General Headphone Thread

[sesselpupser]

I've had my Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2s for over three years now, they turned 3 on the 10th, and they're still doing great. I mean, they're not going to win any awards next to more expensive headphones because they're plastic and the noise cancelling isn't anywhere near as good as Sony or Bose sets (although these were a third cheaper than the QC35 and MDR-1000X), I also had to replace the cushions as the leather was cracked and peeling, but PLT sent me a free replacement set when I asked them where I could buy genuine replacements, which was pretty cool of them.

The battery life is still long enough that I don't need to charge them for days, the headband is still in great condition and nothing apart from the aesthetic gauze that covers the microphones would indicate that they're 3 years old now. The gauze started fraying quite early on but was generally fine until a couple of months ago when I brushed my sleeve against it and peeled one edge up pretty badly, but I managed to seal it (and all the rest) quite well with some superglue. But yeah, I figured if they lasted me two years of 2-3 hours of daily use then they'd be worth what I paid for them, starting their fourth year with me in lockdown with someone who loves music but does not share my taste means they're getting more use than ever. I just hope they last long enough for my income to stabilise again, I'd hate to need to buy new headphones right now...

 

[TVR27]

I have bought Plantronic Backbeat 505 twice the first once lasted a lot longer than the second ones both got broken plastic bands right in the middle they were great for music and phone calls.

I now want to get a new headphones I'm thinking of getting Plantronics backbeat pro 2 but I kind of don't want to give Plantronics anymore money if the plastic band breaks in the middle again or should I just buy the Sony WH-1000XM3?

My only question about the Sony WH-1000XM3 is it any good with phone calls compared to the Plantronic Backbeat 505?
(I have a OPPO Reno Z)


(I only want to use my headphones for my OPPO Reno Z & Samsung S2 Tablet I don't care about the PC)

 

[Terronium-12]

With everything going on this year (the obvious COVID, my mom getting sick (not COVID), me having a health scare (also not COVID)), and just how generally 🤬 2020 has been up until now, I treated myself to a new pair of cans last week — my first new pair in about two years.

Got these for $120, and I love them. They're fun to listen to, comfortable as all hell, and the metal gimbals gives a nice, premium feel to the package. Not to mention the protein leather-wrapped headband. It may look uncomfortable but there's enough padding there that it's comfortable. Somehow. The cups are plastic and the pads are glued onto the mounting ring, but the latter is easily amended should I ever want to throw different pads onto this.

Are the stock pads good? Absolutely, yes.

How do they sound? Better than the SHP9500, but worse than the M1060 (and I use the word "worse" very, very lightly, but the differences are immediately evident). The bass is great, vocals are crisp and clear, and the soundstage is incredible. Whatever details are veiled can easily be brought up with EQ adjustments. To put it plainly, if the HE-4XX wows with its details and clarity, the M1060 shoves those same details and clarity down your throat. It's a little off-putting at first comparison, because dare I say, the M1060 sound...harsh when coming from these. As a matter of fact, I can easily see how someone would prefer the 4XX to the M1060.

On their own, these are a fantastic pair of cans, fit for anyone and any type of music. Compared to the M1060, these are the little brother that punches above its weight class, and even lands a few hits on the Monolith. Ultimately, the M1060 are just that much more in your face with its crystal clear details. Which would I recommend? Why choose? Get both. If you can only have one...don't. Buy one now and get the other somewhere down the line.

 

[SlowGrayAudi]

Just ordered my first serious headphones. Beyerdynamic DT 880 Special Edition (250ohm).

I only use these for my sim racing rig, so i needed something that was comfortable and wouldn't leave my head sweating. The velour pads are like having two clouds hugging my head.

Very good sound, quite clear but seems low on bass. My amp doesn't show up until Monday so i need to get that hooked up since my mobo isnt powering the headphones properly. Hopefully then it will fill out the lower range more.

Im by no means an audiophile, but i can see this being a slippery slope.

 

[SlowGrayAudi]

Finally got my Schiit Magni Heresy headphone amp in. Definitely a must have for the 250 ohm Beyerdynamic DT 880.

Sound is fantastic. I have the gain at 3 o'clock since i have Equalizer APO installed and with the correction for the harman curve the pre-amp setting is -6.40 db. Running 3 o'clock on the amp and 65% in windows for good volume on the high gain setting.

 

[coryclifford]

It is indeed a slippery slope. I have a few pieces of Schiit. First Mjolnir, first Vali, and a Mani. And first DNA Sonett. Bunch of Sennheisers as I wasn’t ever a Beyer fan. 800, 700, 650, 600, 595, 419, and an AKG 7xx… it’s too much. And pointless.

Point being, if you’re happy now, walk away!

