I’m not usually one to go for style over performance, but when you can find both… I love the retro look of the Sennheiser HD1 over-ear headphones. Just got a pair and even sans amp the audio is so much clearer than any headphones I’ve used before. With a tiny bit of EQ boost in the mids they sound wonderful. And they’re comfortable even on my enormous head. Definitely the best cans I’ve owned.
Now to look at what I want to connect between them and my work laptop, amp-wise. I have an Accessport for use with my phone that does a nice job.
It was actually these Klipsch HP-3 beauties that got me on the kick of finally buying a good set of headphone and wanting something with a retro style. These are absolutely stunning! But not spending $1,200 on a set of cans no matter how epic they are in sound or appearance. Plus even if I did want to spend crazy money, my use case isn’t compatible with semi-open designs.
Hey, people who pay attention to such things: are the Bose set still the gold standard for noise cancelling? I am starting a bit of a bus commute here next-next Monday and I think it may be time treat myself.
Use of noise-cancelling headphones while driving is not recommended. But I have both noise-cancelling earbuds and headphones from Bose if you have any questions.
I saw the Verge’s (I think? Name is Vlad) headphone editor refer to the Sony (I forget the name of their top current NC model) has having “the best” noise cancellation now — but it was in the context of a discussion of other high-end headphones with NC, and Bose was not specifically mentioned, so I felt that a clarification was in order. It made me interested in trying it out, though.
Those seemed identical to my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0s, right down the the color, so I looked them up. Apparently they ARE identical except for the nameplate — it turned out Senn didn’t own the rights to the Momentum brand name. That’s why the Senn site calls them “the headphones with MOMENTUM” or something like that. Wacky.
Anyway, I’ve owned mine two years and am super happy with them. I think I’m going to replace the earpads at last, though.
My physical therapist wants me to stop holding my phone up to my ear, and I’m on board with that. I have a Nexus 5X, do a moderate amount of personal and work calls, and listen to a bit of music on it but not a ton. The latter is mostly because I’ve never been happy with any of the earphones I’ve owned.
My biggest beef is with dealing with the cord as I dig out them out of a bag or a jacket pocket; they’re always getting tangled or twisted up, and I can’t be bothered to use a velcro tie or whatever (although I could probably be convinced to do so).
Now that I’m going to have to commit to a good pair, I want to do more to make sure it fits my needs well:
Would prefer neck band variety. I love the idea of just wearing a neck band around and pairing with my phone as needed, on the fly.
A corded neck band solution would probably be acceptable, but cordless preferred. (I don’t think there are even any corded neck band solutions anyway.)
The quality of my voice while on calls must be the same as it is when I’m not using a headphone mic. This might be vanity, but for some reason it always bothers me to wonder if I sound any different over the headphone mic.
Battery life must be good enough to support a day of 1-3 medium-to-long calls and a bit of music here and there.
My budget is probably $150 or less, but I’d really prefer to spend under $100 if possible.
I like the look of the Sennheiser HD 1 (and I’m just a big fan of Sennheiser), but the reviews are mixed and the audio quality (while on calls) is apparently noticeably different from no-earphone calls.
The Etymotic Research HF3 looks like a great pair of earphones in terms of quality ear buds and voice quality, but it’s corded and not neck bandy.
That’s about as far as I’ve gotten with my research. I’m really not up to speed on good audiophile forums or places to do more research, and so I turn to you guys, as usual.
Only like 7 months late with a NC headphone note, but here it is: I prefer Sony’s NC tech to Bose, and I own the newest Bose and Sony sets. Sony is quite a bit better on the plane, vacuuming…well, for every case so far.
Barstein, sounds like they wouldn’t fit your use-case, but I have 5 different bluetooth headphones, and my Samsung Level-U (I think that’s the name) Pro ones have just become my default, to the point that they’re the only ones I use for calls. Mainly because I can wear them around my neck without them getting all tangled, as they have those magnetic ear buds that naturally clamp together when not in use. I can mostly wear them underneath my collared shirts without people taking notice.
I have used them both on international flights, vacuuming, and even while using a saw. Sony’s NC is noticeably better at adapting to the external environment and, I think more importantly, also cuts down the amount of sound that gets through. I can’t hear my vacuums with the Sony, but I still can hear the hum with the Bose.
Some people don’t like the feel of the Sony’s (the Bose are a bit lighter), but I way able to sleep on an airplane for 6.5 hours straight while wearing them, and I woke up not even noticing them on.
My GF and I are going to Fiji in a couple of weeks, so I’ll see which pair she prefers. 11:20 flight time so she’ll have time to get acquainted. :)
Still loving my HD1 over-ears. Most comfortable headphones I’ve ever owned.
They did, however, end up costing even more in the end, because they made me decide to invest in a Schiit stack (Modi 2 uber/Magni 3) for home due to my main PC’s headphone jack being borked. Uh oh, new gadget category unlocked.
On Bose… Their stuff is definitely decent (my car has the “premium” factor Bose setup, and it’s good for factory car audio) but I’ve never liked the balance/range of their equipment for home audio. The QC35s certainly do the job for their demographic – non audiophile business travelers looking for something with excellent noise cancellation. But the over-prevalent lows and bass and lack of range in the mids are so evident when listening to something like a FLAC/ALAC recording of Wish You Were Here. Even though the Bluetooth Sennheisers don’t have as effective noise cancellation as Bose (the one aspect where Bose actually is an audio leader), the clarify and balane of the actual audio is much more pleasant to my ears and worth a trickle of engine noise coming through.
The ergonomics were a very important part of the purchase for me. As I wear those headphones for dozen hours flights, I ended up picking my headset because it also didn’t seem to provoke any pain (something which I could confirm later on extended uses), versus other models I tried.
Noise cancelling on long flights is like a permanent ticket upgrade. It changed totally my approach to flying. I used to be a zombie wishing for the closest bed upon getting off the plane. Now I just feel like I would feel staying under an air conditionner for a day, sore throat but overall ok. Even simply wearing them uncorded, it is an incredible life improvement. But I never use them to listen to musics in my daily life — even my cheap bluetooth earplugs got what I feel is a better sound.
Freaking love NC.