Headphones

[MickyD]

As a total non-technophile, I would like to ask a bit of advice from the more knowledgeable members of the forum.

Due to having to share a living room with someone who loves the TV and me who loves listening to music, I feel the time has come for me to invest in a really good pair of headphones, not just for good sound quality, but for noise cancelling qualities too.

Following initial research, it seems to me that in the 300-400 quid range, Sony and Bose are the main contenders but there appears to be points for and against each of them.

Can anyone point me in the right direction without getting too heavily technical?!

[richardfinegold]

Have you searched previous threads? There was one devoted to this topic not long ago that compared the Sony and Bose at length. The bottom line imo was the Sony, which I own, was the favorite. Bose does make good noise canceling headphones—it’s the one technology that they excel at, and I believe they Pioneered—but they aren’t durable and replacing parts that wear out is difficult (ear pads, etc).

[mikealdren]

I would avoid Bose simply because their support is so poor and parts are not available if they ever need servicing. I've just replaced the padding on my 12 year old Sennheiser phones, easy and cheap and the leads are easily replaceable too.

[Richard Barrett]

There is another thread about headphones, for sure, because I was enthusing there about my recent purchase of a pair of Beyer DT1990s, which are on my head as I write and which are by some distance the best ones I've ever owned, having been through various models from Sennheiser and AKG previously. As for noise-cancelling, I also have such a pair for use while travelling (although for obvious reasons they've been in their case for more than a year!) - a couple of years ago I changed from Bose to Sony and this was an improvement for sure. So there seems to be some agreement in this matter!

[MickyD]

Thanks for the speedy replies! No, I don't think I was aware of a previous thread...I will look out for it but in the meantime many thanks again for your thoughts, always great to get opinions from those who have genuine experience.

[Roslynmuse]

Has anyone else had the experience of feeling ever so slightly nauseous using the noise-cancelling part of headphones? It is a 'thing', apparently; I gave up using that part of the set-up.

[MickyD]

Has anyone else had the experience of feeling ever so slightly nauseous using the noise-cancelling part of headphones? It is a 'thing', apparently; I gave up using that part of the set-up.

Oh dear, I hadn't heard about that - something else for me to ponder before buying!

[Richard Barrett]

Oh dear, I hadn't heard about that - something else for me to ponder before buying!

I wouldn't describe the feeling as "nauseous", but after a couple of hours I do sometimes (not always) feel a slightly uncomfortable sense of pressure on the ears. Mind you this is generally when listening on a plane, so the effect is possibly not entirely due to the headphones.

[Padraig]

As a total non-technophile, I would like to ask a bit of advice from the more knowledgeable members of the forum.

I'm in the market too. Having read all the replies, what Sony model(s) are people referring to, may I ask?

[ostuni]

WH1000 XM2 are mine. I gather the newer XM3 & 4 are very similar.

[richardfinegold]

Has anyone else had the experience of feeling ever so slightly nauseous using the noise-cancelling part of headphones? It is a 'thing', apparently; I gave up using that part of the set-up.

Haven’t noticed

[Keraulophone]

Loads of reviews and discussion at https://www.head-fi.org/articles/?page=2

So many choices: over/on/in-ear, dynamic/planar, stay-at-home, travel, noise-cancelling, comfort, longevity/build quality, detachable cable, use with headphone amp/DAC, and so on. HiFiMan are a below-the-radar manufacturer with examples in your price range. I’ve had the HE400i for a few years, still sounding great through a Chord Mojo.

[Beresford]

Loads of reviews and discussion at https://www.head-fi.org/articles/?page=2

So many choices: over/on/in-ear, dynamic/planar, stay-at-home, travel, noise-cancelling, comfort, longevity/build quality, detachable cable, use with headphone amp/DAC, and so on. HiFiMan are a below-the-radar manufacturer with examples in your price range. I’ve had the HE400i for a few years, still sounding great through a Chord Mojo.

I had a pair of HE400i headphones for a month earlier this year. They were well made, comfortable, and very clear, but I couldn't get on with the sound balance. There was no tizziness, but their sonic signature was a bit too rich and creamy for my tastes, noticeable on violins and some voices, which sounded a bit recessed. American comfortable sound. I don't know the Chord Mojo, but I would guess it is good on detail, and so would perhaps complement the richness of the headphones nicely.

(And take reviews as hints on what to listen for - then believe your ears. Not doing so has led too several of my hifi mistakes over many years.)

[richardfinegold]

Loads of reviews and discussion at https://www.head-fi.org/articles/?page=2

So many choices: over/on/in-ear, dynamic/planar, stay-at-home, travel, noise-cancelling, comfort, longevity/build quality, detachable cable, use with headphone amp/DAC, and so on. HiFiMan are a below-the-radar manufacturer with examples in your price range. I’ve had the HE400i for a few years, still sounding great through a Chord Mojo.

I think the choices narrow with regard to Noise Canceling . As I mentioned earlier, Bose originally developed NC, now Sony has developed a really good alternative, but I auditioned a couple of other brands a few years ago that were just awful. Audio Technica was particularly bad-it canceled most of the music and left 80% of the noise. Maybe other brands have upped their game, this was about 5 years ago.

[french frank]

I'm in the market too. Having read all the replies, what Sony model(s) are people referring to, may I ask?

Good question. They seem to go from £15 to £2,000, incl VAT.