[RepublicRevolt]

Hi Guys

I have a dilemma. I am very good at breaking headphones, the headphones that have lasted me the longest were ATH MSR7's due to their detachable cable (they lasted me from the start of 2015 until mid 2018). Unfortunately the wiring in the headband broke (according to the repair place) and audio technica does not sell parts to repair it. I was considering some ATH M50's but i do not have fond memories of the Sibilance problem my MSR7's had, i would often not listen to them for days because of it (I liked everything else though).


So i need some new headphones as i am currently stuck with my Huawei p10's in box earphones (yuck).

I really need some headphones that are suited to alternative and christian rock. Favorite bands i listen to at the moment are skillet, paramore, evanescence, red, paramore, within temptation and Yonaka. While I like bass it is not the most important thing to me. I just really want to avoid harsh S sounds and anything to do with sibilance (another reason i am looking at the V-modas). I particularly like listening to female vocals and also the occasional violin. I also tend to listen to music Rather loudly if that's important


I have been looking at V-Moda Crossfade wireless ( have heard these are extremely durable and good warranty system) . I was also considering some Sony WH-CH700NB but am a little cautious of the plastic as i had a some audio technicas made from similar feeling plastic and they fell apart on me.

On my list of headphones i am considering are:

Marshall Headphones M-ACCS-00152 Monitor Headphones
V-moda Crossfade wireless headphones
AKG K240 Studio headphones
Grado SR80E's

Do you guys have any recommendations or thoughts on my list? Please recommend any headphones that are durable and suited to my music tastes (and have a detachable cable (will also consider wireless but a cable option would be nice)). They will just be powered by my laptop but im thinking of getting an amp.


thanks in advance!

 

[tomb]

If you can afford it, it's best to spend $220 for a Massdrop/Sennheiser HD6XX. They are very robust headphones, although you will find that they'll perform better with a good amp. Even if they break, they've been made for over 10 years and Sennheiser keeps spare parts for every bit of those headphones.

The HD58X might be another option. I think those are only $150 from Massdrop.

If you can tolerate the on-ear design, the Sennheiser HD25 II is perhaps the most robust headphone in the business. It's often used in the broadcast business and you will find them on the ears of announcers at college/pro football and golf tournaments. They're also about the only headphone known to survive throwing into a student's backpack on a regular basis - without damage. They are fairly high in efficiency and would probably perform well from a laptop without an amp. However, the sound quality, while quite good, is nowhere near the Sennheisers mentioned above.

 

[RepublicRevolt]

If you can afford it, it's best to spend $220 for a Massdrop/Sennheiser HD6XX. They are very robust headphones, although you will find that they'll perform better with a good amp. Even if they break, they've been made for over 10 years and Sennheiser keeps spare parts for every bit of those headphones.

The HD58X might be another option. I think those are only $150 from Massdrop.

If you can tolerate the on-ear design, the Sennheiser HD25 II is perhaps the most robust headphone in the business. It's often used in the broadcast business and you will find them on the ears of announcers at college/pro football and golf tournaments. They're also about the only headphone known to survive throwing into a student's backpack on a regular basis - without damage. They are fairly high in efficiency and would probably perform well from a laptop without an amp. However, the sound quality, while quite good, is nowhere near the Sennheisers mentioned above.

I am very nervous about buying sennheisers as i had HD202's and had to get them replaced 4 times because of the cable breaking. What do you think of the headphones i suggested? currently a store close to me is offerin Sennheiser PXC550's for $230 nzd (cheaper than the v-moda which i would have to buy off amazon). Would these be better than the V-moda?

 

[tomb]

I am very nervous about buying sennheisers as i had HD202's and had to get them replaced 4 times because of the cable breaking. What do you think of the headphones i suggested? currently a store close to me is offerin Sennheiser PXC550's for $230 nzd (cheaper than the v-moda which i would have to buy off amazon). Would these be better than the V-moda?

Sure. Use your experience with a pair of $20 headphones to judge whether you should purchase one of the best headphones in the world.

The PXC550 is a wireless headphone. It's in a different league with sound quality (worse).

I know nothing about the Marshall headphones, probably because they're one of those music equipment mfrs trying to cash in on the headphone business. I suspect they're completely Chinese-driven in design and parts.

V-Moda Crossfade wireless - again, wireless is not the path to high-fidelity. It's convenient, for sure, but not for the best sound.

AKG K240 - this is a very famous headphone with a lot of heritage. Midrange is the key with a K240. It's not particularly outstanding with any single quality, but does all of them very well. Tonality is excellent.

Grado SR-80 - Grados are not very robust, IMHO. They are the closest to hand-made construction of any mainstream headphone. Because of that, they wear out in unusual ways - the swivel connectors connecting the cans to the headband wear out and slide up an down on their own, ruining the fit and feel. In the past, the cabling would develop awful kinks. They've fixed that somewhat by using extremely thick cables in the last few years, but they tend to torque the cans if you're not careful with them. The foam pads also wear out faster and since they're integral to the design, are more important than with most headphones.
They have a wonderful house sound, rendering guitars better than any headphone in the business. However, they do this with added distortion. It can be grating on other types of music. Some people can't stand them because of the distortion and a particular 3K to 5K peak that exists in most of their models. They are also bass-light until you get up into the more expensive models.

 

[RepublicRevolt]

Sure. Use your experience with a pair of $20 headphones to judge whether you should purchase one of the best headphones in the world.

The PXC550 is a wireless headphone. It's in a different league with sound quality (worse).

I know nothing about the Marshall headphones, probably because they're one of those music equipment mfrs trying to cash in on the headphone business. I suspect they're completely Chinese-driven in design and parts.

V-Moda Crossfade wireless - again, wireless is not the path to high-fidelity. It's convenient, for sure, but not for the best sound.

AKG K240 - this is a very famous headphone with a lot of heritage. Midrange is the key with a K240. It's not particularly outstanding with any single quality, but does all of them very well. Tonality is excellent.

Grado SR-80 - Grados are not very robust, IMHO. They are the closest to hand-made construction of any mainstream headphone. Because of that, they wear out in unusual ways - the swivel connectors connecting the cans to the headband wear out and slide up an down on their own, ruining the fit and feel. In the past, the cabling would develop awful kinks. They've fixed that somewhat by using extremely thick cables in the last few years, but they tend to torque the cans if you're not careful with them. The foam pads also wear out faster and since they're integral to the design, are more important than with most headphones.
They have a wonderful house sound, rendering guitars better than any headphone in the business. However, they do this with added distortion. It can be grating on other types of music. Some people can't stand them because of the distortion and a particular 3K to 5K peak that exists in most of their models. They are also bass-light until you get up into the more expensive models.

Fair comment about my experience with sennheiser, over here (new zealand) headphones are quite pricey so they were more $120 for us so people thought they would be getting good quality. The sennheisers you recommended are all over $340 NZD here as our dollar only gets US .55c so 150usd vs 220usd can make a huge difference

I wont be using the headphones through their wireless, i'll only be using them in corded mode as my pc's blue tooth is pretty stupid. Will the Vmoda's still be inferior sound wise?

I'll keep the AKG's in mind then as they only total $120 NZD, a friend has had them for a while so durability seems good.

I might stay from the Grado's then, i do really like the idea of trying an open back headphone (will also help me hear if someone is at my room door haha).