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Best headphones for the money.

bigdog5142 said:
They let you use Bluetooth just fine...used them while flying just last week.

...and you really need to be an audiophile in order to distinguish the difference in music like that. That's fine if you can distinguish that...but for most people, Bluetooth is great.
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Interesting. Every flight I've been on requires you to have your mobile devices in "Airplane Mode" for the entire flight, which tends to make wireless headphones nonfunctional.

I AM an audiophile, or I wouldn't have my music encoded at 320k. If you're willing to spend $300 on a set of headphones, you're not "most people"!
 
Eric5964 said:
I have multiple wireless sets in Beats, Bose, Sony, and Parrot Zik. Beat in the new Solo 2 wireless, the Studio wirless, the older original solo wirless, and the new Powerbeats. Have both wireless Bose sets...new one is actually very good....so ridiculously light, great travel pair. All pretty decent, but most, except for the newer Beats models do not have strong enough volume for me. Bose are good, but just not a bold enough sound for me. When you want some volume, nothing compares to the wireless Beats Studo...I've tried them all. Sony is soft. Zik has nice features and good sound, just not big sound...which is what I like. Again, it's a very personal experience for each of us. Definitely not a one size fits all.

EricE
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My real problem with the Bose sound link on-ear is they don't stay on the ear when bending over or head movement in a quick fashion. And I agree they don't have the audio capacity of the studio wireless. Hope to see what Bose does on the over-the-ear sound link refresh in a couple months.
 
bigdog5142 said:
They let you use Bluetooth just fine...used them while flying just last week.

...and you really need to be an audiophile in order to distinguish the difference in music like that. That's fine if you can distinguish that...but for most people, Bluetooth is great.
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My powerbeats2 wireless sound significantly better than any equivalent earbuds I have had at any price point. Bluetooth is great.
 
KenB said:
Interesting. Every flight I've been on requires you to have your mobile devices in "Airplane Mode" for the entire flight, which tends to make wireless headphones nonfunctional.

I AM an audiophile, or I wouldn't have my music encoded at 320k. If you're willing to spend $300 on a set of headphones, you're not "most people"!
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Makes sense. # However, I don't spend "my money" on the headphones. Christmas/birthdays bring in some extra spending money...and that's when I splurge a bit on things I wouldn't normally buy myself. Thus the Powerbeats 2.

On airplanes...they do ask that you put your phone in airplane mode...but they allow wifi and Bluetooth...the airplane mode turns off the cellular radio, which is what they're most concerned with. That has changed within the last year. You also don't have to put away tablets/phones for takeoff/landing, either. You just have to put away large electronics (laptops, etc).
 
It's hard to take any response seriously when it mentions Beats having any sort of quality in build or performance.

Beats are for kids. Beats = marketing genius, but for anyone serious about audio, Beats = junk.

$30 Sennheiser earbuds blow $99 Beats earbuds out of the water any day, and this pattern repeats itself in any category.

If you're buying headphones to send your kids to school with, get em Beats.. you want quality sound and good design, avoid Beats
 
My approach for headphones is a little different. First I try them on to see if they are comfortable and only then plug them in. For me, this weeds out about 90% of them, as they are either too tight or don't fit my ears (or both). For some reason, out of the 20 or so I have tried, Bose over-the-ears are about the best fit for me. Parrot Zik is close too.
 
Status Audio HD Ones - $46

Status Audio

Go read the reviews compared to the Solo 2 and it blows it away. People don't know about Status Audio but they will.....
 
shenan1982 said:
It's hard to take any response seriously when it mentions Beats having any sort of quality in build or performance.

Beats are for kids. Beats = marketing genius, but for anyone serious about audio, Beats = junk.

$30 Sennheiser earbuds blow $99 Beats earbuds out of the water any day, and this pattern repeats itself in any category.

If you're buying headphones to send your kids to school with, get em Beats.. you want quality sound and good design, avoid Beats
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You are incorrect. But lets see how many bluetooth active noise cancelling overear headphones you can list that are better. Ill bet not more than 2.
 
shenan1982 said:
It's hard to take any response seriously when it mentions Beats having any sort of quality in build or performance.

Beats are for kids. Beats = marketing genius, but for anyone serious about audio, Beats = junk.

$30 Sennheiser earbuds blow $99 Beats earbuds out of the water any day, and this pattern repeats itself in any category.

If you're buying headphones to send your kids to school with, get em Beats.. you want quality sound and good design, avoid Beats
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Beats are marketing genius and most of the inflated cost is to cover marketing and profits. The newer Beats however have focused more on a complete sound and less on the Lows. They also look sexy as hell for headphones. Audiophiles have taken a second look and have commented on this in newer reviews.

They are worth a second look if you are open minded and not the type to form an opinion once and keep that opinion forever.
 
Black Magic said:
Beats are marketing genius and most of the inflated cost is to cover marketing and profits. The newer Beats however have focused more on a complete sound and less on the Lows. They also look sexy as hell for headphones. Audiophiles have taken a second look and have commented on this in newer reviews.

