I just bought $30 headphones - what a difference!

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smh at the "placebo" comments on higher end headphones.

Westone 3 IEM's are the best in ears I've ever heard (haven't got the $ for better) so far.
 
I love my Sennheiser HD 598s, I've had them for a few years, such amazing build quality too.

They were like € 150-160 which is around $200. If you want really good audio quality + build quality from one of the most respected companies in the audio industry and don't want to pay too much, I highly recommend them. They're my favourite headphones ever.

8014774953_c988818916.jpg
 
AKG K241 are within that price range and they're some of the best you'll get.

I use AKG K271 which cost me about $100-120 and they're the most accurate I've ever used. I can mix in them and not have to change a damn thing afterwards when listening with a monitor setup.

The higher in price you go, the further you venture into audiophile territory which is mired with so much mysticism and other romanticized bullshit with no basis in science.
 
Ok Headphone GAF, let's see if you can help me out.

I currently have some... decent Bluetooth headphones that wrap around the back of my head. They don't go into my ear, they just sort of cover them. I think they're RocketFish? BestBuy's brand. I use them primarily at the gym because they're cordless and they aren't the big cups (cans?) so they don't pool with sweat. I do own a pair of those (some ancient AKG HP40 kind) at home so I'm well aware of the audio quality leap from simply going from over-ear to cans, even with cheaper headphones.

I'm interested in maybe replacing my gym set with something nicer. I detest ear buds, I can never get them to stay put and they're typically, in my experience, corded. So I guess what I'm looking for is

- A decent, $50-100 set of headphones that
- can be used at the gym but
- aren't in-ear buds and, if possible, are
- wireless

Those $15 over-ear headphones posted earlier look really nice, they remind me of some old Sony headphones I had ages ago that actually had a little coiling mechanism in them that wrapped up the cords when not in use. But when I'm running at the gym I want to be able to crank the volume and get consumed by the music which I'm not sure if over-ear headphones can do? At least the ones I have now don't do a very good job of it.

I guess that may leave me with that style of headphone that kind of.. clips on over your ear but the speaker part actually goes in-ish to your ear? But I know there are a lot of people here with waaaaay more knowledge on the subject so perhaps you can help me out.
 
hobblygobbly said:
I love my Sennheiser HD 598s, I've had them for a few years, such amazing build quality too.

They were like € 150-160 which is around $200. If you want really good audio quality + build quality from one of the most respected companies in the audio industry and don't want to pay too much, I highly recommend them. They're my favourite headphones ever.

8014774953_c988818916.jpg
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Is she wearing them the wrong way? Pretty sure the cable should be on her left.
 
DiscoJer said:
I think there's a placebo effect. They don't sound any better, but you think they do because they cost more money.

Same with Vodka.
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If you can't tell the difference that's fine, but it doesn't mean they're factually the same.

When you can pick out actual things that sound different (clarity, bass depth) then that isn't placebo. I can see having a little "this is awesome" buzz and then they just become "your headphones" though.

I do a lot of walking around between buses, so I use in-ear earphones, because I don't want to get run over, and have just one in. I don't really want to carry around a big proper set (as I have one of those at home). Anyone use a set like this that they particularly like? I have a mid-range set, with the style of earbud that goes in your ear like a little earplug. I find they're best for what I use them for. The set I have are fine, but I kind of want to get a step up from these.
 
DiscoJer said:
I think there's a placebo effect. They don't sound any better, but you think they do because they cost more money.

Same with Vodka.
Click to expand...

There may be some arguments on a stupidly high price headphone or audiophile equipments. But a clear jump in quality from crappy $5-$10 earbud to $50-$200 earbud/headphone do exist.
 
I suppose this is a good place to ask:

I had this headphones for years:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008VIX2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sony MDRQ22LP Ear Clip

I love them, I would love to get something like this(those appear to be discontinued, and third party seller in amazon not always send things to my country) So if someone could point me to something like this one(or a little better)

I love the desing, I dont want those things you plug in your ear canal, also no bulky headphones, I want to be able to walk to my work, listen to my music but also be kinda aware of my surroundings, so no noise cancelling or nothing like that. If you have any idea of a better headphone I would love to hear it(i think I want to pay like 60 dollars tops, I'm poor :( )
 
I've had some nice headphones for my PC but never ones that I can plug into my phone when I go out. I always get cheap ones because it's hard to find any that are comfortable.

But I did get my wife a pair of 66 Audio BTS+ for Christmas. They're supposed to be the best for running. We'll see. I'm excited to try them out.
 
Gigglepoo said:
I've had some nice headphones for my PC but never ones that I can plug into my phone when I go out. I always get cheap ones because it's hard to find any that are comfortable.

But I did get my wife a pair of 66 Audio BTS+ for Christmas. They're supposed to be the best for running. We'll see. I'm excited to try them out.
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If you get in ear sets you may want to look at aftermarket tips. Like Comply foam tips.
 
Ran pink noise for 2 1/2 hours through these $8 Monoprice Bass enhanced editions. Not bad sounding at all for the price. They're holdover until I can buy a better IEM (looking at the VSONIC VC1000). Then relegate them to emergency sets 🚨
 
Any reason to spend much money on headphones if I'm only going to be listening to shitty streaming audio, mp3's and Youtube? I've had the same $20 pair of Sennheiser HD202's for years and they seem ok, but I admit the grass on the other side of that there fence is starting to look mighty green and tasty.
 
PortaPro are amazing. Aurvana is also incredible value comparable to $100+ headphones. I also like a lot and reccomend Koss UR40, Portapro alike sound with wide soundstage and sparkly treble and simply put the most comfortable hp ever, great for long gaming sessions.
 
As a guy who's been through quite a few very nice phones, I can honestly say this is the best time to be a budding audio enthusiast. The quality of current in ear sets ranging from $50-250 is absolutely insane. It used to be incredibly different just a short 5 years ago. Anything beyond that, and a lot of the time, you're kind of just paying for refinement and signature changes. The currently existing TOTL phones carry a hefty premium not because they are exponentially better than other sets, but because the manufacturers know that people will still eat it up
 
The best "cheap" as in under $100 headphones I have used are the Grado SR80's
They have a hell of good sound and opened up a new world of music for me. Everything sounded better with.......more layers Little flares or tiny sounds i missed in songs before suddenly became audible and made my favorite songs even better. They are just a bit different in cities, open headphone design lets sound in and out...great in the quite woods at home but in the cities I gotta crank them a little too loud.
Anyway now im in audio heaven with my new Fiio amp and a pair of Mad Dog Pros
 
xDUMPWEEDx said:
You realize they are sub $30 earbuds right? They are amazing for the price. I'm not saying they are better than $75+ earbuds.
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The CX300 came out like years ago and has been at the same price while competitors have released newer, better, and cheaper IEMs in the years since. For what's available on the market now, it's not that good a value.
 
Headphones aren't everything. listening to lossless audio from a good source provides a noticeable difference from regular mp3s, even on an average headphone.
 
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