Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

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Passburger: May 4, 2013

Howdy goons.

I have a pair of Shure SRH940 and the hinges on them are beginning to crack, as they always will on this model since the plastic is made outta crap.
So I figured I'd just get a different headband that fits and modify the fuckers.
Any idea where I can buy spare/no-name headbands/yokes?
I can't for the life of me find decent shops that sell any, preferably "beyerdynamic custom one pro" ones.

Here's an example of what I mean:

http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/797020/width/350/height/700/flags/LL
http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/797021/width/350/height/700/flags/LL

# ¿ Sep 8, 2013 23:39

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:19

Passburger: May 4, 2013

SebAndSeb posted:

Budget - Up to ~300AUD
Source - ipod, phone, PC
Isolation Requirements - Yes, using on public transport and some plane travel. Also, I'll probably listen to music at work so I don't want to be that guy.
Preferred Type of Headphone - Was thinking over ear but maybe could be convinced to go IEM, I guess they can be a bit more convenient.
Preferred Tonal Balance - Not really sure, probably fairly balanced?
Past Headphones - Sony MDRZX600. First headphones I had that weren't lovely earbuds, so they were a step up, and were (still are) basically fine for $80 or so.
Preferred Music - quite a variety; Rock, Hip hop, electronic, jazzy... pretty much the only thing to rule out is really heavy or hardcore stuff.

I've been looking at Shure SRH840s, which seem to be well recommended. Could also go the SRH940s which are $100 more, if that increase could be justified for someone who probably won't appreciate the really fine sound detail. Kind of prefer the black though.

I love my 940s, but some people rather have the 840 claiming that they have better bass.
The only problem is that the headband on both is made out of the shittiest plastic on the market, so not only they will break on you very soon, they are not the most comfortable unless you happen to have a average or smaller head.
I ended up having to move the cups from my 940s to a Beyerdynamic headband to avoid the discomfort and the risk them braking.
If I'm not mistaken Shure will replace the broken headband once then you're on your own.

Passburger fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Jan 17, 2015

# ¿ Jan 17, 2015 02:57

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Fuzz posted:

Those look pretty nice, I was gonna ask the same thing.

I was looking at a pair of Kingston HyperX Cloud II's for the same purpose... I personally don't like wireless headphones because I hate having to worry about battery life, and those headphones designed to be used wirelessly seem to always have a lovely form factor for charging them while you're wearing them, who knows why. I do want that DTS capability, since I currently have a pair of old as gently caress Razer Barracuda HP-1 headphones and anyone that argues that surround doesn't work with headphones has never actually used a good setup, because it totally works for me.

If the mic on these HyperX is anything like they were on the Qpad QH-90s (if I'm not mistaken they are pretty much the same, only re-branded) you won't be too happy. Other than that, build quality and sound are good for the money you're spending.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 17:25

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Fuzz posted:

drat. I'd rather not sound like I'm gargling marbles while underwater.

The problem is that the mic they choose on the QH90 is better for picking up musical instruments than actual voice, there are videos on people demonstrating how the mic sounds if you're curious. You won't sound like an amphibian, my beef with the mic was more a matter of taste, you might not have a problem with it.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 22:34

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Fuzz posted:

Yeah, that requires me to not be working when stores are open. Ah well, guess I'll scour Amazon reviews and just pick one.

Maybe these are something for you?

They weight: 244.940 grams (8.64 ounces) maybe that's light enough for your dad?
I own a pair of these, while they won't make audiophiles wet, they are comfy, buttons are easy to find, and sound good.
The NC won't keep your mom from getting his attention.

More specs here.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2016 14:00

Passburger: May 4, 2013

El Chingon posted:

hey guys, I bought the new Bose Quietcomfort 35 and have a small problem when connecting them to my laptop using bluetooth. If I want to use the mic from the headphones, all audio is muted while I talk on the mic. This is really bad when playing online games and I want to talk, as soon as I push the talk key, all sound is muted, even if I use windows to test the microphone and I have a youtube video in the background, all sound is muted. Has anyone experienced this before?

