posted
I've been really into music lately. I've found many good artists, and I've begun to write my own stuff, and so I figured with Christmas around the corner, I should ask for a pair of headphones. As it always goes, I essentially tell my parents what I want for Christmas, so there's never really a surprise, but I've never been into surprises anyway.
My budget is in the 150-300 dollar range, so I'm not looking for something skimpy. I want quality, noise canceling headphones. My immediate thought was Bose, but as it turns out, too many people feel that their products are over-priced.My friends has a pair of the QC2's, and every time I've tried them on, I've liked them, but I don't know if there's anything better. My next choice would be sony's MDR-NC60s. I've read good reviews, and they seem comparable to Bose's phones, at nearly half the price.
Does anyone have experience purchasing good headphones? And more importantly, where should I go to try them out. Feeling them on for myself is the most important thing to me, but I don't know where I can go (I live in San Diego).
Posts: 213 | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Why do you want noise canceling headphones? Are you going to be taking a lot of plane trips?
I use headphones to listen to music all day long at work, and I've found that a decent closed circumaural pair can block most noise while providing better sound at a significantly lower price, and they don't run on batteries.
Of course, if you are planning to spend a lot of time on trains and planes and you want to really be able to hear your low-frequency detail in that environment, some noise canceling headphones may be your best bet. But most people I know that have bought those have paid a lot of money for a feature they never use.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Woot had a pretty sweet pair of headphones the other day. I think it was like a $200 dollar value for $80.
Posts: 1401 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
My husband has a set of Phillips noise cancelling. He has them because there's just a certain level of noise with other people living in the house and he likes to listen to broadcasts in foreign languages, so it's a bit more active listening. They help but they aren't magical.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: OT, but where in San Diego? I go to SDSU .
Chula Vista, but I commute to Point Loma to go to school.
I do fly two or three times a year, which isn't to say very frequently, but i would get some use out of it. And even if I'm not flying, I was under the impression that the noise canceling feature works on the ground as well (such as at home, when your siblings are making a racket).
Posts: 213 | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have used these Bose headphones for a couple of years.
I listen to a wide variety of music, from Schubert and the like on through Paul Okenfold, Simon and Garfunkel, the Dave Matthews Band, and NIN. These headphones can handle the wide variety of sounds produced by these artists very nicely.
Additionally, with the comfortable cupped and padded ears they performed well enough at noise cancellation on one considerably long flight. (When I could get them away from my sister. ) Well enough means that, while they excluded most background noise, the high pitched whine of the turbines was merely muted.
I go to LAN parties semi-regularly. They are still quite functional and structurally sound after enduring abuse that has finished off multiple sets of less expensive Sony headphones.
One caveat I have with them is that they are not comfortable to wear inverted. My cold apartment sometimes necessitates a head covering and the inherent spring of the headband pinches my ears between headphone and glasses when wearing them upside down.
If something were to happen to them I would gladly pay the price for a similar set. However, as I have not had the opportunity to compare them against other headphones I can't say 'they're the best', just that I thoroughly enjoy them.
Posts: 686 | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm also looking for a new set of headphones but in the $20-30 range. The problem I'm running across is everyone sells earbuds. While I like the idea of earbuds, I'd need child size ones or something. Earbuds and my mom's hearing aids are way too tight in my ears and hurt in five seconds.
I had a nice set of sony headphones but the sound quality in them has gone down in the 15 years I've had them, and now is to the point only one side works.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by JumboWumbo: I was under the impression that the noise canceling feature works on the ground as well (such as at home, when your siblings are making a racket).
The noise canceling effect is mainly for constant, ambient noise (such as engine roar). As far as I know, they still can't react quickly enough to cancel out intermittent sound, such as dogs barking, kids screaming, or someone else's stereo.
Just for reference, these are the headphones I have. When I was going to start my desk job which I knew was going to provide me with lots of time for listening to music, I did quite a bit of research on different headphones. I called a friend of mine who is an audio engineer, and he told me that this (and one from AKG whose model number I can't remember) were industry standard for recording and broadcast.
I chose the Sony headphones since they are closed-construction (as opposed to the AKG semi-open), and better at blocking ambient noise. Turns out they're a little too good sometimes: if someone wants to get my attention, they frequently either have to shout or shake me, even with the music fairly low.
I've had these headphones for two years, and they're still in pristine condition. There are some comments on the linked page about the pads wearing out, but I've worn these every day at work since I started this job and on every plane trip I've taken since then, and there isn't any sign of wear so far.
And the sound is fantastic. I'm no world-class audiophile, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've swapped headphones with a lot of people I work with and I've never tried a set that sounded any better, even if they cost three times as much. In fact, after a few months I had to go back and re-rip all my CDs to a higher bitrate (which involved buying CDs of everything I've ever downloaded from iTunes), as the compression artifacts that I'd never before noticed became glaringly obvious with cans of this quality.
Oh, and one other thing. I can wear these for 10 hours straight with no noticeable discomfort, if that makes any difference to you.
Don't take my word for it, but if you can find a demo pair, give them a try. For $90, you could do a lot worse.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Speed posted pretty much everything I had to say.
My one caution: All of the higher end Sony MDR series headphones fit very, VERY differently depending on your head shape. TRY THEM ON FIRST. If possible, don't just try them on: borrow them from someone and wear them for a couple hours.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by breyerchic04: I'm also looking for a new set of headphones but in the $20-30 range. The problem I'm running across is everyone sells earbuds. While I like the idea of earbuds, I'd need child size ones or something. Earbuds and my mom's hearing aids are way too tight in my ears and hurt in five seconds.
I had a nice set of sony headphones but the sound quality in them has gone down in the 15 years I've had them, and now is to the point only one side works.
Try to find Sony MDR-V300 or V350 headphones. Alternately, there are a lot of very decent Behringer over-the-ear sets in that price range.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
So I ended up going with the MDR-NC60's, primarily due to the fact they were marked down so much ( from $200 to $134). I'm a bit nervous, because I never tried them on (stores around here don't seem to like letting you try things out before you buy them).
I'll let you know how they are when I get them for christmas.
Posts: 213 | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
) Well enough means that, while they excluded most background noise, the high pitched whine of the turbines was merely muted. 