They are worth a second look if you are open minded and not the type to form an opinion once and keep that opinion forever.
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There has only been a slight design change. I was actually in the apple store yesterday. They're still plasticy and feel cheap. That's my opinion. Apple may have touched the surface on sound quality, but it'd be like Apple buying HP and updating the specs but keeping the plastic frames.. there's a LONG way to go before they can play with the pros.

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boast said:
You are incorrect. But lets see how many bluetooth active noise cancelling overear headphones you can list that are better. Ill bet not more than 2.
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Right, because bluetooth and noise canceling are a market Bose has held for years and years. It's not a big market for one, and it's one where Bose has held it because they do it well.

Bluetooth and top-notch sound quality have never been attributes that go well together, nor have they been a focus for most companies.

I think it's funny how people buy Bose or Beats over the ears for travel. I fly international 2 weeks a month, and I can't imagine having to tote around the Bose case and accessories and worry about recharging etc. That case alone takes up 20% of the interior volume of a standard 22" roller suitcase (the maximum size allowed by domestic and most international carriers). If you take a pair of high quality wired isolation or noise canceling earbuds, they take up less than 1% of the space, even with a carrying pouch.

Real travelers don't like those big over the head Bose\Beats because of the hassle to carry them. The ones that love em are the ones that go on vacation once or twice a year, or the occasional business traveler, which is why they advertise in airline magazines.
 
shenan1982 said:
It's hard to take any response seriously when it mentions Beats having any sort of quality in build or performance.

Beats are for kids. Beats = marketing genius, but for anyone serious about audio, Beats = junk.

$30 Sennheiser earbuds blow $99 Beats earbuds out of the water any day, and this pattern repeats itself in any category.

If you're buying headphones to send your kids to school with, get em Beats.. you want quality sound and good design, avoid Beats
Click to expand...

And here come the Beats haters. The best way to decide on what is good for YOU is to try them. If Beats sounds the best then there is no need to bash them. It seems like a cult of haters roam the net.
 

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whsbuss said:
And here come the Beats haters. The best way to decide on what is good for YOU is to try them. If Beats sounds the best then there is no need to bash them. It seems like a cult of haters roam the net.
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It's not about hate... it's about sound quality and build quality. Apple haters hate on Apple because they can't justify the premium, but as an Apple fan, I can because I get performance quality, and build quality I don't get with the competition. This is not the case with Beats... so they have an Apple price-tag, but HP\Dell performance and build quality.

Not sure how anyone can defend that one. It's like saying if Kia and Porsche both charged the same thing, that you can defend the Kia as a good product. Sure it might be a good product, but not in the same league as Porsche.

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the doctor11 said:
i really love these! They're great!
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lol...
 
shenan1982 said:
Bluetooth and top-notch sound quality have never been attributes that go well together, nor have they been a focus for most companies.
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Exactly. BT works well if the output device is already constrained by size, etc. to mediocre sound quality. I love my SoundLink BT speaker for that reason, but if I am using my Bose L-1 Compact, I connect it via wires. Good quality headphones are capable of producing the full range of sound that the human ear can hear. BlueTooth is not capable of transmitting it, however.

shenan1982 said:
Real travelers don't like those big over the head Bose\Beats because of the hassle to carry them. The ones that love em are the ones that go on vacation once or twice a year, or the occasional business traveler, which is why they advertise in airline magazines.
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I just upgraded from the original Bose Quiet Comfort over-the-ear headphones, and that is EXACTLY why I bought the QC20i ear buds instead of the QC25 over-the-ear, which were very comfortable, and sound great. I can fit the earbuds in a pocket, instead of packing an extra case around.
 
I can agree about build quality of the Beats. But Bose is not much better. I had the SoundLink on-ear and they felt cheep IMO. For me it's all about the sound. I enjoy good bass (not the old Beats sound) along with mids. I have a unique position where I can evaluate electronics for weeks at a time.

The best sounding for me were the Beats studio wireless followed by the New Bose on-ear. As much as I liked the QC20 I hated that dongle at the end of the cable. I'm hoping to try the Bose refresh of the SoundLink over ear.
 
whsbuss said:
I can agree about build quality of the Beats. But Bose is not much better. I had the SoundLink on-ear and they felt cheep IMO. For me it's all about the sound. I enjoy good bass (not the old Beats sound) along with mids. I have a unique position where I can evaluate electronics for weeks at a time.

The best sounding for me were the Beats studio wireless followed by the New Bose on-ear. As much as I liked the QC20 I hated that dongle at the end of the cable. I'm hoping to try the Bose refresh of the SoundLink over ear.
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My original QC1's still work fine, and I've had them for over 10 years. The fabric inside one of them has gone missing, but other than that, they look and perform the same as when they were new. I also have a set of Bose 301 Series II bookshelf speakers that date back to my service days, circa 1990. They still perform perfectly. My long term experience with these two products has given me confidence in purchasing newer products from Bose.
 
