So almost 2 years ago I asked about upgrading my plantronics backbeat pro 2's and people suggested I hold them until the wheels fall off

https://lemmy.world/post/23922174

Well, now the wheels are falling off. Headband is coming apart.

What would be a modern day upgrade you'd recommend?

Based on what I've seen... It would seem the momentum 4 (I've seen them regularly under 200 usd new on reseller sites) or momentum 5 from sennheiser would be a good choice but curious to know if this community has a different or better recommendation.

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[–] 26 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Sony MDR 7506 or similar are the best headphones I've ever owned. They are modular, designed to be repairable, and have great build quality. They're wired and have no microphone, but they retail for a third the price of a bluetooth set that can match the sound quality. (~$100)

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  • I have a similar approach. Keep the headphones basic for repairs. I have a fiio Bluetooth receiver and a Zen DAC at my desk. I then have a series of custom made cables for different headphones and jacks (balanced 4.4mm, stereo 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm).

    I can run any headphones with this setup, I might need a new cable made up depending on what pair I next buy.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 month ago (8 children)
  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I'm still on my xm2 from almost a decade ago, if that helps anyone with the decision. Just had to buy new earpads from AliExpress a few years ago.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    MX2 was great, broke mine. Just recently realized how much better mx3 is to mx4. MX4 dropped aptx support and the mics refuse to work with macOS, mx3 hums(less) along working great (aside from the bent wired jack from more stumbling)

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago* (2 children)

    They're a little bassy and have that proprietary app. Good contender for wireless headphones though, but a cheaper wired will outperform instantly

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  • [–] 16 points 1 month ago

    Anything on this list, its a list of high quality eq curves for tons of different headphones ranging from very cheap to very expensive, its also available on github and available to be accessed by a lot of different software.

    https://autoeq.app/

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago

    It depends on your requirements.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I recently bought Senheizer HD-650's. I'm very happy with them.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 month ago (11 children)

    Probably gonna get hate, but why not Quietcomfort? If you’re an audiophile and your phone is actually playing lossless high res audio, of course go for Sennheiser. If you wear your headphones everywhere often, prioritize ANC and don’t mind the Bose sound, I’d go Bose every day and save the hifi listening for at home.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Agree. There are some things that annoy me but my QC35 II are the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. I don't like anything touching my ears and I am very very sensitive to pressure, so if this matters to you then look at the quiet comforts.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    QC35 II

    Can you even still buy those? I've been using mine for 4-5 years now and they work great. I had to buy bunch of replacement cushions over the years but other than that 0 issues. Super comfortable, great noise cancellation, physical buttons instead of some gimmicky gestures... When they die I would happily just get same model again but looking in the stores I don't see QC35 II anymore. There are bunch of other QC models with cryptic names like SE, SC, Ultra but I don't see 35 II anywhere.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    I completely agree with this. If I want noise cancellation, the quiet comforts are good, I am mostly playing music to mask sounds anyway, so the main exception is comfort, non-obtrusive sound, and good ANC. I also use them on flights, for podcasts when awake or background music when trying to sleep- so again, sound quality is secondary. My only problem with them is the faux leather cover of the ear cup flakes easily, needs replacing about every 2 years. For listening to music at home, I use open headphones.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

    Adding another +1 from personal experience.

    I’ve happily used the same wired, over-ear Sennheisers as my daily drivers for 15 years, but tried switching over to Sennheiser’s wireless noise-canceling line a few years ago. Horrible mistake: the sound quality was acceptable but the firmware, the fit, and the ANC were atrocious.

    Couldn’t believe the two products were made by the same company.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    People like to say stuff like "no highs, no lows, must be Bose".

    Bose has earned a reputation for selling high-priced devices that don't always live up to the hype. That doesn't mean they're bad, but the fancy audiophile people like to piss on them.

    Most people who don't own $30k stereo systems are pretty happy and they still lead the pack with their active noise cancelling.

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  • I really like my QC35, but man these components are not built to last. I’ve had to replace my ear cushions and cable a few times now to the point where I wonder if I should be looking at other options. I respect that you can replace individual parts but I never have had issues like this with the ATH-M50 for instance.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    Do not buy Jabra products. I use them for work (work pays for them) and have had multiple models. They have all failed for various reasons. They do replace under RMA but it's annoying as they should not break someasily, especially the upper premium models. I wouldn't touch a pair of I was personally paying for them.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Audiotechnica ath-m50x. I bought it for 100€ in 2019 and they still make it, cord is replacable. They are super popular, tons of units sold, so there are parts everywhere.

