They’re the ones that clip directly on the ears, right? I tried to like them, but couldn’t get comfortable with the ear clips–they either pinched my ears or slid around too much. Plus I can’t imagine how they’d work if I wore glasses.
Sennheiser’s PX100 is what I’m using for portable 'phones these days. They sound pretty darn good, and fold up into a pretty small package when I’m not wearing them. You can find 'em for $45 or so online if you look around.
Yeah, the PX100’s are awesome for their profile. I use them on the go, and keep my HD500’s at home.
Although there was a time when I took the HD500’s out in public. I looked like a dork in college, carrying around a bag with my MP3 CD player and my huge fucking headphones.
This doesn’t seem worth a new thread: are there any decent surround-sound headphones (or those little converter boxes you hook up regular `phones to fake it)? I’m looking for something which can take an optical digital audio connection and provide some semblance of surround sound for movie watching & games. Dolby Digital support a must; DTS support a desirable plus.
Grado’s sound good but they are really uncomfortable.
Note that Foobar (built from Winamp for audiophiles, minus any semblance of a GUI) has built-in crossfeed filter.
Winamp has a plug in as well.
BTW this is a good thread to ask - I got a cheap amp from the headphone guys and the manual says not to plug in /out a headphone with the power LED’s on. Does this also apply to say an Onkyo receiver, or they have some sort of safety feature?
Probably just to avoid an audio pop sound.
Panasonic RP-HTX7
Philips SBC HD1500U
Yep, and the theoretical consequent damage to headphone drivers and/or ears.
Sennheisers are nice if you like to listen to stuffy classical music. I regret buying mine.
I listened to my friend’s pair of Beyer Dynamic DT 770’s and they blew me away. The bass response and overall lack of listening fatigue was amazing in comparison to my HD580 cans.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/plz-recommend-me-5-1-surround-sound-headphones-317209/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/surround-headphones-349029/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/best-5-1-headphones-377179/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/recommendations-surround-headphones-please-376215/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/does-surround-headphones-really-work-163428/
Thanks for the links, JMJ. Looks like the JVC SU-DH1 and Astro A40 MixAmp are along the lines of what I’m thinking of. Though the Astro doesn’t support DTS and the JVC appears to be battery-powered only.
You’re absolutely sure you can’t get the Philips SBC HD1500U in America? It’s not battery-powered, and it does support DTS…
I’ve got HD600’s - great headphones.
The PX100’s are also good, and much smaller.
After a bit of Googling, I can’t find it anywhere. It’s probably a little pricier than I want to spend anyway. And I’ve already got a decent pair of Sony headphones, so really all I want is the decoder thingie. Besides, I don’t need to go wireless.
The Philips device does have plugs for standard headphones… but if you can’t find it anywhere I guess it doesn’t matter.
My oldest Sennheiser HD 555 phones have fallen to the ground one too many times and may finally be falling apart. I think if I can figure out how to reinforce the over-the-head strap and the joint section between the strap and the … cans … I’ll be fine because the important hardware is still in great shape. Unfortunately I’m not having much luck finding good reinforcement recipes and my searches turn up hacks, wiring repairs and the like. I assume duct tape would do the trick but I haven’t fixed headphones before and want to do a good job.
Or maybe I should look at this as an opportunity to get a decent wireless headset for my 360, where my other (brand newish) pair of 555s are semi-permanently docked. I don’t play online much, so I doubt I’d use the microphone any time soon (unless by some miracle my brother actually finds the time to game with me). What’s more or less equivalent (in both price and quality) in the world of wireless headsets?
Welcome to the world of throwaway electronics. They don’t really want you to repair them, do they? Personally I’d go with the duct tape until I needed to replace them for other reasons. How many people see you and would in any way think lesser of you for using some tape to fix them?
Sarkus is right (as usual). Duct tape to the rescue!
That said, I have a Turtle Beach X3 headset for the Xbox and I love it. I don’t play online very often either, but the wireless feature of the headset is great for couch play.
I (shamefully) have the Creative Fatal1ty headset and it’s pretty damn good. It took a very long time for me to find a headset that sounded good and these are the best I’ve tried from an audio quality standpoint. They still don’t sound as good as my old high-end Sennheisers, but they’re good enough. They’re also pretty comfortable.
As for wireless headsets that match the quality of your HD555s, there aren’t any. Well, not without spending quite a bit of money. Unless by “headset” you mean “headphones”, then there are more options.
Woot has noise-cancelling headphones up for sale today.
Don’t know if they are any good, but hey, its woot, so they’re super cheap.