High-end headphones
 

So I'm looking into purchasing some high end headphones. I'm most interested in the in-the ear noise blocking style as opposed to the monstrously huge stereo headphones. However, I know nothing of high quality audio equipment. What are the recognized brands? I've heard board members mention Sennheiser before. A friend of mine recommended that I buy from Shure. Can any audiophiles here provide me with some additional info?

I'm looking for something similiar - like those Bose satillite headphones you plug into your TV so you don't interrupt the rest of the house when you're watching Starship Troopers.

Do they have those things for computers? (I'd think so)

Those cordless headphones are not all that great. I have a pair and they keep losing reception totally. And when they do work, they sound awful. I do not recommend. Otherwise, I'm in the same situation. I need new ones.

CNET seems to really like the Shure E4c earbuds - but wow - those things are EXPENSIVE. And what's the deal with "surround" headphones?

I was never much for earbuds. I can only wear them for maybe an hour before they get uncomfortable. I prefer the larger style headphone, where it will encompass the whole ear in vinyl encased foam. Just a personal thing though.

I'm looking for earbuds because they are actually portable - and since I would be using these things on the bus, train, subway and while at McGill, I need something portable.

For the record, when I worked at Circuit City I picked up a pair of Sennheiser headphones that retailed $150 and cost $50. Best purchase $50 or less I've EVER made. They're huge, but they sound excellent.

Well seeing that you want it to be portable earbuds, I don't think they have the same quality as the regular BIG headphones by Sennheiser, but I could be wrong. As well, since it's porbable, I guess you'd want it to be not so expensive that it'd be devastating if you lost it. I had a pair of Panasonic earbud phones for some time and they were okay, but did hurt after a few hours.

And for the $50 phones Dopefish just posted, damn thats nice. But too bad it was only a special eh? I'd buy a few as gifts and what not.

I think that I'm going to end up buying the Shure E4g earbuds. They're going to cost me a few hundred CDN $, but they seem to be exactly what I want.

Just don't lose them okay?

Those things will be super-glued to my body (just like my cell phone and 30 GB black iPod Video) - I just need to wait for a proper eBay auction to get them at a reduced price. Either that or I'll get the E4c black - but their cord is super long. The eBay auctions for the E4g earbuds all try to scam you on the shipping - they're all at least like $30 US. I even saw one for 50 pounds - WTF.

http://www.head-fi.com

Join. Read. Post. Such a wealth of headphone information there it's not funny.

For canalphones/IEMs, it all depends on budget. At the entry level are the Shure e2c (a bit muddy and I don't care for them, although some like them), Shure e3c (a step up from the e2c), Etymotic er6i (Incredibly Detailed Presentation and Great isolation, but some think they're a bit TOO bright since they present a lot of detail in the highs), the Westone UM1 (I've heard great things but never had a chance to try them) and the Super.Fi 3. As you go up the chain, there are the e4c/e5c and the Etymotic er4p/s, the well-loved Westone UM2, as well as Super.Fi 5 and 5EB (most bass ever to come out of an IEM).


I personally reccomend starting with a less expensive pair such as the e3c or er6i - Canalphones aren't for everyone. I own a pair of er6i, but I'll probably be reselling them in the next few months because I find them rather uncomfortable and find myself using my Sennheiser HD-280 for Isolating and Portable use more often and my HD-580 for home use.

Words of advice: Avoid Surround Sound, and avoid BOSE. BOSE spends all its money on advertising and none on R&D - their phones truly suck. They cost 3 times as much as other headphones with similar levels of sound quality and the build quality is horrible (anyone who has ever touched a pair of Triports knows what I'm talking about). Surround Sound headphones have crap SQ.

When you say surround sound, you mean there are such things as "surround sound phones"? News to me, then again I'm not knowledgable of all these technical stuff.

Get Grados.

You're done.

What Megalith said. I bought some SR-60's for only $69.99 and they sound better than the $300 Boses my uncle has. They're pretty big, but well worth it.

I have the Shure E3C, pretty good noise blocking ability. When I have the music on low, it drowns out most of the abient noise from my computer and some of the loud car noises outside. When I have it on medium, I can't even hear a person standing right next to me talking. If you're going to get canal phones though, remember to clean your ears out... These things get dirty after a while and the manual recommends that you clean them after every use (lol) but just keep your ears clean and you'll probably be able to have a snugger fit and you won't need to excessively wash the rubber ear pads.

Grados aren't earphones or canal phones, they are huge headphones, and I find them a bit uncomfortable and just too big. Sound quality is good, but it feels like you have two huge speakers hanging right over your ears. If anyone is in the same room with you while you have these on, they'll probably hear the same music that you do.

