Recommend a pair of headphones for me

I wound up ordering myself a Dragonfly Black -- the cheaper of the two models (I read that it did 90% of what the red one does and the red one isn't really necessary for most uses).

I've only used it with my laptop so far and definitely notice an improvement in definition and detail. Stupidly failed to realize I would need a lightning to FEMALE usb adapter to use it with the iPhone, so still waiting for that to arrive. Surprisingly hard to find on Amazon so I ordered it from Apple -- the camera adapter seems to be the one.

Bose Quiet Comfort are basically changing the way i listen to music on the street; they're kinda miraculous.

I gotta get comfy w the idea that it’s unlikely someone will rip off my fancy Bluetooth over the ears before I go traipsing through the streets w them.

it could happen i suppose! i'm a bit more worried about being hit by a car.

My Fiio E17K ("Alpen 2") portable headphone amp isn't working properly anymore, and I'm looking for a replacement, but it seems to be kinda hard to find a replacement with same qualities, so I thought I'd ask here if anyone can recommend anything? Basically, I'm looking for a portable amp that meets these criteria:

* Besides the mini-USB input, it needs to have a regular 3,5 mm "line in" input (since I'll be connecting it to my Fiio FLAC player).
* The price should be around 100 euros (or less).
* You should be able to adjust the levels of bass and treble.

The third option seems to be the most problematic, as Fiio has discontinued the E17K, and their newer models in this price range don't have proper bass and treble controls, just a switch to turn the bass boost on or off, which seems much more blunt. And the same seems to apply to competing headphone amps in the 100 euro price range, all the alternatives I've checked on Amazon merely have a bass boost switch.

Looking for a pair of lightweight in-ear (not over-ear) wireless headphones, any recommendations?

i bought a pair of rha trueconnects a couple of weeks ago, been pretty happy with them so far

has anyone else had any experience ordering headphones or accessories directly from sennheiser.com? I ordered a replacement cable from them on December 26, but it hasn't arrived yet, and the only correspondence I've received is the initial email confirming that my order was placed. I called their customer service number on Saturday, and all the service rep could tell me was that the order is "in process" and that the item hasn't shipped yet. she has no idea where it will be shipping from or how long I can expect the shipping/delivery process to take. she promised that I'd be getting an email update within 48 hours, but I haven't gotten a response as of tonight, so I called back and was told that it would be placed "on higher priority"

apparently all of sennheiser.com's online transactions are conducted by a company called Digital River, which has an abysmal track record wrt customer service

if I had more sense I'd probably just buy new headphones. I paid maybe $45 for my HD 497s over 10 years ago, and I've had to replace the cable just about every year because one of the channels eventually fails. I'm not sure whether this is a common problem with replacement cables or whether this model is particularly flimsy (or maybe I abuse them more than I realize?). I used to buy the cables from B&H Photo, but their price has shot up over the past couple years, so it really isn't worth it at this point

so yeah, I'd appreciate it if anyone can recommend a pair of sub-$100 over-the-ear phones that are likely to last for 5-10 years without significant need for replacement/repair, if such a product even exists

is this for mostly desk use or are you out and about with them a lot?

it's really just for bedroom use. I use a cheap pair of earbuds for exercise so I rarely take my over-the-ear ones out of the house

these Philips SHP9500
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500S-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=headphones+phillips&qid=1578957060&sr=8-1

seconded, those are absurdly good for the price

thanks, those seem like a pretty good value, and it looks like they takes a standard/generic cord, so if it does fail over time it should be a lot cheaper to replace

yeah def a plus. you may want a headphone amp if you dont have one tho

yeah, maybe - I do see a few recommendations upthread. my current headphones are 32 ohms (same as the SHP9500s) and as a non-audiophile I don't have any real complaints about their performance, but tbf I don't have much basis for comparison since I've never used an amp

I just bought my first pair of headphones and got them today (are currently charging). I had been using random airplane earbuds or the generic apple ones that come with things. I got inexpensive cowin ones (e7 pro) that have noise canceling and they also came with noise canceling earbuds for free. I am unsure how much I will use them so I am going to try these out before determining if I want to invest more money in better ones.

These will be for the plane and for home (soooo much street noise because I have the windows open a lot).

i urge you to consider testimonials from the ilxors who will tell you how the sony wh100-xm range changed their lives

EXPENSIVE!

i was softening you up for a reason

but, and look im not even on ilm like, these things are so good it's crazy. couldnt be without them now.

