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Looking For A Good Pair of Headphones

K

kgphotos

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
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Hi all.

I am in the market to upgrade to headphones. I currently have AirPods Pro 2 I find them uncomfortable to wear. Earbuds just don't work well with my ears. So I would like a good quality over ear headphone. Things I am looking for:

Bluetooth

Good Noise Canceling. Would like to be able to control how much would be a plus.

Excellent Sound Quality

Compatibility with Apple- iOS and Mac.

Microphone Quality- being able to use Siri, take phone calls, use on zoom, etc.

I don't like really huge earpads. I have a small head. I know larger ear pads help with ANC, but can deal with that.

Comfort.

With that said, I have found 2 that I am interested in, the Sony WH1000XM4 and the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra Headphones.

Recommendations on the these or other headphones would be great!

Thanks!
 
The XM4 pretty much leads the pack in terms of the combo of ANC and sound quality, but you will not be getting the best out of them with an iPhone, since Apple doesn't support AptX/LDAC.

Given that, the Max might be the best default bet - it laughably doesn't support actual high-fidelity codecs given the price tag, but with an iPhone, compared to the above it arguably doesn't matter, and you get the worthwhile conveniences of being in the Apple ecosystem, rock-solid connections thanks to the H1's, good ANC, etc etc.

I'm the opposite - I can't stand headphones for any length of time (even my Orpheus gets used probably 4 hours a year, much value) so I use wireless earphones pretty much everywhere (and keep Airpods exclusive to my Apple devices).

Another still-portable earphone option if you find no earphone fits you well may be a pair of custom-fit IEM's. They're designed to tightly seal around your specific ear canal and stay there for long periods - these are what stage performers use these days for example, and they're custom fitted to your canal by visiting an audiologist and an ear cast. There's no ANC (which means droning noises aren't cancelled out) but there is a very high degree of passive isolation, since they're effectively earplugs. I use the JH13's - often with a Fiio jacked Bluetooth headset converter - when I'm wearing customs but there's a huge variety of custom phones, both much lower and higher. Many of these also now ship with a semi-industry-standard earbud-to-cable connector, for which things like Bluetooth neckband cables are available.
 
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seggy said:
The XM4 pretty much leads the pack in terms of the combo of ANC and sound quality, but you will not be getting the best out of them with an iPhone, since Apple doesn't support AptX/LDAC.

Given that, the Max might be the best default bet - it laughably doesn't support actual high-fidelity codecs given the price tag, but with an iPhone, compared to the above it arguably doesn't matter, and you get the worthwhile conveniences of being in the Apple ecosystem, rock-solid connections thanks to the H1's, good ANC, etc etc.

I'm the opposite - I can't stand headphones for any length of time (even my Orpheus gets used probably 4 hours a year, much value) so I use wireless earphones pretty much everywhere (and keep Airpods exclusive to my Apple devices).

Another still-portable earphone option if you find no earphone fits you well may be a pair of custom-fit IEM's. They're designed to tightly seal around your specific ear canal and stay there for long periods - these are what stage performers use these days for example, and they're custom fitted to your canal by visiting an audiologist and an ear cast. There's no ANC (which means droning noises aren't cancelled out) but there is a very high degree of passive isolation, since they're effectively earplugs. I use the JH13's - often with a Fiio jacked Bluetooth headset converter - when I'm wearing customs but there's a huge variety of custom phones, both much lower and higher. Many of these also now ship with a semi-industry-standard earbud-to-cable connector, for which things like Bluetooth neckband cables are available.
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Appreciate the info. Thank you! Yea, it seems like the Bose is more Apple friendly.
 
I wasn't taking about the Bose - I was talking about the Airpods Max, if that wasn't clear. The Bose offers nothing really overall over the Sony.
 
I would think you know far more about your purely subjective SQ than a group of parties unknown to you. Why not note what you like, and don't like, in SQ and perhaps people can better guide you. When I saw Bluetooth and excellent sound quality mentioned I assumed SQ is not a significant criteria.
 
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Ray2 said:
When I saw Bluetooth and excellent sound quality mentioned I assumed SQ is not a significant criteria.
Click to expand...
Not in the Apple sphere since again, no LDAC/AptX support. Which is why I suggested the Airpod Max's instead. Why not go with 'eh, good enough' and remain fully in the convenient Apple ecosystem?
 
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Corefile said:
Plenty of shots on Amazon for under 40 bucks. E.g. Sound Blaster JAM V2.
Click to expand...
Considering OP has essentially clarified their budget by mentioning Sony WH1000XM4 and the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra, I doubt they're going to be interested in some $40 sh*t from Sound Blaster.

Personally I would go for the Sony. But...they have a V-shaped audio curve, which may not be an issue and can be corrected with EQ anyway, but worth mentioning.
 
MajorFubar said:
Considering OP has essentially clarified their budget by mentioning Sony WH1000XM4 and the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra, I doubt they're going to be interested in some $40 sh*t from Sound Blaster.
Click to expand...
Buy 2 pairs then to stay in budget.
 
I think that OP missed the most important part: what the headphones are for?
There are different types for
1. Gaming
2. Music
3. Business calls
4. Studio work.

As I do mostly the studio work (FCP and Logic), I need studio headphones (ATH M40, 20x and 20xBT). None of them has noise cancelling because they are used for studio work. For business calls, I use Air Pods pro 2 USB-C, and for casual listening I actually bought Edifiier NB820NB noise canceling phones which are actually priced reasonable and very enjoyable. I sold my Air Max, but may consider Air Max USB_C if they come out later this year.
 
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Thanks everyone. The headphones are just for general audio listening. I have Sony professional headphones for when I do serious audio work. I ended up going with the Bose. Gotta say they are great for my needs.
 
