Need new headphones

T

Timdog

Gawd
Joined
Feb 7, 2003
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661
My trusty Sennheiser HD 280 Pros finally died on me (only the left side works), so I'm in the market for some new headphones. I want to switch over to earbuds/in ear headphones because I'm going to college next year and doubt I'd want to be walking around with big bulky headphones on.

Budget is around $100, lower is always better. I will be using these on my iPod, laptop, and desktop for music, movies, and games. I'm not an audiophile, but I know I do like a bit of bass and clear music with as little distortion as possible.

One major thing I'm looking for is that these things don't let out too much sound. I don't want to be sitting in the library with music on and have people 5 ft from me be able to hear me (annoying to them).

As far as companies go, I really do like Sennheiser, I've had HD280 Pros and HD600s (someone stole these :mad:) and loved both plus the 280s held up for a long time despite me abusing them a LOT.
 
earbuds


ok i tested the link so it should work, any way...

these are some of the best earbud style 'phones i have ever used, even up against a pair of these for twice the price, they can get a tad boomy, just trun the bass down. the Etymotic Research will change pitch with different temp and humidity levels, the sonys dont. not to mention the sonys are more comfy, but do your self a favor and buy a seconed set of cusions, and a holder, the cusions have a tendency to pop off if they are just floating around in your pocket or backback. (this is true of both 'phones) trust me when i say that i dont like sony products, they are normally crap IMHO... these are the exception
 
I WOULD NOT TOUCH SONY IN EAR HEADPHONES WITH A TEN FOOT POLE. Serously, I bought a pair, they were around 60.00, and I loved them. They sounded great and had awesome low bass extension, too bad they only lasted about a year before the insulation on the wire between the jack and the buds started slagging off. Before I knew it I had just coated copper wire making up most of the wire, and then they started getting tangled very, very badly. I know someone else who had the exact same headphones, only in white and his did the exact same thing.

I then bought the lowest end Shure in ear headphones that I could find at bestbuy, which rang in at $99.99, and havint regretted it since. I have had them for over a year and they are still like new. I am in fact still using the same buds, even though I have extras that it came with. The wiring is much heavier duty and they sound good. The bass does not go quite as deep as the sony's did, but the mids and highs are of better quality.
 
^^
What he said. I've been in the exact same boat. I love my Shures. The Sony buds i had before just broke down to copper strands and sucked.
For at home listening, I bought a Denon AD-D1001 set. Its been awesome and has been upping my kill ratio in CoD4, cuz i can hear everything perfect now.
 
Sennheiser CX300 would be a good choice if your budget is tight. There's a lot of fakes around tho, be carefull.... or Creative EP-630 - very similar but cost 50% less eheh

Etymotic ER-6i would also be a good choice but they go at around 130-150$

Personally I can't stand earbuds...but I understand your concern. When you'll get an ear infection you will understand what I mean. I never had so much pain in my life...ever.
 
^Hmm? The ER-6i goes for half that amount. Must go for more where you live.

Doesn't really matter, the OP wanted something with bass and the ER6i is infamous for not really having any. I say look at the Denon C-551 or the Head Direct RE2 (you must order now at the discounted head-fi group buy). If you want to get something good on a budget, look at the JBL Reference 220. They're priced at around $30 at Amazon/Buy.com now. Used to cost three times that amount a couple years ago. Good bass response and clarity - moreso than the more expensive and better known CX300. The only problem is that it's a bit boomy and it's an open-backed canalphone. This means while it doesn't let sound out, it does let sound in. If you do get the JBLs do realize that it takes a couple dozen hours to start breaking them in. It'll sound tinny and thin off the bat, but give it some time and it'll start to thicken and bloom.
 
Checkout amazon.com I bought a pair of Sennheisser HD-595's on their site for less than $200. I know that's over your budget, but the jump in quality from a <$100 headphone to the HD-595's is striking. Maybe try a pair out somewhere first - I'll bet you'll be impressed!
 
the zune premium earphones (the ones with the braided lines) sound fantastic- very clear- fantastic bass. they honestly sound like 150$ headphones. no sound leakage at all - of course u cant hear anything around u either!
walmart carries them
 
jdraughn said:
I WOULD NOT TOUCH SONY IN EAR HEADPHONES WITH A TEN FOOT POLE. Serously, I bought a pair, they were around 60.00, and I loved them. They sounded great and had awesome low bass extension, too bad they only lasted about a year before the insulation on the wire between the jack and the buds started slagging off. Before I knew it I had just coated copper wire making up most of the wire, and then they started getting tangled very, very badly. I know someone else who had the exact same headphones, only in white and his did the exact same thing.

I then bought the lowest end Shure in ear headphones that I could find at bestbuy, which rang in at $99.99, and havint regretted it since. I have had them for over a year and they are still like new. I am in fact still using the same buds, even though I have extras that it came with. The wiring is much heavier duty and they sound good. The bass does not go quite as deep as the sony's did, but the mids and highs are of better quality.
Click to expand...

dj_taboo said:
^^
What he said. I've been in the exact same boat. I love my Shures. The Sony buds i had before just broke down to copper strands and sucked.
For at home listening, I bought a Denon AD-D1001 set. Its been awesome and has been upping my kill ratio in CoD4, cuz i can hear everything perfect now.
Click to expand...

ill be honest with you guys, i had the exact same thing happen with my first pair.. lasted maybe 9 mounths, but it started showing these signs after the first mounth... i delt with it for some time.. then gave in and bought a seconed pair becuase the ER6I's didnt measure up. the seconed pair i have had for nearly a year now and it has a compleatly different coard on it, and is showing no signs whats so ever of the same issues... this is the only reason i am recommending them. the only trouble is, is that there is really no way to me to describe the difference in the coards between the old bathch and the new batch, to help you make sure you are getting a newer pair.
 
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