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And I want a pony, a solid gold bust of myself, and world peace!

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Being that I’m looking for a nice set of around-the-ears headphones that are extremely comfortable for all day wear, sound great, and are cheap, I might as well go whole hog.

Anyone have any suggestions? Seems like all the cheap headphones either sound like a tin can or pinch your head. I’d love some of those Monster Beats / Dr. Dre headphones, they sound great, but $250 is stooooopid unless I’m going to be in a studio.

posted @ 5/25/2011 12:39:37 PM

Comments

Gregory Morris says:

on 5/25/2011 1:11:24 PM

I've been using a Motorola S9 for the last few months out here, both for listening to music and as a bluetooth headset for Skype. It works great, sounds decent, although not as good as some of the higher-end ones. The sound quality seems to be a bit lower (and not in stereo) when you are using it as a phone headset. The battery life isn't a problem for me because I only use it for about 3-4 hours at a time, and never run out of juice. If you need longer life, then the S9 won't work.

It is comfortable, for me at least, although some of my coworkers who have a pair don't like them.

The only problem you might encounter is that since it is bluetooth, you can't plug it in to your Sony Walkman to listen to your Duran Duran mix tape.

Robb Allen says:

on 5/25/2011 1:15:00 PM

Sadly... I have lots of Duran Duran in my music library.

And corded is another must have. I'll be listening for hours and hours on end. I don't want to have to worry about dead batteries or recharging.

bluntobject says:

on 5/25/2011 1:15:14 PM

Would a pair of Grado SR60s fit your criteria?

freddyboomboom says:

on 5/25/2011 1:16:41 PM

At this one place I worked, they bought a lot of Sennheiser brand headphones for the animators.

I bought a Sennheiser headset for use at home, and have been happy wearing it for multiple hours.

wyvern says:

on 5/25/2011 1:23:01 PM

If you're looking for sealed headphones, the Audio Technica ATH-M50 is a good choice at the $130-150 price range.

Monte says:

on 5/25/2011 1:48:22 PM

I'd "+1" the Grado SR60s, if they were around-the-ear. Perhaps something like the Grado iGrado model would work?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KN0YEY/

andy says:

on 5/25/2011 1:50:39 PM

I bought a pair of AKG K-240's about 5 years ago. I wear them 5 days a week, for almost 8 hours a day. Amazing sound, lightweight, detachable cord, blocks out most outside sound. If you look hard enough, you can find them for around $100-$125. Highly recommend them.

Rob K says:

on 5/25/2011 1:53:30 PM

I just bought a pair of Turtle Beach Ear Force X11s (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A7HHKG) last week and I've been pretty happy with them. They were designed for use with an X-Box, but they work great with a computer + a cordless phone. The extra X-Box chat jack is the same as the headphone jack on most cordless phones, so you can listen to music while on the phone, and the other end of your conversation can't hear your music. They have dual volume controls so you can control the music and chat inputs independently. They require a USB port to power the amp though.

I can also recommend these:
http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169415800 I have a couple of co-workers who have them. I used a pair for about a half day. They're very comfortable.

John says:

on 5/25/2011 2:29:28 PM

Sennheiser HD280 Pro. Right under $100 new at Amazon, feel great, sound great (very clear, and have a very strong bass response if you ask them to). Decent (passive) isolation; not as good as wearing your range earmuffs over earbuds but those likely won't sound as good or feel very comfortable.

My favorite thing about big, closed, over-the-ear phones is how they say to everyone at the office: "piss off, I'm working."

Matt F says:

on 5/25/2011 2:53:11 PM

Sony MDR-7506. They are an industry standard studio and mixing headset. I have a pair, as does every other good sound guy that I know!!! Amazon has them for $87.00. Great price!! FYI, i just wore them for a 14 hour plane ride with no problems, and they sound great.

Michael Hawkins says:

on 5/25/2011 3:02:47 PM

I fully endorse Senheisser myself, those things are dang near indestructible, cheap and sound just like I want the to!

Vertel says:

on 5/25/2011 5:25:18 PM

Seconding the recommendations for Sennheiser. I used to use a pair of their wireless around-the-ear headphones. Great sound, great battery time.

Baker Mike Romeo says:

on 5/25/2011 5:51:17 PM

I have had a set of Sennheiser HD280PROs for about six years now, and they're still the nicest set of headphones I have. They were $100 when I got them, but I think they're something like $85 now. They're quite comfortable, if a bit heavy, but the best part is that most of the parts are replaceable: my seven year old head and ear pads have finally given out, and I've already got replacements on the way from Sennheiser.

Douglas2 says:

on 5/25/2011 5:56:56 PM

I've owned the predecessor to the Sony 7506, (the MDR V6) and have used the 7506 in countless events. Both are fine headphones.

The Head-fi community seems to like DBI Pro-700 as an offbeat high value for money headphone -- available on Ebay, as it is basically a listening kiosk headphone not generally sold at retail.

The other bang-for-the-Euro headphones are the Superlux ones:
Superlux HD-681 can be found for $30
Superlux HD668B can be found for $40

I wonder if half the appeal of DBI and Superlux is that they look suspiciously like some particular expensive high end German products.

Anyway, I haven't tried the gaming headphones mentioned above, but all the others from Grado, Ultrasone, Sennheiser, and so on are good stuff.

Mulliga says:

on 5/25/2011 8:48:24 PM

I've owned (and reviewed) both the Grado SR-60 and the Sennheiser HD 202. Quite happy with both. If you're the type that gets sweaty ears, the Grado design offers the best ventilation.

Rob says:

on 5/25/2011 10:15:14 PM

I third (forth?) the Sennheiser recommendation. I have a pair of eH-150's that I've had for several years now that work pretty damn well. My only complaint is they aren't all that great on the low end, but few sub=$100 headphones are.

MPH says:

on 5/25/2011 10:52:16 PM

I can add to the Sennheiser accolades. I owned a pair of "on the ear" ones, and they were quite comfortable and sounded good. Bought them back in 88 and they lasted about 10 years.

Travis says:

on 5/25/2011 11:12:44 PM

Koss Pro4A is not a bad option.

dagamore says:

on 5/26/2011 3:19:03 AM

gredos, Sennheiser, and SkullCandy all make great phones, you do have to get ones that fit your head.

I love my Sennheiser HD280PROs, best audio money i have ever spent, other then a pair of Mono Vac amps(true isolated stereo!)

Michael B. says:

on 5/26/2011 5:21:12 AM

No matter what you get, they still won't drown out the voices in your head.

Robb Allen says:

on 5/26/2011 7:22:50 AM