Music Headphones [Archive] - classicamiga.com Forum

Harrison

15th October 2022, 10:48

I've been looking at buying a new decent pair of headphones with the recent and upcoming sales taking place. But there are so many on the market these days it's not easy to know what to get.

I'm avoiding anything marketed as gaming headsets as they are overpriced and poor plastic quality most of the time.

I'm a big fan of Sennheiser and have been looking at their new Momentum 4s, but the older Momentum 3s look nicer. Anyone used these?

I did grab a pair or cheap Sennheiser HD 250BTs in last week's Amazon prime sale, as they were reduced to £24. Obviously these are entry level and do look quite cheap and plasticy, but have surprisingly good sound. But I bought these for when out walking the dog so wanted something light and fairly small.

Sony also seem to be making some that are being good reviews.

So that so you use? And that are your favourite brands or recommendations?

Stephen Coates

16th October 2022, 09:31

I had to buy some new headphones recently as my trusty old Sennheiser HD555 finally broke after a decade. I bought the HD559 as a replacement. They are very similar except they seem to have more bass, so I have to turn the bass down on the amp. But I read on a web page that you can modify the headphones to improve this. They also have a removable cable.

I also decided to try an active noise cancelling headphone. I went for the Sony "h.ear on" [such a weird name] WH-H910. That's one of the cheaper ones, and I got a good price on an unused one on ebay. The noise cancelling is very good, sound quality is very good, both wired and wireless, and they are comfortable for moderate lengths of time. They can get a bit uncomfortable after two or three hours. I think bigger ones would be better here.

The only problem with the Sonys is that while they work on the wired connection while turned off (so no noise cancellation), the sounds quality is absolutely crap. This means if the battery is dead, you can still listen to your music, but it will sound terrible.

I gather the XM3 and XM4 models are more comfortable and have better noise cancelling, but they are considerably more expensive.

Kin Hell

16th October 2022, 13:42

Sennheiser HD569's here. Ear pad has worn through after 24 months. :eyebrow:

Bright detailed sound. :thumbs:

Harrison

16th October 2022, 22:09

J T

17th October 2022, 23:17

I don't think I've ever had an expensive pair of headphones but I suppose it depends on judgement and discretion. I've had a a few that were pretty good, and also a number of cheap and crappy ones too.

I had some in-ears that were loud, and bassy, and I liked them for the types of music I listened to, and especially considering the cost.

Only recently have I found the convenience (but ever so slightly disappointing sound) of true wireless earbuds - I got some Samsung Galaxy buds free with my phone.

Harrison

18th October 2022, 00:05

I had been using the AKG (Harman) wired earbuds that came with my Samsung phone. They are bassy and have fairly sound good, but I kept getting annoyed with the cable getting tangled and caught up. The Sennheiser HD 250BT wireless headphones I got in last week's sale have so far been a good replacement for those. Sound is far better. Not bass. They are full headphones so I was a bit self conscious wearing them out walking the dog, but they are quite small for full headphones and lightweight. They have a pretty long battery life too. I'm happy with them just for walking the dog.

I'm still planning on buying some decent premium ones at some point though and still have my heart set on the new Sennheiser Momentum 4s. Especially as they have a 60 hour battery life and have received some great reviews for the audio quality which is said to be more neutral and open than the older version 3s.

However the new Sony XM5's have also received some good reviews for sound quality. And are meant to have thr best noise cancelling, alight that's not really a male or break feature for me. I might have to see if anywhere has them available to test in store. Maybe a Richersounds or John Lewis. So I can compare them.

Kin Hell

18th October 2022, 12:20

They're about £30 & not everywhere has them.....

Stephen Coates

18th October 2022, 12:32

Can you get replacement earpads? I still have some Sennheiser foldup headphones that are over 20 years old, but still heavy a great sound, but the earpads started to fall apart from she. Got some replacements in ebay.

@Steve. Those Sony's sound like they are active speakers so without the power you are just getting the unamplified audio.

I got some replacement pads on ebay a few years ago (came from China I think). They didn't cost too much. The foam wasn't as firm as the original Sennheiser foam, but it did the job OK.

The Sony headphones are designed to be used without being powered up, but the built in amp is obviously doing some equalisation as without being powered up they sound crap.

J T

18th October 2022, 20:43

They are full headphones so I was a bit self conscious wearing them out walking the dog,

ha ha I get that. I bought some cheap wireless ones (I guess they were full sized, or close to, as the 'cups' felt quite big) from Aldi that weren't bad once I fiddled with a bunch of sound settings on my phone - but I did find wearing them out and about, or even at my desk at work, made me feel like I was getting funny looks and I don't know why.... I suspect it was all in my head.

Demon Cleaner

18th November 2022, 14:31

I just bought 2 of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, one for me and one for the missus. We both need headphones mostly for traveling and my earbuds are not so comfy when using them for a longer period. She doesn't have any yet, only the ones which come with Apple devices. And the Bose are also not as big as many others.

