what headphones do you guys use?

if you could recommend both in-ear and studio headphones...

i was looking at the Beats line but $300 for a pair of headphones i hear many mixed reviews on i am not sure about..

i am a fan of the Pioneer brand, do they make decent headphones? i heard you can't go wrong with the Sony MDRV700's

Amazon.com: Sony MDR-V700DJ DJ-Style Monitor Series Headphones: Electronics

i'm just not sure, and i suppose my budget is about $150, i don't know if i could comfortably spend any more money than that on headphones right now

I have Beats studio's.
I like them, great bass, good mids, and good treble.

They are heavily endorsed, as you probably already know, and I think there are some better headphones out there (Bose and Sennheiser both have REALLY nice studio headphones). None look quite as nice as the beats, if looks are something important to you.

That being said, I really do like the quality of my Beats, but I have heard better. If you can get them for a good price (I paid $220 on boxing day) I would definately recommend them. For the 350 price tag currently on them, personally, I would pass.

I have not researched this much at all, but having said that..... Last time I was in the Apple Store I tried out the Bose Quietcomfort 15 headphones $349. Wow!! I want a pair. Sounded fantastic. Just my 2cents.

Don't bother with those Sony's. Absolute garbage. The Bose are laughably over priced, and are a muddled mess to my ears, but do offer decent noise reduction for people who are on a plane a LOT. Though, there are cans with similar noise reduction features for less money and sound just as good.

I'm not too sure if I've heard those particular Beats cans, but if they're anything like ANY of the other models, they're simply bass heavy and don't offer any kind of sound stage or detail. There are tons of options out there.. so don't be hasty. Check out Head-Fi.org - Headphone forums and reviews for audiophiles if you want very detailed reviews of headphones and such.

I have a pair of Ultimate Ears UE 5's, various pairs of other in ear monitors including Altec Lansing, who outsources UE's models and sells model like the UE 3's a lot cheaper, they just aren't called UE's. Also have had Etymotic, and Shure variations. My favorite Pair which run about $500 were the Shure 515's which are now discontinued, but replaced with the SE 535's. They're a bit more analytical and have more punch than the UE 5's.. But the UE's were a bit more forgiving and don't care what kind of music you throw at them.

Again, there are TONS of headphones and cans out there.. too many for me to go over, that's why I listed that site. I've also had Sony V6's which are great.. they're studio monitors as well, and the only pair of Sony's I'd recommend for music. I've also had Grado SR80's which are very musical, but they don't isolate at all, and can be annoying to people around you. I've had several pairs of Sennheiser's, HD 555's 580's... each great, but require a good source and amp, not really your typical iPod headphone.

I've also had a couple pair of Koss SR35's, Porta Pro's and Sporta Pros... The Porta Pros are EXCELLENT. They're legend, actually. Thin light over the head frame, like old fashioned headphones used to be. You know, like how they used to be with Sony walkmen. I've also had many a pair of JVC Marshmallow in ear ones which cost about $15 and they're pretty ****ed good for that price. Better than said Bose and Sony for sure. I know... you probably think that kills my credibility, but never knock something you haven't tried. Those little things can be modded to sound really good.

Doug

I use Sennhiser PX-100's and if I really want more critical UE sfi5's and if I want the best
I can get MBP> AE>Integra> Sennhiser HD 580's.

This is such a personal thing. If I am out and about listening, then I use some nice little Sony In-Ear's (MDR range), but for home listening (not often) I use my studio quality monitor headphones, which have the flattest response, so you here the music as it was recorded, no bass boost, fake treble etc. They are incredibly accurate and detailed.
They are Audio Technica ATH AD700's, and are not massively expensive either.
I seem to remember a similar thread started by Crimsonrequiem some time ago, and there were a lot of recommendations there.

heres the beats frequnecy responses:

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones Review - Over-ear - Monster Headphone Reviews - HeadphoneInfo.com


there is a wierd hi-mid plummet, but this bass is an almost flat response, slightly over emphasized.