The Bluetooth headphones switches between different profiles depending on what's happening. When listening to some tunes, the A2DP/Aptx/etc profile is on. When on a call it switches to whatever profile it uses to receive calls. The same thing happens when you pair the headphones to a PC, if you're gonna VoIP, you can only use the cans for that, if you're gonna listen to some music/movie/game, you'll be unable to use the mic. As much as it would be a cool thing, most headphones won't allow you to both use the mic and listen to a game or what have you simultaneously. Media playback uses one profile while the communication uses another. Your best bet is getting a table mic/another mic if you wish to do both.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2016 11:23

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Endless Mike posted:

How are the Sony MDR-ZX770 BN noise cancelling headphones? I have a couple flights coming up and those would be nice. Anything better I should be considering under $200?

I own a pair of those that I use daily, and I like them. Specially if you find the same deal on Amazon that I found for someone here before. They are very portable and sound decent for their price. The NC is good enough to block the noise from my pc-fans when it's activated. Someone's also made a detailed review of them on head-fi should you want to read more about them.

Passburger fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Oct 14, 2016

# ¿ Oct 14, 2016 19:21

Passburger: May 4, 2013

hepcat posted:

My headphones are dying/falling apart. Please help me pick a new pair!
- Shure SRH940

Don't get those unless you're planning on changing the whole headband and hinges. Although they sound great for the money, they are definitely not built to last. Here's a thread with a whole bunch of people complaining about it.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2016 13:40

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Budgie posted:

Is there a guide for Bluetooth headphones/headsets around as I'd like to embrace the wireless revolution and get a half decent pair of preferably over-ear headphones and a half decent mic included would be a great plus for phone calls and/or gaming. I've said half-decent but anything much past �100 is going to take a lot of convincing me that they are worth it. Let us say ~�150 maximum budget.

I deem these (Sony MDR-ZX770BN) decent but I'm sure most people would think of them as half-decent. I own a pair that I use daily when I'm out and about, also they are under your budget.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2017 01:12

Passburger: May 4, 2013

DancingShade posted:

Perhaps a monocle will be the solution?

# ¿ Aug 20, 2017 21:02

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Edmond Dantes posted:

Any recommended headphone hangers/mounts/stands for a desk? I'm getting a new desk soon and don't want them just... sitting there.

You could just get a piece of wood and some stuff from Ikea and make one that suits your needs/taste for cheap.

Passburger fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Sep 18, 2017

# ¿ Sep 18, 2017 21:11

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Edmond Dantes posted:

PS: I'll be bugging you guys with DAC/AMP questions soon, so apologies about that.

I'd say right off the bat that the O2/Odac combo are more than enough for most headphones unless you're feeling extra audiophilic. And if you've never had a headphone amp before, it's a really good place to start. You can get them quite cheap used.

Passburger fucked around with this message at 21:46 on Nov 9, 2017

# ¿ Nov 9, 2017 19:01

Passburger: May 4, 2013

canis minor posted:

My recent headphones (Bose SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II) got stolen, so I'm looking for a replacement. I was generally used to Sennheiser with their amazing sound, but these were wired and without microphone, and 10 years ago (but it lasted for 8 years without any issues!). The Bose ones were pretty great for my purposes, but a) they're pretty pricey b) am open to anything new (hey, if they don't work out I can always return and get back to what I've already used)

Budget: Up to �200
Isolation requirements: In a fairly relaxed office, but I don't really want to hear anything when coding and there are people on the phone around
Preferred type: Over-ear - I don't want an in-ear ones, as I'll wear them for most of the day, and while I have in-ear ones for when I'm climbing or such, I find them uncomfortable when using for longer
Other requirements: Wireless, with microphone

I was looking at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marshall-Monitor-Bluetooth-Headphones-Black/dp/B06XVTKK2G/ but I truly don't know what to choose given the amount of headphones on the market. Overall - any recommendations?

Passburger posted:

I deem these (Sony MDR-ZX770BN) decent but I'm sure most people would think of them as half-decent. I own a pair that I use daily when I'm out and about, also they are under your budget.

Also, they have a built in mic for calls.

# ¿ Nov 25, 2017 22:05

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Virtue posted:

This probably is the wrong thread but yall might have the answer anyway. I recently purchased a Micca OriGen G2 for my desktop and notice the default sampling rate is 48kHz 16bit but I can mess with in the windows sound settings. Assuming most of my audio is coming off youtube or itunes, what settings should I be using? The max in the manual says 24 bit 192kHz.

