headphones

[Painless Rob]

Hi,

I was wondering what headphones you guys use and/or recommend. Ever since my two boys came along, my speakers have been gathering dust :( and I've been using some "clip on each ear" personal-stereo style headphones. The bass isn't too hot!

I'd rather not use that style of headphone which covers the whole ear because it's handy to be able to hear kids crying out before they wake up the missus on those late-night sessions. That said I'd still be interested in hearing your opinions about whatever you use, how much they cost, VFM ,etc.

Painless Rob

:geek:

(This question is repeated in the Quakeworld forum.)

[blurr]

one word.

Sennheisers

[Eja Cool8]

one word.

Sennheisers


Ditto, there are better cans out there, but Sennheiser have a vast range at various price points. I have the Sennheiser HD457s, for around £25 they're superb :)

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/products_headphones_homeuse_minihifisystems_05177

[~Rebel~UK~]

im currently using a pair i bought on holiday, vivanco and they r good but the best pair of headphones ive had were the Ross DB, small with great bass,and good quality, not sure if u can buy them now but they were great http://www.threedoubleyou.com/rossfolding1.jpg

[spl@t]

i have to say sennheisers are great, had to replace my last pair because my dog snapped the wire (i could have fixed it but i wanted a new pair). Anyway im currently using these babies

http://www.sennheisercommunications.com/images/pc150.jpg

www.sennheisercommunications.com/pr-pc150.html

They are awesome, the mic is very clear, the remote is simple and sleek and the sound quality is awesome.

about £42 (i got em from the site below, very good)

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/acatalog/__Sennheiser___PC_Headsets.html

[blurr]

www.empiredirect.co.uk are worth checking out as well as www.richersounds.co.uk

I myself own a pair of 590s (worth £149.99) for my PC and 497's which were £20 for my md player :)

[terroristteddy]

I have these sennheiser wireless babies, lovely sound and no cable! pretty pricey though at £75 in argos, i got mine for 50 off ebay

http://www.exhibo.it/Sennheiser/images/RS45.jpg

dunno about headphones that dont have a full cup, never had any decent ones

[Eja Cool8]

i have to say sennheisers are great, had to replace my last pair because my dog snapped the wire (i could have fixed it but i wanted a new pair). Anyway im currently using these babies

http://www.sennheisercommunications.com/images/pc150.jpg

www.sennheisercommunications.com/pr-pc150.html

They are awesome, the mic is very clear, the remote is simple and sleek and the sound quality is awesome.

about £42 (i got em from the site below, very good)

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/acatalog/__Sennheiser___PC_Headsets.html

Those look kinda nice actually, as at present I have to switch between 2 pairs, depending on whether I want to browse/chat/listen/play single player with decent quality or browse/chat/listen/play multiplayer whilst shouting at ppl ingame :P

[Badger Man]

Read somewhere (PC PRO?) that Zalman do a set of headphones that give surround sound - 3 speakers in each cup or something. Was thinking about checking them out, but haven't found any yet

[DeathStart]

They've just released the Zalman XM-RS6F 5.1 Surround Headphones, I'd like some but I've no idea where to get them from. Shame there's not a mic on them, but I rarely use mine anyway. I'd have to get a 5.1 sound card too. I think they're in the £60 price bracket if the usual dollars-to-pounds thing happens.

It'll have to be after Christmas now anyway :P

Actually I have a pair of Sony cordless headphones knocking around - the sound quality's not bad, the batteries last for ages and it's not a full cup around the ear, just a foam pad. I tend to use the Plantronics headset that came with my GameVoice - good sound quality. There's quite a nice set of Plantronics in Argos atm I think for about £20 or so.

[CryBaby]

Lol nice picks of full ear headphones even though he specifically stated he didnt want any. NOOBS!!!1 :P

If you want an integrated microphone for ingame comms etc as well then definitely get some Plantronics. I have had 2 sets and they are great allrounders for £20-30...

[munk]

one word.

Sennheisers

[BullDog]

just got the cheaper pc130

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/acatalog/sennheiser-PC130.jpg

but some playing last night left my ears a little sore - they seem to clamp pretty tight on the head and the top of the headband has no padding - they are heavier then the plantonics I have used for quite a while and the top of head was a little sore too.
Must admit I was tempted away from the pc150's by the £20 less price tag - might send back with a plea to upgrade - wanna test these a little more before doing that tho'.


the Plantronics have been great - Audio 60

http://image.ebuyer.com/UK/P0037300_C0000018_P0000000.jpg

not an enclosed speaker array so good for monitoring outside sounds.

bd

[BullDog]

i have to say sennheisers are great
http://www.sennheisercommunications.com/images/pc150.jpg


do the speakers swizel on those?
the pc130's do and I found it offputting tbh.
how comfy are there for all night use?
any red ear/discomfort?

bd

[venger]

Hi,

I have a pair of these:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=Fra3VmZaNOS3W1mZk_u9XSlWiBPb406zZwY=?Cat egoryName=pa_Headphones_Wireless&ProductSKU=MDRRF9 45RK&Dept=pa

..and I love them as I can just get up and walk away from the desk but still hear whats going on. The sound quality is very good and they are extreamly comfy.

