlesnester]

I use a pair of noise-canceling earplug from three years.

[gnuyork]

My parents got me the HiFI Man 400i (? I think) for Christmas. Planar magnetic and full rich bass. They aren't the last word in Headphones but they are pretty good for the price

Edit: dang just saw this was an old thread

[returntorolex]

Wow - old thread. I’ve had wired Bose and a few other pairs of Bluetooth and Apple ear buds that made my ears hurt.

I also wanted something super comfortable and battery that lasts a long time as I pair with laptop and cell phones. Noise canceling was a plus as is the rechargeable battery (10 hrs). I use these for all my conference calls and air travel is great with these being compact and active noise canceling.

Ended up the these: https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/pr...oyager-6200-uc

Great for voice calls as well as music and watching movies etc.

[charlesnester]

The earplugs are sometimes sorting by category like riding earplugs, shooting earplugs, musicians earplugs, industrial earplugs, and others. The sleeping earplugs cancel the night noise and also help to protect hearing. The swimming earplugs help to protect hearing from the water damage and also the earplugs for the dentist too.

[JDsnewwatch]

I have (I really should say "Had") a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones. I wear apple airpods all day at work, and I bought those QCs a while back for flights. I offered the word "had" because my 8 year old has taken a liking to them and well, lets just say that I'm not getting them back LOL. I did the same thing with my dads stereo speakers when I was a kid.

[charlesnester]

My uncle always wears a pair of apple air pods but after a few months he exchange them I don't know why. I don't try any yet of apples. And also had no idea may be helpful or not.

[othertbone]

Originally Posted by vitalsignsrn

Hello....I'm looking for on ear headphones.

I want good sound & closed cups as I plan on using them for multiple purposes (most likely in public & I don't want them to leak too much). I know with on ear they will leak, but I don't blast my music at 100% volume, more around 50% or less. I listen to all genres of music but usually reserve my deep, thumping music for the gym. However, when I want to throwback to the good old days ( ) I listen to AC/DC & Disco (70's-80's).

I want a compact size. A lot of the compact ones don't fold, which annoying as sh**. But for good sound, I may over look that. I have tried over ear but I look ridiculous & feel like Minnie Mouse (all ears)! They don't feel comfortable because I'm very short & so is my neck. They end up resting on my shoulders. So compact, small-ish cups is what I need.

I don't want to spend too much, maybe $250 or less. I know headphones can get quite pricey. I don't plan on replacing these for a while so of course durability is a factor. A minor detail as I'm not that rough with my things & all of these come with some form of a carrying pouch.

Here is what I tried so far:

Senheiser Momentum....Sounded good. The Beats sounded better for $50 cheaper. I like the classy look of these. Most expensive of the group.

Beats Solo 2... I know I know...they got great reviews! Good sound I thought. Bigger than the original Solo & have a slick look.

Bose Sound True.... They sounded good. I thought they were pretty flimsy & felt much cheaper than their price tag commanded.

Have not tried these yet as no one in Toronto has them for me to try. I will have to head south of the border to listen to them. The V Moda ones.

V Moda XS... Very cool looking & have had great reviews. No one here has them, although I can order from either a place from British Columbia or on Amazon. I know the Best Buy in Buffalo has them so I can always pop in to try em on when I go shopping again. They fold up almost to nothing.

Anyone have experience with any of these or any others I might want to look at?

Thanks,



Edited to add: I need the volume/mic port as well.

To be completely frank and honest with you, I don't think you need these big headphones anymore. Apple AirPods are amazing and have awesome sound quality and are so convenient. If you would rather have a sound brand, then get the Bose or Beats AirPod equivalent. Good luck!

[ekayaimissey]

Originally Posted by watchdog507

I've bought headphones here before. He has a large selection and his prices are OK. You can try some out if he has them open. All are factory authorized. He's in the north of Toronto.

http://www.headfoneshop.com/

I visit your shop and see the earplugs they are really amazing and I love them so much.