You can't rank a brand when it comes to headphones especially when the market is segmented between cheap shit, pro consumer and studio.
Universally though if its a pretty colour or a TV advert its going to be shit.
Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
31–40 of 53 posts
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#32Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.
Depends on many factors, but if you want the most simple guide:
budget Sony MDR7506
budget > $125 -> most expensive Sennheiser that still fits your budget
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#33Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.
earplugs: a-Jays Two (good sound, flat cables -- durable and don't get tangled),
portable headphones: Beyerdynamics DTX 501p (great overall, don't leak sound),
home: Grado SR-80 (great sound, durable except for the cable; also, the cable is in Y configuration and twists a bit. I had to replace it after a couple years).
If I had to buy just one of these, DTX 501p win hands down as the most versatile.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#34Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.
earplugs: a-Jays Two (good sound, flat cables -- durable and don't get tangled), portable headphones: Beyerdynamics DTX 501p (great overall, don't leak sound), home: Grado SR-80 (great sound, durable except for the cable; also, the cable is in Y configuration and twists a bit. I had to replace it after a couple years). If I had to buy just one of these, DTX 501p win hands down as the most versatile.
Can't recommend Grado SR-80 - sound is OK, but build quality is really bad - they just fall apart much faster than any other pair I owned.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#35Here's my favorite headphone model: the Bose QC20. The noise cancelation is unreal – when friends try them on for the first time the consistent reaction has to be to smile and laugh. The earbud that just rests in your ear instead of drilling into the center of your head only makes the experience better. No I'm not a shill I'm just in love with these headphones.
Canalphones beat active noise cancellation (ANC) every time. ANC doesn't attenuate all frequencies as evenly as passive protection does and it sounds very strange to me. To rub salt into the wound, passives don't need batteries and they pack into a tiny pouch that takes almost no space in carry-on bags.
Oh it's no salt in the wound, I know the advantages to passive. The canal plugs are just far too uncomfortable for me. I'm happy to have found something that I find to be equally great.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
earplugs: a-Jays Two (good sound, flat cables -- durable and don't get tangled), portable headphones: Beyerdynamics DTX 501p (great overall, don't leak sound), home: Grado SR-80 (great sound, durable except for the cable; also, the cable is in Y configuration and twists a bit. I had to replace it after a couple years). If I had to buy just one of these, DTX 501p win hands down as the most versatile.
Can't recommend Grado SR-80 - sound is OK, but build quality is really bad - they just fall apart much faster than any other pair I owned.
What exactly broke in yours? I've had mine for 5 years and except for the cable (had to replace it) and the pads (foam) they're holding great. And I can't say I look after them much.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#37The main thing I got out of this survey is that is possible to design an objective-sounding survey that will favor any brand that you choose.
The "Smart Rating" he uses factors in various critical review sites at various arbitrary weightings (eg., TechCrunch at 13.9%) and various specs at various arbitrary weightings (eg., cable length at 0.7%).
If I wanted to cheat and create a survey that favored brand X, I could choose and tweak parameters until X came out on top. For example, I know that brand X always has nice long cables, so I'll give cable length a higher smart score. I know that Wired has reviewed some of the crappy models of brand X, and hated them, so I'll drop Wired from my formula. PC Mag however has reviewed the best model that brand X makes, and loved it, so I'll add PC Mag to the mix. Etc.
I'm not saying the author rigged anything. I'm sure it's his earnest effort to create a meaningful measure for headphones. It's just that the formula looks objective and authoritative, but another formula would've given you any result you desire.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#38They should really list headphones by models instead of brands. Pretty much every brand there has both entry level headphones and top of the line headphones. Still to this day, I recommend Sennheiser HD 25-II's. These things are indestructible. Plus they sound pretty good as well. When you watch any sporting event on TV or any big DJ, the majority of the time they will be using these bad boys. I've had mine for well…
I upvoted your comment for its first sentence, but I hate Sennheiser; to my ears they're absolute crap (lack of depth?)
I use Shure 840 and 440 and find them absolutely excellent, while reasonably priced (840 is about $150 but you can find 440 at around $60).
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#39This turned out to be a bit more credible than I expected, though I'm surprised to see Shure rated higher than Grado. Moepstar is right, Beyerdynamics should absolutely be on the list, and given the success of the TMA-1 Aiaiai should be as well. Also, Audio Technica may have produced some cheap crap in the past, but they should be at least one category higher based merely on the strength of the ATH-50.
I'm surprised Grado is at this high position at all - their production quality is absolutely abysmal, they came apart in a year - unlike Sennheiser (using for few years), Audiotechica (using for few years) and Technics/Panasonic (these I use for 15 years!). As for the cost - for same money there is always better alternative than Grados.
They may come apart in a year, but they're so simple and so fixable, I prefer them exactly the way they are... and they sound better, which is really why I'm buying headphones.
Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First
#40Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.
It's really more helpful if you give a budget, but I think you'll find very few people who wouldn't recommend the ATH-M50. From what I've owned, nothing hits the price:performance ratio as sweetly, and it is great-sounding no matter what genre I throw at it. They are closed-back, so the soundscape is limited, but still great. I wear them on planes and they passively cancel noise well. http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Tech…
I've a set of these. Good sound and comfy, too.