Also, you can just have one side over your ear which is what I do all the time so I can hear stuff in the real world.

venger

[Norphy]

Those plantronics ones look like what came with the MS Gamevoice.

Personally I found those very uncomfortable and they were more than a bit fragile as well, mine broke after about two months of use.

[spl@t]

do the speakers swizel on those?
the pc130's do and I found it offputting tbh.
how comfy are there for all night use?
any red ear/discomfort?

bd

not had any discomfort, the arch that goes over your head is solid with padding on the top where it sits on your head. The ear pieces tilt to adjust to the shape of your head.

[Painless Rob]

Thanks guys, it looks like Sennheisers are the most favoured. I did notice the Zalman "surround sound" headphones being tested on Tom's Hardware, but I've not noticed them for sale anywhere (although I haven't looked that hard).

My local Maplin's does the Sennheiser 457 for £14.95 which seems pretty good (some blurb about great bass), although in the past I've found that some clip-over-the-head phones give me a headache from the pressure after a while. The 457 does have a cheap-looking plastic overhead clip.

I'll probably wait 'til after Christmas, see if I can catch any bargains. Thanks for your thoughts.

:geek:

Rob

[Eja Cool8]

The 457s have a decent bit of foam padding inside the headband m8, trust me, they're very comfortable ;)

[BullDog]

i have to say sennheisers are great
http://www.sennheisercommunications.com/images/pc150.jpg


found the pc130's too uncomfy so sent 'em back with a cheque to go up to the ones above :)

[[!$$ueS]]

I own the Sennheiser pc 130's like Bulldog and the head band is a bit tight but i can live with it.

I'm hopefully getting an mp3 player for christmas, and i want to get some decent headphones for it, I'm wondering if you could recommend some good portable Sennheiser headphones i'm currentley veerign towards the PX 200 as they fold up and the round the ear's i like as well. there's the link below for the PX200, got any suggestions recommendations?

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/products.jsp?id=05207

[BullDog]

ok - sent back the 130's and paid the difference for the 150's and they arrived this morn'
gotta say I am well impressed with Pro Audio Systems....they took back the 130's without quibble and I have the replacements before my cheque has been cashed.

I have tried the headset briefly and they seem fine (at work atm so can't do a proper test).

bd

[BullDog]

ok - 2 nights of full tests have shown the 150's to be very comfy and the sound is superb!
\o/

bd

[BullDog]

]I own the Sennheiser pc 130's like Bulldog and the head band is a bit tight but i can live with it.

I'm hopefully getting an mp3 player for christmas, and i want to get some decent headphones for it, I'm wondering if you could recommend some good portable Sennheiser headphones i'm currentley veerign towards the PX 200 as they fold up and the round the ear's i like as well. there's the link below for the PX200, got any suggestions recommendations?

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/products.jsp?id=05207

personally I like the inside ear style phones.
I am using the Sony ones that I got with my current walkman (they got inline controls) - if I was to get another set it would have to be these:


http://www.richersounds.sv01.net/imagprod/medium/205386.jpg

Sennheiser MX500 £19.95 from Richer Sounds

bd

[[!$$ueS]]

I'm not sure about the in-ear ones i have some Sony ones at the moment that came with my mini disk players, and i find they get sore after a while. So i'm thinking head bands ones, and the one's i'm looking at are round the ear so drown out outside noise as well and fold up! I think i will go into Reading in Christmas holidays and have a look at them and test some i think, there's a few Sennheiser stockists i read on the net.

