Did it hurt when they removed them?
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I checked out the Koss phones but they have poor reviews. The most thorough Amazon review basically said that they don’t sound like Koss.
I have some wired headphones that I used to use which I may be able to refurbish (once I find them). I think I have two pair that need new pads. Never replaced pads, but I assume that is something that can be done. I also have a Boss on-ear pair that has a decent sound. I can’t find a model number for them.
So, if I am able to get rid of the wired requirement, what would be some good wireless options? I could go up in price a bit, but unfortunately I have three kids in college right now.
Sony used to be my entry-level go to brand. They have products in every price class, and are usually at least usable. They are certainly not audiophile quality below $120 let alone $30. Still, let each person listen and decide for themselves. Plus, let a woman decide what a woman wants. Fashion and style may play a much larger role than for us. In your shoes I’d try to demo at a BestBuy, MicroCenter, or other local store with a headphone selection. I’d let her pick among whatever they have in stock.
As @pk500 states, I vigorously avoid no-name cheap headphones. Several years ago I tried some wireless IEMs from Anker – famous for battery chargers and power banks – and was disappointed. The treble was awful. They are unsellable and will be donated to charity.
Please tell me again about the use case. Do you NEED noise cancellation? Is there a chance you could use wired. I thought there was a Koss Porta-Pro or similar with interchangable cords that include the “wireless”. (no noise cancellation).
If you break your budget, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 do it all. I recently bought a pair and they are very good for the price, about $279. That’s in a different class than your entry levels. Bose, and several others are in this category too.
Giving up a wired option, Sony has Sony WH-CH720N in your price range. I haven’t heard this model, but as @generic says, they are ok, but not audiophile below $120. Even the entry level Beats (we all love to bash Beats for it’s consumer-oriented heavy bass wonky sound) are in that price range (no wired option) but they are fashionable.
My local Best Buys (where I never seem to run into @generic) has gotten bad about having much demo merch.
Hey y’all, I’m looking for wired headphones, but I’m open about the rest of the details.
My price range is $40-100. If they were really nice I could push it a bit.
I’m looking for something with good bass mainly (I hate how tinny the bass on my current headphones sound in contrast to my external sound system) but still pretty cheap. I’d like them to be comfy on my ears if possible, since some days I’ll be wearing them for 8+ hrs. Bluetooth or mic are not needed.
I like to listen to: EDM, house and techno pop with some alt rock, indie rock and classical thrown in. Think Calvin Harris, Ellie Golding, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, alongside Arctic Monkeys, Palace, Glass Animals, Castlecomer, Phoenix, Harry Styles, etc.
I’ll use these for YouTube and TV too, but music is my main goal. I will be using them at home on my computer primarily.
The Sony WH-CH720N actually are wired and bluetooth, so maybe those are the ones I should go for. They also come in white, so they are a little more “fashionable” for a college girl. Seeing them for $130.
I also see the WH-XB910N on sale for $150. They also are both wired and bluetooth. There was a mention in a review comparing the two that the XB910N are better but that some might find the bass a little muddy. Only seeing black and gray though.
Any opinions on these two as options for me?
If only there’s a place to try them out so you can let your daughter choose rather than sifting through thousands of words on the internet hey?
Why not ask your daughter her opinon? That’s the one that counts. And if she guesses wrong, well can’t blame you…
That would be nice, but she will only be hear for a day and won’t have time for shopping.
Maybe get her a decent wired one for college for now and promise her a wireless one for leisure use for Christmas or her birthday…?
I’m just throwing out ideas at this point.
Anywho, you’re going to have to make some serious compromises with your current budget.
Either that or just pull the trigger on either of the two Sony’s you listed earlier
Audio-Technica M50XBT can be used wired in a passive mode - the headphones can be used even if the battery is low, but it will cost little higher and it has no ANC. If there is an opportunity to listen to them and increase the budget, I would recommend considering.
My wife is not an audiophile and is very happy with her WH-XB910N. She uses it for hours every day to listen to music from her iPhone. In fact when she broke her original one (I think she dropped it, so it was her fault, not Sony’s), she wanted another one.
Edit: I just remembered that we had a spare WH-XB910N, and my son took it. He works in music production, and although he has an “audiophile approved” 6XX and ETA Semi-Closed, he also wanted a wireless headphone, and decided that the spare Sony was his. Last time I talked to him, he said he really liked how the Sony sounded.
So if you are not buying for an audiophile, I don’t think there’s any reason to over-think it.
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Thanks for all of the help from everyone. I’m going to see if I can try out some of the recommended ones.
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Let’s say I want to buy a power amp for about ~$500 and want a decent amount of power to future proof my system. Looking at:
- Emotiva a2
- Parasound NewClassic 275
- Dual Outlaw Audio 2220 Monos
Anyone compared the above? Have any other suggestions? Note I’m talking about a stereo power amp so I only need an RCA input and stereo speaker terminals. I do not want a DAC, DSP, a volume knob, or any of that other business.
This is for??? Driving speakers? There are always some nice deals on Audiogon in used stuff. 200 WPC RMS Rotel for about $600 asking…A nice Bel Canto 130 WPC (4 ohm) for $500.
If all you’re looking for is a wire with gain…
Are you asking if I’m using the power amp for speakers? That’s typically what a power amp is for, no? If I were looking for “wire with gain” I’d probably settle for some cheaper class D thing.
Right now just looking around to see what the options are, but I probably won’t actually be purchasing anything for a few months. Was thinking of getting the Elac Debut Reference, which I know like power. For future proofing, I’d be sticking with bookshelves to fill a smallish living room, so I don’t need anything too crazy.
Looking on AudioGon and HifiShark, I’m not seeing any Rotel or Bel Canto stuff in my price range. I’ve heard mixed things about Rotel in general. Would these sound meaningfully better than the Emotiva or whatever?
Schiit? Several price brackets. I always gravitate to Class A. About 90% of my needs can be met with 1 watt, and 99.9% with 10 watts.
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I think you’re missing the whole “future proof” and “Elac DBR likes power” bits…
New Record Day did run DBRs on dual mono Aegirs but that’s getting expensive (also I don’t like that as monoblocks you have to run them balanced meaning you need a balanced preamp which adds to the cost). Vidar might work if I could find a used one for a good price tho, even if it might not sound as good as the duel Aegirs (I’ve never heard either in person). There definitely seems to be a hole in Schiit’s offerings between the Ghorn and the Vidar, seems like they could slot like a 50-60W, $500 amp in there.
My speaker future lies with 1-4 watt amps and open-baffle speakers. Seriously. My takeaway from audio shows and local stores is that open baffle setups are more like headphones (invisible, part of the room) than a box speaker can ever hope to be. I never exceed 80 dB with speakers. You meant uber-ultra-power-blow-the-doors-off-needs-proof?
You don’t listen to much orchestral then…