I’ve been very happy with the performance of the various Bose Quiet Comfort but a bit disappointed with long term durability. They need to replaced every 3-4 years due to some failure of some sort. But I do keep coming back since their newest model always seem to have something worthwhile. But if you are looking for something to last 10 years, you might be better off with something else.
 
kgphotos said:
Thanks everyone. The headphones are just for general audio listening. I have Sony professional headphones for when I do serious audio work. I ended up going with the Bose. Gotta say they are great for my needs.
Click to expand...
Even though this post is 3 weeks old:

Please remember that head phones can't give you a good stereo image. It only gives you a left-right experience. But when you do audio-work you need to edit your stereo-image with speakers. Not with speakers pointed at your ears, but they should cross their sound at about one meter in front of you.

Why?

Because in real you will hear sounds from one side or the other coming into your one ear first, then the sound flows around your head to enter the other ear. When using headphones you only receive information of each channel either left or right. This is no stereo but left-right-mumbo. You can however in your daw let some of the left or right channel spil over to the other side to mimic stereo.
provided the recording was done in stereo. And not in multiple mono.....
 
lemonkid said:
Even though this post is 3 weeks old:

Please remember that head phones can't give you a good stereo image. It only gives you a left-right experience. But when you do audio-work you need to edit your stereo-image with speakers. Not with speakers pointed at your ears, but they should cross their sound at about one meter in front of you.

Why?

Because in real you will hear sounds from one side or the other coming into your one ear first, then the sound flows around your head to enter the other ear. When using headphones you only receive information of each channel either left or right. This is no stereo but left-right-mumbo. You can however in your daw let some of the left or right channel spil over to the other side to mimic stereo.
provided the recording was done in stereo. And not in multiple mono.....
Click to expand...
Cross their sound at about one meter in front of you?

You might want to research that a bit more.
 
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BrianBaughn said:

proper speaker placement at DuckDuckGo

duckduckgo.com duckduckgo.com
Click to expand...
Yea yea yea

I really don't go for that. You need to be more specific. I have been working years and years in a professional audio environment. I have such an interest in proper sounding audio, that I visited the guy who brought the very first stereo equipment to the market, Emory Cook, at his home. And asked him why in his first recordings on rainy night across New York's railroad tracks, you don't hear trains going from left to right or visa versa but trains coming TOWARDS you.
Well the answer was as clear as I always heard from people who have laid there heart in recording and reproduction of sound: STEREO IS NO LEFT RIGHT MUMBO.

To listen to stereo you need to create a sound stage. And most people at home do not sit right at the fireline of their tweeters, but walk around, sit around and do things. If you want a one man show stereo experience with just one person being able to listen to the 'perfect sound' well go ahead. But if you want a better performance then you should listen a little 'off axis' while working on it, just as people at home do. Because the higher tones tend to degrade when you're not sitting in the tweeter fire of the speaker. So when you produce sound you should produce something that also sounds good when moving around in the room away from the speakers.

A sound stage is not created by chirping tweeters on your ears. But is the result of direct sound and it's reflections.
 
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Bluetooth and excellent sound quality are not very good friends.
I have the mx3 from sony and sound quality is pretty bad, I just use them for the office, zoom, etc while working as noise cancelling is okey (but compromises even more the sound quality)

At home, I use a pair of Meze Audio 99 classics (wired) and they sound 10 times better than the Sony.

It also depends on the type of music you want to ear. For hip-hop or bass related genres the sony are ok, for rock or metal they are terrible (mid frequencies are really weak)
 
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lemonkid said:
Please remember that head phones can't give you a good stereo image. It only gives you a left-right experience.
Click to expand...
This really is not true at all. If that's been your experience you are either deaf in one ear or you've only heard really bad headphones. The depth, width and 3D immersion that really good headphones (especially openback) can deliver when playing well-recorded, expertly-produced audio, is second to only sitting in the hot-spot in front of high-end studio-grade speakers in a sound-treated room. Shut your eyes and you're in the concert-hall. If you've not experienced this, man you've missed out on one of the best experiences you can have in life with your clothes on. Buy some good headphones already!
 
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MajorFubar said:
This really is not true at all. If that's been your experience you are either deaf in one ear or you've only heard really bad headphones. The depth, width and 3D immersion that really good headphones (especially openback) can deliver when playing well-recorded, expertly-produced audio, is second to only sitting in the hot-spot in front of high-end studio-grade speakers in a sound-treated room. Shut your eyes and you're in the concert-hall. If you've not experienced this, man you've missed out on one of the best experiences you can have in life with your clothes on. Buy some good headphones already!
Click to expand...
if a left - right experience with artificial 3D is your thing, then please go ahead.

And in the meantime while listening with your eyes closed, just ask yourself why many years ago the audio Industry came up with the ideaidea to record with an artificial head. With microphones fit in the artificial ears. Could it be that this way they wanted to make stereo recording especially for headphones? Even though the resulting sound has limitations because close miking is limited, the stereo effect is very good. But in this case only on headphones, not on speakers.
The stereo effect is the result in this case from the sound that is 'wrapping' itself around the artificial head, and reaches the microphones in the ears, just as it would around a human head. The time differences with which these sounds reach your ears cause the stereo effect.
Only with this method you can get a good stereo sound on headphones. There are also recording made especially to be listened to with headphones. Mostly made with a plug-in in the DAW, in which low level sound from the left is directed to the right with a little delay, and visa versa. But I regard this as artificial.

(You can also get some sort of stereo or 3D EFFECT with mono microphone sounds placed somewhere in between your loudspeakers using your DAW to placed them, instead of recording them with stereo or 3d mikes, and chirping tweeters aimed at your ears.)

And then you can open your eyes again and read how to make stereo recordings that are fit to be played on headphones.

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/introduction-binaural-recording
 
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