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Headphones suggestions!

post #1 of 18
4/14/05 at 4:06pm
Thread Starter 
Ok... I have an interesting headphone question for everyone-
I'd like a set of earbud headphones, somewhere less than $50-100 preferably. I had a set of Sony MDR-EX71 headphones, and I loved them, but the cord broke so I'm looking for a new set. Except for one problem: the sony's were TOO effective at blocking out noise. Once I put them in, I couldn't hear anyone, anything at all. I'd like to keep them in but be able to hear someone in normal conversation if I keep the volume low.

So here's an outline of what I want:

Non-isolators- I want to be able to hear!
Excellent audio quality- at least as good as the Sony's I had
Less than $50-100!
Comfortable enough for long term use.

Any suggestions for what headphones I should get?
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post #2 of 18
4/14/05 at 4:16pm
earphones WILL attenuate sound...this is what happens when you put a lump in the ear canal passage

If you want comfort + fidelity + $100 price why dont you go with a full size circumaural headphone?

A Grado SR-60 is a nice headphone and it falls within your budget.
If you want a bit more THUMP get the SR-60 + Flat pads
If you want serious comfort get the Senn HD-555

The SR-60 is supra-aural and therefore *may* bug you after an hour or two. I dont have this problem.

If you are still keen on a low profile headphone - get the Koss Portapro 2

Another option but a little pricey is the Sony MDR-F1...I dont know if these are discontinued yet...

let me know what compromises you are willing to make and I can make a few more recommendations.

gs
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post #3 of 18
4/15/05 at 1:10am
Thread Starter 
I'd like the headphones to be portable, so I'd rather not get a full sized set... I realize that the earphones will attenuate outside sound, but I just wish it wasn't so... complete It's like, I put the Sony's in, and the world disappears.

Thanks for the info so far though, I'll go check out a couple of your suggestions...
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post #4 of 18
4/15/05 at 8:51am
Koss PortaPro's are quite good.

They are light, fold up small, feel weak but are fairly tough. They are quite open so you can still hear pretty well. The only complaint I get is occasionally a hair will get under the foam and into the driver, makes it sound like it is blown. All you have to do it take the foam off and search for the hair. Oh, I think the Koss’s still have a lifetime warranty too. 6 bucks or something for the service. Probably the cost of making a replacement.
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post #5 of 18
4/15/05 at 12:43pm
I re-recommend the Koss PP2. Koss has an awesome lifetime warranty...just pay shipping...I dont know if I mentioned this before but I have the Koss PP2 ONLY because I sat on my original Koss PP.

The headphones have full deeeeep bass that will stun you (most headphones sound thin and lifeless).

Get them!
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post #6 of 18
4/15/05 at 5:30pm
if you're looking for some portable headphones and don't mind them being open (as the portapros are), then I would also look at the koss ksc75's. they are clipons, and are an asbolute steal for the $15 you can get them for. In my opinion, they are much better than the ex71's (though they don't have quite as much bass).

Otherwise, it looks like you want earbuds, and there aren't many quality earbuds. There is the sennheiser mx series that is pretty good. Maybe the sony e888lp, if you can find them (i dont know if theyre sold in the US).
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post #7 of 18
4/16/05 at 12:45am
Check out westone... they provide musicians with in ear monitors.. I've used several models and they are excellent. This is an audio company that specializes in ear audio.

http://www.westone.com/music/universal.html

I've been using their products for about 10 years and am very happy. They compete with Shure in this market.. look up shure audio for their line of pro monitors.

