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You are obviously doubting how good your brain is at post processing. It only takes a few hours, maybe a day or two and those comfortable for 24/7 wear ear buds will sound just fine. Also better for privacy with the small drivers. You can practically use some of the better big headsets as speakers.

The key is to not put any good headphones on for comparison, you will notice right away how bad the cheap ear buds are. J/K and serious too.

But if you are sure isolation is the way to go than yeah, you have to pay for that.

Your brain can eventually adapt and adjust for coloration (where certain frequencies are emphasized or de-emphasized), but it can't put back frequencies which have been lost.

blahsaysblah wrote:

Firestarter wrote:

$9 earbuds are sure to bring out the best in any music

You'd catch me buying a solid gold toilet before i pay $200+ for a pair of headphones.

I have Sennheiser HD595's and Sennheiser HD25-1's, both of them north of $200 depending on when and where you bought them and both worth every single penny

Firestarter wrote:

I have Sennheiser HD595's and Sennheiser HD25-1's, both of them north of $200 depending on when and where you bought them and both worth every single penny

Everyone prioritizes differently to get their solid gold toilet... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

blahsaysblah wrote:

You'd catch me buying a solid gold toilet before i pay $200+ for a pair of headphones.

Well then, you owe me TWO solid gold toilets.

Firestarter wrote:

really good closed-back fullsize headphones in that price range often require an headphone amp to shine. Also keep in mind that what you call "good" might vary according to the music you listen, some headphones are better suited for some styles than others

that said, I think something like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X might be a good starting point for your search. As far as I know, that's one of the best bang-for-buck closed-back fullsize pair of headphones that works well without a headphone amp

I've owned those for nearly a year now, and use them when I go walking. Sometimes I velcro my headphone amp to them, but usually I'm satisfied with my phone's output. Great headphones and they provide all the isolation you need unless you are in an EXTREMELY loud environment.

Captain Ned wrote:

blahsaysblah wrote:

You'd catch me buying a solid gold toilet before i pay $200+ for a pair of headphones.

Well then, you owe me TWO solid gold toilets.

Ah, the pure luxury.


With an "over the ear" and "sealed/isolation" design these are the headphones that I'd choose because of most reviewers mentioning it's expanded sound-stage (..or "out-of-the-head" sound):

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/meze/1.html

In-ear I'd choose etymotic - but I would not choose in-ear except for mobile use.


Still, I wouldn't generally choose an isolation design unless necessary. My preference at a near "solid gold toilet" would be the Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X.

CScottG wrote:

except for mobile use.

i do occasionally do this thing where i go sit in whatever random restaraunt i'm near to for the weekend and listen to an audio book for a few hours while enjoying food and drinks. So mobility also factored into my case. Regardless my current mindset is that i may well end up buying an over the ear set if i don't find the sound output of these satisfying enough for movie, games, and such use with my pc.

Heiwashin wrote:

CScottG wrote:

except for mobile use.

i do occasionally do this thing where i go sit in whatever random restaraunt i'm near to for the weekend and listen to an audio book for a few hours while enjoying food and drinks.

I probably should have said active use, as opposed to mobile use. Walking, jogging, working out, etc..

Your example would be well-suited to an over-the-ear sealed design that's reasonably portable. (..those 99 Classics might be very well-suited for this.)

Most importantly however is comfort. I can take in-ear for up to about 45 minutes (..and this is assuming it's not a custom mold to my ear - that I might be able to wear for many hours). Over-the-ear sealed I can stand for a bit more than 3 hours as long as it fits well and I can "pop" them open (away from my head temporarily about every 30 minutes or so).


Anyway, I hope your choice works well for you!

all those sports guys use the sennheiser hd25
great sound, great sound isolation, built ford tough

The 99 Classics sound great but are horribly uncomfortable on-ears.

Some people have comfort issues with IEMs. Personally when I get the right sized tip I can wear them comfortably for hours and hours. I definitely think IEMs are a good route for Heiwashin to explore.

If the headphone/IEM is available to buy on Amazon then do it. Their return policy is very good. It's a valid reason to return a headphone/IEM if its uncomfortable to the point you won't use it.

slowriot wrote:

The 99 Classics sound great but are horribly uncomfortable on-ears.

Certainly depends on the size of your ears, my guess is that I would have that problem (..I'm not talking Ferengi-sized ears, but still overly large and "prominent" for my liking and for many headphones).

I like the wireless Senheisers (RS 120) I sometimes use (more for comfort than sound, though they aren't bad sound-wise), but they are a bit more oval in shape than the 99 Classics.

Considering that gold has a thermal conductivity somewhere between aluminum and copper, I don't really want to be the guy sitting on a solid gold toilet.

Well, maybe in Phoenix, this week. Otherwise, no.

I was just in pheonix a few weekends ago, we couldve had a party ludi.

Heiwashin wrote:

I was just in pheonix a few weekends ago, we couldve had a party ludi.

Eeeeewwwww. If ever there was a party to miss.

ludi wrote:

Considering that gold has a thermal conductivity somewhere between aluminum and copper, I don't really want to be the guy sitting on a solid gold toilet..

Of course it should be a heated and LED illuminated gold toilet...
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.luma ... 60874.html

I read that as "lukewarm heated". Ugh. Do not want a lukewarm toilet.

