Oh, and in addition to the HP50s I recommend ibasso DAPs. My DX50 is Rockboxed and has lasted >4 years without a hiccup. In addition to gapless playback, zero delay for indexing, and all the other Rockbox features I’ve got enough amp power to liquefy anyone’s eardrums, a great DAC, a separate line out, and a microSD slot with a 400GB card in it (that was extra but I got it this past Black Friday for $80).
I just got a pair of these to replace my Sony MDR-1A, and they sound amazing.
Whoa they look impressive. Sadly can’t do closed back headphones due to ear sweats. D:
Ah, conversely I can’t do open-back headphones due to sound leakage (since I mainly listen at work with people in reasonably close proximity).
My workaround: use them as earmuffs in the cold winter weather!
I used to get ear heat and sweat with the closed-back headphones at my college radio station, and since other people were also sweating into them I just refused to use them.
I’ve found since then that it’s only a problem with the way specific models fit my head and what the earpads are made of. My Sennheiser Momentum 2s with leather pads do not make my ears sweat even on 10-hour flights to Europe where I almost never take them off.
The only ways I’ve found to predict the problem ahead of time are 1) to read lots of reviews and avoid models that have a few mentions and 2) to go to a Best Buy that contains a Magnolia with a listening station and test for a long time. These days my experience tells me never to buy headphones without doing 2 anyway, since you never know whether a given pair of headphones will seal well around your ears or stay comfortable.
I saw this with only 20 minutes left tonight, but Woot had the first gen Surface Headphones for $95. But if you order using the app you always get 15% off, so in reality $80.
Picked up a pair. The reviewers say they’re not quite as good as the Bose or Sony equivalents, but at $80 that’s a steal; they released at $320. They’re also new and not refurb.
Microsoft Surface Headphones Microsoft Surface Headphones
So I’ve started actually listening to the radio on my old Sony NWZ-A17 MP3 player. Of course you need wired headphones for that and I don’t actually have any decent in-ear earphones. I’ve had to use my wife’s old iPhone earphones, and God those are such a shitty fit. Are there any recommendations for reasonably priced, in-ear phones that are a really comfortable fit and stay in your ears? I’m not super concerned about sound quality as I’ll mainly be listening to the radio. What I’m really looking for is comfort and good fit as I would be using them while jogging.
This caught my eye. For $25 they don’t seem too bad.
I have a pair of basic-ass JBL buds that I bought at an airport in like 2007 because I forgot mine and was not prepared for four hours in coach without headphones, and hell if they haven’t held up like absolute champions.
They’re long since demoted to backup “I want to watch some stupid video in bed without pissing off my wife” duty, but they still serve admirably.
I don’t use IEMs anymore, but when I did I kept them in my ear canals by means of Comply tips, which are memory foam around a little plastic tube. They expand to fill the ear canal, never hurt your eardrum with vacuum suction the way silicone tips can, and they stay in place pretty well. Various types and sizes.
Oh no you just cost me $25
Me too. I like my AirPods Pro, but after about an hour they hurt my ears. I can’t even really tell if it’s because they’re too big or too small.
Hopefully these new tips will help.
I have the Comply tips for AirPods Pro and they’re great. I needed them for running on a treadmill. Just be sure to order the correct size.
Somebody recommended those in another thread as their fav, and I’m just all over them since I started using them 4 years or so ago:
Cheap, good quality, fits perfectly and you can even almost sleep on the side with them (almost).
I only change the earpieces themselves with Sony EP-EX11 large (I have big ears) black ones: they fit most earphones and have been enhancing the sound on all earbuds I can put them on forever.
Those Panasonics are what I use for cheap earbuds. Very comfortable and the offset design stays in my ears very well. I find myself using them over my better Sennheiser buds because they are more comfortable and sound good enough to me.
However – if you buy them from Amazon, I would beware of inferior quality fakes and only buy them if they are Sold by and Shipped from Amazon.com and not a third party.
I’m very happy with these JBLs, I have 3 pairs (bought half price and stored until needed)
Looking to buy a headphone set for my son who would use them for both listening to music via Spotify/Tidal and also for PC gaming (so there HAS TO BE at least a decent mic). Wireless is preferred, but not a deal-breaker. I’ve tried countless sites and noticed reviews are not always terribly consistent (could always have something to do with the age of the ears for reviewers, too). Anyways, I’m trying to keep the cost around $200 or so.
Does anyone have any recommendations?
At that price point I’d focus on mic quality, its something you can more easily trust in reviews. Otherwise where as there will be differences in sound quality between headphones, what is more important is the kind of sound he likes. I learned this from a review site that I cant find anymore. It basically said, under $200 prioritize fun over quality. I buy quite a lot of headphones really and it holds true in my experience.
If you do just want to rely on a review, this site is pretty good
because at least they give you metrics you can compare between headsets.