 

[SlowGrayAudi]

It is indeed a slippery slope. I have a few pieces of Schiit. First Mjolnir, first Vali, and a Mani. And first DNA Sonett. Bunch of Sennheisers as I wasn’t ever a Beyer fan. 800, 700, 650, 600, 595, 419, and an AKG 7xx… it’s too much. And pointless.

Point being, if you’re happy now, walk away!

Im quite satisfied now. I only use it for my gaming rig so i dont need the world. This is plenty for me. Sound is great and i only spent like $350 total for headphones, amp, and wires. Gf is happy too since she doesnt have to hear me "shifting gears" in the middle of the night lol.

 

[David]

I started a new job working from home at the beginning of the year and wanted some headphones with a built in mic for meetings and bluetooth connectivity to keep the wire clutter at my workspace to a minimum. I ended up with a pair of Shure AONIC A50's after looking at the Sony, Sennheiser and Bose options in the price range. They are pretty neat because in addition to bluetooth and USB, they have a 3.5mm port as a connection option. I've primarily only used them connected to my work laptop via bluetooth and my Pioneer XDP-300R which can take advantage of aptX for some higher than usual quality sound over bluetooth.

I find them very comfortable. The noise cancelling and pass through both work well enough for my purposes at home. The sound is great, with the fairly neutral profile you would expect from Shure.

 

[sesselpupser]

I got my old Denon AH-D1100s out of retirement, I need some headphones at the office because doing video meetings out loud only worked when I was the only one there which is no longer the case. The fake leather on the headband and padding has mostly disintegrated and the bits that connect the cans to the headband both broke years ago so I've got some pretty rough 3D-printed replacements, but damn, they still sound good. I'm surprised they even still work.

 

[TB]

I certainly didn't NEED another pair of Bluetooth headphones but they were a good deal!

I recently posted in the recent purchase thread that I bought a pair of JBL Live 300TWS, which were delivered today.

I charged them for a bit then set to pairing with my phone. They paired alright but I had some issues getting sound to come out of them. After unpairing and going through the process again, there were TWO JBLs in the list. When I chose the other one, everything worked as it should.

I downloaded the JBL app and updated the firmware on the buds.

Once that finished I sent into the sound settings on my S8 and set up a new sound profile. That plays sounds at various frequencies for each ear and you simply answer if you can or cannot hear it. If you can't, it boosts those frequencies to even the sound out. I've done the same thing for every pair of headphones, bluetooth speaker and Taco I've used with my phone and these are the first that I've heard every single sound for except for ONE. Absolutely insane. By comparison, the JBL system in the Taco sounds absolutely pathetic.

I fired up Amazon Music and hit "My Playlist" which is generated by Amazon based on things I've listened to. I really only listened to the first 20 seconds or so for each track but the variety of songs was such that I got a good feel for how they sound. Off the top of my head, in no particular order, the playlist consisted of:

Pink Floyd, Queen, Metallica, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Beastie Boys, The Hu, Jon Batiste, RATM, NIN, Primus

You get the point. A bit of everything.

Then I stated to hunt down specific songs

SRV - Lenny (mere moments away from being my wedding dance song)
Jeff Healey - Angel Eyes (my wedding dance song)
Dave Brubeck - Take Five

These things never missed a beat and sounded pretty well rounded. Where the bass drum was supposed to be pounding it was and yet the cymbals and toms still came through. Same with the bass guitar, guitar and vocals.

My Soundcore Liberty Neo are pretty damn fantastic and while I haven't gone back and forth between them to truly compare, the JBLs just might have them beat. That head to head will have to come later.

Now excuse my while I go get teary-eyed listening to Lenny again.

 

[TB]

Time for a thread revival!

The pad on my trusty Monoprice headphones (that I really only use for traveling) split open so I went on the hunt for a new pair.

I hadn't intended on spending as much as I ended up spending but I wanted noise cancelling and that quickly got me to at least $100 then these showed up on FB Marketplace for $200 so I jumped on them. They look like they've hardly been used.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Blue wouldn't have been my first choice but it's dark enough that they look nice. And a change from my usual black is good for me.

I fired up the sound customizer on my phone that plays different frequencies to boost the ones that you can't hear to get a flatter response and I was, for the first time ever doing this, able to hear every single one. They're incredible. The noise cancelling, at least as far as sitting at home, is quite good, too. I'm sure they'll do nicely on the plane, too.

 

[Korza]

I highly recommend a pair of Dekoni Suede Pads to go with your XM4s. I have them on my XM4s and love them. They're deeper than the stock pads which helps if you have bigger ears and are also softer. Biggest benefit is your ears don't get hot or sweaty during extended listening periods.

 

[Shaun]

My old Bowers and Wilkins headphones are starting to show their age and I also could only wear them for a short amount of time as I found the headband uncomfortable.

After a bit of shopping around I settled on these.
Focal Elegia.

It helped they were at a runout price as they are an older model, so far so good. Great sound and super comfortable.