Bose...
 

Hey, I'm thinking about asking for these Bose headphones for christmas:

Edit: Url doesnt work. just go to: http://bose.com/ > Shop Online > headsets and headphone > QuietComfort® 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones

, but I dont know if they're actually worth 300 bucks. I mean: Even though it'l be for a gift, I always hate wasting money. Are they worth buying?

Edit: This is what I currently own:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_MDR_V60...7-6900054.html

404. Are you talking about the QuietComfort ones? I have a pair and I love them. Use them with music and you can't hear a goddamn thing (besides the music).

Wonderful for ignoring people :D

Yea, sorry, those are the headphones I was talking about.

Yeah I haven't tried them but I hear they're really good, I have a friend who has some. They definitely do what they say, the noise cancelling does work really well.

from what i've read, bose's sound/build quality leaves much to be desired, even with their headphones. they're able to charge as much as they do and still maintain good sales because of their clever marketing, and not actual quality. you'd be much better doing some more research to find some better headphones.

i do have a pair of bose tri-ports though, which my girlfriend bought for me last christmas. they sound pretty good to me and are quite comfortable. i'm sure if she'd known better, she would've looked and found something better at the same price. nice gift though.

Yea, someone on another forum I visit say that they like a brand called sennheiser significantly more than bose. I might check these out.

Edit: These look nice:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...106-328&depa=0

...but I dont know how much of an improvement I'll get with them. Would they be worth getting?

So basically at this point: I can get whatever I want. What are the BEST headphones I can buy for under 300 bucks right now?

Edit: These also look very good:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...106-392&depa=0

I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD590's, and they're the best headphones I've ever heard (by far, compared to most). I've used 280s as well, and to my ears they're a large step above the Bose cans.

I'm definitely not anti-Bose, as I have an Acoustimass 10 speaker system in my living room, but their headphones I wouldn't buy. Sennheiser owns the headphone market. If you're not happy with Senns, then try AKG, Beyerdynamic or Grado. These are all are top-shelf brands.

In that case, then definitely the Sennheiser HD590 in my opinion. They run about $260. Many prefer the HD580, though (about $240). Try them both.

Edit: I just realized you may be looking for closed-design headphones for noise reduction. If that's the case, then don't get HD590s or HD580s, as they're open-design. Sound quality is superior with them, but they won't block ambient noise. The brands I listed above except Grado all make closed models, though.

Have you heard anything good about these?:

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...nsf/root/09969

I googled them and found they sell for 335 bucks :eek:. I also read that they were rated the best headphones ever made.


@Scorlibran: Do you know where I might be able to buy such a pair of headphones (the ones you have, the other ones you mentioned, or the ones I linked to above)?

Those HD650s are indeed rated among the highest in the world. If I were buying today (they weren't around when I bought my 590s) I'd be seriously checking them out.

For those, any of the brands I listed above, or any other good quality headphone, check out Head-Fi. They have a section where people sell new and used headphones, and also you can find links to dealers for any brand of headphone as well. It's the best overall headphone resource on the internet.

Actually the "best headphones ever made" (although this is of course subject to personal opinion) are some electrostatic ones also made by Sennheiser, but they're something like $15,000US.

...all of the head fi forums are closed...

Anyway, I didnt see anyone selling their hd 650's for under 300 bucks.

edit: I see this on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

...but I dont know if it's legit...

Those Bose headphones are real nice. They do an excellent job of cancelling external noise. The sound they produce is real clean.

It appears there is two camps on Bose. Some people feel they are all shit, some people love them. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground on this. Personally, I really enjoy the Bose equipment I have.

...I've never Compared the two so right now bose doesnt look horrible.

Edit: is there a big difference between the hd 600's and the hd 650's? Why not just get the 600's? (for less)

If I wasn't going to be taking headphones with me to school and such, and use them with every-day use, I'd go for the 650s.

Can anyone reccomend a good pair of head-phones that can used for just everyday things, such as going with my MP3 player to class and such?

