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Headphones for Hackers

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101–110 of 188 posts

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#101
post #6

I'm surprised to see Klipsch do so poorly. Their Image X10s are my favorite earbuds of all time, especially for classical.

I tried the Custom 2 and didn't like them at all. The right eartip wouldn't stay in my ear, the cords were easily damaged, and they were incredibly bright. I like a bright sound, but this was ridiculous.

I greatly prefer Etymotics.

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#102
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HD280 is the best bang for the buck. I've bought 5 pairs now for other people!

Could not agree more. No-frills styling (i.e. kinda fug but durable plastic), extremely comfortable for long periods of time, over-ear doesn't leak a lot of sound into your surroundings, nice low-end punch, and otherwise flat enough for basic multitrack mixing work.

While I agree on all of the other points, they are most definitely not extremely comfortable. Especially if you have a larger head, you'll feel like your skull is in a clamp quite fast.

Other than that (and the headband cracking) those are one of the best headphones I've ever had.

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are those meant to be casual listening phones, monitors, reference?

They straddle between casual and reference. You really can't get solid reference/monitor in a closed phone. For open phones,a good starter reference would be the AKG701, but that is difficult to drive and anemic down low. For true ref tt seems you have to move up to things like the Senn HD800/Beyer T1 to get near ruler flat frequency. For monitor use, and by that term I'm talking about actual pro-audio where isolatio…

JH-16 Pro Customs... nothing else, all day, every day!

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#104
post #59

Sennheiser HD 595s or Audio Technica 900s (if open air is an option).

Please don't actually buy HD 595s. The audio driver is exactly the same as the one contained within the HD 555s, the only difference besides the price tag and model label is that they just stick an (easily removable) sound dampener inside the 555s. Buy some HD 555s and mod them, you'll save yourself some money on a pair of fantastic cans.

More details on the modification process can be found here: http://mikebeauchamp.com/misc/sennheiser-hd-555-to-hd-595-mo...

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#105
post #44
post #2

Nothing beats the Sennheiser HD-280 as an awesome pair of hacker headphones. For ~$80 you get terrific sounds, great noise reduction and amazing comfort. I've tried previous iterations of the Bose QC line but I was disappointed by a) the battery requirement, b) the sound quality (poor and muddled by active noise cancellation) and c) the build quality---my pair died after a year and those things never did anything but…

I love my 280s. However, lugging them around is a bit of a bother so I usually leave them at my desk. When I'm on the move, I pack in-ear buds. Skullcandy makes the best: inexpensive and really great bass. My favorite are the Titans ( http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-Titan-S2TTCB-047-Black-Chro... ) but even the entry level Ink'd are a huge step above any other buds at that price point. And people actually use the wh…

Skullcandy? They are exactly that, and they sound terrible. "Really great bass" should have been your second hint.

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#106
post #24

They seem to have missed out on Pioneer cans ... I have the Pioneer SE-MJ71 steel wheel series headphones. I've used Pioneer headphones for a long time as a DJ, they have excellent response and range and for daily wear work perfectly. One thing I have noticed is that when I am wearing them while working that you need to pump very little volume into them (slide the volume slider all the way down) to get large and expr…

> If I could get new foam pads for it I would do so in a heartbeat.

That shouldn't be too hard, unless you have a very rare model:

http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/headphone-spares/sennheiser-en...

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are those meant to be casual listening phones, monitors, reference?

They straddle between casual and reference. You really can't get solid reference/monitor in a closed phone. For open phones,a good starter reference would be the AKG701, but that is difficult to drive and anemic down low. For true ref tt seems you have to move up to things like the Senn HD800/Beyer T1 to get near ruler flat frequency. For monitor use, and by that term I'm talking about actual pro-audio where isolatio…

AKG K701s are not difficult to drive - 64 ohm is not that much - but they leak sound so bad, I don't think I'd ever recommend anyone using those in an office (unless you want to hear everything around you or listen to music at deafening volume in which case everyone around you is forced to listen to it as well).

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#108
I got a pair of Fostex T50RP headphones. Very balanced, extremely durable, mostly closed $80-100 and if your willing to modify them, they can create very good sound. Out of the box they are fairly decent too.

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#109
post #49

I went through a search for quality headphones that can also work for Skype calls a while back. I ended up going with what is marketed as a gaming headset. While I'm not a gamer, I've found the SteelSeries Siberia V2 to be pretty great. The pull-out mic is by far my favorite feature. http://steelseries.com/products/audio/steelseries-siberia-v2

Agree on the need for the mic (isn't that a big draw of iPhone buds?), but those are so bulky! I need something pocket-sized for hacking on the go. Any suggestions for high-end buds with an in-cord mic a la iPhone buds?

Personally I use a pair of Shure SE-215-K in-ear monitors with the "Shure CBL-M+-K" cable that includes in-cord mic and volume adjustment. That cord will work with any in-ear monitor in the Shure SE line. I highly recommend this route if you're looking to spend within in the $150 to $500 range.

Re: Headphones for Hackers

#110
post #2

Nothing beats the Sennheiser HD-280 as an awesome pair of hacker headphones. For ~$80 you get terrific sounds, great noise reduction and amazing comfort. I've tried previous iterations of the Bose QC line but I was disappointed by a) the battery requirement, b) the sound quality (poor and muddled by active noise cancellation) and c) the build quality---my pair died after a year and those things never did anything but…

The HD-280's are great headphones, but the HD-380's are a significant upgrade. Better bass response and more open sounding. They sound extremely similar to my HD-595's.
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