DaBird
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 12
- Likes
- 0
First post. I need some new headphones, but I'm a total nooby. I have an ipod (iphone 4) and use the standard issue headphones. They're ok, but I do virtually all of my listening on my bus commute to/from work - over 2 hours a day mostly at freeway speeds. Buses are loud, so I really have the volume up.
My ears become fatigued and by the time I get home I'm too exhausted to listen to my chatty wife (just kidding). But seriously, I'm starting to get ringing ears and I feel like if I use my iphone headphones much longer, I'll make things worse. I need some good isolation, and I want to hear my music the right way and enjoy it.
Having read a bit on this board today, seems like there is a lot of knowledgeable people here, so I'm hoping you can steer me the right direction.
What I listen to:
- Classical jazz and mainstream jazz (not so much the fusion or R&B kind). Usually like real instruments, not synthesized sounds. For jazz vocalists, I'm a bigger fan of modern singers (e.g., Jane Monheit) than those of the early and mid 1900's.
- Bluesy rock/R&B and stuff with acoustical qualities and intricate solos and rhythm section
- Classic rock, but nothing real heavy (e.g., I like Chicago, BTO, Journey...)
- Some country
- Classical if I find the right thing - love the airy qualities and dynamics of a full stringed orchestra.
- Some popular music, alternative rock
- Beyond music, I stream a LOT of Netflix on the bus. Volume is often at max here due to quiet dialogues.
My filetype is whatever my iphone converts my .mp3s into (aac?). Most is decent bit-rate that you'd get on Amazon or iTunes, not the 128-bit smaller files.
What I don't listen to:
- Rap, hip-hop, opera, electronica, trance, etc.
What I'm hoping to find:
I want to hear the fine details of my music (as much as reasonably possible on a bus). I don't want to crank the volume up. I want to be able to watch Netflix too and hear the dialogue. I'd like my music to come to life so I can hear the details.
What I'll spend:
Depends, I guess. I'm a nooby, so I don't really know what I need to pay to get what I'm asking for. Maybe $75 (USD); maybe $175? A higher pricetag would demand a more compelling argument. I can't see myself going more than a couple hundred bucks, and at that amount I would need to be confident of some awesome results. However, If I'm going to spend the money, I want a noticeable difference, not something where I'm left saying, "Yeah, I THINK this is better. I can kind of tell..." No. I want to experience a tangible difference that alters everything about the way I experience music and dialogue during my commute.
What would you recommend for my situation?
Long post - thanks for hanging in there!
My ears become fatigued and by the time I get home I'm too exhausted to listen to my chatty wife (just kidding). But seriously, I'm starting to get ringing ears and I feel like if I use my iphone headphones much longer, I'll make things worse. I need some good isolation, and I want to hear my music the right way and enjoy it.
Having read a bit on this board today, seems like there is a lot of knowledgeable people here, so I'm hoping you can steer me the right direction.
What I listen to:
- Classical jazz and mainstream jazz (not so much the fusion or R&B kind). Usually like real instruments, not synthesized sounds. For jazz vocalists, I'm a bigger fan of modern singers (e.g., Jane Monheit) than those of the early and mid 1900's.
- Bluesy rock/R&B and stuff with acoustical qualities and intricate solos and rhythm section
- Classic rock, but nothing real heavy (e.g., I like Chicago, BTO, Journey...)
- Some country
- Classical if I find the right thing - love the airy qualities and dynamics of a full stringed orchestra.
- Some popular music, alternative rock
- Beyond music, I stream a LOT of Netflix on the bus. Volume is often at max here due to quiet dialogues.
My filetype is whatever my iphone converts my .mp3s into (aac?). Most is decent bit-rate that you'd get on Amazon or iTunes, not the 128-bit smaller files.
What I don't listen to:
- Rap, hip-hop, opera, electronica, trance, etc.
What I'm hoping to find:
I want to hear the fine details of my music (as much as reasonably possible on a bus). I don't want to crank the volume up. I want to be able to watch Netflix too and hear the dialogue. I'd like my music to come to life so I can hear the details.
What I'll spend:
Depends, I guess. I'm a nooby, so I don't really know what I need to pay to get what I'm asking for. Maybe $75 (USD); maybe $175? A higher pricetag would demand a more compelling argument. I can't see myself going more than a couple hundred bucks, and at that amount I would need to be confident of some awesome results. However, If I'm going to spend the money, I want a noticeable difference, not something where I'm left saying, "Yeah, I THINK this is better. I can kind of tell..." No. I want to experience a tangible difference that alters everything about the way I experience music and dialogue during my commute.
What would you recommend for my situation?
Long post - thanks for hanging in there!