++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ CLOSED: Please post a thread in the Introductions, Help and Advice forum

[dakanao]

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Hey guys, not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but I'm in a huge dilemma
 
I have recently bought the Shure SE215 In-Ears (about two or three months ago), and I am in love with them. The sound is very nice and I really like them. My only complaint is regarding the difficulty that it is to put them on
 
After buying an over-ear headphone for my girlfriend, I noticed how I miss being able to just put up some over-ears and how comfortable they are.
 
So, I am here to ask if I should buy the Phillips Uptown. They are on sale for £56, and I think it is a reasonable price.
My main question is if its sound quality is on the same standard as the SE215, as I don't want to get a really better headphone (I still want to come back to hearing my SE215s!). The Uptown is really pretty and classy, and according to all the reviews, it looks like it is a good deal.
 
I know that we can't quite compare between in-ears and over-ears, but do you guys *think* it would be a good buy, given the conditions that I mentioned? What would be the main advantages and disadvantages?
 
Thank you very much for all your comments and advice!

I don't know how the SE215 sounds, but I do know how the Uptowns sound. I find the Uptowns to be muddy to be quite honest, it doesn't really have good clarity allround. I would go for it if it was like 35 pounds, but not at your price.

 

[jackben123]

Um hey new and all.
 
The the most expensive pair of in-ear headphones I've ever owned is the Skullcandy 50/50 (Yea say what you want about the brand) and the most I've spent on over ear are $15: iHome Over ear.
 
Both sound pretty good but I decided to up my quality and because I don't know squat about headphones I decide to ask here.
 
I'm not an audiophile and I don't know any of your terms like: Highs, mids, lows, muddy, um what??? All I know is bass, that's it.
 
I've heard about the beats (Yea I know, just mention your sworn enemy here, bear with me) but decided to be more open minded before I make a major purchase. I always hear about Beats and Bose but recently have heard about Audio Technica's MH50's which I hear is pretty good. And just a few notes:
 
-I listen to bass (not heavy) music but also country music (Love both equally)
-The max I'm willing to spend is 300 but I prefer 200
-They can be in-ear or over ear but preferablely over ear
-I would like them to be stylish, I do like that hip-hop look compared to a sophisticated but still open minded
-Must have small or no sound leakage
 
I know bass headphones won't play country music well so if you can, recommend two kinds, or better yet one that plays all (I think it's called all-around, right?)
 
Thanks for any replies I get

 

[srmotta]

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I don't know how the SE215 sounds, but I do know how the Uptowns sound. I find the Uptowns to be muddy to be quite honest, it doesn't really have good clarity allround. I would go for it if it was like 35 pounds, but not at your price.

Really? I read some reviews praising the Uptowns for their sound quality!
I would like to see other opinions as well!

 

[Thujone]

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Um hey new and all.
 
The the most expensive pair of in-ear headphones I've ever owned is the Skullcandy 50/50 (Yea say what you want about the brand) and the most I've spent on over ear are $15: iHome Over ear.
 
Both sound pretty good but I decided to up my quality and because I don't know squat about headphones I decide to ask here.
 
I'm not an audiophile and I don't know any of your terms like: Highs, mids, lows, muddy, um what??? All I know is bass, that's it.
 
I've heard about the beats (Yea I know, just mention your sworn enemy here, bear with me) but decided to be more open minded before I make a major purchase. I always hear about Beats and Bose but recently have heard about Audio Technica's MH50's which I hear is pretty good. And just a few notes:
 
-I listen to bass (not heavy) music but also country music (Love both equally)
-The max I'm willing to spend is 300 but I prefer 200
-They can be in-ear or over ear but preferablely over ear
-I would like them to be stylish, I do like that hip-hop look compared to a sophisticated but still open minded
-Must have small or no sound leakage
 
I know bass headphones won't play country music well so if you can, recommend two kinds, or better yet one that plays all (I think it's called all-around, right?)
 
