Need help choosing headphones

bobo_1314

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
1,065
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hello,

I'm planning to get a set of good headphones for my iPod. Right now there's a place in Toronto which is selling a set of Sony MDRV700DJ headphones for $170CAD ($153US). However, I can also get a set of Grado SR60 for $150CAD ($135US). Which set of headphones are better? I've heard that Grado's have excellent sound, but are quite fragile for everyday use. Sony's are durable, but are expensive for what they offer. Please give me some advice guys, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
 
If can afford it I think Bose makes some of the best headphones on the market for both comfort and sound. Also check out Sennheiser - incredible sound quality.
 
Are they really worth that price? I just bought three sets of Sony earphones of Ebay for ?10 and I'm more than happy with the sound quality. Admittedly I am quite deaf.
 
Lol, i was gonna tell you to get the headphones that i have (theyre like earmuffs). theyre amazing, and very cheap too i think $40 MAX (i got em as a gift). But i guess that wouldnt help, ur in an other world.

i didnt even no headphones could cost that much :S
 
Blind_Io said:
If can afford it I think Bose makes some of the best headphones on the market for both comfort and sound. Also check out Sennheiser - incredible sound quality.

Two very good suggestions. I have a pair of Quiet Comfort 2's from Bose and they are amazing headphones. I got them mostly because they were noise cancelling, and that they are comfortable for wearing on long trips.
 
vRS,

So far I've only found one set of in-ear headphones that I like - and they are by Sony and come with 3 sizes of rubber ear pieces to ensure a good fit. I don't see them on Sony's website, although there is a similar pair for $50 USD. You can find them HERE

Sony also has some ear bud style headphones with noise cancellation HERE for $100 USD.

Overall I prefer the comfort of over-ear headphones with cups large enough to not press on my ear itself, but rather put the pressure on my head. My PC headphone/boom mic is by Altec Lansing and has been excellent for me. My only complaint is that the head strap is springloaded instead of being adjustable, so if I wear them for long periods of time the top of my head gets a little sore. My old Altec Lansing headset had an adjustable padded strap but pressed on my ears. I guess you can't have everything. If I could afford them I would buy a set of those Bose Quiet Comfort headphones.
 
vRS said:
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/web2/systems/product.asp?section=systems&sub=ls&prodid=33

How about a pair of them?

I wanted to get those in the beginning, but in-ear headphones really damage your hearing........I've been using a set of Sony earphones ($10US) for a few months, and listening to music with a relatively low volume, my hearing now is not as good as before. I was born with a defect with my right ear (I can only hear clearly when there is very low background noise - so technically I'm deaf in one ear :thumbsdown: ). I want to listen to music, but in a way that I won't further damage my ears. So I guess the only way to go for me now is full-size headphones because my doctor (ear specialist) says those are better than earphones. Oh well.........
 
http://headphone.com/
The only site you'll ever need for headphones. Expert advice and guidance as well as a huge selection of phones, but you can find cheaper on Amazon. Do some research there; that's how I got these:
akg_k26p.jpg

Cheap, great sound quality, good noise-blocking abilities, and portable as hell (folds up neatly into its own carrying bag).
 
Man, if you're paying $135 for grados than youre being anally raped on the price. I paid $100 for my SR80's from audioadvisor.com

Or you could just buy some shures, I'm getting a bit jaded to the whole pro audio thing now, as I've shelled out for both the sr80's and the e2c's in the last 6 months.
 
Jacobfox said:
Man, if you're paying $135 for grados than youre being anally raped on the price. I paid $100 for my SR80's from audioadvisor.com

That's a good price you've paid for you Grados, but unfortunately I live in Canada, which is considered to be an international order according to audioadvisor.com. The shipping cost, plus the taxes I have to pay, probably costs more than $35US..........Man, taxes are high over here :thumbsdown:
 
I'm sure on of us Yanks could help out by receiving the shipment and sending it on to Canada.
 
Has anybody of you made any experiences with one of those noise cancellation headphones? I've always been looking for a solution to cut wind noises (which affect sound quality quite strongly when you wear them on a bicycle like I do most time) but never found something suitable so far.
 
mautzel said:
Has anybody of you made any experiences with one of those noise cancellation headphones? I've always been looking for a solution to cut wind noises (which affect sound quality quite strongly when you wear them on a bicycle like I do most time) but never found something suitable so far.

I have a pair of active noise cancelling Bose headphones. They are good for cutting out environmental noise. I don't think they would work well for cutting out active noise (such as the noise from wind). A good pair of passive noise cancelling headphones, or some earbud headphones like the shure e2c, would probably be better for cutting noise while riding a bicycle.
 
Yes, for that type of noise your best bet is an earbud style. The Sony earbuds I posted earlier ($40 USD) are good for that.
 
chaos386 said:
<-- Absolutely LOVES his Grado SR60s.

I'm not sure where you heard about them being fragile; mine have been quite sturdy. I got mine from GoodCans.com (here's their Grado section. SR60 for USD$69, SR80 for USD$95), and while they don't officially ship to Canada, if you e-mail them, they might bend the rules for you. ;)

I'm planning to use the headphones outdoors (walking to school), and I want something that can withstand the harsh Canadian winter. Because it gets quite cold here in Toronto (with windchill, -30C), and I'm worried that the cold will damage the headphones, which are not cheap. But since you say they're quite sturdy, I assume they can handle the everyday conditions the weather's got to offer. Thanks for the advice chaos386!!

Blind_Io said:
I'm sure on of us Yanks could help out by receiving the shipment and sending it on to Canada.

Thanks in advance for the offer; that's very kind and generous of you!!

mautzel said:
Has anybody of you made any experiences with one of those noise cancellation headphones? I've always been looking for a solution to cut wind noises (which affect sound quality quite strongly when you wear them on a bicycle like I do most time) but never found something suitable so far.

I've looked at Sony MDRNCR6, but I hear they make a hissing noise which, in my opinion, is even worse than listening to loud background noise (in your case, wind noise). :thumbsup:
 
Here are my babies. I've had 3 or 4 of these (I wear them out every year or two) and they only run like $10. Great base and such for their price and I don't have to worry about busting them or whatever. :)

http://img525.imageshack.**/img525/3962/1458in3.gif
 
bobo_1314 said:
mautzel said:
Has anybody of you made any experiences with one of those noise cancellation headphones? I've always been looking for a solution to cut wind noises (which affect sound quality quite strongly when you wear them on a bicycle like I do most time) but never found something suitable so far.

I've looked at Sony MDRNCR6, but I hear they make a hissing noise which, in my opinion, is even worse than listening to loud background noise (in your case, wind noise). :thumbsup:

Yeah, that's why I ended up with the Bose Noise cancelling headphones. My headphones are the only ones I found that didn't have terrible hissing from the active noise cancelling. They are pricey, but well worth it, especially if you are in an environment where active noise cancelling works well.
 
I was looking at TigerDirect.ca website, and I found they're selling the Sennheiser HD595 for $215.99CAD ($194USD), and the HD485 for $88CAD ($79USD). I know TigerDirect is not the best place to buy things, but I can save some money on shipping since it takes around 15mins for me to drive there. If those prices are accurate (I also know TigerDirect makes frequent mistake on prices), are those good headphones to go with? The HD595 is a bit expensive, and costs more than the Grado SR60, but are they worth the price?
 
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