I'm guessing that you're asking about wireless headphones? Sennheiser makes the RS 120 and RS 130, which are both pretty good-sounding. Obviously, a good pair of regular headphones in the same price range will beat them quite handily in terms of sound quality, but then you have to worry about cords and sitting close to the TV set, and a lot of high-end headphones need at least some amplification. They use standard RCA connectors, so you can hook them straight to a DVD player, or to a computer with a $2 adapter.

Oh, and since Megalith brought it up, Grados aren't even that good IMHO. They're OK sounding, but they aren't detailed at all, and they still use 20-year-old design and materials. I'd much rather buy a pair of Sennheisers or AKGs, especially now that the AKG K501 and Sennheiser HD280 Pro are both selling for about half of their original list price.

oh wait, I did buy a pair of K501s. ^^

My Dream Earphones are these.

http://www.ultimateears.com/custom/UE-10-Pro.htm

The Ultimate Ears Custom Fit Earphones. I'd like to know more about them but I thought I'd just through the idad out there.

I remember creating a thread similar to this right before the board crashed.

Someone recommened me a Sennheiser. It was like a $60 one that was really good. Any clue?

I'm heading into my last year Majoring in Anatomy and Cell Biology, and I'll most likely be in Med at McGill the year after that. I wanted to do an Honours degree, but the required research course is ridiculously tough to juggle along with 4 other classes if taken over two semesters. I would have done it during the summer, but I need to work in order to pay for school, etc... then.

Back on topic:

Does anybody know of a Canadian retailer that sells Shure E4g earbuds? The eBay auctions are all retarded.

I just recieved my pair of Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro IEMs, and they are awesome. Great bass, great mids, clear and crisp highs, and stunning resolution. I'm hearing things in my music I've never heard before, things I never even knew existed within the songs. I use the double-cupped rubber tips, and the sound isolation is great, I can't hear anything on the outside with them in.

With my other headphones, I had to turn my iPod's volume about 9/10 of the way up to hear them, with these, I only have to turn it about 3/10 of the way up at the most to get the same effect.

Truly worth the money.

Grados are an acquired taste. Ignoring the fact that they leak as much as speakers and that, being supraaural, they are incredibly uncomfortable for anything more than 10 minutes of listening, and ignoring their complete lack of any soundstage whatsoever, they're an INCREDIBLY bright phone that I personally don't enjoy at all. ESPECIALLY the SR-125 - that's kind of like a recipe for Tinnitus right there. The RS-1 have a wonderful sound, but if I had $700 to spend on cans there are choices I much prefer.

You really think so? I always thought that Grados were very appealing to people who've never heard high-end sound equipment before, since they have the basic tonal qualities of regular old stereo equipment, except better. The SR-60 and SR-80 are certaintly fun little rock headphones, at the very least...lots of mid-bass and treble impact, even if they won't win any awards for clarity or low/high extension.

Something like the K501 seems more of an acquired taste to me, since it has a tonal balance that's way off from what most mid-fi systems sound like. Plus, they're stupidly picky about sources and absolutely need amplification. I have a pair and love them, but I'm sure my roommates, who wanted more bass than a pair of Pioneer speakers with 12" woofers could provide, would hate them for their lack of bass impact.

I did set them down the path to redemption with a pair of PX100's, though. ^^

I always notice in these threads that there are a group of people who will say "Get Sennheiser!" and another group who say "Get Grado!". There are a couple of things that go un-mentioned: both of these style of headphones have VERY different sound signatures. In the end, pick based on what kind of music you listen to. Sennheiser 'phones tend to put you in the audience of a concert hall. Classical music is supposed to sound AMAZING with these. Grados on the other hand, put you right ON the stage, and rock music is just that: rockin'. And, the higher end Sennheiser headphones will generally sound like CRAP out of a portable player or receiver. 'Headphone amplifiers' are something most people into casual listening will read about, turn around, and run away.

I only have Grados so I can only comment on those. The brightness problem is easily fixed with a change of pads. Those Senn. HD-414 replacement pads can be modified to fit on Grado headphones and they tone the high frequencies down a good bit. Or you can do what I did: buy the limited edition HF-1 Grado, made specially for the Head-Fi forums. I believe there will be one more sale before they are discontinued, so you'd have to head over to the forum and check it out soon. The drivers of these are enclosed in wood, similar to the RS-1. Their sound signature is much warmer, less bright, less edgy, compared to the other Grado at the same price point (SR-225.)