I didn't think I even needed some but then I got kindly upgraded on my last flight and they had bang and olufsen nc headphones to use for the movies and it was SO NICE (especially since there was a family of like 10 sitting near me).

maybe I shall rreturn to your recommendation after I view your youtube vlog review.

sub-$100 over-the-ear phones that are likely to last for 5-10 years without significant need for replacement/repair

For $50, the AKG K52's sound pretty darn good. The headband-elastic, one-size-fits-most style may not be to your taste though. They seem durable.

not bad, but the lack of a detachable cable might be a dealbreaker unless the stock cable is very very solid

Not sub-$100 but these things could be run over by a truck and wouldn't even get scratched:

That's true. The cable is not replaceable. However, one thing I like about these is that there is no cable connecting the left and right side. Those cables tend to be rather thin - in fact in my last pair of headphones, that was the part that broke first. So the simplicity of the design seems like a plus for durability.

xp

Xposts
How much is B&H charging for replacement sennheiser cables? I’m getting close to needing one and that was going to be my plan...

I love my new headphones. I am sure they have whatever faults but it's a big step up from using airplane earbuds. Now I have to maybe buy a ps4. I am starting this decade less than a decade behind!

How much is B&H charging for replacement sennheiser cables?

the basic 3.5mm to dual 2.5mm Sennheiser cable (currently out of stock) is $19.99 plus shipping on B&H's site, up from $13.40 a little over a year ago. I finally got an email from Sennheiser saying that the cable is no longer available on their own site, so I wonder if it's been discontinued. I don't think their newer models use that type of cable.

there don't seem to be a lot of decent alternatives to the proprietary 3.5mm-to-2.5mm cable. I bought a generic cable once but wasn't too thrilled by it — too short, came unplugged from my mp3 player too easily (probably because of the bulky adaptable plug), and only lasted about a year. other ones I bookmarked but didn't buy (and which might not fit depending on the diameter of the rubber/plastic piece that secures the earphone plugs):

https://www.amazon.com/NEW-NEOMUSICIA-Replacement-Compatible-Headphones/dp/B07H6SPVX5/ (same brand as the one I bought, but it may be a bit more durable)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-35mm3-5mm-to-2-5mm-Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Cable-For-Bose-oe2-oe2i-Headphone/281212520541 (ships directly from China, so idk)

of course none of the above will help unless your headphones use the same type of cable. fwiw I ended up buying a new pair of Phillips SHP9500 headphones, so I'll be retiring my old Sennheisers unless I decide to use them as a backup

Ali express is your answer here. Whatever cable configuration you want you can get it with a little searching.

Quality is can be. pretty good too.

I think i'm finally gonna bite and get a portable DAC/preamp for my iPhone. Is Dragonfly (which color) still the one to get?

yerac did you take the plunge with those sonys or something else

no! I got the cheaper ones that I had mentioned above. They are totally fine. Will see how they hold up. Using them more than I thought but still not a lot. I don't think I would ever walk around with them.

My main gear has been Denon AH-D2000 (10 years running, currently used at work) and HiFiMAN HE6se. My involvement with the Head-Fi community inevitably results in buying some crazy gear, including an iFi Pro stack, with an energizer for electrostatics. I tried MrSpeakers Voce and HiFiMAN Shangri-La Jr., both of which were pretty excellent, but I couldn't stop thinking, damn these are expensive! Also I mostly listen to punk, psych and metal, so it's not exactly worthwhile, so I sold/traded them. The metal community at Head-Fi have been going bananas over the ZMF Verite closed. I finally pulled the trigger a couple weeks ago, and ended up with the special run of leopardwood. Mine are still being assembled: https://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/verite-closed-ltd

The best headphones I've heard the last couple years for under $500 are the Drop x Sennheiser 58X Jubilee. I'm doing a drawing tomorrow, actually, to give away a new pair: https://fastnbulbous.com/list-search-enhanced-contest-ends-friday/

Can anyone recommend a sub-$100 pair of bluetooth headphones that have a decent microphone? All the ones I've ever had have been let down massively by call quality, with people at the other end reporting that I sound muffled. Maybe it's not the microphone but something in the bluetooth, as I've never had this problem with wired ones.

I'm sure AirPods are great but I don't really want to stretch to that cost.

I'm hesitant to recommend products, but I've been using Anker Soundcore Q20s, and finding them ok for music and calls. And comfortable, and cheap .

Thank you. They were the ones that came up when I googled this question too so they look like a way the way to go, and only $45 at the moment.

Does anyone have experiences with the Danish Aiaiai TMA-2? Their concept of modular headphones sounds very appealing to me: the headband, ear cushions, chord, and the actual speaker parts can be replaced separately, and they have various options for each... Regular and bluetooth headbands, 4 different speaker types with a different sound, on-ear and over-ear cushions, etc.

https://miro.medium.com/max/7726/1*Ss3abBdf1SaOAaVmXAGY9Q.jpeg

With most hifi headphones you can typically replace just the chord if it breaks, or maybe also the headband and cushions, but the idea of every part being replacable and updatable feels smart. I was just wondering how the actual sound is on these, when compared to, say, Beyerdynamic DT770. Has anyone here used these?

