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Which kind of headphones do you prefer?

Mellow Ezlo

Spoony Bard
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Dec 2, 2012
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eh?
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Slothkin
I tend to prefer the ones that go over your head like earmuffs. The earbuds are really uncomfortable and get covered in earwax, plus I often lose them. The bigger style ones are easier to keep track of. I also find that they generally have better sound quality.

As for make, it doesn't really matter. Although I do have different ones depending on what I'm doing with them. For general listening, I just get cheap brands so that I'm not as upset if they break. If I'm trying to do something like listen to music for analysis purposes, I'll go with my Beats because the sound quality is good enough to hear practically every detail in the music. I used to use Sony headphones, and then later Skull Candy, but those ones all broke and I haven't yet been disappointed with the Beats.

I also have a pair of Sony earbuds that sound quite nice and are actually surprisingly comfortable. Although I guess for $50, they better be!
 
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Dan

Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Gender
V2 White Male
Can't stand buds as they are too uncomfortable, give me a good pair of muffs anyway and I'm satisfied.
 

Squirrel

The Rodent King
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Jun 15, 2011
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The Tree
I prefer to never, ever, EVER, be bothered when I'm listening to music and big, bulky, noise-cancelling headphones would be great for that.

But I usually get interrupted every 5 minutes and I prefer earbuds so I can take one out which is easier than shifting headphones (when I wanna keep my hair on point).
 

Curmudgeon

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Dec 17, 2012
Gender
grumpy
i use earbuds at the gym. otherwise i have a nice pair of overear headphones when i need them.
 

Locke

Hegemon
Site Staff
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Nov 24, 2009
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Redmond, Washington
earbuds. anything else gives me a headache and presses my glasses against my ears. $10 earbuds from wal-mart are fine.

If I do decide to get something nicer, it'd probably be an over-ear (as opposed to on-ear) Sennheiser or something. But for now I'm fine with speakers at home and earbuds at work (what squirrel said about taking one out is useful).
 

Zonda

Meme Connoisseur
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
I generally use earbuds if I'm in public (e.g, on a train), and use the larger headphones at home. I don't really have a brand preference.
 

Sutittaja

Freezing chill
Joined
Jan 8, 2015
I usually use earbuds, but only those flat ones. I hate those with longer part that goes into ear ( I don't really know what to call them). I don't really care about brands, as long as they are good and doesn't break after one month of using.
 

Moonstone

embrace the brand new day
Joined
Oct 23, 2012
I use Steelseries Siberia V2. Very comfortable. And also purple!

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Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
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Location
England
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Absolute unit
Do you like the big ones that are like earmuffs?
Or do you like the little ones that fit inside your ear?

And which makes do you like?

I dont like the over ear ones as they ruin my hair. The ones I have are turtle beaches and I use them when I play games and I only play games at night so it is ok for my hair to be not presentable at those hours.

For daytime use and any other type of use that is not for gaming I use in ear headphones. I like Bose ones for this type.
 
Joined
Nov 17, 2014
I prefer the over-ear ones but I usually use the kind that go inside your ear. I don't have a brand preference.
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
When I am going out I rarely listen to anything but on the rare occassion I do I just use the Apple earpods. Not the best but they do the job.

At home, that's a totally different thing. And I much perfer cans. Those are the over the head earmuff like ones as described in the first post here.
There are two types of cans that exist. Open ones that don't cover the hear totally or are designed to allow dound to leak in and out. Closed ones isolate more sounds from the outside world out so you don't have them inteferring with your headphone sound. Overall open is not better than closed. It's just personal perference and what you want to do with the headphones.

My old sony headphones broke so I looked around and I found a store with a good deal on Sennheiser HD429's. I paid $100AUD for them.

99873-L-LO.jpg


They are closed cans. I previously was not a fan of closed cans but I tried them on in the store and they felt ok on my head so I bought them. I am a Sennheiser fan, I think most of their product rage is 2nd to none. But choose the brand that you feel gives you what you want. After using for about a week now I am glad I bought them. They are a nice neutral sounding headphone, fells good on the head after long uses, excellent sound quality for the price and look like they will last a long time. The only downsides are they are not a pro $500+ set of headphones but for the price, I paid $100 the sound is amazing, well worth the price I paid. The home user who likes closed cans will like them. Also the cable for them is excessively long and thin. A lot of care will have to be taken to watch out for it. Apart from that I'm glad I bought the headphones.

When you choose headphones you need to be aware of:
  • Sound quality for the price you are paying. Are you getting good value for money
  • Build quality. You don't want them falling apart in a few months
  • Comfort. They have to feel good on your head. Everyone's head is different and you really need to find a set that fit you well.
  • Opened vs closed. Which type do you want?
  • The type of sound produced. Do you want a more neutral sound or a more warm base heavy or treble heavy sound. There is no right answer here it's all up to personal preference.
  • Do the headphones need an amp to get the best sound out? For most home uses it's best to get a set of headphones that sound good without requiring an amp. Many of the good budget sets (around $60-$150 AUD) don't need an amp.

And lastly have fun. Choosing headphones, for me at least is a really fun experience. Don't just pick the first ones you find. Make sure you get a good deal on ones you will really like. I'm no expert on the field but that's what I've learnt about headphones.
 
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