I'd say just have it at the highest and forget about it. It's better than fixing it at a lower sample rate and missing out on the quality should you ever hear something higher than itunes/youtube 48kHz.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2018 15:01

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Elliptical Dick posted:

Hi guys, not sure if this is the right place to ask but this seemed as good a place as any. My friend's dad is running in to some hearing issues and wants to create a setup wherein he can watch tv with everyone else but there's no conflict between their volume demands.

The problem is he didn't do his research and he bought a pair of Sony BT headphones (h.ear-on MDR-100ABN) thinking he could hook them up to the BT sound bar in the living room not realising both these bits of kit are receive only afaik.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a solution that incorporates the headphones into the setup in a cordless way? Basically what he wants is the tv feeding the sound bar and at the same time while both offer separate volume control. The soundbar is being fed by optical out on the tv. There are stereo jacks available on the tv. Is it possible to do what he wants by adding some simple bit of kit or does he need to buy other stuff entirely?

Thanks for any answers, and sorry again if this isn't the right place to ask. I couldn't solve this problem with my weak Google fu and this seemed like the best place to go on SA....

Any bluetooth audio transmitter will do, as long as the TV has the ability to play audio through 2 different sources simultaneously. If it does, you'll be able to set the volume independently on both devices. Here's an example of such device https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-B...ansmitter&psc=1

Passburger fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jul 27, 2018

# ¿ Jul 27, 2018 22:25

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Someone gave me a pair of Stax SR80's, the catch is that I only got the headphones, not the "adaptor"/amp that comes with it. So is it worth hunting the web for a SRD-4? I'm not completely sure, but I don't think the later "adaptors" are compatible with it.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2019 02:03

Passburger: May 4, 2013

edit:nevermind

Passburger fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Feb 28, 2019

# ¿ Feb 27, 2019 12:34

Passburger: May 4, 2013

8-bit Miniboss posted:

Bleh, gonna return the Jabra Elite Active 65t's. My ears are not accustomed to that style of fit. Back the drawing board I guess.

Edit: If anyone can recommend some true wireless earbuds that fit similar to Panasonic ErgoFits, I would very much would to know.

Maybe these https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/nokia-true-wireless-earbuds?

# ¿ Apr 19, 2019 00:28

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Can someone recommend me some decent IEM foam tips? I've been leaning towards Comply tips, but lotsa people have been complaining about them not lasting very long for the asking price. I'm gonna use on my Jabra 65t Active. I looked into Jabra's own foam tips for a similar model but the sales rep kept saying they wouldn't fit.
Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2019 14:05

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind! I was just thinking there might be cheaper worth mention alternatives since I can expect it to tear apart every 6 months or so.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2019 14:49

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Thank you both for your suggestions!

# ¿ Apr 29, 2019 18:28

Passburger: May 4, 2013

I can vouch for those too, except that I got foam-tips for mine for the extra comfort. YMMV.

# ¿ May 25, 2019 22:06

Passburger: May 4, 2013

dantheman650 posted:

Budget - Under 1k
Source - Bluetooth dongle receiving signal from TV
Isolation Requirements - Closed
Preferred Tonal Balance - Neutral
Past Headphones - Monoprice M560, Beyerdynamic DT-770

I use DT-770 + Magni/Modi combo at work for music and it's heavenly. My TV does not have a headphone jack, so I've been using a pair of M560s at home with a bluetooth dongle. I like it all right, but the M560 are not nearly as comfortable for long-term wearing as the DT-770s.

I'm looking for a new pair to be used solely as my TV set - movies and games. My wife works in the same room so isolation is a must. Comfortable for hours is the key, and I do wear glasses when I play games so comfortable with glasses on is even better.

I'd like to treat myself and buy sort of a "final" pair, so budget is not a prime consideration. I suppose I'd consider just getting another pair of DT-770 for home use, but I wanted to see what else is recommended here. Due to the wireless requirement, I need a pair that does not require an amp.

