Looking for headphones

[ivryk]

Hey!, hope you guys are doing good.

 

I am looking to purchase a nice pair of headphones, sadly my knowledge is pretty lackluster regarding audio.

 

- 70~150 bucks.

- Don't really need a mic.

- Gotta be comfortable, I wear glasses, dunno if that helps.

- Good bass

- Plan to spend hours playing single-player games.

 

If I've to pick, comfort goes first.

[vanished]

I'm not going to tell you what to get but I'll give you some things to think about

 

Reasons to consider the Philips SHP9500:

• They're open so they don't need to make a tight seal to your face to maintain their intended sound
• They're very comfortable with very little if any clamping force
• You can easily add a mic to them in the future if you want without any modifications.  If just goes in in between the headphones and the cable.
• Surprising amount of bass for open headphones
• Well within your budget, on the low end during any sale which are common
• Many people absolutely love them.  that said...

Reasons to be cautious:

• I personally didn't love the sound.  If you can, go try them out, or buy them from somewhere with a good return policy.

[Exploded117]

Are you looking for earphones, earbuds, on-the-ear, or over-the-ear?

[ivryk]

Just now, Exploded117 said:

Are you looking for earphones, earbuds, on-the-ear, or over-the-ear?

Sorry for not providing that info, Over-the-ear

[ivryk]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I'm not going to tell you what to get but I'll give you some things to think about

 

Reasons to consider the Philips SHP9500:

• They're open so they don't need to make a tight seal to your face to maintain their intended sound
• They're very comfortable with very little if any clamping force
• You can easily add a mic to them in the future if you want without any modifications.  If just goes in in between the headphones and the cable.
• Surprising amount of bass for open headphones
• Well within your budget, on the low end during any sale which are common
• Many people absolutely love them.  that said...

Reasons to be cautious:

• I personally didn't love the sound.  If you can, go try them out, or buy them from somewhere with a good return policy.

Thank you for the input, I'll keep them in mind. Whats the difference between open and closed back? which one favors sound quality?

[Wingfan]

I recently bought Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and im very impressed. Great base for open-back, overall sound is amazing and comfortable for me but i have a small head so could be different for you. They are a little more than what you want to spend $160USD but i would definitly consider them

[Exploded117]

30 minutes ago, ivryk said:

Sorry for not providing that info, Over-the-ear

 Alright, as far as over the ear goes, you have quite a few options.

 

Closed Backed: (These are better for in public use where you don't want everyone to hear your music, but provide a smaller soundstage)
V-MODA Crossfade LP2: (Amazon link)

Bose SoundTrue II: (Amazon Link)

Sennheiser Urbanite XL: (Amazon Link)

 

Open Backed: (These are better for listening in private, because a lot of sound will leak out, but will provide a larger soundstage)

Sennheiser HD 598: (Amazon Link) (These are around $15 out of your price range, but I recommend saving or picking them up on sale)

Grado SR80e: (Amazon Link) EDIT: These headphones are actually on-the-ear instead of over the ear. (Thanks @Ryan_Vickers )

 

I'd suggest looking at reviews and trying all of these in-store to see which you like the best. If you don't really like any of these, be sure to hit me up, and I can give you some more options. There are a lot, but these are just some of my pocket-picks.

 

[vanished]

21 minutes ago, ivryk said:

Thank you for the input, I'll keep them in mind. Whats the difference between open and closed back? which one favors sound quality?

I think most audiophiles will agree the best headphones tend to be open back, but that's talking over $1000.  At any lower price, I think you can find great/equivalent quality from either

[vanished]

1 minute ago, Exploded117 said:

Grado SR80e: (Amazon Link)

looking at the pictures those seem to be on-ear, and would be rather uncomfortable

[Exploded117]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

looking at the pictures those seem to be on-ear, and would be rather uncomfortable

Oh, whoops, I didn't notice that. Must've been typing it up too fast, thanks for pointing it out!

[ivryk]

14 minutes ago, Wingfan said:

I recently bought Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and im very impressed. Great base for open-back, overall sound is amazing and comfortable for me but i have a small head so could be different for you. They are a little more than what you want to spend $160USD but i would definitly consider them

They look amazing and comfortable, however 160 seems a tad bit steep, considering the taxes ontop (gonna use Amazon for the purchase), thank you for the suggestion thou, much appreciated.

