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Hey guys. New here. Have a few questions. I’m new to this whole audiophile thing and just wanted to see if you guys could share a bit of info. I’m looking into to get a decent pair of headphones. Mostly I want to use them for when I’m at the library at school but our library can get kinda noisy. (Not much of a library rather than a study center). I was looking into over head noise cancelling just cause I don’t want to be distracted so I checked out the Sony wh-700. I used em for a few days and I don’t really love them. I honestly think I’m leaning more toward in ear. I wanted to check out the b&o e8’s. I realize that this isn’t gonna give the best sound quality but they’re on sale and I really like the conscience of completely wireless headphones. Any suggestions will be great.
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keyboard_arrow_downBonddaboom
145
Feb 15, 2019
what is your budget? Fostex t60rp will drown out the sounds around you for $300 on amazon. I use them in public and haven't had any complaints, it's audiophile sound too. They sounds great on my iPhone 6s. The best sound isolation was Mrspeakers ether flow c 1.1, with no music playing, people have to grab my attention. They cost $1599. The last set would be audio technica m40(don't remember whole model #). think they are under $200. Used M40 on airplane and it drowned out the plane noise. Stay away from m50. If you want sound quality stay away from noise canceling. Their great at what they do but at the sacrifice of clarity.
SpeleoFool
675
Feb 15, 2019
Sorry, got a deluge of thoughts.... Let me just qualify the following by saying that this is more of a steam of conscious dump of my own opinions and preferences than any kind of specific advice. Maybe something here will help you to decide how to get started.
Personally, I don’t care for noise canceling headphones. The noise-canceling mode feels like pressure up my eardrums. Music doesn’t have to be terribly loud to cancel out background noise.
Wireless is good for convenience, buy not great for sound quality. A friend of mine also offered some sound advice: “You know what never needs batteries? Wires.”
I used to to not care for in-ears. Every pair I tried was a disappointment. Fit and comfort always fell short. Then last year I got customs. Comfort is indescribably good. They make a perfect seal and don’t exert any pressure in your ear canals to do so. They block out sound as good as any earplugs. You could put me on a plane full of screaming babies, and I could close my eyes and drift off into the music.
CIEMs are probably a hell of a leap for “just getting started,” but they’re a perfect answer to your stated purpose. You didn’t mention a budget, but be prepared for sticker shock if you look at CIEMs.
Full size cans also offer superb comfort and sound quality. In general, open back designs tend to sound better, but they bleed sound out and let sound in. Closed back designs block out more outside sound at the expense of some compromises with sound quality. Note that certain full-sized cans are harder to drive than others.
When you want something for rocking out in your own space, take a look at the 58x here at Massdrop. They’re a wonderful reference point (lots of people own Sennheiser, so it’s helpful as a comparison point against other headphones), and at $150 both a tremendous value and an affordable entry point into higher-end headphones.
If I have a point here, it’s just this: there are plenty of good ways to enjoy music, so don’t get hung up on getting it perfect the first time. Figure out what’s right for what you need now, then come back later and try something else. It’s a fun and enjoyable hobby.
ELJEFEREVIEWS
14
Feb 14, 2019
I would go with Sony or Bose for Wireless with ANC. If budget is a concern, then there are a few choice options that are good for $100-$150 from Soundcore, Sony, Edifier, and Plantronics,
rastus
1391
Feb 12, 2019
I have had Bose wired and now older Sony wired NC cans for plane travel only. I also carry my Phonon cans for in-hotel listening. I have tried the new Bose & Sony wireless NC ones a-b; the the Sony WM1000XM3 win on SQ and are creature-feature-rich.
Compared to an equivalent set of audiophile cans in the same price range... they fade away... they will be better if you turn off the NC and wired is also an option.
I do think that an older pair of Extreme Isolation EX-29 cans, -29dB noise attenuation, with the big printing on them, could also be helpful in a studying environment...
dcha12
461
Feb 12, 2019
My honest opinion is that the Bose QC 35 is the best noise-cancelling headphone. But even those can't hold a candle to true audiophile cans around the same price point (or cheaper since nowadays, so many great cans are sold for low prices).
erickong
7412
Audiophile Moderator
Feb 10, 2019
Noise canceling and wireless really narrows down your search. I don't own any headphones that are noise canceling or wireless but I know of some companies you should check out.
Sennheiser, VModa, Bose, Sony, Bowers and Wilkins
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