[|MaTT|]

ok - 2 nights of full tests have shown the 150's to be very comfy and the sound is superb!
\o/

bd

on your recommendation ive just bought those also! :P

[Silkie]

If anyone is looking for the Zalman 5.1 headphones then heres a couple of links.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/zalman_headsets.html

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/product.php?view=4158&PHPSESSID=b7e4ae2af87af3fe7b 93812b078b12c5

Silkie

[DizMatt]

i have to say sennheisers are great, had to replace my last pair because my dog snapped the wire (i could have fixed it but i wanted a new pair). Anyway im currently using these babies

http://www.sennheisercommunications.com/images/pc150.jpg

www.sennheisercommunications.com/pr-pc150.html

They are awesome, the mic is very clear, the remote is simple and sleek and the sound quality is awesome.

about £42 (i got em from the site below, very good)

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/acatalog/__Sennheiser___PC_Headsets.html

fantastic mate
I didn't know seinnheiser did headset with mic attached
might just have to splash out on something like that after the new year..
Mmmm

[|MaTT|]

I just got my sennheiser PC150 through the post today and i have to say the sound is awesomely clear! Ive had both the plantronics HS1 and audio .90 headsets and i have to say whilst i thought those to be good headsets they were not a patch on these sennheisers. Im listening to The Deftones - Around the fur right now and the base is awsome!

Ive yet to test the mic in a game but it sounds crystal clear to me!

[BullDog]

I just got my sennheiser PC150 through the post today and i have to say the sound is awesomely clear! Ive had both the plantronics HS1 and audio .90 headsets and i have to say whilst i thought those to be good headsets they were not a patch on these sennheisers. Im listening to The Deftones - Around the fur right now and the base is awsome!

Ive yet to test the mic in a game but it sounds crystal clear to me!

that's what I noticed first - how the bass is so much deeper and clearer.
the mic is wonderfully shielded and you won't pick up as much outside noise.

I have been on comms where team mates TV comes through clearly.

bd

[spl@t]

The Deftones - Around the fur right now and the base is awsome!


Passenger is also awesome!

One of the best purchases I have ever made getting these.

I've been told my swearing over voice comms has never been so clear, another great reason to buy :D

[|MaTT|]

Well ive had the Sennheiser PC150's for a week now and i can say without any doubt that they are the best headphones + mic set ive ever had! Stunning sound quality with a crystal clear microphone. The sound quality is good enough for me to no longer need to use the 300 quid stereo system i have hooked up to my PC.

My neighbours normally hate me but they have been extra nice to me all week! :P

[Synbios]

Passenger is also awesome!

I totally agree... although would it be so awesome if Keenan WASN'T singing it?

[blurr]

www.quietpc.com also stock zalman headphones

[DizMatt]

well I took my logitech audio USB top of the range ones back to PCworld
after I'd already taken back two sets of audio90's and got a refund for the money I'd spent
which is really nice of them

went to maplins next door and bought some sennheissers
the 150's....60 quid but a tenner more for having them now, instead of after crimbo from a place online..(and from a store I can return them to)
I went for it.
so we'll see what they're like...off out now....

[MALLET]

How is the sound set up on ur PCs do u lot just plug the earphones straight into the sound card or do u do it through an amp on the speakers :confused: ??

[Synbios]

Neither of my speaker sets have mic outputs, so I have to take a set of speakers out if I want to use my headset, as well as turn off the other set of speakers.

[MALLET]

what kind of sound card?

[Eja Cool8]

I just plug it all into the back of my Audigy 2 ZS, effin luvly soundcard, not cheap, but If you play a lot of music/DVDs and like good ingame sound, it's worth it imo.

108db signal-noise ratio, best audio I've ever heard on a PC, even firing it through my Mission Cyrus Amp/Mission 752 Freedom HiFi setup doesn't show it up.

Really got me tempted to go get a 6:1 or 7:1 Surround setup, probably one of the better Creative or Logitech ones, which, of course, will assist in the process of me crapping my pants playing DoomIII in a darkened room next year :D

[The Dark One]

I've got a set of LS/1's at the moment, but the cable is damaged with the obvious headache with knocking the cable distorts sound and random volume change. So its time to replace them. 2 years they've done pretty well.

The sennheiser sets suggested look superb, but I really am not bothered about a mic in the headset. So is there anything of similar quality just for output? Main use is gaming (not as part of a team, hence no mic needed), audio playback and video editing. Ideally want something like the audio quality of the sennheiser but a bit cheaper. Anybody know of anything? Oh, and I'd prefer regular audio connector instead of USB or anything else.

*edit*

*note to self* Next time I'll look before asking :) Seems sennheiser do a whole range of headsets without mics as well (from the link DizMatt posted)

[Eja Cool8]

I've got a set of LS/1's at the moment, but the cable is damaged with the obvious headache with knocking the cable distorts sound and random volume change. So its time to replace them. 2 years they've done pretty well.

The sennheiser sets suggested look superb, but I really am not bothered about a mic in the headset. So is there anything of similar quality just for output? Main use is gaming (not as part of a team, hence no mic needed), audio playback and video editing. Ideally want something like the audio quality of the sennheiser but a bit cheaper. Anybody know of anything? Oh, and I'd prefer regular audio connector instead of USB or anything else.