I thought this was a place to share opinions and get different takes on accessories and Apple products. Apparently this thread has become a place for some to assert their perceived superiority by their apparent professional opinion.

Geez. :rolleyes:
 
I really like my Sennheiser Momentum On Ear. You get a lot of highs and mids. The Beats aren't very balance. The Momentum are made with Alcantara which is very soft and very well made. The On-ear comes with two carrying cases (hard and soft). The Momentum Over Ear are a step up from the On-ear. The Over Ear are more isolated than the Beats and Momentum On Ear.

I went with the Momentum On Ear because I have the Shure SRH840 and wanted something smaller.. The Shure SRH440 are also nice. They have a nice balance and are priced nicely.


In Ear go with Shure SE315 or SE215.
 
mofunk said:
I really like my Sennheiser Momentum On Ear. You get a lot of highs and mids. The Beats aren't very balance. The Momentum are made with Alcantara which is very soft and very well made. The On-ear comes with two carrying cases (hard and soft). The Momentum Over Ear are a step up from the On-ear. The Over Ear are more isolated than the Beats and Momentum On Ear.

I went with the Momentum On Ear because I have the Shure SRH840 and wanted something smaller.. The Shure SRH440 are also nice. They have a nice balance and are priced nicely.


In Ear go with Shure SE315 or SE215.
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Good recommendations. I like the over-ears, but the sound is not much different to the on-ears - the price difference covers the premium material (leather pads, metal remote etc), the drivers are the same. Much better sound than the B&W P5 and a world apart from the P3.
 
shenan1982 said:
There has only been a slight design change. I was actually in the apple store yesterday. They're still plasticy and feel cheap. That's my opinion. Apple may have touched the surface on sound quality, but it'd be like Apple buying HP and updating the specs but keeping the plastic frames.. there's a LONG way to go before they can play with the pros.

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Right, because bluetooth and noise canceling are a market Bose has held for years and years. It's not a big market for one, and it's one where Bose has held it because they do it well.

Bluetooth and top-notch sound quality have never been attributes that go well together, nor have they been a focus for most companies.

I think it's funny how people buy Bose or Beats over the ears for travel. I fly international 2 weeks a month, and I can't imagine having to tote around the Bose case and accessories and worry about recharging etc. That case alone takes up 20% of the interior volume of a standard 22" roller suitcase (the maximum size allowed by domestic and most international carriers). If you take a pair of high quality wired isolation or noise canceling earbuds, they take up less than 1% of the space, even with a carrying pouch.

Real travelers don't like those big over the head Bose\Beats because of the hassle to carry them. The ones that love em are the ones that go on vacation once or twice a year, or the occasional business traveler, which is why they advertise in airline magazines.
Click to expand...

I've travelled for years with the Bose QC3's. They're nice on the ear noise cancelling, but not the best sound. I was consideirng the new QC25 over the ear. They fit very well, and fold up to a footprint with a seemingly smaller case than the QC3 on-ear. Sound is still so-so, but portability is not as much of an issue as in the past.

I've had the Zik's and like their sound. They are a bit bulky to travel with and I've found I really don't need the bluetooth afterall. Great idea but I've experienced drop-outs, reduced sound quality, and increased battery drain on my phone. I've decided that I'd rather go with a higher quality corded set with portability. Probably something like the Seinheisser Momentums or the AKG K551's. Not sure, I'm still doing my own investigations as well. I was surprised to see that Best Buy had many choices of mid to high tier quality cans in their Magnolia section of the store. You can't find them up where the Bose or Beats are.

There I tried PSB's, Senheisser, B&O, B&W, AKG's.

Z
 
Zandian said:
I've travelled for years with the Bose QC3's. They're nice on the ear noise cancelling, but not the best sound. I was consideirng the new QC25 over the ear. They fit very well, and fold up to a footprint with a seemingly smaller case than the QC3 on-ear.
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They're basically the same size... SLIGHT (very slight) improvement on portability.
 
shenan1982 said:
They're basically the same size... SLIGHT (very slight) improvement on portability.
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Slight improvement in portability but you get an over the ear instead of an on-ear which usually runs significantly larger.

Z

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I'm waiting for these to be announced for the U.S. at CES:

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/over-ear-headphones

I think the new Momentum Wireless may be the ticket for me. Over the Ear, they fold up, noise cancellation and you can go wired or wireless.

Though have to see and hear the specifics once they roll out.

Z
 
Zandian said:
Slight improvement in portability but you get an over the ear instead of an on-ear which usually runs significantly larger.

Z

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I'm waiting for these to be announced for the U.S. at CES:

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/over-ear-headphones

I think the new Momentum Wireless may be the ticket for me. Over the Ear, they fold up, noise cancellation and you can go wired or wireless.

Though have to see and hear the specifics once they roll out.

Z
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Gosh those are huge... but Sennheiser's sound always blows bose out of the water, so likely they'll be worth it.

Going to Germany this weekend, shall I pick you up a pair? LOL
 
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