While some might recommend fancier headphones, I use my Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0 and the sound is good while comfort is awesome for extended periods of time, the battery will last you a very long time between recharges.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2019 15:16

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Schneider Heim posted:

How should an IEM seal feel? Should I feel a vacuum effect in my ear or is it okay if there isn't one? I tried a bunch of tips at the store and none of them had a seal-like feeling to me. The audio sounds good with my current IEMs but I'm wondering if it could get better?

I think that the only way you'd get a vacuum-seal is if you had a pair that was molded after your ear-canal, and then again if you do, you should be real careful when getting them out. There's that blue putty you can buy to make a mold and attach to your IEMs when it cures, I think it has been mentioned here before. That outta give you a perfect fit. Other than that, if you don't wanna go do something like that, I wouldn't worry too much about tips as long as they feel comfortable and sound good to you.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2019 10:48

Passburger: May 4, 2013

I got the opportunity to buy a pair of brand new Hifiman Sundaras for $350, is it a no-brainer? I know these cans are popular, unfortunately no shops around here have them for me to listen, just dunno if they are $350-good.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2020 17:35

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Dr. Fishopolis posted:

they're easily $500 good, grab 'em.

e: that's their normal retail price these days on american amazon just fyi, it's not really a bargain

Yeah dude, the thing is that I'm in Europistan, so they tend to go for at least $463 otherwise. So I followed your advice and grabbed them!

# ¿ Aug 29, 2020 17:48

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Passburger posted:

I got the opportunity to buy a pair of brand new Hifiman Sundaras for $350, is it a no-brainer? I know these cans are popular, unfortunately no shops around here have them for me to listen, just dunno if they are $350-good.

Just wanted to say I'm really happy with these, I think they sound really good even if they aren't completely burnt-in. The cable is hot garbage, but nothing's stopping me from buying/making a nicer one. All in all, a good purchase.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2020 18:01

Passburger: May 4, 2013

TheManWithNoName posted:

I�m in a similar spot due to my Jabras breaking. I was looking at the 38x or a Philips set with a vmoda microphone but I�ve never used open back and I�m kind of worried about noise leaking out and being picked up by the mic on work calls.

I think you would have to be listening to something really really loud, or a very sensitive condenser microphone to pick up noise from your headphones. I believe the vmoda is more of a dynamic mic, so it shouldn't pick up background noise nor your headphones unless you put the right next to the headphone grill.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2020 23:18

Passburger: May 4, 2013

paberu posted:

I'm actually looking for something in the $200 to $300 range that's open and pretty easy to drive. Was thinking of these but also saw that there are now HD660s?

Currently been using DT770Pro and love them, but feeling that I'd like to have something that's open to use from time to time.

e: I've owned 650s in the past, and I liked everything about them apart from having to use an expensive tube amp to make them really shine.

Maybe the Hifiman Sundaras? They can be found on sale for 300ish every now and then. And they are REALLY open, way more open than my HD600's.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2021 01:53

Passburger: May 4, 2013

paberu posted:

Are the Sundaras as fragile/cheaply made as the reviews say? They're on sale for $350 but that seems to be quite a bit to spend on something that might stop working if they drop or such.

My pair don't feel cheap nor fragile yet, I've had them for around 6 months so I don't know if that counts.
When I was reading aobut them, before making the purchase, most of the "fragile" complaints were from people that bought them really early on, other reviewers said Hifiman has improved them since. If I were you I'd try to find more recent reviews before you make up your mind.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2021 19:36

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Wheeee posted:

Beyerdynamic is like the anti-HiFiMan, poor tuning but with rugged build quality

That alsmost sounded like a thread title!

# ¿ Feb 11, 2021 16:19

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Gunder posted:

Would I need a headphone amp to power the Drop HD 6XX or would they be okay with just my motherboard's onboard sound?

Edit: My motherboard is the Asus B550-F

They would probably work with the onboard, but would definitely sound better and fuller with an amp and you would not regret it. You already invested in a nice par of cans, it would be silly not to have them at their full potential.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2021 00:30

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Orv posted:

Still looking at where I wanna start buying headphones for fun rather than just "Ah poo poo the yoke on these goddamn logitechs broke" and probably leaning towards starting with some Grados cause I'm just really curious about them and an entry planar and messing with those for a while before I drop too much money beyond that.