Don't forget though, frequency response is all well and good.. but the physical housing of the diaphragm's will alter how said frequencies are presented/output. It's a bigger factor than you might think.

Doug

Sennheiser are a great brand and much better than those Beats headphones.

The good thing about Sennheiser is in the unlikely even of them going wrong every part is replaceable so you don't need to buy brand new Headphones.

I use HD25s for djing and CX400 Mark IIs for listening to music on the move.

You can pick up the CX400s via Amazon for less than the retail price and will pay about £80 for the HD25s.

Beats are a lot of hype and not that good from what I have read.

Doug b said:

Don't forget though, frequency response is all well and good.. but the physical housing of the diaphragm's will alter how said frequencies are presented/output. It's a bigger factor than you might think.

Doug

Click to expand...

yep, and also, your environment. trains in particular, muddy bottom end frequencies.

that article also goes on to compare the differences between the beats and different brands, measures their distortion levels and so on. its good to get a visual representation.

I just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. I have DBI Pro 705

dbi Pro705 Headphones | dbi International

They're amazing deep tight bass soft mids and soft highs, no shark peaking highs that hurt your ears. The thing is you have to special order them from DBI they come out to 170$ shipped

Depending how you look at it could be a pro or a con to them is that they are heavy since they're built with all metal housing and the cans themselves are REALLY solid the chord also is very strong won't pinch. So they're great around the house or in the car/bus but not good for sports.

I first heard these at a HMV store. Things are virtually indestructible.

I have a Sunrise Audio SW-Xcapes, and they are amazing. They're IEM's which is great ll round, but they do start to make your ears sore.

If I were to land Over-the-Head phones, prolly some Grado's or something.

I just got the white beats studio for my wife on Amazon for $270 - it is now $264.
Amazon.com: Beats Studio by Dr. Dre - Hi-Def Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones: Electronics
Searching the net may find it cheaper but I like buying for sources I trust.

I have a pair of etymotic hf2 which work pretty well. They are up to hf5 now. These are the guys that make custom ear plugs for musicians.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - High-fidelity Earphones, Headsets and Hearing Instrumentation
They are sound isolating vs active noise canceling - i.e. they plug up your ear canal so nothing comes in. Works well but if you sensitive to pressure changes i.e. in a pressurized cabin of an airplane - you may have trouble with them.
It also looks like you can get a custom fit for any of their products.
http://www.etymotic.com/customfit/index.html

Ivan, those EYmotics are very nice, I had the mc5'S, but thoguht they lacked in so many areas, especially for the price. The one are they really succeeded in was noise-isolation.

I would never spend that much money on Beats bry Dre. There are so much better out there for the price you pay.

I would not describe myself as an "audiophile" but I did (and continue to) work in radio, so I think I know a decent pair of cans when I hear them.

The entire "beats" line is too bass-heavy (because they are aimed at one genre of listener: rap boys) and not very "truthful" musically IMHO.

Several people above this post have made many of the same recommendations I would, but other factors to consider are a) the environment you're listening in and b) the quality of the music files you are listening to and c) how much you're willing to spend.

I used to spend ALL my time in acoustically-flat recording/radio studios, so I didn't have to worry about "sound-isolating" or compensating for the environment. That made a difference once the iPod came along and you could listen to music in any environment.

Also, my early collection of digital files were mostly CRAP mp3 rips at low bitrates. I find high-bitrate AAC's perfectly fine for all but the very most critical jazz and classical listening. YMMV, but of course I'm far out of my 20s and have gone to many concerts so I have to admit that it's a given that I've lost some high end hearing (can't hear dog whistles anymore!).

Finally, I think there's "laboratory" listening (aka serious, critical, "audiophile") and casual listening (exercising, outdoors, party, day-to-day). Spending $500 on headphones for "casual" listening is, IMHO, just plain stupid.

So these (and other) factors all contribute to headphone choices.

IvanLasston said:

I just got the white beats studio for my wife on Amazon for $270 - it is now $264.
Amazon.com: Beats Studio by Dr. Dre - Hi-Def Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones: Electronics
Searching the net may find it cheaper but I like buying for sources I trust.