Are the 600's still good? I found a pair of 600's that are only 265, but I cant find any of the 650's that are under 300...

The Sennheiser HE90/HEV90 Orpheus Headphone System is the pinnacle of the headphone market.

7 Hz to 100,000 Hz frequency response with a 10db variance. :eek: 25-75000 with a much tighter 3 db variance. <0.1% THD (of course). 10,000 ohm resistance, hence the custom matched tube amp that's required to get the incredible orgasmic trans-celestial sound quality. ;)

They originally cost $15,000, but can be found at some dealers for as little as $6000 now.

Stax makes great super-high-end headphones too, at a much better bargain than The Orpheus (and its variants). The Stax Lambda and Omega lines run mostly between $2000 to $5000 in price, and can be found more easily than the Orpheus system.

Sorry about Head-Fi being closed. :( I hadn't been there in a while. If they're gone, that makes Headroom the best headphone resource now. No forum, but a wealth of information.

No, the difference is not huge unless you have truly golden ears. If money's an object, you'd probably be just as happy with the HD600. I'd still personally compare the four top consumer-level Senns: 580/590/600/650.

Thanks for all the help scorlibran! Will these be a significant step up from the Sony MDR-V600 headphones I have now?

Same question.

Also, Head-fi appears to be open.

Yes, you should notice a solid difference between them.

How are the 590's? From another forum (That I asked basically the same question):

The HD590s have much more detail than most other Sennheisers, which is why many people say the 590s seem "too bright". I tested many headphones before finding the best for the money. "The details are in the brightness", so to speak. (Tone adjustment is what equalizers are for, which you'll want for any headphone you buy anyway.) I don't have exceptional hearing, but I can ABX music encoded at much higher bitrates (25%+) with the HD590 than with other headphones, even other high-end Sennheisers. Also, I noted a big difference going from a stock AC/XG sound card to the acclaimed Echo Indigo with them. Well worth the $99. :)

But everyone's hearing abilities and listening requirements are different, hence the need to listen for yourself.

The HD590 has a lower impedance than others in its range (120 ohm), but sound quality could still benefit from additional amplification. For a headphone amp I recommend a Xin Super Mini or Super Micro. They're very small, very inexpensive for their quality, and have top-shelf DACs and op-amps. I've used a Xin Super Mini for two years now, and I love it. Fits easily in my pocket with my portable Vorbis player when I'm running/lifting weights/playing sports/etc. And it's still running off the same set of disposable batteries I put in the day I received it. ;)

So I WILL need a headphone amp for the HD 600's? Do you know of a good place to shop for a good, inexpensive one? The Xin Super Mini looks nice, but I cant find how much they're asking for it...

Edit: Woah, 119 bucks. Are there any for less than 50? Is one necessary?

If you want the 580, 600 or 650 you'll definitely want a headphone amp. If you get the 590, then you won't need one so much, as most sound cards can power them reasonably well.

I don't know of any amps under $50 specifically, but check out the link to Headroom in one of my posts above. They have many great articles on headphone amps, and they may be able to recommend some in that range.

One thing to consider...are you going to be plugging the phones directly into your sound card, or is there a headphone port on your PC speaker system? My Klipsch PC speakers have a headphone port that is very well (and very cleanly) amplified. Most speaker setups (even 2.0s) have an amplified headphone output. If yours do, then try that first, and you may find that you don't need a headphone amp after all.

My headphones plug directly into the speakers, which have their own power source (A seperate plugin).

At the momement, these speakers could easliy pump out enough juice to blow my headphones. They're not even half way turned up and they're loud. ...They're a little past a quarter of the way up right now.

edit: do these require an amp?:
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020080595

Edit edit: I'm using "ALTEC LANSING SERIES 100" Speakers.

Yea, these look very very nice:
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020080595

...I'm going to get these if they dont require an AMP.