The UM1 is being sold on line for $99 special now. I have a set and love them. They are very durable, and you can replace the foam, so they'll last you for years.
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post #8 of 18
4/16/05 at 5:56pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for all the suggestions guys! It looks like I'll be deciding between the Koss Portapro2 and KSC75. I'll see if I can find someone with either one of these, and try them out myself. Again, thanks for the suggestions!
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post #9 of 18
4/17/05 at 1:29am
I was tempted to say, greasy kid stuff, but I'll say, congrats!
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post #10 of 18
4/17/05 at 2:59am
Thread Starter 
Lol, thanks radiowave, those westone earphones look incredible, but the quality of the majority of my music doesn't really justify having anything QUITE that incredible... I'm sure anything above $50 will massively show the huge defects of 128 MP3's, which is the majority of my collection... I ripped them when I was young and had crappy headphones Oh well... when one day I find all my CD's again, I'll rip them to flac, drop them on my iRiver with Rockbox, and THEN I'll get something that good
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post #11 of 18
4/18/05 at 5:50am
I just bought a pair of LTB 5.1 USB surround sound headphones. The USB cable bypasses any onboard soundcard, so you don't need integrated audio to get the 5.1 experience.

They are amazing. They have incredibly rich bass, more than my Sony headphones, but they do have high noise cancellation, so you might want to consider that. They are extremely comfortable to wear, too.

80 bucks well spent, they are an amazing set of headphones. Watch Pearl Harbor and you'll be ducking the bullets that go whizzing by your head.

I honestly have NO complaints about them, though I haven't tried the microphone for gaming yet. Highly recommended.
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post #12 of 18
4/19/05 at 5:13pm
Hope you found the right tool for you... Those westones are great. I make a living with mine, those and Sony 7506s, and Sennheiser 600s.. depends on the situation.

I understand your needs are different, just thought I'd toss out some options many may not be aware of.. Good Luck!
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post #13 of 18
4/20/05 at 12:03am
i have the westone um2's and they are awesome. i'd recommend them, but theyre 3.5x-7x your budget
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post #14 of 18
4/20/05 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone, just a quick update... I just got my Koss KSC-75's in the mail, and they definitely met my expectations. I looked around for the ksc35's, but they seemed to be only available from koss for DOUBLE the price of the 75's. Considering they used the same drivers (based on head-fi.org), I figured I'd just get the 75's.

The headphones do sound very good, very much worth th $20 price tag. They're a lot more comfortable than my friend's sony over-the-ear models. It sounded a bit bass weak, but I'm guessing that's just because the EX71's that I'm so used to are so bass-heavy. I can hear through them; I can actually keep them on during short conversations. They are very bright headphones, the higher range is very well defined. This is just a very newbie description of them... My experience with good headphones are very VERY limited, as I've only tried maybe 3 high quality sennheisers, and the EX71. In any case, these koss ones are quite good for their tiny price tag.
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post #15 of 18
4/20/05 at 6:00pm
Yay! good choice. Why didnt you go for the PortaPros? I havent heard the KSC75 but the PP2 is quite thumpy

Enjoy!

gs
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post #16 of 18
4/20/05 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
Well, a) I couldn't find where to get Porta Pro 2's, and b) I liked the fact that it's possible to keep the 75's in your pocket, which will be where they reside for most of the time they're not on my ears . In any case, after about 2 hours of listening, I've already grown accustomed to their level of bass, and if I need more, there's always eq
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post #17 of 18
4/20/05 at 8:35pm
Cool, I'm gonna pick up some of those as well. Thanks for the recommendation.
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post #18 of 18
4/23/05 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Not to beat a dead horse again, but I had to add one thing to this thread... If you like your midranges, you will LOVE the KSC75's! I've been listening to them for the last few days, and I must say, these headphones blow EVERYTHING out of the water if you like midranges, probably even better than the expensive Sennheisers that I tried.

I'm a classical freak and I love my classical music, especially piano and french horn. These two intruments, obviously midrange instruments, so INCREDIBLE on these headphones... The sound is so incredibly rich and textured! Of course... that just has me finding better recorderings for these songs which I love so much.

The extremely bright highs are still present, although I seemed to have gotten used to them now, because they're not bothering me. I think that the "burn-in" is helping as well... I also find the slightly weaker bass actually a bit better because it's definitely bringing out the warmth of the midranges. In any case, I HIGHLY recommend these headphones! You simply CANNOT beat them for just $20!
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