WTB On Ear Headphones

Headphones (cans) are a very deep rabbit hole, and everyone will likely post the ones that they have because they like them.

I went deep into headphone listening about 10 years ago and have owned everything from Sennheisser to AKG to Bose to Grado.

If you want real sound quality don't buy Bose, Skullcandy, Dr. Dre, or anything with a person's name attached to it.

The rest you simply need to try. I sold all of my cans except for my Sennheisers because I love the way they sound. I do not like the Grado sound, and while I liked the AKGs I didn't like they way they sat on my ears.

Note that over-ear headphones are either circum-aural or supra-aural which means they either go around your ears (like Sennheisers) or they sit on your ears (like Grado).

Headphones are either closed-back (other people are isolated from what you hear and vice-versa) or open-back (other people can hear and you can hear them).

Next, you need to decide if you want headphones that require an amp. If you're going to just plug into your smartphone (assuming there's still a jack there) then you need a low-impedence (around 35 ohms) set, while if you're using them for a stereo or serious amplified listening, then you want a high-impedence (usually around 300 ohms) set.

Then you need to see if you like the way they feel.

Oh, and how much do you want to spend? For my Grace m903 amp I like Sennheiser HD600s which are about $300. For TV listening I like my Sennheiser HD280s which were about $100.

If you want bluetooth and noise cancelling, I like Sony WH-1000XM5s, but they're about $400 The XM4s are good two (they're paireed to my upstairs TV) and are $350.

I do transcription and have used headphones for decades. Sound quality is most important, and has improved leaps and bounds from years ago, but after that it's comfort since I'm in them for hours at a time.

If you're going for the ones that go around your ears pay attention to the shape of the cup. Round ones are not comfortable to me probably because my ears are not round. I need oval, you know, shaped like an actual ear.

Also, the padding at the top of your head matters, too, if you wear them for any length of time. That's where my current ones get uncomfortable first, but an extra piece of soft foam helps.

When my son was small I did not use noise cancelling as I wanted to be able to hear him, but now I have noise cancelling and that's what I prefer.

I don't know if it matters but I had a set once with a springy coiled cord, like telephones used to have. I didn't like it at all and made sure my next set had a straight cord. Maybe they don't make coiled ones anymore, I don't know, but I prefer straight.

I've always been a fan of headphones. The best way to listen to music, in my opinion. I hear things with headphones that I don't hear without them.

Many years ago Best Buy had headphones you could try, but I don't know if that's still the case.

Good luck finding what's best for you, and I would be interested to hear what you choose and how you like them.

Edit: Mine are Ultrasone HFI 780, made in Germany. I ordered them online years ago. I don't recall price with certainty but I want to say between $150 to $200, but not really sure.

Thank you Cynthia and you have increased my list of things to look for.
This is why I love this forum -- knowledge and willingness to share with others.

You have gotten good advice about ergonomics and sound quality.

I will just throw out that I am still using a set of Koss headphones with a curly cord that were an affordable option for an unemployed student in the '70's. I am absolutely certain I could upgrade them. But they are good enough for what I want/need. In general I use earbuds or headphones when I want to listen to something (usually speech or music) without disturbing someone else. In that case the quality of the input suggests that at some point upgrading headphones would not noticeably upgrade the experience. When I am playing bass through headphones I am much more concerned with what I am playing than how it sounds. If I want to shape a sound I don't even try to do that with headphones.

If I were doing recording and sound editing I would almost certainly upgrade my headphones with the idea that the phones had to accurately reproduce the signal and be comfortable to wear for hours at a time. But first I would invest in a microphone and some kind of analog to digital converter since those are definitely the low cost and quality portions of my signal chain.

Lately I just stream stuff into my hearing aids.

I've owned Koss (HV/1 and PortaPro), AKG, and Grado (SR-60, SR-80, SR-225, SR-325e).

My Grado SR-325e is now my "go-to" on-ear headphone.

I recently picked up the Astell & Kern UW100 Bluetooth earbuds and I am astonished at how good they sound with my A&K players.

[Edit: Forgot about my Etymotic ER-6i in-ear monitors. Astonishing sound and isolation. These are my "on-the-plane-and-I want-to-hear-nothing but music" earphones.

