Headphones advice please

Dee

I need some advice on headphones, please. I want to get my daughter some decent ones for Christmas, the kind you put over your head, not the ones that go in your ears. However, I know nothing about them. What’s some good ones for someone who just wants to walk around listening to indie and 60s music on Spotify? 

I’m looking to spend, I don’t know, is $300-$400 enough for something good? Headphones could be eleventy billion dollarbucks for all I know. 

Chinaski

i have these and i love them:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html?mc=25_AF_MU_AO_00_CJ_&affiliateid=CJ3586864&cjevent=80640fbc159711eb80c700ac0a1c0e0d#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

i have to have over the ear headphones cause ear buds/air pods won't stay in my ears which sucks. apparently there's percentage of people that don't have a piece of cartilage in their ear that holds them in tightly. sadly i am one of them

CretanBull

Dee said:

I need some advice on headphones, please. I want to get my daughter some decent ones for Christmas, the kind you put over your head, not the ones that go in your ears. However, I know nothing about them. What’s some good ones for someone who just wants to walk around listening to indie and 60s music on Spotify? 

I’m looking to spend, I don’t know, is $300-$400 enough for something good? Headphones could be eleventy billion dollarbucks for all I know. 

Sennheiser HD 450BT are about $200 CND (our dollars are within a few cents of each other, so the price should be similar in Oz) and they're nearly as good as what you'd get for $300-$400.  More expensive ones are better, but there are really steep diminishing returns for spending an extra $100-$200....they'll be better but very poor value per dollar.  These ones might rate 8/10...is it worth it to you to spend $100-$200 to get ones rated 9/10?

These Sennheisers review extremely well and make all of the "Best Budget-Friendly" lists.

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/sennheiser-hd-450bt

CretanBull

The ones that @Chinaski mentioned are considered among the best..they're over $400 here, so probably around that price in Australia too.

MrX

I've had the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 over the ear headphones for a few years and love them. Lightweight enough to wear for long periods, and they sound good. Noise cancellation is amazing. I think they're around $300 but have seen them for sale (most recently on Amazon Prime Day). I know Sony makes a similarly spec'd/priced model that is also highly regarded, might want to check those out.

Dee

Ah thanks guys, I knew the BM music/gadget nerds would be able to help! 

@Chinaski I have that issue too - I can’t wear the hard plastic ones like the ones that come with an iPhone cos they don’t stay in; I have to buy the ones with the three sizes of silicone covers and use the smallest size. I always assumed my ear holes were just too small but I wonder if I’m missing that bit of cartilage too. Weird. 

CretanBull

MrX said:

I've had the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 over the ear headphones for a few years and love them. Lightweight enough to wear for long periods, and they sound good. Noise cancellation is amazing. I think they're around $300 but have seen them for sale (most recently on Amazon Prime Day). I know Sony makes a similarly spec'd/priced model that is also highly regarded, might want to check those out.

The newer versions of these ones are great (QC 35 Series II).

A_Ron_Hubbard

Dee said:

Ah thanks guys, I knew the BM music/gadget nerds would be able to help! 

@Chinaski I have that issue too - I can’t wear the hard plastic ones like the ones that come with an iPhone cos they don’t stay in; I have to buy the ones with the three sizes of silicone covers and use the smallest size. I always assumed my ear holes were just too small but I wonder if I’m missing that bit of cartilage too. Weird. 

I'll throw my support behind the weird ear brigade. There is such a wide variety of every other body structure, and our ear canals are supposed to be one size fits all? Get outta here.

