Category: Jam Session
So, a multi-facetted topic about headphones. They can be one of the best ways to listen to music if you're detail-oriented. Now, the kind of headphones I like are not anything that you plug into your ear like buds or earphones. Ideally, I like the really old-school design that has pads that either rest around your ear or perhaps even rest against your ear at best. Let's look at this topic a few different ways. First, I'd love some recommendations of good headphones, ones that give the most natural sound without emphasizing one frequency range or another and that don't sound like you're listening to your music through plastic containers.
Next, if you don't have any recommendations, maybe you can talk about some long-lost favorite headphones of your past. Maybe there was a set of cheap stock headphones that came with a Walkman or something, or you got some for your birthday and the make and/or model number is long gone since everyone's making earbuds now. I can add to this myself. I'm trying to remember some of the phones I used in the Nineties. Sony seemed to make some of the best ones, and I knew of Koss but I think they really started to shine in making good consumer headphones. I remember one brand, Labtec, that made phones that were loud and cheap. Some of the best stock headphones I had, as I think of it, might have come with an Aiwa Walkman and the Walkman had broken long before the phones did.
Yep, the old school phones are definitely much better. I don't think they're as bad for your ears, either, but have nothing other than personal preference to back that claim up.
I know the old Sony's were always good. I just bought a pair of AKG's, or something like that at Guitar Center. They're ok, but not great. They've got a bit of that plastic container sound of which you spoke. Not worth the money. My husband really likes them though so maybe it's just a preference thing.
Have you ever tried any of the Bose headphones? I haven't but would love to as I love the quality of their other products.
Interesting post.
When I first got signed up for the talking book program through NLS, the lady at the rehab center who helped me sign up gave me a tape player along with a set of great headphones. They were padded and covered the whole ear, and each ear piece had a volume control for that ear. You could also adjust the treble and base for each ear. The books not only sounded great, but I used these headphones with my stereo as well. Then after a few years something happened to them, and I found out NLS no longer provided good earphones. When I got a new book player, all I got with it was one of those cheap little things that go in one ear. I had my brother take me to a store wherre you could buy all sorts of stereo equipment to see if we could find a similar pair of headphones, and the only thing close to the ones I had originally been given with my talking book player cost over $200. I finally found a similar pair through what was then called Ann Morris Enterprises for about $25. They weren't quite as good but close. But I don't think even those are available now.
Oh yeah, I had some nice headphones from NLS in the early Eighties. Big square thingies, sliders for volume for each channel, and a stereo and mono switch. I would imagine they eventually shorted out as most headphones will.
Bose? I'm afraid anything Bose is way out of my budget. I fear I'm on a Coby budget. LOL! But anyhow, have never tried AKG. I might check out some Koss or Sennheiser though, but probably something under fifty bucks if there's anything halfway decent.
Lol, I hear ya about being on a Coby budget. Me too.
lol I own one Bose product and that was a gift. lol
I have some Senheiser wireless over the ear phones and I like their quality.
I'll be interested to what you go with and how you like it.
I usually troll around TJ Max if there is one in your area. They typically carry some close out head phones from Sennheiser and skull candy. Recently, I bought a pare of candies that were 80 bucks at best buy for $12.99 at TJ's
I'll ask my wife to get me the model. They have a really long chord and came with a quarter inch adapter which makes them handy for recording and/or mixing. I've also bought a few Sennheiser sets there for under 15 bucks.
AKG is price to performence king, no question about it. For closed cup, over the ear phones, you don't get better performence at low prices than with AKG, and I've seen a bunch of headphones. but headphones really are subjective.
For music I've got a set of Bose on ear phones, but these are to heavy if I'm listening to Jaws or something. For Jaws I have some cheaper Sony.
The buy that runs that show American Idle has a new pair out by Sony. There suppose to be really natural and can do your iPhone or Android or you get a plug for your stereo. 299, but I'm going to try some Simon whatever his name is.
I hate ear plugs. No matter how much I pay they just arent feeling good. The earbuds are okay, but don't fit well, so on or over, but I like on best.
After using these AKG's to listen to movies on my I-phone, I must say, I'm impressed.
The bass is amazing.
I don't know model number for them but they cost about $60 at Guitar Center. They're pretty large but very comfortable.
Well, I just bought a pair of what I thought sounded like great headphones from the description. They're called Mogulz DJ headphones. What intrigued me was hat it said they had a comfortable design despite being quite large and retro-looking. I love a good pair of headphones with lots of bass, but I like the cup design as opposed to the standard design that just settles on your ears. The cup design helps me feel closer to and become immersed in the sound experience, I guess, as weird as that sounds. The problem with those types though is that they're not suitable for wearing for a long time, as in, over an hour at a time, because they make your ears hurt. Well, for their size the ones I bought are comfortable, and they certainly do have that cool retro feel, but as I said, I prefer the cup design, and I was disappointed to find that this wasn't the case. The description said that they "snuggle your head", and I got a mental image of super light, comfortable headphones that included earpieces that did just that. Now, as far as the sound goes, again, it's good, but not as good as my USB headphones with a mic that I have. Those are Microsoft Life Chat headphones that I paid like $20 for at Wal-mart. I guess I was expecting an identical sound that I get from them, so maybe I was setting myself up for disappointment. But for $69.95, I feel like I got cheated. I thought about returning them, but I think, since they're decent enough, I'll keep them for use with my turntable, but not with my computer.
Well, I think I found some good phones if you like the sort that is collapsible for easy storage. My wife wanted such phones and the Maxell that I found did not seem to collapse like I thought they did, but I found some Koss that do collapse very well. Not sure of the durability or longevity of the Koss, but the model here is KTX16. In this package you actually get two pairs of phones, and you also get a cable with a headphone plug on the one end and two jacks on the other. I guess that gizmo allows for sharing audio between two sets of phones. These are the flat, on-ear design of phones with a long cord, so they are open-air design. Sound seemed pretty good for the minute or so I tried them. We'll see how long they hold up to use, but I told her that Koss gives you a lifetime guarantee on these things.