I have a pair of etymotic hf2 which work pretty well. They are up to hf5 now. These are the guys that make custom ear plugs for musicians.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - High-fidelity Earphones, Headsets and Hearing Instrumentation
They are sound isolating vs active noise canceling - i.e. they plug up your ear canal so nothing comes in. Works well but if you sensitive to pressure changes i.e. in a pressurized cabin of an airplane - you may have trouble with them.
It also looks like you can get a custom fit for any of their products.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - CUSTOM•FIT

Click to expand...

hmmmm i think i may go with the hf5 for now, if i decide i need studio headphones i will get a pair from another brand.. maybe it's the marketing or just your opinion with the hf2s but those look sweet

and thank u for everyone else that helped

I actually quite like the beats studio earphones, they are good for listening to electro music and not just rap, because of the silky bass sound you get. The black model is also quite beautiful, which is a crucial feature for products that will be used on and off for years.

The only con is that they emit a lot of noise towards people next to you. So this can be a problem for students who listen to music in public places (library, etc.)

I own Panasonic's Rp-Hc500 and i LOOOOVE them
they sound way better that the monster beats and cost half the price of the bose
and they are comfortable unlike the sony
just my tow cens

BrooklynMac87 said:

if you could recommend both in-ear and studio headphones...

i was looking at the Beats line but $300 for a pair of headphones i hear many mixed reviews on i am not sure about..

i am a fan of the Pioneer brand, do they make decent headphones? i heard you can't go wrong with the Sony MDRV700's

Amazon.com: Sony MDR-V700DJ DJ-Style Monitor Series Headphones: Electronics

i'm just not sure, and i suppose my budget is about $150, i don't know if i could comfortably spend any more money than that on headphones right now

Click to expand...

Like the previous posts have said it all depends on what style of headphone you personally prefer , but i really think that you cant go wrong with any of the HD SENNHEISER OPEN DYNAMIC style headphones for all round comfort price and the overall sound, you get nice mids and highs but still get decent deep bass

I got an Audio Technica AD700 and Audio Technica M50.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c104/twisted_metal_2/P1060277.jpg

If you're honestly looking at something like the beats studio, then the most relevant (good) sounding headphones for you would be either the Audio Technica M50, Denon AHD2000 or Beyerdynamic 880. (All of which I recommend for having very extended sound, in that they can extend very low and have ample amounts of good, textured sub-bass, something which most headphones can't do) Everybody advertises their headphones, earbuds to extend down to 20hz, but that's just not realistic. Most don't even go below 50hz with much competence. Even the beats studio (known for being bass heavy) only offer a peak of mid level bass for the "thump" in your music, but they don't extend as low.

Probably your most beneficial review:
Shootout: 72 Portable Headphones Reviewed (Monster Beats Studio added 03/22) - Head-Fi.org Community

Sennheiser makes a good bit of open eared hi-fi experience headhpones around the 100-300 dollar range, but they lack the bass production of what I recommended. The open sound to them, of course, can be a benefit if you like that type of sound. (My AD700s are open eared as well, and have a glorious soundstage, and I use them for gaming most of the time)

Don't pay attention to the turtle beach headset in my pic, it's garbage. The thing inbetween the AD700s is the astro mixamp, which is a dolby headphones 5.1 processor for creating surround sound while gaming.

This is such a personal thing. If I am out and about listening, then I use some nice little Sony In-Ear's (MDR range), but for home listening (not often) I use my studio quality monitor headphones, which have the flattest response, so you here the music as it was recorded, no bass boost, fake treble etc. They are incredibly accurate and detailed.
They are Audio Technica ATH AD700's, and are not massively expensive either.

Click to expand...

AD700s are far from monitor or being flat, they lack a good bit of sub-bass. Shoulda gotten M50s or shure840 instead, if you wanted entry level monitoring. AD700s are great for mids-highs, instrument separation and soundstaging though. They are also the most comfortable headphone I've ever used.