*edit*

*note to self* Next time I'll look before asking :) Seems sennheiser do a whole range of headsets without mics as well (from the link DizMatt posted)

M8, i'm 38, and Sennheiser were doing quality Headphones for donkey's years before i was born :D

[blurr]

I recommend the sennheiser 590s, thats what I got, rrp £140 :D purchased 2 years ago

[The Dark One]

£140 is a bit much for my pocket, but gonna order a set after XMas

[Valheru_-]

Im tempted to buy some of these sennheiser PC150. From what ive heard from u guys they seem to be great. But my main point is who else has brought these headphones because of this topic here?

[keyz]

me !!

ordered yesterday

damn u lot !!!

[BullDog]

me too - didn't know Sen did a headset or I woulda bought agers ago.
I have 3 sets of Sens now :)
one set is ancient - still works 100% tho'
(for those that remember...they are hd40's)

bd

[spl@t]

Im tempted to buy some of these sennheiser PC150. From what ive heard from u guys they seem to be great. But my main point is who else has brought these headphones because of this topic here?

i should have got commission!!!!

[DizMatt]

I did

I needed to replace my other phones and looked at the sennhiesser line up loads earlier in the year but I didn't think that they did headsets, only headphones
was well chuffed when I found out that they did...
so now have a nice pair :) they're very bassy but that might be because I'm used to the logitech ones that don't even go through the soundcard...

[Valheru_-]

so because of this post some people have brought those earphones. The power of word of mouth (word of forums rather). I was just thinking how can we take adavntage of such a thing? like geting discounts because of such post or discounts because we are trickery net forum posters. Just an idea anyway

[Yao]

It's always worth a look at group purchases if lots of people are interested. It just takes good organisation and commitment from those who are definately looking to buy something soon.

On this topic I have to agree about Sennheiser. I'm a big fan of them. They do well for lots of different purchases. I have HD25s and I use them for a variety of setups, so they tend to get thrown around a lot, even stamped on occasionally. Without a doubt they are hard wearing, and the sound quality is superb. Recommended by a lot of people in the music industry.

You should also shop around as mine cost between 130-150 in most shops, yet some music stores on-line (DJ shops, hi-fi) sell them for 100 quid (vat + delivery), so it's worth looking around a bit first.

My tuppence worth,

Yao

[Morba]

Lauke has done an excellent review on headsets over on esreality.com tbh

[Drkwoman]

I might try one of those sennheiser headsets. I've had 4 pairs of plantronics so far and all them bust so not going for them again :/

[Synbios]

I had one set and that was enough. It came crackly, while a friend's set didn't.

[[!$$ueS]]

I just got a free set of Planatronic headphones, from a family friend as she works for Planatronics. From what i have heard from people the Planatronic ones snap easily. Tho i have a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones.

[Norphy]

My set got delivered today.....

So far, I'm not too sure what to think. The sound quality isn't as good as my £25 pair of HD495s which unforuntately broke but they're definately better than the crappy Technics things I bought from Currys as an emergency measure (which cost £40 btw). They are also a bit on the tight side and may get uncomfortable after a while.

[[!$$ueS]]

Well today i got some portable headphones the Px200. Bit pricey at £40 but wow i love them. They look a bit flimsy, but the sound quality is great ( using Zen xtra mp3 player at 192 kbps), feel nice on the ears with the padding, they're designed to keep outside noise and they do a great job. Also they fold up! and fit nicely into a tiny litle case i definately recommend. Here's a link http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/products.jsp?id=05207

[oxy]

got the ones that game with my gamevoice :D

[DizMatt]

just to say, my PC150's broke two days ago

the mic just stopped working completely!!
tested on 2 machines and yes, with the mic switch ON. :P

however, Maplins just exchanged them :)
marvellous, hope these ones last longer tbh

[blurr]

I want a pair of these :D

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/products.jsp?id=04978

[DizMatt]

not for gaming surely....

where is he??
he's on my left...urrm, no...my left...on the left surely...yes...to the left of me!!!!
BANG

[Mad Ad]

have any of you come across a reasonably priced FM wireless headset with a microphone?

Ive got a set of JVC wireless (but mikeless) and am not that fussed about ultimate sound quality. Thanks


BTW, Painless Rob, just a thought, if your worried about hearing baby noises, you could patch in a desk microphone on a big lead and set it to talkthru with whatever else you have running.

[GroovYF]

have any of you come across a reasonably priced FM wireless headset with a microphone?

I've been looking for the same thing, Mad Ad, with no luck at all

[blurr]

sorry i meant these

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/products.jsp?id=03374 :D

[Eja Cool8]

You work for BBC Radio 3 don't you! :o