10 minutes ago, Exploded117 said:

 Alright, as far as over the ear goes, you have quite a few options.

 

Closed Backed: (These are better for in public use where you don't want everyone to hear your music, but provide a smaller soundstage)
V-MODA Crossfade LP2: (Amazon link)

Bose SoundTrue II: (Amazon Link)

Sennheiser Urbanite XL: (Amazon Link)

 

Open Backed: (These are better for listening in private, because a lot of sound will leak out, but will provide a larger soundstage)

Sennheiser HD 598: (Amazon Link) (These are around $15 out of your price range, but I recommend saving or picking them up on sale)

Grado SR80e: (Amazon Link)

 

I'd suggest looking at reviews and trying all of these in-store to see which you like the best. If you don't really like any of these, be sure to hit me up, and I can give you some more options. There are a lot, but these are just some of my pocket-picks.

 

Thanks for the Open/Closed back explanation, much appreciated. Seems like close is what works for me, I just wanna zone out, any other suggestions within the budget? I was looking at the Creative Sound-blasters H5x, however, I feel likeI will be paying extra for the "gaming features", like a mic.

 

9 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I think most audiophiles will agree the best headphones tend to be open back, but that's talking over $1000.  At any lower price, I think you can find great/equivalent quality from either

Wuuuuuuuuut....1k for a pair? they must have some insane sound/comfort.

[vanished]

1 minute ago, ivryk said:

Wuuuuuuuuut....1k for a pair? they must have some insane sound/comfort.

Mainly sound, but hopefully both.  There is no shortage of headphones for over $1000 but as with everything there are diminishing returns.

 

Personally I think open would be better for your situation (soundstage for gaming, not requiring a tight fit on your head) but if you want to look at closed that's fine too.  There are definitely gaming headphones that are closed, like the Hyper X Cloud (I or II) for example.

[Exploded117]

1 minute ago, ivryk said:

Thanks for the Open/Closed back explanation, much appreciated. Seems like close is what works for me, I just wanna zone out, any other suggestions within the budget? I was looking at the Creative Sound-blasters H5x, however, I feel likeI will be paying extra for the "gaming features", like a mic.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend getting a gaming headset or headphones, especially if you plan to do more than game on them. Often you are paying more for subpar audio and a very subpar microphone. If you do have a need for a headset, I would recommend picking up something like an Antlion Modmic (Amazon Link). This is a great quality mic that can be attached easily to the side of any pair of headphones. Or, if you want even greater microphone quality, you can go with my personal preference of having a dedicated XLR mic in your setup.

[ivryk]

4 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Mainly sound, but hopefully both.  There is no shortage of headphones for over $1000 but as with everything there are diminishing returns.

 

Personally I think open would be better for your situation (soundstage for gaming, not requiring a tight fit on your head) but if you want to look at closed that's fine too.  There are definitely gaming headphones that are closed, like the Hyper X Cloud (I or II) for example.

With open will i be prone to hear the background noise around me?. I was reading about the Cloud II and some reviewers said that the sound was subpar, no idea if thats true thou.

4 minutes ago, Exploded117 said:

I personally wouldn't recommend getting a gaming headset or headphones, especially if you plan to do more than game on them. Often you are paying more for subpar audio and a very subpar microphone. If you do have a need for a headset, I would recommend picking up something like an Antlion Modmic (Amazon Link). This is a great quality mic that can be attached easily to the side of any pair of headphones. Or, if you want even greater microphone quality, you can go with my personal preference of having a dedicated XLR mic in your setup.

Thanks for the mic suggestion. Was looking at these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR86?ref=emc_b_5_t, are they good?

[vanished]

2 minutes ago, ivryk said:

With open will i be prone to hear the background noise around me?. I was reading about the Cloud II and some reviewers said that the sound was subpar, no idea if thats true thou.

Well they're certainly no audiophile masterpiece but I've heard they're good for what they are.  The topic of high comfort comes up a lot.

Yes, open would let you hear the room sound more like if you weren't wearing them at all, varying in volume by which ones you get of course.

[Exploded117]

Just now, ivryk said:

Thanks for the mic suggestion. Was looking at these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR86?ref=emc_b_5_t, are they good?

