Canning all Audiophiles (what headphones)

steezysteeze

steezysteeze

Active member
Well NS, looks like yet again the cable on a perfectly working set of headphones has crapped out on me and now I'm in the market for another pair. I've decided I'm going to step my game a little bit from my knock around Urbanears plattans and get something a little more respectable. What I'm looking for is a set of over ear cans with a detachable cable, and preferably a clicker for control of my iPhone. I listen to many genres (hip-hop, punk, rock, indy, electronic, classic country) I'm no expert but I want to say I'm looking for something with a "flatter" reproduction of my music files so I can listen to everything as they were originally mixed and will be able to cover all genres listed reasonably well. I will be wearing these everywhere so noise cancelling and durability are priorities. I'm also looking for something that has a no nonsense and classic styling; nothing super tech looking or beats-esque style phaggatory. Here's what I'm considering so far and was wondering if you guys with some more know-how could steer me in the right direction or bring another set of cans to my attention that may be better. My price range is a max of $250.

First up are the Marshall Monitors:

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These have everything, sexy classic styling reminiscent of their amps, a detachable cord, and the clicker. The downside is that online reviews are very mixed as apparently they're just rebranded Urbanears. If anybody has used these I'd love to hear what you think of them.

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x:

ATH-M40x-side.jpg


They have detachable cable sans clicker which is a disadvantage; but, they're a reputable brand so I'm sure they're great sounding cans.

Sony MDR 7506:

Image1Product1457_15897.jpg


These are apparently a remake of classics. Everything seems great but no removable cable (apparently this can be modded though).

I really want to get the Marshalls as the clicker is incredibly convenient for me and they really do look great, but it all boils down to sound quality and I have a suspicion that they may be lacking in that department. If you guys have first hand experience on any of these please let me know what you think. I know there is a lot of info already out there but I couldn't find anything with specifically these three.
 
If you're only using these for your Iphone, don't waste your money on audiophile grade headphones. The Iphone only stores music in a compressed format, and once you get past a certain degree of accuracy from the cans, you're not going to hear any difference.

That said, out of those 3 I would go with the sony's. I've tried them and they sound amazing, and sony makes a durable product.

Also if noise canceling is a priority for you, I would recommended the Sony MDR-ZX110NC, really comfortable, cheep, and sound really good.
 
My recommendation, that I've been using for the past 3/4 years or so:

Bower & Wilkins P5:

894089


Not very bass heavy, looks good, meant to work without DAC, nowhere on it (except for the cable) do your fingers come in contact with anything but aluminium, stainless steel or soft leather. It doesn't quite have the sound quality and detail of the top audiophile portables, but it still sounds very very good, no mistaking that, with a sonic signature best described as smooth, it will work with anything from classic to rock and even hiphop. And it does provide extremely effective noise isolation (passively).

Check the geeks over at: Head-Fi.
 
My apologies on the thread title Audiophiles. And I get that the headphones are only going to output sound as crisp as the mp3 files they're coming from, but I don't think I'm going over the top with these selections all being well under my maximum price. Thanks for the suggestions though. I'll have to check out the Bower & Wilkins, the build quality sounds luxurious.
 
Sennheiser Amperiors are amazing, you can also replace all of the components (cables, speakers etc..) and they don't need an amp

square_stage_amperior_silver_01_sq_sennheiser.png
 
If I were you I would save up and get the ATH M50, because as you probably know, they are legendary. I have a pair of 30's as well, and I think they sound very close to the 40's (almost better for listening)
 
oh, the 30's don't have a detachable cable, at least they didn't last year. Also, what amp are you using?
 
13141665:Dirac said:
oh, the 30's don't have a detachable cable, at least they didn't last year. Also, what amp are you using?
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I'm not going to be using an amp. Do I really need one for mp3 files? I just want a set of cans that are a step up from my urbanears and if they're going to last a while I don't mind spending a little more.
 
