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)
post
I like my Sony XM4s
Had an XM3 and now an XM5, these are top notch head phones indeed!
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.
They're a little bassy and have that proprietary app. Good contender for wireless headphones though, but a cheaper wired will outperform instantly
Well sure, it's wired.
If that's an option for you, it's still worth it to buy some quality wired buds too though. There's some really great repairable ones for under $100 out there!
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.
I recently bought Senheizer HD-650's. I'm very happy with them.
Probably gonna get hate, but why not Quietcomfort? If youβre 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 donβt mind the Bose sound, Iβd go Bose every day and save the hifi listening for at home.
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.
How big are your ears? I'm on Sennheiser 598 because it's good stuff but also because they accept my big ears βΊοΈ. They are definitely home only though so I'm looking for some sturdy nice ones for outside.
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.
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.
Adding another +1 from personal experience.
Iβve happily used the same wired, over-ear Sennheisers as my daily drivers for 15 years, but tried switching over to Sennheiserβs 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.
Couldnβt believe the two products were made by the same company.
What is the Bose sound?
Thereβs a specific space or soundstage that it produces and lower mid punch with a little dullness in the mids and highs but still good color.
Looks like somebody mapped the sound profile. Not sure if it fits how I hear them.
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 $30k stereo systems are pretty happy and they still lead the pack with their active noise cancelling.
I have a pair of QC 35βs that i bought in 2015 that still work. Theyβre at the end of their third battery and just had their 5th set of ear cups.
ANC no longer works.
I really like my QC35, but man these components are not built to last. Iβve had to replace my ear cushions and cable a few times now to the point where I wonder if I should be looking at other options. I respect that you can replace individual parts but I never have had issues like this with the ATH-M50 for instance.
Do not buy Jabra products. I use them for work (work pays for them) and have had multiple models. They have all failed for various reasons. They do replace under RMA but it's annoying as they should not break someasily, especially the upper premium models. I wouldn't touch a pair of I was personally paying for them.
Audiotechnica ath-m50x. I bought it for 100β¬ in 2019 and they still make it, cord is replacable. They are super popular, tons of units sold, so there are parts everywhere.
I bought earpads replacement for them from aliexpress, theres headband too, they were not original but they fit perfectly. Maybe you should check for replacement, sometimes they go for under 10$
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.
Sennheiser HD 650 with a good DAC and your all set
No particular model to recommend, but if you use it primarily for music/movies at home and donβt have anyone around you to bother, go for open-back or half open-back headphones.
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.
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.
They sound sturdy as.
I blew up my 231s with DnB.
There's only so much the budget model could handle.
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.
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.
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
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 :)
I like Crinacle's headphone ranking list, check it out. If it's not on here, probably not good
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.
Are you looking for the exact same featureset (wireless, closed back, anc, overear )? What about quality/pricepoint?
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
That headset must've been crap if it only lasted 2 years...
all 56 comments