That said, some of the stuff I may eventually pick up is going to need an amp, probably the planars to start with based on the ones I'm looking at. So given that pretty much all of my sound runs through a computer, I don't have a stereo setup or anything, what would be a good amp and dac, either combo or stack, that'll power any reasonably powerful headphones and last a solid while? I don't need something that'll power 300ohm 85db stuff but it'd be nice to buy something fairly mid-range that'll just take care of me for a while if I don't ever want to dip my toes into "Well this amp sounds better with these headphones" because I am still (probably vainly) trying to avoid falling that far down the rabbit hole.

E: Woops to clarify, thinking like $250-400 for the whole thing but I'm still in that stage of getting into a new hobby where I spend a month researching it before doing anything so I have no idea if that'll do it or not and I'd be happy to go lower.

Can't go wrong with an O2Odac as far as dac/amp goes, specially if you find a 2nd hand one.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2021 14:43

Passburger: May 4, 2013

trem_two posted:

This is from Reddit, looks like you should give this a shot

I cleaned that hole back when my 65t elites were giving me trouble and it worked.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2021 07:57

Passburger: May 4, 2013

LRADIKAL posted:

last resort is dunking them in high test isopropyl alcohol, really swishing them around in there and trying to clear them out with said solvent. No warranty if it dissolves glue and they fall apart or whatever.

Wouldn't that kind of gently caress up the rubber-coating? Maybe that model doesn't have that, I don't remember.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2021 08:32

Passburger: May 4, 2013

Lily Catts posted:

I got a Razer Kraken X. It claims to have hidden eyewear channels. What are those? The fit is a little on the snug and my ears hurt from my temple tips getting squished.

That said how do you fit a headset? Should you fit it so your earlobes are inside the earcups? I found that I could pull out the band but it gets sort of loose at that setting and I don't have a good seal.

It says "over-the-ear headphones" so yeah, you should be able to fit the whole ear inside the cup. Otherwise just do what works for you in order to get comfy and get a good seal. But by the sounds of it it's a bit small for you, maybe someone can recommend a 3rd party cushion that are bigger or switch headsets all together.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2021 06:59

Passburger: May 4, 2013

shrike82 posted:

would a standalone desk mic (+headphones) be a good upgrade over a headset for zooming?

my current wireless headset is dying so was thinking of switching to a mic setup

It depends on what you choose and what you value more, the headphone or the mic. I personally think it's good to keep 'em separate so you can freely upgrade one without having to sacrifice the other.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2021 22:23

Passburger: May 4, 2013

So I got a pair of nero tx pros for cheap, and while reading a bit on their homepage I stumbled upon this:

It sounded very strange given the limits of the AAC and SBC codec.

Then I went and sent them an e-mail asking what did they mean by that exactly, this was the response:

"Nero-TX PRO can hardware-wise support receiving maximum data information which is 24 bit 96 khz.
AAC as codec is available in different versions and can handle a maximum of 24 48 khz (which means that the hardware can handle more data information than software, which means that the hardware has no losses in the software) Since Nero-TX PRO is able to handle a lot of data information,
it's future-proof when the bluetooth standard is given access/updated to a new codec version that allows 24 bits 96 khz."

Sounds like bullshit to me, or at least highly unlikely, any thoughts?

# ¿ Dec 18, 2021 10:12

Passburger: May 4, 2013

njsykora posted:

I got the Sundaras today, they're hella comfortable and also I like how grippy the headband is. Don't feel like if I move my head an inch forward they're going to fall off.

Once your cushions go to poo poo, which they will eventually, consider these instead of the super expensive ones from Hifiman: https://www.amazon.se/gp/product/B08KZR1C8F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&language=en_GB&psc=1

# ¿ Jan 8, 2022 21:47

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:19

Passburger: May 4, 2013

njsykora posted:

Oh yeah I know better than to go direct to the source for accessories, I'm already looking for a longer cable though since the standard one is too short to hook up to the Sony micro system I got super cheap last year.

These are the one's I got, but you might find better ones out there.
https://www.amazon.se/gp/product/B08CX78M1T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

# ¿ Jan 8, 2022 23:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

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