Hello

Only thing I can add after the magnificent answers above
- if you use them for studio-control-type reference work they have to be as hi-fi as possible.
- if you use them just for personal listening without need to be able to judge spectral balance etc - then buy the ones that have the nicest sound in your opinion - no matter what others say.

Happy hunting.

Nuuska's point is huge - studio headphones tend to have flat frequency responses so that they don't color the sound.

Commercial listening cans often do color the sound. Many of the "famous person brand" headphones have very hyped up bass because that's what the average person thinks makes for good sound.

Grados are great, but I don't like the way they sit and I don't like the Grado sound. Lots of people who's opinions I reespect LOVE Grado, so it's not that they're bad because they're not - headphones are just a very personal thing.

Fit/comfort and sound should be your primary concerns, and nothing you read online can substitute for trying some out.

Lastly, one of the strange things you might experience is hard to quantify. If you don't think you hear a huge difference with high-end cans at first, if you then listen to music for 30 days using only a set of high-end 'phones through a good system or amp - then go back to what you were using before you will be floored at the difference. Everyone I know who's gone down this path has experienced this. I think our ears need to be trained to hear the difference. This was even true for my then 16 year old daughter.

GAD said:

Fit/comfort and sound should be your primary concerns, and nothing you read online can substitute for trying some out.

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It may take a long while but trying them for your three suggestions is my number one priority

Stuball48 said:

It may take a long while but trying them for your three suggestions is my number one priority

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If you hunt around some you might be able to find a high-end audio store. These tend to be smaller stores that cater to audiophiles and are often found in or around small affluent towns or are buried in cities. Audiophile stores can range from just a little bit crazy to over the top crazy, so be prepared for a dissertation on why silver braided cables are the only proper solution for speaker wire if you wander into an over the top crazy store. It's worth it because shops like these often have all of the high-end cans in one place.

If you'd like to truly lose your mind on the topic, check out head-fi.org. Their slogan is "Sorry for your wallet." This is something I wrote while I was deep in the throes of headphone madness: AudioVideo.html which can give you an idea of how the madness can take hold. I've probably owned 10 or more headphone amps and at least as many headphones. Double that if you include noise-cancelling, in-ear monitors, and the like.

Here's my favorite pic of one of the amps I used to have:

I’m Nick Drake and I say use air pods like me

I have lots of information because of the fine folks willing to share. This groups reminds me of my old machinist mentor - just tickled to death to help. LTG forum stays on my phone screen.

Landseagoods said:

I’m Nick Drake and I say use air pods like me

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An entire generation of people now only knows music that sounds like it does through crappy air-pods and the like.

GAD,

Any wireless recommendations for streaming music? The only time I listen to music is while exercising, besides in the car, etc.

Here’s me recording

FNG said:

GAD,

Any wireless recommendations for streaming music? The only time I listen to music is while exercising, besides in the car, etc.

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If you want noise-cancelling, I'm a fan of the Sony Bluetooth headphones. My daughter uses the Sony WF-1000XM4s and likes them a lot. The noise-cancelling is configurable on/off. I don't like in-ears that have big lumpy things on them so my go-to for in-ears is Etymotic, but that doesn't help you much.

+1 for the Sony BT headphones. I have the XM3's since they have come out, they still work great. Sound quality is good in my ears, they are comfortable to wear, noise cancelling works fine (which is important for me). It can not only be switched on or off, but you can gradually reinforce it. You can also supress wind noise, which is great when outdoors. They work for quite a long time before they need a recharge. No pairing problems. The app is updated regularly. A nice sturdy case is included.

The only thing that really annoys me about them is the sound quality of the microphone. When making a phone call, the other person won't understand well what I'm saying, especially when I'm out of the house and there is (even moderate) noise around me.

This might be a reason for an upgrade to the newest generation. @GAD did they improve?

My son likes his Buddyphones Cosmos a lot! They help him to get through the day. He first had the Sony XM3 as well, butt he didn't like how they feel on his ears and the operations were too complicated (he was seven years old at the time, so I'm glad there are good ANC headphones for kids as well). I know that's not what what you asked for, but maybe this recommendation will help others?

Many have given great answers already - I think it is important that you for yourself specify your needs and set your priorities. Let us know how you decide

I'll toss out another make I haven't seen mentioned, Beyerdynamic. Either their DT770 or DT990 would come in at under $200 and I've had good luck with their models in the past, probably the most comfortable headphones I've ever used.