13141713:steezysteeze said:
I'm not going to be using an amp. Do I really need one for mp3 files? I just want a set of cans that are a step up from my urbanears and if they're going to last a while I don't mind spending a little more.
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well out of the 30's 40's and 50's, the 40's have the most impedance. your ipod will still be able to drive them, but don't expect anything amazing. you will probably be listening to them at close to max volume most of the time.
 
13141722:Dirac said:
well out of the 30's 40's and 50's, the 40's have the most impedance. your ipod will still be able to drive them, but don't expect anything amazing. you will probably be listening to them at close to max volume most of the time.
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I don't understand this. Should I just not get them?
 
13141875:Danal. said:
Vmoda-crossfade-m-100.jpg.jpg


V-Moda m100! Sound Isolation is amazing! Really nice true sounds. great headphones
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This. I have the crossfade LP and love them to death, I beat the shit out of them and they will not break, plus they're ~$100 on Amazon.
 
About a year ago I spoiled myself and bought some Grado SR225's - I've tried a lot of headphones since I got them and nothing really compares with the sound quality of these things, I highly recommend them.
 
I'm going to join this thread.

As someone who used to have several pairs of nice phones and had them jacked, what would you guys recommend for an adequate pair of headphones at say, under 50$.
 
13143268:DingoSean said:
I'm going to join this thread.

As someone who used to have several pairs of nice phones and had them jacked, what would you guys recommend for an adequate pair of headphones at say, under 50$.
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over ear, in ear, on ear?

Also OP B&W make some good solid stuff. P7's are one of the best pairs of headphones I have ever heard. Bose does make some decent headphones too. It all depends on what type of music you mainly listen to. If your music range is huge then you're going to want something with more of a mid range driver.

Some brands to check out are sennheiser, bose, and klipsch. Beats by dre make some good headphones, but imo they're like apple and you pay for the name. They were better when they were still teamed up with monster.
 
If you're listening to shitty compressed music files it doesn't matter much once the headphones breach 60$
 
13143340:LE.Skiing said:
over ear, in ear, on ear?

Also OP B&W make some good solid stuff. P7's are one of the best pairs of headphones I have ever heard. Bose does make some decent headphones too. It all depends on what type of music you mainly listen to. If your music range is huge then you're going to want something with more of a mid range driver.

Some brands to check out are sennheiser, bose, and klipsch. Beats by dre make some good headphones, but imo they're like apple and you pay for the name. They were better when they were still teamed up with monster.
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Either or... over ear probably (i'd like something better for monitoring audio while doing video)
 
13143340:LE.Skiing said:
B&W make some good solid stuff. P7's are one of the best pairs of headphones I have ever heard.
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The ruined the design a bit though, they look like a lardy P5 that had too much pudding for lunch.

Not to say they are ugly, but the P5's design feels more balanced, same with the P3's those look too tiny and fragile.

DSC05156.jpg
 
13143387:DingoSean said:
Either or... over ear probably (i'd like something better for monitoring audio while doing video)
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Sony makes some decent monitor headphones that are relatively inexpensive.

13143394:omnidata said:
The ruined the design a bit though, they look like a lardy P5 that had too much pudding for lunch.

Not to say they are ugly, but the P5's design feels more balanced, same with the P3's those look too tiny and fragile.

DSC05156.jpg
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I agree, The P7's are little bit bulky, however the sound is phenomenal.
 
13141875:Danal. said:
Vmoda-crossfade-m-100.jpg.jpg


V-Moda m100! Sound Isolation is amazing! Really nice true sounds. great headphones
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I second this, I have em and they are sweet. Build quality is insane as well, a little bass heavy but still good
 
13144517:k-rob said:
if you buy pretty much anything other than sony you`re probably getting ripped off
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Omg you're back, I havent seen you on here in aages.

Soz for double post.
 
I had the AT M-50S but I was disappointed in the long run.

Sounded bad in the beginning and a little better after breaking in but it didn't do "it".

For portable music listening I use NuForce NE-700x which is sublime and outperforms the M50s and they're IEMs. They have slight timbre and a bit colored sound for the dance genre but not as much as other "low boosted" IEMs and headphones out there, defenitely a keeper! Have tested alot of different earbuds and headphones. At home I use near field monitors JBL LSR305 with an Audio Interface Steinberg UR22, that shit's good and my mouth fell open when I first connected them anda fter the break in period it's even better. Good luck OP.
 