Harrison

18th November 2022, 23:55

They look nice. I wasn't familiar with them, but reviews say their noisy cancelling is even better then the Sony XM5 which have won a lot of praise. And they are cheaper than the Sony and Sennheiser equivalents.

Harrison

1st December 2022, 08:26

I just picked up some wired Sony MDR-ZX310 headphones for Tom for Christmas to use with his tablet. My wife was moaning it was really annoying.

They had a lot of good reviews, and on Amazon UK they are currently half price at just £13.99. You can't go wrong at that price. And being only 10 years old I'm not worried how he treats them or how long they last. We decided on the red ones as a bit less boring. They also do them in black, white and blue.

1315

1316

I've just tested them out. They are quite small, and fold up for easy travel with the ear cups swivelling sideways. The cable is nice and long with a volume control along the cable. They adjust easily and for their size are surprisingly comfortable. And I must say for the price they have quite a nice sound with a decent level of bass.

If you are only after a cheap pair of wired headphones these are pretty good for the price. Ideal for children.

Demon Cleaner

9th December 2022, 14:18

I tried my headphones today for the first time and I think they are absolutely fantastic. They fit my ear perfectly, are light, not too big and the sound is amazing. Nice Bose app to use with, complete touch control on the right ear for volume, play/pause and song skip. You can even adjust the noise cancelation with the app from 0 to 10. Happy with them.

Harrison

9th December 2022, 17:24

I will definitely add those to my shortlist alongside the Sony and Sennheiser ones and try to give them all a demo before buying.

Harrison

25th February 2023, 01:11

I've still not got round to looking into buying some high end headphones yet.

But I'm actually using the cheap Sennheiser HD 250BT I bought last October quite a bit lately with my Steam Deck and phone. I've been very impressed with their sound quality and the amount of bass they produce. I only paid £25 for them which seemed cheap for the make. And actually forgot I bought them as a Lightning sale during a Prime day sale. I just checked and they are actually £60 full price, so it was quite a good bargain and it explains why they sound better that headphones that retail for £25.

Would definitely recommend these Sennheiser HD 250BT wireless bluetooth headphones to anyone looking for some lightweight ones that don't cost too much but still sound good. If you see them in a sale grab a pair.

Kin Hell

25th February 2023, 13:33

I went & treated myself to some Sennheiser HD600's.... (https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-UK/p/hd-600/)

WOW! - Huge improvement over the 569's. :thumbs:

Harrison

25th February 2023, 21:27

Nice. The HD600s have been around a few years haven't they? And used a lot in the music industry.

I get top annoyed with wired headphones that days so I'm sticking with wireless now. Especially now Bluetooth is much better then it used to be.

I've decided on the Sennheiser Momentum 4's when I have more money.

Kin Hell

26th February 2023, 11:30

Yes H, indeed they have. :thumbs:

RE Wireless.... I've never been a fan. :eyebrow:

Same for Wi-Fi, keyboards, mice etc.

Wireless causes LAG.... :shades:

Harrison

27th February 2023, 01:27

Regarding wireless, Bluetooth is far better than it use to be. The range is far greater and latency much less. But gaming mice, keyboards and controllers often have the option for 2.4Ghz RF instead that all but eliminates it due to far faster polling.

Kin Hell

27th February 2023, 12:23

RE Lag, check this out....

nVidia Reflex (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cXg7GQogAE) is very interesting.

You need at least a RTX3xxx series card & a 360Hz monitor.

Can't wait....

J T

27th February 2023, 21:08

Harrison

27th February 2023, 23:10

Interesting, but peddling 360Hz output and displays is just a ploy to sell more expensive hardware.

Did you know that in recent studies they have now proved the human retinal image has a maximum observable rate as 50–90 Hz. With the average person bring very close to 60 fps.

But a separate line of research has reported that fast eye movements known as saccades allow simple modulated LEDs to be observed at very high rates.

What it means is that the human eye can only see an average of 60fps, but that the brain can spot faster motion in our peripheral vision that we notice when it's not right. This is what is going on when games say it is much smoother at higher refresh rates. It isn't use watching the higher framerate, but instead tricking the brain into thinking its correct as motion moves quickly.

The study concluded that this observable high framerate in our periphery is up to 500Hz. But for gaming this is only really applicable to FPS games where the motion is very fast movement. I.e. multiplayer online fps games.

Kin Hell

2nd March 2023, 14:16

Wow fancy stuff. And here's me watching videos of people dicking about and using a printer as a display (https://youtu.be/U__7x_bshkM), or installing a gaming PC in a toilet (https://youtu.be/6YQgolEJNAQ) or using stupid things like kids toys, wiimotes, or Donkey Kong bongos as controllers

Loved the Gaming chair! :lol:

Interesting, but peddling 360Hz output and displays is just a ploy to sell more expensive hardware.

Did you know that in recent studies they have now proved the human retinal image has a maximum observable rate as 50–90 Hz. With the average person bring very close to 60 fps.

But a separate line of research has reported that fast eye movements known as saccades allow simple modulated LEDs to be observed at very high rates.