Thanks for any replies I get

I constantly recommend the new head-fiers to check out the M-Audio Q40's. They have an extreme bang for the buck and they have everything that most people want in a headphone. These headphones are definitely bass heavy but typically that comes with a recessed (quieter) mid range. In general, mids are considered to have most of the sound in a song. All vocals and most instruments are here. The highs are the crisp high frequency sounds above 6000Hz (cymbals for example). Some say that sopranos and higher pitch instruments fall in this category but that isn't true 90% of the time. If you go to YouTube and find an earphone test, you'll find that 6000Hz is not a frequency that a normal human being (or typical instrument) can produce.
 
Now, most bass heavy headphones come with a recessed midrange. The reason is that the bass is so powerful and loud that it drowns out the mid range. A lot of the time you find people talking about V-Shaped headphones and that's because they have pronounced highs and bass with a quieter midrange. Honestly, coming from the headphones that you've mentioned, you may not be able to tell that some headphones are V-Shaped (the ATH M50's that you mentioned are widely considered V-Shaped).
 
The M-Audio Q40's are not V-Shaped. They have very clear lows, mids, and highs and you can get them for $99 off of the M-Audio website. They are a bargain to say the least.

 

[saturinox]

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You could check out Grado sr80I (open back) or Sony MDR V6

Both are quite good for metal IMO

I have read many places now that the grados are good, but for use indoors mainly - i want someone that is suitable for outdoor use - i dont listen to music in headphones inside my house ever. its for use when i talk a walk. (i do daily) and listen to a whole album or walking to my parents house, 2-3 miles. . or just hanging in the park / beach with friends, then have the headphones with me, and hanging around my neck when near friends .
 
can any1 suggest me more headphones ? or what about the marshall majors? - or are they not worth the money.

 

[torturechambers]

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I have read many places now that the grados are good, but for use indoors mainly - i want someone that is suitable for outdoor use - i dont listen to music in headphones inside my house ever. its for use when i talk a walk. (i do daily) and listen to a whole album or walking to my parents house, 2-3 miles. . or just hanging in the park / beach with friends, then have the headphones with me, and hanging around my neck when near friends .
 
can any1 suggest me more headphones ? or what about the marshall majors? - or are they not worth the money.

The MDR V6s will probably work better for you then, rather easy to carry around the neck with nice, upfront sound and good balance for metal
 
Cannot comment on the Majors though

 

[saturinox]

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The MDR V6s will probably work better for you then, rather easy to carry around the neck with nice, upfront sound and good balance for metal
 
Cannot comment on the Majors though

I can see they are at 60$ at amazon - are you sure they are good for metal?. i read some say electronic, it has only a good bass etc.?.
 
i am really looking for best possible solution, to enjoy my metal, Double pedal drums, speedy-riffs and all. i see the grados are good but the thing about them was that they leak alot of sound? and get alot of noise in?. - i am to use them outdoors only. so maybe this would annoy me.. or else when walking near shops, in markets maybe they dont like to hear my metal! hehe? 

 

[KG Jag]

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No--these are colored cans and very good at what they do.  However, you need something much more neutral and with a larger sound stage (for an open can) for a great all arrounder.

I LOVE the way they look though.
Any other grado cans that would be better?

Of course--as you go upline.  However, they (or at least each Grado line) has its own flavor of the Grado house sound.  They are not going to beat cans like the T1 and HE 500 and HE 6 as all arrounders.
 
See:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-ultimate-ears-uerm-added-4-14-13#user_RS1
 
and
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-ultimate-ears-uerm-added-4-14-13#user_PS1000

 

[torturechambers]

They do leak a lot of sound, but its maybe 5 feet where you can really hear the leakage.
 
V6s are better for metal than EDM, strange that was on there. 

 
I'd only get the Grados if you really don't care about isolation or sound leaking, they're better than V6s, but V6s get the job done quite well without sound leak.

 

[ElectriKip]

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My budget is about $350, I plan on using the headphones at home for producing electronic music, I'd much prefer closed by far than open but if the phones are that much better and they aren't closed, then I suppose I could deal with it, I listen to electronic music of all kinds and also some J-rock, I wouldn't be using an amp but rather a Mac laptop, I'm looking for a more balanced/neutral sound that would be useful for mixing and mastering. Any clue as to which headphones I should invest in? I hear beyerdynamics are good, but what's the ideal model in my price range? Or is there something even better?

