Headphones!

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Siar

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So i'm a bit of an audiophile, listen to music 24/7 and am rather unhappy when i'm somewhere without a source of good music. Usually i just use my speakers but i'm also somewhat of an insomniac and i cant really play my music as loud as I would like to for consideration of my housemates/neighbhors etc.

So the natural solution are headphones!

Unfortunately most headphones i buy tend to break after 3-5 months and I have had to resort to rather dull sounding headphones that dont break as easily for economic purposes.

So what i'm looking for is an affordable set of headphones (not neccesarily with an intergrated mic) that are comfortable and last long (or with a solid warranty) that is somewhat lightweight for listening to music on the move with my ipod and also at my computer. And reproduces the sounds accurately

No need to say "look these headphones can emit sounds beyond human hearing!" useless tbh! :D

Even if someone can point me in the right direction id be grateful, thnx :) Perhaps a little heard of music store or something.
 
Did a bit more searching and found http://www.sennheiser.co.za/, cursory trauling seems to indicate this is a good brand, anyone can confirm?

Edit 2: Had a look at some Grados and i'd be interested to get my hands on a pair, but most places in south afrirca that stock them are online only, i dont like buying online when i can avoid it, i really like to get some hands on b4 i buy stuff
 
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If you're going Sennheiser, look towards their "Professional Sound monitoring" headphones as these tend to be better made and more meant for 24/7 usage.

I have a pair of HD200s ( http://www.headphonereviews.org/headphone/Sennheiser/HD200 ) which were one of Sennheiser's first sets for "DJ" use and although they are a bit plain looking, they are rugged, they sound very good although a bit heavier on the bass than reference. They're full isolated from environment sounds making them ideal for blocking out annoying noises. And they feature remove-able cable that can be replaced if it gets crunched instead of turfing out the entire thing.

So far my set of HD200 has lasted about 5 years of 12 to 20 hour listening sessions every weekend and of course last but not least they are comfortable to wear for that long periods even with glasses on.

They don't make the HD200 anymore, the closest is the HD203 or the HD205 or the HD215 I think.

And then if you're can tolerate the "in-ear" headphones then I'd really recommend you try get a listen to a set of SHURE in-ear monitor headset. I have a set of the SHURE SE310's for when I travel.
the sound quality and bass reproduction from this set rivals the full cup driver of the Sennheiser HD200s and the clarity and precision of the sound is unbelievable.
http://store.shure.com/store/shure/en_US/pd/productID.105432500
The ONLY downside is that in order to get them sounding correct you HAVE to plug them in your ear-canal and acoustically seal them in with one of the many sets of different shapes and types of rubber ear-plug. Basically this is a sound isolating ear-plug with a speaker built into it and well a lot of people don't like shoving an expanding rubber plug in their ears and so don't fit these properly for the full effect. But they are very high fidelity and perhaps a bit expensive but I think worth it for the discerning audiophile on a plane trying to hear finer details in your music.... during take off!
 
If your budget will extend that far I would look at either the Shure SE530 or Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10. I prefer the Shure products as I find them sturdier and last longer but both are kick ass for sound quality. The Shure has a two year warranty and the UE's are only a year.
 
hyperian said:
Sennheiser generally make awesome headphones. I swear by the HD202s! Awesome sound at a very good price.
Click to expand...

I currently have a pair of HD202's sitting atop my skull and they sound good but holy crap do my ears hurt like a bitch after a couple hours of use!
 
Grado Labs offer incredible value for money. I have a set of modified SR80's and they're truly glorious, although they spill sound a hell of a lot, so not always ideal if people are about. Can't go wrong with Sennheiser though.
 
Sennheiser make some cheaper earphones, but even those are decent. However their premium range are really the bees knees. I find headroom to be a good resource for reviews and such. Grado rocks too, I really wanna listen to some!

I have Sennheiser HD-555's, they're swell.
 
Coo, thnx for the feed back. Can anyone direct me to a decent store where I can browse all these makes? And i mean a physical store, i really dislike buying things like this online.
 
Another Sennheiser HD-202 user here. Comfy, I haven't broken them (yet) and affordable. At work I also use Sennheiser, but a lightweight neck-band version. Can't remember the version number.
 
I have a pair of SE530's as well as a pair of Sennheiser HD 25's and they are both awesome!! It does depend on your preference though, the SE530's are inear earphones and this doesn't suit everyone. Both sound amazing but I prefer the SE530's cos they do block out alot of external noise allowing me to listen at much more quiet levels.
 
As everyone said above, there are many things to consider:
Ruggedness: Go for DJ Headphones (but they often hurt your ears from excessive pressure)
Noise Isolation: If you're gonna be in noisy environments, you'll want closed headphones. Generally not as good as open, or a lot more expensive.
Comfort: Closed headphones that press tightly on your ears are okay for 40 mins. Longer than that and you will suffer intensely.

My first choice of indoor headphones are Sennheiser HD555.
They are not rugged though. My friend threw his pair against the wall during a bad poker session and they broke into 3 pieces.

I've had a pair of Koss UR30 headphones for about 9 years. They are closed, a bit muddy but otherwise acceptable quality, good bass and rugged as hell. The nice thing is they're massive and fit right around your ears, with the cushion making contact with your skull, so you get good isolation and they don't hurt your ears one bit. You can also adjust the pressure they put on your head, and they fold up. So all in all a really sweet pair of headphones if you don't mind their muddyness. Beware though, when u compare them to the HD555s it seems like you've been wearing earplugs when you were using the Koss.

Music is all about subjectivism and enjoyment. If your headphones are broken, you can't enjoy them. If they're open and ambient noise is coming in, you can't enjoy them. If they hurt your ears, you can't enjoy them. If they fall off when you walk around, you can't enjoy them.
Many factors.

If you're only going to buy 1 pair of headphones get a rugged closed pair, since you listen for a long time, make sure they don't press hard on your ears.
If you get 2 pairs, get HD555s as well for indoor use ;)
 
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Agree on the HD555's for indoor use. Except I'd say they're quite rugged. I've thrown them into the backpack many times and they've fallen to the floor countless times from the desk, without any ill effects. Course I wouldn't hurl it against the wall, they cost me a lot of money!

Koss KSC 75's are also great for outdoor and general use, they're almost as good as PX-100's and quite cheap. UR30's look decent.
 
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