Those do look nice...I haven't sampled them myself. The description of them sounds somewhere between the smooth, natural-crossfeed sound of the HD580 and the bright, crystal clear sound of the HD590. If the description's accurate, the 595 might give the most pleasing sound quality overall, and for a wider range of music than the "less centered" models.

And if your speaker headphone amp can blow your current headphones, regardless of their impedance, I'd bet my next paycheck that you won't be needing a headphone amp for anything you buy. (Except maybe for portable players, which have notoriously weak headphone outputs compared to better-powered op-amps.) Then again, you're not going jogging wearing full-sized Senns on your head. ;)

So you think that the 595s are the best buy (for me. Quality/price) right now?

easier link to the bose page for those who care: http://www.bose.com/controller;?even...sets/index.jsp

You will need an amp for most Sennheiser headphones. The best headphones to get without an amp are the Grado S60's. An amazing pair of headphones. Anything higher in the Grado line is going to require an amp. Im not sure about the lower end Sennheiser's though, some of those might not need an amp. If you can afford it, definitely go with a higher end Grado or Sennheiser headphone with a headphone amp. Another good choice would be a pair of Etymotics (sp?) in ear canal headphones. They make two models, one that needs an amp, and one that doesn't. Those offer better noise cancelation than the bose, and sound way better at the same time.

I wouldn't reccomend the bose headphone mainly because it puts more effort into noise cancelation than into sound quality. The fact that you hear less outside noise gives the illusion that the sound is actually way better than it is.

...Scor said that the sennheiser HD 590s dont require an AMP. Do the 595s?

While I don't know the specifications for those headphones, I can say with certainty that any headphone in this class would greatly benefit from a nice headphone amplifier. You can use any headphone without an amp, but then sound quality comes into play. With high end headphones like those, you are going to have a hard time driving the headphones with a walkman. (I simply wouldn't do it) If you have a powered headphone jack on a stereo amp, or a sufficient one on your pc, then you can get enough volume. (Still, a dedicated headphone amp will sound better..) To put it into perspective, I couldn't even get enough volume out of a pair of headphones that came WITH my walkman. I can imagine any of these high end phones will sound absolutely anemic on a walkman or set of crappy pc speakers.

I read on the head-fi forums that the 595 does great without an amp, and sounds very very nice.

Edit: I heard that a sound card will dramatically increase the sound quality from the headphones... Is this one any good?:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

I love Sennheiser, and IMHO they are much better quality than Bose both in sound and quality of the product (and cheaper because they dont have the Bose name). I find noise cancelliung headphones in general to be a waste, unless you do a lot of travelling or something where getting sleep in noisy conditions is a must. Also, unless you use them at home or in a safe environment, using them while driving or biking, etc could be kind of dangerous since you may not here sirens or car horns or something.

Heh, It's illegal here to listen to headphones while driving. Yea, i'm going to buy the HD 595s, and get the above sound card. Anyone have any idea where I could order these?

That's a good sound card. The VIA Envy 24 is the same class of processor used in many Terratec and other high-line brand audio cards. Chaintech is just a less expensive brand which uses the same chipset....probably a different DAC and op-amp though, but I've heard good things about Chaintech cards, so I think you'll be happy with it.

As for where to order from...I'd recommend newegg.com (as you have linked) for the card. I've ordered many things from them and I was always satisfied. As for the Sennheiser HD595s, I'm not sure. I can't remember where I ordered my 590s from, but I'll look through my paper receipts and internet bookmarks for it. I'll post here when I find it (or a good equivalent).

Thanks :). yea, I buy through newegg all the time. I'm just confused about where I'd be able to get the headphones (because Fred meyer, Outpost.com, newegg.com, and watlmart doesnt carry them).

Right now, I have a set of Sennheiser HDD 477's. Are these considered to be "good" headphones? I've had them awhile, and I'm wondering how they compare with something higher up. I probably can't afford better phones just now, but I'd like to know what I'm missing. So are they considered decent?