Doctor_Nick

Bose is really to be recommended only if she needs the noise cancellation.  There are better sounding headphones for similar prices or less such as many Sennheisers, Grados and Audiotechnicas to name a few.  I have the wired version of these Audiotechnicas and recommend them - this version is primarily Bluetooth wireless but can also be used plugged in.  Grados are fun and have a distinctive sound and retro look that some people appreciate.  Even the $80 or $100 Grados sound very good.  Many different Sennheisers are excellent, but some are high impedance headphones that are designed to be used with a headphone amplifier, so they may take a little more buying research.  

bizmarkiefader

Doctor_Nick said:

Grados are fun and have a distinctive sound and retro look that some people appreciate.  Even the $80 or $100 Grados sound very good.  Many different Sennheisers are excellent, but some are high impedance headphones that are designed to be used with a headphone amplifier, so they may take a little more buying research.  

I'm not an audiophile by any stretch but I've had two sets of Grados (the SR80 and SR125s) and they're easily the best headphones I've ever used. The main issue with them was the ones I got were open ear so they were useless for a work settings or anywhere where you might bother people. For jamming out by yourself though, there are certain songs I don't even want to listen to on other headphones cause they don't sound right anymore.

MrX

Doctor_Nick said:

Bose is really to be recommended only if she needs the noise cancellation.  There are better sounding headphones for similar prices or less such as many Sennheisers, Grados and Audiotechnicas to name a few.  I have the wired version of these Audiotechnicas and recommend them - this version is primarily Bluetooth wireless but can also be used plugged in.  Grados are fun and have a distinctive sound and retro look that some people appreciate.  Even the $80 or $100 Grados sound very good.  Many different Sennheisers are excellent, but some are high impedance headphones that are designed to be used with a headphone amplifier, so they may take a little more buying research.  

Yea I got my Bose headphones because I used to fly a decent amount (haha remember that!!) and noise cancellation is key for making a flight less shitty. They are pretty lightweight and don't get too warm when wearing for multiple hours. 

I probably would have gone for something cheaper if not for travel.

Chinaski

the battery life and how quick they charge is another reason i love my Bose.

Doctor_Nick

Koss Portapros  are a classic straight out of the 1980s, sound great (and amazing for the price) and have a lifetime warranty for breakage that requires you to pay postage back to the manufacturer.    Totally open headphones though, no sound isolation here.  

Garthgou81

Chinaski said:

i have these and i love them:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html?mc=25_AF_MU_AO_00_CJ_&affiliateid=CJ3586864&cjevent=80640fbc159711eb80c700ac0a1c0e0d#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

i have to have over the ear headphones cause ear buds/air pods won't stay in my ears which sucks. apparently there's percentage of people that don't have a piece of cartilage in their ear that holds them in tightly. sadly i am one of them

These are similar to the ones I have and I absolutely love them. They have great battery life and do an awesome job with noise canceling. I haven't put them to the test of using them on a jet runway or anything, but I think they serve the purpose fairly well. They are also very comfortable from my experience. The last real pair of headphones I used were the Playstation Gold. Those are great, but also pretty bulky and not that comfortable in my opinion, at least by comparison. 

JoshTheBlack

Chinaski said:

i have these and i love them:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html?mc=25_AF_MU_AO_00_CJ_&affiliateid=CJ3586864&cjevent=80640fbc159711eb80c700ac0a1c0e0d#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

i have to have over the ear headphones cause ear buds/air pods won't stay in my ears which sucks. apparently there's percentage of people that don't have a piece of cartilage in their ear that holds them in tightly. sadly i am one of them

I have always had problems keeping buds in my ears.  The air pods were the worst about it!  I had a pair of JBL bluetooth buds that had a curved "nub" sticking out that stayed in really well, and now I have the Google Pixel Buds that have a similar but smaller "nub" and they stay in really well.  

Doctor_Nick

There are more “invasive” in ear headphones like these Etymotics or Westones  that go in further into the ear canal and fit much better than Air Pods or Apple headphones.  The Etymotics have significant passive noise cancellation because they effectively act like ear plugs (and there is a version sold as earplugs) even with no sound being played and they can isolate very effectively from all kinds of noise.  I believe these sorts of in ears are used by musicians and singers to monitor their output on stage (listen to themselves over the music).

