I am kind of a headphone junkie, with quite a few littering my closet. My favorite right now, beating out an HD600 and Ety 6, is the wireless HD140. Don’t misunderstand me, the sound quality is terrible and noisy thanks to the crappy analog radio, but the freedom of wireless trumps sound quality for me except on rare occasions.
The moment somebody comes out with a wireless headset that uses a lossless digital radio to talk with the headphones I will be buying it. I would also like it if you didn’t look like a retarded star wars character while wearing them too.
Thanks guys. Yeah, I was talking about headsets that are comparable to the 555 phones. I’ve bookmarked the X3 for a future purchase - thanks!
I was also wondering if you can purchase additional wireless dongle thingies. Would be kind of cool to switch between a 360 and a PC without having to change headsets/headphones.
Regarding the duct tape thing, There’s got to be some blogger out there who has already documented their experiences. I suppose the sensible and conservative approach would involve starting with small strips of duct tape and gradually apply them to the various cracks and weak areas, paying attention to adjustability and overall shape. How do I best avoid forcing the phones into a lame, fixed form factor? Should I consider using wire to help them hold a certain shape? I know I’m being kind of anal but I really want to avoid screwing it up and ripping off the tape for a second try.
Edit: Just stumbled across a pretty compelling anecdote:
Ever since getting my new HD580 Senns, it’s clamping force has been a source of discomfort. While attempting to loosen its clamping force by bending the headband back (careful not that far), the plastic part of the headband broke in two. With the cans then being held together only by the metal band, all of its clamping force was lost. I still could use them but they would move around too easily so I needed to repair them somehow. My solution: I cut a strip from a mousepad the size of the headband and with two strips of duct tape and two lightweight cable ties, I satisfactorily connected the two cans. The clamping force is not too loose and my HD580s are much more comfortable. (link, via)
The 580s are pretty different from the 555s and the problem here is also different, but the foam strip and cable ties idea definitely sound worth looking into.
Time to resurrect a very old thread. Looking for suggestions on a decent pair of headphones with built-in mic, as cheap as possible.
I’m the last person who should normally be posting in the Hardware forum, and I’ll admit that right off the bat. I bought a pair of the wrap-around-the-back-of-your-head headphones with built-in microphone for 10 euro in an Internet cafe in Spain. They’ve served me well, but they’re fragile, and one of the ear curves snapped and is now held together with Scotch tape. I’d have less of a problem if the one that broke wasn’t the one with the microphone attached.
I believe this was the original, or at least it looks much the same: link. I’ve read reviews of the similar products available at, say, Best Buy, and I rather enjoyed the commenter who called them “easier to break than the French Army.” I really only use these for Skyping, but I’d appreciate not having to buy a new pair every couple of months, you know?
Can anyone suggest a decent-quality item that I don’t have to order from the Netherlands, and might (gasp) actually be able to buy in a US store? Thank you!
I was eyeballing the Sennheiser Adidas PMX 680i Sports Headset but the controls do not work on Android phones. Anyone care to recommend something similar? I am slowly transitioning from my iPod Touch to my Android phone, but I need new headphones that work on both devices now.
As an interesting historical followup to this 2007 comment, the last few years have seen a HUGE explosion in “high-end” headphones, to the point where the ($450) HD-650 is no longer a super-high-end thing, but just a decent mid-range option. Sennheiser’s $1400 HD-800, Beyer’s $1500 Tesla T1, a whole pile of $1K+ Ultrasone headphones… pretty much everyone has a four-digit headphone available now.
I bought the Shure SE115 M+ (the last bit stands for mobile phone controls) two years ago and then lost them on holiday. They’re not available here and from the Uk they’re almost twice as much as the $120 I paid in the US. But I really enjoyed them, while it lasted.
I borrowed the BOSE QC15. The best noise cancelling set I’ve tried, but very pricey and of course completely useless for any sport.
Now I use the excellent new Logitech Ultimate Ears 400vi, which were just launched here. They’re cheaper than my Shures and uses a membrane speaker (the higher end uses one or more armature speakers), but I actually like the more. Couldn’t find them on the US site, butthese are probably as good.
If you want that over the ear sporty grip there’s the 300vi, which I can’t find on the US site. I haven’t tried them, though.
So, after about four years, the front left speaker on my Razor Barracuda 5.1 cans is starting to flake out, cutting in and out. Can anyone recommend a set of cheap and adequate 5.1 headphones? I’m no audiophile, so price and durability is probably main concern.
i got my corsair usb 7.1 on sale for $50ish and i quite like it.
unlike the logitech ones they aren’t fixed at 7.1 which causes some games to choke/crash/not-load (you don’t know jack and one other recent game i can’t recall right now) but with corsair you can just change it to stereo in the software.
I am eager to continue to this thread as just today, in an attempt to prevent my clumsy dog from falling off of the couch, I managed to bend the pin on my razer carcharias enough that it is no longer functioning. I am not an audiophile by any means, so I would like to replace them for no more than $150. Any recommendations out there for a good headset replacement?
Hmm, currently I have 9 sets of headphones and headsets. I use my Corsair HS1-USB ($50) for gaming and Shure SHR440 ($100) fitted with SHR840 replacement ear cushions ($30) for audio plugged into a Xonar DG soundcard ($20).
I just got a set of Sennheiser PC 333D headphones recently. I was surprised at how much better the sounded than my Razer Barracudas which just died dramatically and almost blew out my eardrums when they did.
I had the Razer set hooked up to my 5.1 “Fatalit1y” soundcard which I guess has seen better days.
The Sennheisers are a USB set with an onboard 7.1 USB soundcard.
I’ll be pulling the fatal soundcard from my system when I get a chance. And maybe going into the back yard and beating it with a baseball bat or something.
I looooooves my Sennheiser PC151’s ($42). Just bought a second pair after my old ones broke when I dropped 'em for the hundredth time the other day (after ~8 years of daily use).
Sound quality is great, and the volume control/mic switch on the wire is waaaaaay handy.
The hotness over at Head-Fi is the Monoprice MEP-933/8320. They’re clear, have a great midrange, decent bass and a top end that isn’t anything to sneeze at. They don’t sound as good as my Hippo VBs, but they’re actually a lot more comfortable in my ears, and the Hippos sure and shit don’t sound 20 times better. That’s right, these things cost $7.11. The only caveat is that the included tips suck. I’m using Comply T400 and they work wonderfully. I’m not sure how durable they are, but they feel more solid than Hippo VB but less so than a pair of Denon that I have. At this price you can buy several and not worry about breaking them. You can even get a discount if you buy more than one.
Unlike the OP, I want something cheap to serve for cell phone usage. I’m endlessly waiting on warranty repair or shelling out another $30-$50, and the occasional $100 bucks on new headsets as the failure rate on these devices is through the roof. I’ve used Shure, Etymotic, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, V-Moda, Ultimate Ears, Sony… It’s just a matter of weeks or months for the sound to go out on one ear or the other.