What it means is that the human eye can only see an average of 60fps, but that the brain can spot faster motion in our peripheral vision that we notice when it's not right. This is what is going on when games say it is much smoother at higher refresh rates. It isn't use watching the higher framerate, but instead tricking the brain into thinking its correct as motion moves quickly.

The study concluded that this observable high framerate in our periphery is up to 500Hz. But for gaming this is only really applicable to FPS games where the motion is very fast movement. I.e. multiplayer online fps games.

Possibly H & I wouldn't want to argue about it.

However, it's almost as bad as saying, "I cant see any difference between 60Hz & 120Hz". - Of course you can if you know what to look for. - I already know that 360Hz is going to scroll sideways much slicker than my 165Hz is currently.
Bring it on! :shades:

J T

2nd March 2023, 21:06

Undoubtedly it is better, but the questions really become 'how much better' followed by 'will it really make much difference to me' and then finally 'is it worth the extra ca$h'

As I am pretty bad at fast paced online shooty bang clicking-on-heads-simulators, i'm really not the target audience.

- - - Updated - - -

Wow fancy stuff. And here's me watching videos of people dicking about and using a printer as a display (https://youtu.be/U__7x_bshkM), or installing a gaming PC in a toilet (https://youtu.be/6YQgolEJNAQ) or using stupid things like kids toys, wiimotes, or Donkey Kong bongos as controllers

Loved the Gaming chair! :lol:

I also enjoyed when he installed a whole bunch of malware and then called tech support for help, stupid, pointless, yet amusing.

Stephen Coates

10th March 2023, 10:09

I'm rather liking using my Bluetooth headphones. The lack of a cable is actually quite nice. It sucks having to charge them though, and sometimes the Bluetooth connection drops when there's no audio for a period. I don't know if that is an issue with the headphones or an issue with Windows 7's bluetooth driver.

I'd happily upgrade to some better ones at some point, but I don't think I'd get one without an optional cable as not everything has Bluetooth.

As for what we can see... I'm currently using a CRT monitor at 60Hz and whilst the flicker is definitely perceivable, I don't really notice it. I notice the convergence and focus issues more as I think this particular monitor has seen better days.

Harrison

10th March 2023, 10:37

It would have surprised me more of you were not using a CRT. ;)

A lot of higher end headphones support both Bluetooth and wired. It's more likely the device or OS dropping the connection than the headphones. Never had an issue between My phone or most other device's and My headophones. But my car sometimes refused to connect to my phone. I actually have to turn the car off, wait until it's fully off, then restart it to reset the bluetooth.

Stephen Coates

10th March 2023, 13:09

Unfortunately my 24" LCD broke last year, and my 21" CRT conked out again a couple of years ago, and I haven't got round to repairing it yet. So, 17" CRT with intermittent fault to the rescue!

I really should get Linux installed on the laptop so I can try the Bluetooth headphones with that.

Harrison

10th March 2023, 15:25

Your Dell? That's a shame.

Stephen Coates

10th March 2023, 16:59

Yup, the U2410. It served me well for 11 years. I had wondered about upgrading before but decided not to as it was still such a good monitor. Unfortunately the LCD panel itself got cracked in an accident :(.

Harrison

11th March 2023, 16:48

Stephen Coates

12th March 2023, 09:57

I did have a look on ebay and saw some second hand U2410s going cheap, so I might pick one up, or I might wait a bit and see about upgrading to something newer.

Harrison

13th March 2023, 00:06

Also consider Sharp as they have been winning awards for their monitors and being good reviews for the last few years. They do some nice 1440 and 4k resolution monitors.

J T

13th March 2023, 20:36

I'm rather liking using my Bluetooth headphones. The lack of a cable is actually quite nice. It sucks having to charge them though, and sometimes the Bluetooth connection drops when there's no audio for a period. I don't know if that is an issue with the headphones or an issue with Windows 7's bluetooth driver.

I'd happily upgrade to some better ones at some point, but I don't think I'd get one without an optional cable as not everything has Bluetooth.

I got my first pair of true wireless earbuds almost 2 years ago. Before that I'd had one of the 'earbuds wired to a little neckband'

It's really nice having zero wires and they're pretty good for video calls too. But I have come close to losing them a couple of times.

I also have a cheap set of aldi 'over ear' wireless headphones. It took a lot of messing about with EQ to get a sound that I was happy with - but they were very cheap.

Stephen Coates

22nd June 2023, 11:53

My U2711 is still my main monitor as it has such good colour accuracy for photo editing. And still great for 1440p resolution too. Plus the legacy connections come in useful.

You can still pick up a lot of u2410's secondhand. Under £60.

I just got a used U2410 on eBay for about £45. Turns out to have a slight blemish on it but its only noticeable on really dark screens. Not bad for the price, given how much they were new. I've been using a ThinkPad with a 14" 1920x1080 screen and a 17" Trinitron on my main machine, so its nice to be able to see things again without eye strain! :cool: