I have a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 15s and am looking for an upgrade. I listen to all genres of music, mainly rock, classical, and alternative, but i occasionally throw in the Dubstep or Rap. I don't exactly have a price range, but i don't want any suggestions that are 1000 bucks or anything, and they have to be compatible with a 3.5mm jack. Please leave your suggestions
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Best Headphones?
- Thread starter Geabus1043
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to you want ear buds, super aural or ciurcum aural (I think I got those right)
and regardless of any of that I would recommend AKG
I've had K301's (over 12 years old now) and now have Q701's which are massive studio headphones, and they are incredible, but the 701's need a while to break in.
I also have a set of Q460's which are smaller on ear headphones, also fantastic, especially considering they can out perform many larger headphones imo, they also have in in line mic and volume controls suited for an iPhone, they also fold up and come with a nice case
I can't specifically recommend any earbuds 'cause I don't have any at the moment but I've heard good things about AKG's Q350's and as you've seen above have had good experience with AKG thus far.
side note AKG's Q series are essentially a special edition line, and vary very little from their K series counterparts, excluding the mic on the 460's (afaik)
and regardless of any of that I would recommend AKG
I've had K301's (over 12 years old now) and now have Q701's which are massive studio headphones, and they are incredible, but the 701's need a while to break in.
I also have a set of Q460's which are smaller on ear headphones, also fantastic, especially considering they can out perform many larger headphones imo, they also have in in line mic and volume controls suited for an iPhone, they also fold up and come with a nice case
I can't specifically recommend any earbuds 'cause I don't have any at the moment but I've heard good things about AKG's Q350's and as you've seen above have had good experience with AKG thus far.
side note AKG's Q series are essentially a special edition line, and vary very little from their K series counterparts, excluding the mic on the 460's (afaik)
Your Bose is like $300 so I am assuming you are willing to spend more than that for an upgrade. For headphones in the $300+ range they typically need an amp. The AKG K/Q701 certainly needs one (though it isn't well rounded enough for your needs). What you should be looking for is something like a Sennheiser HD650 with a dedicated headphone amp. Maybe a cheaper one like Fiio etc.
I know the 701's are better with an amp, but I have driven them straight from my iPhone and they still sound great, running out of my MBP I can even hear some compression artefacts from my iTunes library, and out of my MBox 2 pro they sound stellar
and the 701's aren't that-not-well rounded (poor grammar much ) they are open backed but imo it's easier to move around in public if you can hear a bit of what's going on, the only thing is most people think they are light on bass, but clean bass is better than exaggerated bass imowow didn't mean to sound so defensive of them lol, just speaking from experience
I am just pointing out some of the common complaints about the K701 (and its siblings). 1) It is very analytical which will allow you to hear everything. Sometimes you don't want to hear everything if the source is not great. 2) It has a huge sound stage and lacks bass impact which makes it good for classical etc but poor for rock etc. 3) It requires a decent amp despite its low impedance.
Obviously good/bad is relative. If you only have the K701 even unamped, playing genre it isn't good at, it will probably still sound "good".
Obviously good/bad is relative. If you only have the K701 even unamped, playing genre it isn't good at, it will probably still sound "good".
Well geez it's kinda hard if you don't have a budget. Since you used CQ15 and don't want 1000 dollar options, I'll just assume the budget is around 500 total and I'll assume you'd like a decent amount of bass.
For that you can get:
Open box Denon D5000 + Fiio E17 (closed can with very well extending bass-- somewhat recessed midrange and not airy)
Hifman HE-400 + Fiio E17 (good all arounder open backed planar magnetic with solid bass)
Ultrasone Pro900 + Fiio E17 (closed backed with lots of bass)
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohm + Fiio E9 (open back with emphasized bass and treble)
AKG701 I'd probably stay away from because it lacks a lot of bass if you're coming from CQ15. IF you're looking for a portable alternative I'd get some Sennheiser Amperiors or Beyerdynamic DT1350.
For that you can get:
Open box Denon D5000 + Fiio E17 (closed can with very well extending bass-- somewhat recessed midrange and not airy)
Hifman HE-400 + Fiio E17 (good all arounder open backed planar magnetic with solid bass)
Ultrasone Pro900 + Fiio E17 (closed backed with lots of bass)
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohm + Fiio E9 (open back with emphasized bass and treble)
AKG701 I'd probably stay away from because it lacks a lot of bass if you're coming from CQ15. IF you're looking for a portable alternative I'd get some Sennheiser Amperiors or Beyerdynamic DT1350.
yeh good point, hearing compression artefacts is cool but it gets annoying, but still I think there is more bass than most people give them credit for, 3 Doors Down sounds great, and even really bassy stuff sounds good, but all that said and done, I still can't believe how they shined when I put on some classical 24/96 and I don't even like classical music
Im kinda a nub when it comes to open backed headphones, i know what it means but don't know the features. What is the advantage of opened vs closed backed, and also i hear that open backed leaks sound like crazy and doesn't offer the best noise cancelation, which is something i kinda like about the bose. Thanks
First you'll want to consider if you'll ever use this upgrade on the go at any time or if it's for purely home use, and what percentage that is. If it's a low percentage for portable use, you may just want to use the CQ15 for portable use while keeping whatever upgrade you choose as home use.
Open backed headphones are just that-- open backed. They both leak a lot of sound and let a lot of sound in. However, they're usually better sounding than closed backs, because they don't have to deal with damping and resonance problems that arise with closed back headphones. Think of it as a pair of speakers playing in a square room vs playing outside-- outside will sound better and be void of any resonances the room has that would otherwise affect their sound.
It's hard to get the same type of bass extension from an open headphone than a closed headphone because low bass can't pressurize the small, sealed space between your ears and the headphone. However I recommended 3 that do a great job at reproducing good, quality and extended bass.
Open backed headphones are just that-- open backed. They both leak a lot of sound and let a lot of sound in. However, they're usually better sounding than closed backs, because they don't have to deal with damping and resonance problems that arise with closed back headphones. Think of it as a pair of speakers playing in a square room vs playing outside-- outside will sound better and be void of any resonances the room has that would otherwise affect their sound.
It's hard to get the same type of bass extension from an open headphone than a closed headphone because low bass can't pressurize the small, sealed space between your ears and the headphone. However I recommended 3 that do a great job at reproducing good, quality and extended bass.
I don't have a use at home for these headphones, i travel a lot so i would be bringing them around and noise cancelation would be key, how about the Beyerdynamic T 70 p? They look nice and they are closed back for isolation and they won't leak. Thoughts?
Scullcandy Aviators it's what I rock and the best pair I have ever owned in the over the ear style.
Open back headphones will give you the best sound for the money. Close back headphones of equal sound quality will cost about double. But they can spill sound into any open mic so you can't use them for recording. They don't work well for listening in a noisy environment either. the best of these, I think is the AKG K240. Sweetwater sells then for $99 and they are as good as MUCH more expensive closed headphones. But they leak sound in both directions. But then these are the #1 most used headphones by recording engineers and have been the standard for decades.
Good closed headphones start at about $200
Don't bother with Bose. unless you plan to use them on an airplane. In that one case they are OK.
What you will find is that you will want at least three or four different pair. There is no "best headphone".
My preference is for Shure SRH940s. They are not noise canceling, but they are closed. They have a decent sound stage for closed backs and don't require an amp. They are analytical, but that is my preference. I am not a fan of over-emphasized bass because it often buries things I want to hear. I also love the K701s, but I think they sound a lot better with the right amp.
If you just want a good pair of closed headphones that are more forgiving, have more bass, and don't need an amp, I would suggest the ATH M50s.
If you just want a good pair of closed headphones that are more forgiving, have more bass, and don't need an amp, I would suggest the ATH M50s.
Grado SR60i will make you happy
This is a great sounding headphone and I just got one a month ago for only $80. You hear things in the music you don't hear with other headphones that cost considerably more. They sound amazing with the EQ OFF
This is a great sounding headphone and I just got one a month ago for only $80. You hear things in the music you don't hear with other headphones that cost considerably more. They sound amazing with the EQ OFF