I just got a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x cans. They're over-the-ear and sound pretty good... but for $125 they'd better.

bthylafh wrote:

I just got a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x cans. They're over-the-ear and sound pretty good... but for $125 they'd better.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the M50x's. I picked mine up at Guitar Center when they had just come out after demoing them in the store. Paid $165 plus tax. They are worth it at $165 and an absolute steal at $125. You can't do better unless you buy used.

They sound excellent, and are much better built than comparably priced Sennheisers. Anyone riding on the fence about buying these should go to a Guitar Center if there is one nearby and listen to them. Just be warned that they aren't especially good if powered by an MP3 player or phone. They need a little stronger amplification than phones or most mobile devices put out in order to sound their best.

Might also want to consider the m20x's. They are about $50, slightly less comfortable and sound almost the same - imo some of the best bang-for-buck out there if one likes the m50x's and would be okay with the reduced comfort.

I have the M30s which I've been using lately for sonic rugrat therapy. They seem to do the job, but my taste in music probably levels the playing field on that quite a bit.

I bought the AT M50 new for $105 to replace my HD280 before they became popular. I thought they were overrated and sold them. Got the HFI-780 instead, and now also own the HD650.

Sony MDR-7506.

Pagey wrote:

Sony MDR-7506.

I've heard the MDR-7506 back to back with the ATH-M50x's, and considered them strongly before I chose to get my M50x's, as I had heard nothing but good things about the Sony's. The M50x's are pretty much just more. More expensive, better sound, slightly better features (interchangeable cables!). The Sony's have been a mainstay of recording studios for MANY years, and for good reason. They're excellent all-around monitor headphones. But the design is old (not a bad thing at all!) and has been surpassed by newer cans, IMO. The M50x's are quickly becoming the go-to headphone to replace/supplant the MDR's.

I have 4 sets of over the ear / enclosed headphones. Buy the MDR-7506s. You will love them. They are the best bang for the buck headphones you can purchase.

I'm sure the ATH-M50x are a nice set too, just a little more pricey.

PS Under no circumstances purchase the MDR-10Rs. These are Beats style bass heavy headphones. They sound like trash compared to the MDR-7506s (even though the 10Rs are more expensive).

I have two pairs of JVC HX-RA900 headphones that I have loved for years now (I game with one set at home, and use the other to block out work noise with my music).

Just a set of solidly built over-the-ear headphones that help block out a hefty amount of ambient noise.

Also, for only $60 on Amazon, they're quite the bang for buck.

just brew it! wrote:

blahsaysblah wrote:

Firestarter wrote:

$9 earbuds are sure to bring out the best in any music

You'd catch me buying a solid gold toilet before i pay $200+ for a pair of headphones.

There's a pretty huge range of quality between $9 and $200 though. You can get something that sounds a *lot* better than cheap earbuds without spending that much; a $75 set of Sennheisers will blow them away.

Depends on what you want. Just for the sake of mentioning it - Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds cost $8, they fit ears tightly enough that they passively block a lot of background noise, and they sound "good enough" for the gym/they're cheap enough that I don't really care if I loose them or send them through the wash (which I HAVE done, multiple times, they always survive ). By far the best ones I've found for that little.

I don't doubt that a pricier set of headphones will beat them by a large margin, but think about that noise insulation bit... I've seen ones that passively do this fairly well, and others that are terrible at it (even a good bit pricier).

i picked up my shure 215's today and i couldn't be more impressed. The foamies are extremely good at sealing out noise. I did some basic testing with general truck noise like idling air vents and the radio and it does a really good job of making them all disappear under whatever i'm listening to even at loud radio volumes. Then it produces a really nice quality sound on top of that. I only messed with the bass enough to get it to where i considered it properly balanced against everything else, and it does an extremely good job of doing that. Thanks for the suggestion ned these are a home run. Although i did buy the wrong tips as extras, i bought the squishy rubber ones instead of plastic and they don't provide as much noise isolation based on my rough testing. Gonna pick up the right ones and pick them up next week when it's time for fireworks and beer.

Glad to be of assistance. If you really want to gild the lily, you can get custom inner-ear molds which will add at least another 10db to the noise-blocking and bring on all-day comfort. The Shure website should have the requisite details.

Heiwashin wrote:

i picked up my shure 215's today and i couldn't be more impressed.

Hi Heiwashin,

A little late to the converstation here since I see that you've already picked up a pair you're satisfied with. Nevertheless, since you mentioned sound isolation, I can shed my own opinion on a pair that I was happy with for that same purpose.

Back in 2008 I bought a pair of in-ear headphones called the Klipsch Custom 3. They came with different sized buds that would most likely fit your ear. It took me a week or two before I found the buds that fit me the best, but since then I was extremely happy with the isolation. I have even used them as ear buds without listening to music to shut off sound from neighbors having a party, haha. They were quite expensive when they came out ($300+) but I see that you can still get them used for much, much less now.

As complained about in various user reviews, the durability isn't as good as you've expect from such a priced item. Mine just recently stopped working properly (won't give sound to right ear) but that's after 8 years of use. Sadly I haven't found anywhere where they offer to repair them, but I was still very happy for as long as they lasted.

If you find perfectly working used ones online somewhere I would recommend to pick them up.

You can read about them here:
http://www.klipsch.com/products/custom-3