JoshTheBlack said:

Chinaski said:

i have these and i love them:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html?mc=25_AF_MU_AO_00_CJ_&affiliateid=CJ3586864&cjevent=80640fbc159711eb80c700ac0a1c0e0d#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

i have to have over the ear headphones cause ear buds/air pods won't stay in my ears which sucks. apparently there's percentage of people that don't have a piece of cartilage in their ear that holds them in tightly. sadly i am one of them

I have always had problems keeping buds in my ears.  The air pods were the worst about it!  I had a pair of JBL bluetooth buds that had a curved "nub" sticking out that stayed in really well, and now I have the Google Pixel Buds that have a similar but smaller "nub" and they stay in really well.  

Dee

So I got the Bose ones and of course they got delivered to my work today when I was sent home to work yesterday, and we’ve just been told we are in hard lockdown for 6 days from midnight.

I am classed as an essential worker and my office is still open, so is it bad if I sneak in super early and pick them up, do you reckon? What would you do? WHAT WOULD SWIZZBOLD DO???

Chinaski

Dee said:

So I got the Bose ones and of course they got delivered to my work today when I was sent home to work yesterday, and we’ve just been told we are in hard lockdown for 6 days from midnight.

I am classed as an essential worker and my office is still open, so is it bad if I sneak in super early and pick them up, do you reckon? What would you do? WHAT WOULD SWIZZBOLD DO???

the What's Grinding My Gears thread is on the 3rd floor, down the hall and to the right..

Dee

@Chinaski Look, this is my thread and if I want to turn it into yet another discussion about pineapple on pizza I bloody will. 

Chinaski

Dee said:

@Chinaski Look, this is my thread and if I want to turn it into yet another discussion about pineapple on pizza I bloody will. 

Garthgou81

Speaking for myself, I would have an extremely hard time not sneaking in there to grab them. 

Dee

@Garthgou81 I’m doing it as soon as the building opens (it’s 5:30 am now so I’m just waiting around to leave at about 7 lol). There is a supermarket right across the road and I need bread anyway so I have a proper excuse to be out, and I’m walking there and back so I’m not going to be on a germy bus or anything. 

I would leave them but they wouldn’t lock the package up for me because “it’s not work related and we don’t responsibility for it”, so it’s just sitting on my desk. Fuckers. 

Garthgou81

Dee said:

@Garthgou81 I’m doing it as soon as the building opens (it’s 5:30 am now so I’m just waiting around to leave at about 7 lol). There is a supermarket right across the road and I need bread anyway so I have a proper excuse to be out, and I’m walking there and back so I’m not going to be on a germy bus or anything. 

I would leave them but they wouldn’t lock the package up for me because “it’s not work related and we don’t responsibility for it”, so it’s just sitting on my desk. Fuckers. 

Will we get a review? 

Doctor_Nick

"No highs, no lows, and the sickly smell of overripe pineapple....."

Dee

Doctor_Nick said:

"No highs, no lows, and the sickly smell of overripe pineapple....."

Also comes with spiders. 

Dee

Garthgou81 said:

Dee said:

@Garthgou81 I’m doing it as soon as the building opens (it’s 5:30 am now so I’m just waiting around to leave at about 7 lol). There is a supermarket right across the road and I need bread anyway so I have a proper excuse to be out, and I’m walking there and back so I’m not going to be on a germy bus or anything. 

I would leave them but they wouldn’t lock the package up for me because “it’s not work related and we don’t responsibility for it”, so it’s just sitting on my desk. Fuckers. 

Will we get a review? 

Unlikely - she’s not a techie person so basically if she can hear her music and they don’t hurt her ears she’ll be happy with them. I went with them in the end because the Sennheisers (which I was leaning toward) had a lot of reviews saying they weren’t very comfortable, and the comfort was mentioned positively in a lot of the Bose reviews.