I got these 5 or 6 years ago. I don’t know if they’ve changed in meantime but mine are pretty standard non-modulable. They are bass heavy and geared for electronic music. Never used them much because found them pretty uncomfortable

I think there's an older model named TMA-1 that's not modular, maybe you have that one? The TMA-2 has 4 or 5 speaker types you can choose from; one of them is bass heavy, but I'm not planning on getting that one rather than the "all-around" one which, at least according to them, is supposed to have a more neutral sound.

4 different speaker types with a different sound

^this sets my snake oil bullshit meter off the charts

this doesn't inspire much confidence

https://www.techhive.com/article/3512661/aiaiai-tma-2-headphone-review.html

Yeah, I read that review, as well as other more positive ones. None of them seem to suggest that modularity thing is a scam though, only that the headphones are pricey for what you get. But I found a pair being sold for half the price mentioned in that review, so if they really work as promised and the sound is good, they'd be ideal for me.

I just worry about internal and cable connections (mentioned in the review) getting loose or breaking over time, it's made to be taken apart

for half, sure, but I kinda feel like why? you'll probably just end up gravitating to one setup you like and not using the modularity

all my b.s. aside, baader says they are uncomfortable which I pretty much run if I see that in a review, probably matters as much if not more than the sound

fwiw about replaceable, you can fully disassemble the Sennheiser 600 series without tools. On-ear is a no go for me (can't wear more than an hour), just wanted something over-ear and pretty flat that would respond well to being EQ'd too.. and there's always pad swapping and stuff if you really want to experiment. "6XX" is pretty much the start and end of fancy headphones for me.

my Beyerdynamic 770s have been good work headphones. great support, one side went out and they fixed it free

i use tma-2 for Djing at home. for comparison, my last pair of dj headphones were phonon smb-02, and before that i used pioneer hdj-2000.

i have a friend who opened a boutique hi-fi store and he is an authorized dealer. i wanted to support him, so I decided to buy a pair. since his store is in town, i was able to going in and listen to all of the different drivers. the differences are subtle, but real, and like any other subtle difference ymmv.

I went with "S04 · Vibrant sound - Ultra-light diaphragm"

as far as the non-driver parts, the tma-2s are extremely comfortable and have excellent isolation. i use a rotary mixer and play a wide range of music and they sound quite good in general. i like the isolation because when i'm practicing i can keep the volume low and save my hearing, and i appreciate the comfort for obvious reasons.

in comparison to the phonons, they have much better isolation and better detail, but are nowhere near as "thumpin" w/r/t to the bass. they are also nowhere near as sturdy or flexible. so, i kept the phonons and use them as my work pair (i.e. they leave the house with me, whereas the tma-2s don't). i would extend this comparison even further to the pioneers, which sounded worse than the phonons (but even more bassy) and even more flexible.

i'm happy with the purchase but i'm not sure i would have been comfortable picking between the drivers if i wasn't able to thoroughly audition them with my own records.

oh also when i bought my set the S05 had just been released but my friend didn't have them in stock yet, so i wasn't able to try them.

at that time the s04s were the same price as the s05, which was definitely the top price point and iirc was around $110. it looks like they've increased the price of the s05 to $130 and dropped the price of the s04 to $70, which is cheaper now than the two titanium models. this makes me think maybe they're trying to get rid of them (possibly being discontinued?). anyway it seems like a good deal.

my configuration is s04 / e04 / h04 / c03, i think i paid around $200 (because it's my friend shop and he gave me a discount) and like i said i'm pretty happy with them. it's been a year of near-daily home use, and i generally practice 1- 3 hrs at a time so i'm guessing they're well past the 500 hr mark and they still look, feel and sound brand new

all that said, i definitely would not take them out of the house, not only because they're the sort of cool looking thing someone would want to jack but also because the headband is just not that flexible and the bass is just not that loud. the phonons look way less fancy (nobody really knows what they are) and are way more durable so i take them with me when i play out

i got the phonons on ebay for $160 as new open-box which was also a great deal. the phonons have a 3.5 mm jack with non-standard threading for a 1/4" adapter and the adapter was missing. headphones usually come with a pouch and while i'm not sure if smb-02s actually come with one or not there wasn't one in the box. luckily a garden-variety snap-on non-threaded 1/4" adapter works just fine with the phonons because the 3.5 mm jack is not short.