    I bought earpads replacement for them from aliexpress, theres headband too, they were not original but they fit perfectly. Maybe you should check for replacement, sometimes they go for under 10$

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    I use Panasonic ergofit everyday, good luck

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    https://www.technics.com/ca/products/headphones/eah-a800.html

    I don't know exactly where they stack up, but when using a headphone jack the audio quality and volume are much better than just bluetooth. I've been very happy with them, also have a set of earbuds from them I use everyday and they've been around for about 3 years and are holding up very well compared to Sennheiser earbuds I had. I also only really bought them because it's what a local shop sells.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Sennheiser HD 650 with a good DAC and your all set

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    No particular model to recommend, but if you use it primarily for music/movies at home and don’t have anyone around you to bother, go for open-back or half open-back headphones.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (3 children)

    I had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT231 in the late 90s, my first decent sounding headphones.

    So I looked up last year what is their best, reasonable price, current model:

    ( Edit: A day after this post, I researched more and ended up getting the DT 770 PRO X. 48 Ohms and can play from any source with no amp required. Also got a Beyerdynamic PRO X USB-C Cable, for phone use. Inbuilt DAC in the cable, wild. Original recommendation follows:)

    Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm

    --

    Own an ATH-M50 too, solid sound, no issues.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago* (2 children)

    I have a pair of DT-770 Pro 80s that are 20 years old and still rocking. I just had to replace a few mounting pieces a couple of times for a few bucks and get a new pads every several years.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago*

    I see a lot of good recommendations in here, but it would be more helpful if you said whether you want them wireless or not. I figured the answer is yes, but a lot of the (excellent) headphones people are recommending are wired and require a DAC/amp.

    For wireless, you can do a lot worse than the Sennheiser Momentum line. The current best is the Momentum 5 Wireless, but I got my wife the 4, its over $100 cheaper and quite good. Not a fan of the Bose or Sony, but they have decent noise cancelling.

    For wired, I'm not even going to recommend stuff because I'll out myself as a weirdo that spent too much on audio.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago*

    I had the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and they turned into a creaking mess of cheap plastic after some months. I also had the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, which broke and got replaced for the 5 on warranty by Sennheiser. Which was great until they also broke in the exact same way. Occasional high pitched tweeting in the right bud. They didn't want to replace them again and now I am actively avoiding Sennheiser.

    Currently I have Beyerdynamic DT 900 ProX. They are open back and I only use them at home. Amazing sound.

    For on the go I now have Linsoul Zero 2 (The Crinacle colab ones) and they are cheap and sound great.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Hearing is a highly personal thing. I like sheinunser but I prefer a balanced audio stage some prefer more base and might wants beats or similar.

    If you can get to a micro center or computer store listen to them .

    Otherwise it best guess

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    If you want wireless, good sound. I am very happy with my Cambridge P100se. (I like full sound that isn't sharp, like velvet for my eardrums). They support aptx Lossless. Not cable quality, but good for wireless :)

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    I like Crinacle's headphone ranking list, check it out. If it's not on here, probably not good

    https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    The site is super cool and full of info, but I've never agreed with Crinacle's list at all. Has some really weird picks/ratings that no person I have ever met would agree with, even when so many of the choices weren't quite outdated. For example, the two highest rated Beyerdynamic headphones are the two usually poorest rated and least liked headphones in their tier (the t70 and DT 990 pro). There is a bunch of choices like that on here.

    It can still be a cool site for getting a feel for the overall sound of a headphone and getting ideas. The graphs are cool too as long as you don't get too crazy about them. Also, don't even think about using the prices on there, they are long out of date and were only accurate at the time of his review.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Are you looking for the exact same featureset (wireless, closed back, anc, overear )? What about quality/pricepoint?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    https://youtu.be/sVPPpN5q7ro

    Meze's headphones are absolutely flawless, european made, open back, hardly even need a DAC/AMP to run them, and the product support from the company is unmatched.

    They even have headphones that aren't four figures

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  • [–] -2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    That headset must've been crap if it only lasted 2 years...

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  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago

    I also pick this guy's dead wife

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