Headphone recommendations?

Having gone from Sony to Bose wireless over-ears, the main things I like better about the Bose are a) collapsibility (maybe newer Sony models are collapsible, but mine weren’t), b) better handling of multiple paired devices, c) easy to find physical on-off switch, with automatic connection to all paired devices when you turn it on.

The best headphones I ever owned (sound/comfort/open cans for air flow) appear to be back in stock soon on Amazon.

I ordered a 2nd pair for backup.

These have been discontinued awhile ago, so someone must have found some stock in a back storeroom or something. Doubt they will ever be for sale again.

*** And they are gone, lol, must have only had a pair or two available.

Saved for future XD

The new V-Moda wireless with AptX are pretty sweet sounding. I get 5 or 6 new headphones a year, yes it’s a sickness, and these are my latest. The one thing I don’t like about the latest V-Moda’s is how hard they clamp my head.

My favorite headphones of the year are the Sony MDR1AM2, much to my surprise. I haven’t been a big Sony headphone fan since the 80’s, man I had a sweet pair of cans when I was stationed in Japan. The new Sony’s are super light, they don’t clamp very hard, and I honestly expected them to be just okay. After a few days of listening, and about a dozen hours of burn-in, they really started to impress me. I find myself listening to these more than any of my other headphones.

Yeah, I listen to the original MDR-1A all day at work, and have been very happy with them over the past ~5 years. I tried out a bunch of others before buying, and couldn’t find anything I liked better.

I will just add that V-Moda makes a really rugged set of headphones. I started buying them for my son because he was killing everything else he tried. He actually did kill one V-Moda after a couple of years, but it was replaced at half-price under warranty and he has done well with the replacement.

Just out of curiosity have you ever tried Sennheiser HD580’s? Mine are about 20+ years old, have replaced the ear foam several times, and have tried a few, (Senn 598 - absolutely horrible, Senn PC37X - just flat and a Hifiman HE400S which I thought was decent, but still not up to the HD 580. )

With so many that you try, I’d be curious how you rate a HD 580 with the new breed + how you would compare.

I’ve only tried the Sennheiser HD 650 and owned the 700s for a while. Those were okay, but they had very little bass. They were both pretty good but I don’t really care for open headphones. In general I really like the ‘darker’ sound of Sennheiser’s.

I have the HD600, love them. Very clean, smooth, natural sound.

But i also have the HD598 and while those are not as refined and detailed, they still sound great and have a nice soundstage. What was so terrible?

Which do you have? I had these when they were first released ages ago (maybe 9 years ago?) and then the Black SE version from 2 years ago…except for the earpads in the newer ones not being as cushiony, and a very slight increase in the low frequencies, they sounded the same.

But there were those (on Head-fi.org) who swore they sounded very different. There was also a lower priced version last year that I think may have been closed-ear, but can’t recall with 100% certainty.

I really also liked the Sennheiser PX-100. Those were the best under $100 headphones I’ve used. Not as much definition as the Grado SR-80, but a bit warmer and a little more bass response without any boominess.

I have separate amps & was able to listen to them side-by-side. The 598’s are muted my comparison. It sounded like I was listening in through a pillow. The other thing, and this was weird, but the 598’s are really hard on my ears - they physically are not comfortable whereas the 580’s are like downy pillows.

Revive!

Hope someone can help with this specific request - these are for music headphones, not gaming ones. You all are knowledgeable and a friendlier bunch than I’ve encountered on “audiophile/headphone” fora so …

I’m looking for a headphone that:
a) travels well - meaning, I would be wearing this on public transit daily and also walking with them regularly;
b) is on-ear or over-ear and also closed-back (or NOT open-back) - for similar reasons, too much audio leakage would be a concern;
c) are “neutral” sounding / normal audio signature (not sure if I’m using the parlance right) - I’m not looking for any bass-boosting and the like - and I listen broadly - mostly music, but ranging from classical to soul etc.
d) are very good quality relative to price (of course)
e) no need for wireless necessarily, no need for mike for phone; no need for extra doodads in general.

Ideal price range is most likely below $150, but maybe go higher if quality warrants… ?

If anyone cares, I currently use the old-school Koss Porta-Pros (and I now realize I asked basically the same question 4 years ago in this same thread! anything new to share…?)

(If I were also looking for a thread to ask for a proper replacement for my … well I still call them MP3 player but I understand they are known as DAP now, would this be the proper thread?)

Not sure where or how’d you even find them for sale anymore but I still like my Sony “Eggos” for portable playback. They’re the 3rd from right in the pic above.

I think it’s these of which I have an extra NIB pair too I just rediscovered last weekend for some reason:

Why not the one all the way on the right, those fold up and I think they have been on sale for $90 or so. I forget the name now, it’s an ATH.

Another question, anyone know a noise canceling that I can fall asleep with? Someone keeps running a generator or heavy machinery early in the morning and I’m starting to get fed up.

Jesus, dude.

I use Philips ones I posted a few scrolls above. But they aren’t portable friendly. :P

Always check wirecutter before buying anything. :)

I have used this pair for several years and it sounds great, is closed back, and pretty durable:

80 ohms is probably a little high for using directly with a mobile phone, but they have a 32 ohm version that supposedly works well.

Downsides are they’re outside of your budget (but they go on sale for under $150 occasionally) and they block out enough noise that walking around with them on might be dangerous when crossing the street. Also the cable is a bit long at 6ft to comfortably let dangle loose while walking around.

Various responses-

THANKS TO ALL, of course.

I believe those ATH in the photo (that photo looks familiar…?) are the Audio Technica ATH-M50x or maybe the M40s?

Those are regularly highly recommended in this “area” - the 40s are praised in the WireCutter’s best under $200 list (https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-150-over-ear-headphones/) - thanks for that recommendation. Their writeups are typically very well-done - informative, concise and clear. (They favor the ATH-M40x, though some (most?) favor the ATH-M50x.)

Portability is key, so a 6ft wire? I dunno.

I would not be using a phone as source but for now it is one of the Sansa SanDisk versions (zip or zip clip, I forget) or a Sony Walkman (NOT the super fancy “new” ones, but the much older more basic ones - don’t have the # handy). These are both about to die, hence my request above for a DAP replacement recommendation.

Yes that audiotechnica I have above are the 50x and have a nice non bassy neutral signature. Ive used it with a sansa clip and the addition of a portable headphone amp didn’t help much at all.

Yeah, you’re right, that wire is kinda annoying. I only sometimes use the the ATH-50, usually I use earphones for portability.

NAD HP50 is right up your alley. If you’re willing to go another $100, Sennheiser Momentum 2/HD1 (same model, had to change the name), which gives you better portability and durability (folds up, has padded flexible steel headband).