Headphones?

J!m

J!m

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I'm quite happy with my AKGs but for work, I'd like to have a set of decent sounding, inexpensive (since they'll be destroyed) closed back (because it can get noisy) headphones.

Any suggestions?

I've been trolling around headfi a bit but there is just too much to digest, and guys there pay more for head rigs than I paid for my CPO BMW...
 
Lazarus Short

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Two comments:

A friend of mine told me years ago that a motorcycle could give you all the thrills of a Ferrari, at 1% of the cost. The same thing applies to headphones. Only once have I heard a speaker system that reminded me of my old Stax rig, but it cost seven grand, and that was just the speakers. The friend has given up motorcycles, and I sold my Stax some years ago...

Bad headphones can ruin your hearing PERMANENTLY. Cranking the volume makes it worse, and that damage can happen without you knowing it, until it is too late.
 
J!m

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I’ve been playing drums over 40 years... tinnitus and I have an understanding.

But it is true, these words you speak. My son has volume limited headphones for this very reason. Great invention!
 
J!m

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Giving these serious consideration:

http://esslabsusa.com/422h_headphones/

Anyone have a pair? Down sides are "heavy" and "clampy" but I'm used to wearing ear muffs with ear buds inside so I don't think that'll be an issue. And I have a small head for my tiny brain, thereby reducing the "clampy". I like the technology and the fact that they are wood and metal rather than plastic fantastic.
 
J!m

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Reading more reviews and it seems the downsides were overblown a bit (or people have fat heads?).

Anyway, still top of my list.
 
orange

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I have several pairs in stages of decay.

Panasonic
Koss
Pioneer
Audiotechnica
Sony

Then I have earbuds and a pair of over the ear clip style.

I have just learned to keep my speakers down, at least I have two pairs of Polk Audio Monitor 4s and Marantz Imperial 5s and brewed cabs in the bedroom. I can't complain, except that my Stonehenge Is really needed help.
 
J!m

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I think I'm going to get the ESS ones from Drop when they are available again. Unless I find something better, for less than $200 shipped. Could be something used, but historically, I have never liked the sound of closed back headphones. So finding something used, that I'm going to be happy with, might be difficult.

Most reviews (negative nd positive) all mention these sound like an open design. I consider that a positive. They seem to be "colored" a bit, but I think that might be less of a concern listening to the phone and/or cassette decks. I won't use them for making my tapes, but it could be a second opinion option when I do. Just like mixing through good monitors as well as some Auratones.
 
BlazeES

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If you think you're more of a 'closed' design type person, you may want to consider these:

https://theaudiophileman.com/hp151/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XY9NNNN/ref=psdc_12097479011_t1_B07VTV3VZP

I've been through my fair share of cans and these sound like Audio-Technica or AKG's costing 3 times as much.
I use them for tape work, CD mastering efforts and HD audio playback through my snotty Walkman, when I preferred to go wired.

They took 30+ hours to break-in & sound natural. Pretty amazing drivers for the price...
 
J!m

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I'm actually an open can person. I like my AKGs but need something closed (and cheap-ish) for work. I'll check out what you linked there now...

EDIT- read the reviews at Amazon... are they durable? I will be using them at work (not the most delicate place) and they do need to be somewhat rugged.
 
BlazeES

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J!m said:
I'm actually an open can person. I like my AKGs but need something closed (and cheap-ish) for work. I'll check out what you linked there now...

EDIT- read the reviews at Amazon... are they durable? I will be using them at work (not the most delicate place) and they do need to be somewhat rugged.
Click to expand...
I'm not gentle with my headphone, as a general rule. I don't beat the &^%$ out of them but they do get tossed around. My listening sessions can be protracted too and the one thing I've noticed with these is that the ear cushions are super robust. No peeling, no compression and all that jazz...

As far as overall construction, they are robust with respect to hinges, swivel points and I've not experienced any of the 'creaking' or nuanced rattles Head-Fi types generally focus on. Point of comparison: I'm an old school MDRV-6 diehard and as much as I love them, they are not nearly as robust as the Magics.

With respect to online reviews - it's whatever in my book - hands-on experience is what really matters. Especially in the realm of sound quality metrics. Everyone's ears are different. Really, any metric is up for subjective interpretation... to be completely honest.
 
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J!m

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I get it with the “sound” thing. Those ESS cans I’ve read several “pro” reviews on so I can distill them all into something real. Each reviewer will fixate on a positive and a negative and generally talk around those two points. That’s why you need several reviews.

In this age of no more places to try before you buy, vendors need generous return policies or you are at the mercy of the reviewers. When Stereophile was still a “small” sided magazine (before it grew to normal size) I was a subscriber. And I could go hear stuff. After a while I could align with reviewers who heard things the way I did, or at least close. That entire system does not exist any longer.

But you own and use the ones you have, so for a durability question, you are the right person to answer. It seems they will be durable enough for my needs! Sound is sound. As long as they don’t sound like speakers yelling in my ears I’ll be happy. Good isolation of outside noise is desirable as well, and that is something all the reviews I read on the ESS seemed to agree on.
 
mr_rye89

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I bought a pair of those BLON BOSS B9 wood headphones on Amazon for about $70 back in Feb. and those are pretty good closed back cans.
 
Miracle Mile

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€20,- ...

And it will surpass many Sony's with ease... (MDR-V 600/ 900/ 7509, MDR-7506, etc..)

I've owned all of the Sony's mentioned above, so I know what I'm talking about...
 
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