> most likely listens to 128 kbps .mp3

> wants "audiophile" headphones

None of those are audiophile cans. Having said that, I've used the Sonys and really liked them for what they were: turd polishers.
 
Forgot to mention: the Sonys have a pretty solid reputation as monitors in the video world. I know one of the guys from Odesza swore by them when he was a broke college student.
 
13144856:lIllI said:
> most likely listens to 128 kbps .mp3

> wants "audiophile" headphones

None of those are audiophile cans. Having said that, I've used the Sonys and really liked them for what they were: turd polishers.
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Ok there king shit. Since you've brought it up, my whole library is 320kbs .mp3. Is this the best file format? No. It is most convenient for what I do, which is listen to my music library on my iPhone. And, I never said any of these were audiophile cans. I asked self proclaimed audiophiles to help steer me in the right direction with their knowledge on this subject. You seem to know your stuff in this domain, why not spread some of that know-how rather than be condescending.
 
13145069:steezysteeze said:
You seem to know your stuff in this domain, why not spread some of that know-how rather than be condescending.
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>make a joke

>OP gets butthurt

I gave you some good advice. Take it or leave it.
 
13145142:lIllI said:
>make a joke

>OP gets butthurt

I gave you some good advice. Take it or leave it.
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If I presue a career in turd polishing or video editing I will make sure that Sony headphones are on the top of my to buy list, thank you.
 
13141875:Danal. said:
Vmoda-crossfade-m-100.jpg.jpg


V-Moda m100! Sound Isolation is amazing! Really nice true sounds. great headphones
Click to expand...

Sister bought these for her boyfriend, theyre sick, and absolutely tough as nails.
 
13145243:lIllI said:
In other words, optimizing the sound of .mp3's with nicer headphones. Isn't that what you want?
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Ah, I interpreted this as they were only good for rubbing in shit. Now, with a set of cans like the p7s, am I just paying for the design vs the Sonys or will I be able to squeeze out better quality them?
 
13144599:MLJ said:
I second this, I have em and they are sweet. Build quality is insane as well, a little bass heavy but still good
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Does anyone know how the VMODA LPs or LP2s are? Been looking at those and can't tell if the difference.
 
13145278:steezysteeze said:
Ah, I interpreted this as they were only good for rubbing in shit. Now, with a set of cans like the p7s, am I just paying for the design vs the Sonys or will I be able to squeeze out better quality them?
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You are not just paying for the design, otherwise no one would buy them and B&W would lose their credentials. But part of it is, yes. And for a wearable device that is a part that is often neglected by other manufacturers, after 3/4 years the P5's still impress me with the quality that they are made off, you'll appreciate it the very second you slide the lid off of the box, and it's not just an initial reaction.... it's one that never goes away.

That as said earlier they are not the best headphones in terms of sound, still very very good, but not the best, to me they strike the perfect balance between sound/design. If'm wearing something on my head for hours, I don't want a plastic brick, no matter how good it sounds, but that's me.
 
13144856:lIllI said:
> most likely listens to 128 kbps .mp3

> wants "audiophile" headphones

None of those are audiophile cans. Having said that, I've used the Sonys and really liked them for what they were: turd polishers.
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128ftw

Would far rather have a shitload more music on my phone, then marginally better sound
 
13147213:cool_name said:
128ftw

Would far rather have a shitload more music on my phone, then marginally better sound
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2014, not using Spotify to beam every song of the universe towards you at 320kbps.
 
I have a pair of audio technical ath-m50's and klipsch s4i's. They both have remarkable sound. If you want an over the ear headphone I would deffinantly recommend the audio technicas. The only downside is the 15 foot cord but the newer model has a detachable cord which would make them much more practical for everyday use. However, if your willing to try an in ear headphone I would DEFFIANTLY recomend the s4i all the way. My expierence with them as a whole has been very good.
 
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