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Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

time.com

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Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#41

Post by ozymandius182 »

When looking at headphones, I HIGHLY suggest figuring out what you want to use them for. I use several sites, but HeadRoom (http://www.headphone.com) is probably my favorite because they do some nice graphs of the frequency response for most sets.

I just picked a Sennheiser HD558 to complement my older HD555 I just cleaned up (replaced the cushions, cleaned the drivers, did the HD595 removal of foam mod). I've had that HD555 for over 8 years now, and I would highly recommend those or the newer HD558s easily.

I'm a huge fan of Sennheisers for open-ear headphones, but for environments where I need closed, I've got a Shure SRH440 that is pretty awesome. For travel, I've got the Sennheiser PX 200-II, which replaced an older pair of AKGs that didn't feel so good over the ear. The folding AKGs did have better sound though.

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#42

Post by bambax »

possibilistic wrote: post #8

Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.

Shure SRH 440 (around $60) or 840 if you can afford them ($150); they're over-ear (closed) which beats active noise cancellation in most environments, they have a rich, deep sound, they're sturdy... and Sure came out first in this survey! ;-)

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#43

Post by charlieflowers »

shutupalready wrote: post #37

The 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 c…

Agreed. The methodology was pretty weak.

The best thing about the article was it got Hacker News readers talking about headphones! Now I know I'm getting real scoop from users who likely are using the phones in a similar way to myself.

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#44

Post by vl »

weirdcat wrote: post #36
vl wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

First plastic decal with model name in the middle of the earpiece came off in a month. OK, not a big deal - I can use them without it. But then, after few months of use, side plastic holder slipped off from the headband, which is metal. I plugged it back, but overtime it became too loose and doesn't hold anymore (obviously plastic latch inside the piece is worn off).

I like retro look, but cheap-looking plastic shouldn't be actually cheap, you know.

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#45

Post by [deleted] »

Matsta wrote: post #11

They 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…

[deleted]

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#46

Post by louthy »

Matsta wrote: post #11

They 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…

> When you watch any sporting event on TV or any big DJ, the majority of the time they will be using these bad boys.

As a professional DJ I concur. I have played on some of the loudest soundsystems in the world and the performance from them is stunning for the price. I also use them for music production and the flat response at all EQ levels is what is needed to know what you're hearing is true.

I've been through probably about 4 pairs in the past 15 years, but that's mainly due to the abuse they get from gigs, for home use they'd be pretty much indestructible.

The HD25SPs are pretty decent too if you want a cheaper option, but it's definitely worth paying that bit extra for the HD25s.

Re: Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

#48

Post by prewett »

possibilistic wrote: post #8

Any recommendations from the HN community? I'd like to get a new set and I don't really trust Time's research.

I have the Sennheiser HD 280 pro, which I love. They are comfortable over-the-ear, flat frequency response, a little bit of attenuation (just enough to cut down background noise so that the music covers it, and decent on a plane, too), and really comfortable. I can wear them all day with no problem (no problems with my glasses, either). One of the best $100 that I've spent.
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