Bump. Also, I looked into the AKG K550's and they seem to fit my bill EXACTLY, except for the whole they have to be completely sealed thing, which can't work for me, as I wear semi-thick glasses, and those would interrupt the seal. So unfortunately the AKG's are out, but could there be a different set of headphones that share very similar traits such as what the AKG's have, like their capability for mixing in particular, which don't need a *complete* seal to work fine? I'd still like closed headphones though, just maybe ones that don't rely on the seal so drastically that my glasses would interfere with them.

 

[posteriorpounde]

Bump. Also, I looked into the AKG K550's and they seem to fit my bill EXACTLY, except for the whole they have to be completely sealed thing, which can't work for me, as I wear semi-thick glasses, and those would interrupt the seal. So unfortunately the AKG's are out, but could there be a different set of headphones that share very similar traits such as what the AKG's have, like their capability for mixing in particular, which don't need a *complete* seal to work fine? I'd still like closed headphones though, just maybe ones that don't rely on the seal so drastically that my glasses would interfere with them.

If you have glasses, consider IEMs. Pretty much all closed headphones rely on a good seal to achieve its full capabilities.

If you're adamant about closed headphones though, perhaps the denon d2000 would serve your needs as a sub 350 can. It leaks a lot of sound, so its reasonable to infer that they do not seal, thus glasses would not be detrimental. They also have a solid bass response, for your electronic producing. Maybe also Ultrasone Pro 900s, reputed as king of trance in the sub 500 category.

 

[daleb]

So, my friend (who isn't an audiophile) just had his headset break... And when I say he isn't an audiophile, he bought a headset that had a rumble feature for bass. Somehow had a great mic, though! He was trying to ask me what headset to get him, and I managed to convince him to buy a desktop mic instead, alongside some headphones. His total possible money for the 2 would be a little over $70, and I don't believe he has the ability to stretch his budget.
So, he wants to spend about $50 on the headphones, and he commonly listens to electronic music. He isn't going to be into "precise" headphones, he just would want something fun, so I'm assuming bassy. He also uses the headphones for gaming.  The other problem is, he can't buy things online, and so he will have to buy them in a store, meaning the headphones have to be popular enough to be kept there. Any suggestions for him?

 

[LarryHutz]

I have a budget of $300. I listen to pretty much every genre of music, from Classical to Rock to Hip Hop. Therefore I would prefer an all rounder. My main source is going to be a iPhone 4 and I will be doing my listening in dorm rooms so I would prefer closed headphones or pretty much any phones with good isolation, with a portable amp. I've been looking at the Philips Fidelio L1 and the ATH A900x coupled with a Fiio amp/DAC, but I've researched reviews and found that some people think that these have a significant bass emphasis, which I don't want since mids and detail are important to me also. I want a headphone that has good impactful bass while having excellent mids and highs, which I found is a rarity in this price range. Any suggestions?

 

[leron9999]

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So, my friend (who isn't an audiophile) just had his headset break... And when I say he isn't an audiophile, he bought a headset that had a rumble feature for bass. Somehow had a great mic, though! He was trying to ask me what headset to get him, and I managed to convince him to buy a desktop mic instead, alongside some headphones. His total possible money for the 2 would be a little over $70, and I don't believe he has the ability to stretch his budget.
So, he wants to spend about $50 on the headphones, and he commonly listens to electronic music. He isn't going to be into "precise" headphones, he just would want something fun, so I'm assuming bassy. He also uses the headphones for gaming.  The other problem is, he can't buy things online, and so he will have to buy them in a store, meaning the headphones have to be popular enough to be kept there. Any suggestions for him?

 
I would suggest Superlux HD 661, fairly neutral frequencies and they sound excellent. Otherwise go for any of the Sony XB series within the budget. They don't sound as good as the Superlux, but they do have that extra bass. Here are some possible options.

 

[daleb]

Oh, I forgot to point out he does not like on the ear at all... It has to go around the ear. The superluxs should work, but do they even show up in shops? Also, how durable are they. that's really important to him.