 

Yeah, the M50x's are great, you can even get a first-party Bluetooth adapter that integrates onto the headphones to use them on your phone wirelessly. The only reason I didn't recommend them is because they are an on-the-ear instead of over-the-ear design like you requested. Nevertheless, they are still a great pair of headphones.

[ivryk]

4 minutes ago, Exploded117 said:

Yeah, the M50x's are great, you can even get a first-party Bluetooth adapter that integrates onto the headphones to use them on your phone wirelessly. The only reason I didn't recommend them is because they are an on-the-ear instead of over-the-ear design like you requested. Nevertheless, they are still a great pair of headphones.

Oh crap, noo!, they looked soo promising!, didnt notice they were on-ear. I feel like on-the-ear will be too uncomfortable with glasses.

 

6 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Well they're certainly no audiophile masterpiece but I've heard they're good for what they are.  The topic of high comfort comes up a lot.

Yes, open would let you hear the room sound more like if you weren't wearing them at all, varying in volume by which ones you get of course.

Sadly where i am currently it tends to get noisy, so open back wouldn't do me justice.

[vanished]

Just now, ivryk said:

Oh crap, noo!, they looked soo promising!, didnt notice they were on-ear. I feel like on-the-ear will be too uncomfortable with glasses.

M50s are over the ear but the pads might not be big enough depending on your ears so they may end up acting like on ears if you have big ears  

Also, they're really hyped up but not everyone loves them as much as a quick google search would lead you to believe.  They are also very lacking in sound stage and would be bad for games as a result, or so I've heard.

[Exploded117]

Just now, ivryk said:

Oh crap, noo!, they looked soo promising!, didnt notice they were on-ear. I feel like on-the-ear will be too uncomfortable with glasses.

2

I only have to wear glasses when driving and sometimes in class, but I've used a couple pairs of on-ear headphones while wearing glasses and it hasn't been too bad, mostly depending on the pair of headphones. I'd suggest going into a store and trying on some on-ear headphones and seeing how they fit, you may like them.

[ivryk]

7 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

M50s are over the ear but the pads might not be big enough depending on your ears so they may end up acting like on ears if you have big ears  

Also, they're really hyped up but not everyone loves them as much as a quick google search would lead you to believe.  They are also very lacking in sound stage and would be bad for games as a result, or so I've heard.

I guess having small ears has its perks.  Do i really have to pick between isolation or sound stage? isn't there a middle child?

 

7 minutes ago, Exploded117 said:

I only have to wear glasses when driving and sometimes in class, but I've used a couple pairs of on-ear headphones while wearing glasses and it hasn't been too bad, mostly depending on the pair of headphones. I'd suggest going into a store and trying on some on-ear headphones and seeing how they fit, you may like them.

Sadly, i am not in the states atm and the headphones will get shipped overseas, so Amazon is my friend. I gotta wear glasses for pretty much everything, lucky you, aside from the M50s, any other suggesiton?. Thank you so much you both for taking the time to help me out, much appreciated.

[vanished]

1 minute ago, ivryk said:

I guess having small ears has its perks.  Do i really have to pick between isolation or sound stage? isn't there a middle child?

Absolutely within either category there can be significant variance, but generally speaking open headphones tend to be wider.

[Exploded117]

3 minutes ago, ivryk said:

Sadly, i am not in the states atm and the headphones will get shipped overseas, so Amazon is my friend. I gotta wear glasses for pretty much everything, lucky you, aside from the M50s, any other suggesiton?. Thank you so much you both for taking the time to help me out, much appreciated.

2

If I were to choose one of the closed-backed options, I'd personally go for the Sennheiser Urbanites

[ivryk]

19 minutes ago, Exploded117 said:

If I were to choose one of the closed-backed options, I'd personally go for the Sennheiser Urbanites

Thanks, ill go with the Urbanites.

[Exploded117]

Just now, ivryk said:

Thanks, ill go with the Urbanites.

Although they are good headphones, I'd suggest looking at some reviews of your options. Most choices end up being subjective to the person. Even though they are really good headphones and I really like them, I'd suggest seeing what you like.

[ivryk]

Just now, Exploded117 said:

Although they are good headphones, I'd suggest looking at some reviews of your options. Most choices end up being subjective to the person. Even though they are really good headphones and I really like them, I'd suggest seeing what you like.

Alright, thank you dude.