Best Headphones?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
What are the best headphones for the Mac? I'm not looking for top-of-the-line, just something to play MP3's and a few games with, that's all. I'm looking for something not too high in price, either.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Not sure if this is within your budget, but Grado SR-60s are fantastic sounding, though they feel like two pieces of sandpaper pressed against your ears for the first week of use or so...your ears have to get used to them...



    They're ~$70...



    if you're budget is under that, then I say you should look at earbuds, especially Sony's ear-canal style Fontopia stuff...
  • Reply 2 of 30
    klinuxklinux Posts: 453member
    Extensive review and ranking at <a href="http://www.head-fi.org/"; target="_blank">http://www.head-fi.org/</a>; . Do some search there and find the best one for your purpose and price range.
  • Reply 3 of 30
    I use a pair of Sony MDR-7506 studio monitor headphones. They are monitor headphones, and have a spot on reproduction of sound. They also fit snug around your ears, and are designed to keep the music coming out of them in your ears... so they're great for wearing on the subway, or anywhere else it would be rude to have others hearing your music.



    They're not that expensive either, they can be had for under a hundred dollars if you know where to look. These things are staples in the Audio and Television world...
  • Reply 4 of 30
    max8319max8319 Posts: 347member
    another vote for grado SR-60's
  • Reply 5 of 30
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Grab the Denon DJ Headphones. I love'em. BASS!
  • Reply 6 of 30
    badtzbadtz Posts: 949member
    If you're looking for "clean/un-colored sound".....



    I would go for the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro's [if your budget is 80-100].....



    OR



    Get the Sony V6 [same thing as the 7506 mentioned earlier]..... you'll save yourself money & they sound EXACTLY the same [because they ARE, just rebranded].....



    The grado 60's aren't a bad choice also, and they're more "portable" than the rest mentioned......
  • Reply 7 of 30
    I love my Grado's too. Same model as above. GREAT overall sound and AMAZING bass. Not portable and sound leakage, so keep that in mind.
  • Reply 8 of 30
    snofsnof Posts: 98member
    The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are great. I got a pair for Christmas last year and I love them. They can be had for about $100.
  • Reply 9 of 30
    Yet one more vote for the Grado's!!

    I'm very impressed with all the Grado users! Once you get used to them, they are the best.



    I'll probably get flamed for this, but a co-worker of mine just got the Bose noise-cancelling headphones, and in my humble opinion, they don't even come close to a nice pair of Grado's! They may be good for planes, and your coworkers won't hear every thing you listen to, but overall I thought the sound quality was average.



    Go Grado!



    ----------------

    RosettaStoned
  • Reply 10 of 30
    wagneritewagnerite Posts: 174member
    if you're into headphones, definately shell out the cash for a Senheiser HD-600. They're worth it.



    For everything except classical music, any old headphone would do. Since the music is edited for every piece of popular equipment (walkman, boombox etc...). For stuff that are intended to create the illusion of "being there" in the concert hall (like classical music), you gotta go for the higher end stuff.



    HD-600 is extremely comfortable. I have them on for 4+ hours pretty often, and you don't even notice that they're on your head.

    as far as sound accuracy is concerned, I think they rival the Mackie studio monitors. Personally, i use a pair of JBL 6208 as my studio monitors, but they do color the texture a bit. I notice this, and i compensate for it in the mix. for speaker monitoring, i use mackie and the jbl's but for headphone monitoring, definately use the HD 600's.
  • Reply 11 of 30
    badtzbadtz Posts: 949member
    hd-580 & hd-600 both have imepedance ratings @ 300 ohms...... you're definitely going to need a headphone amp.......





    if you're on a budget, don't want to spend much, & have good clear sound.....



    Sony V6 [~65-75$] or Senn 280 pro [~$75]



    ^that's assuming you want closed headphones & full ear coverage [the V6's might be a tad smaller on larger ear'ed folks, while the senn 280's might be a tad narrow]
  • Reply 12 of 30
    fawkesfawkes Posts: 80member
    Grado. SR-60 or SR-80 (only slightly better and probably not worth the extra cash). Once you get used to the earcups, which are designed to fit on your ears rather than around them, you'll never regret your decision. Made by true music lovers in Brooklyn, these are serious cans! They are unintentionally retro looking as well, as I doubt the basic design has changed much in decades)



    Here's a <a href="http://www.goodcans.com/HeadphoneReviews/60vs80.htm"; target="_blank">comparison</a> of the SR-60 and SR-80. Take their reviews with a grain of salt, as they sell headphones. I bought my Grados from them and have been extremely pleased.
  • Reply 13 of 30
    wow...a headphone thread outside of Head-fi that's actually "good"...



    I have a pair of Sony MDR-V6 (you can pick them up at Fry's for $70)...and there's a modification that can be applied to make it more comfortable & better sound isolation.

    Grado SR-60/80 are good...as for Senns, I thought the 495 is worth the $50 or so...

    If you are cheaper yet, there's always the Koss (S)porta pro. Port Pro is $15 cheaper...($35 or less for Porta, $50 or less for Sporta) and it's debatable as to which is better, depending on the person you talk to.



    I love my MDR-V6, and happy with my Sporta Pro. One thing though...how much can the output jack on the Mac drive? I know it can handle MDR-V6, SR-60 fine, but not sure 'bout SR-80 and Seen 495. (well, I've heard that they sound okay w/o amp, but A LOT better with amp)
  • Reply 14 of 30
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    HD 280 Pros will do the best.



    Grados are a good second, but they are open and not nearly as precise.



    v6 are OK, but for the money you are better off with the Senns.



    Be careful with your ears...
  • Reply 14 of 30
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    I just need something simple for MP3's. The Grado's are out of my range. Something under $40. I'm not doing any audio work, they will be used with a desktop. Also, I am getting it as a replacement. My last pair of headphones, I think, were fried. :confused: . They will be used with a cube(as if you couldn't figure that out). That pair was just a cheap pair that came with my CD player. A comfortable pair would be good.
  • Reply 16 of 30
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    If The Philips 890 Headphones weren't such a pain to purchase in most areas I'd consider them. I like the Big Comfy Cans. Check out the <a href="http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=4b36b6bdf2191d2c267470853e012939&; threadid=9790&highlight=philips+890" target="_blank">Threads on them</a>
  • Reply 17 of 30
    Umm, yea, sony sucks when it comes to sound people. All you sony fanatics can flame me for saying that but it's the truth. Ask ANY audio expert.
  • Reply 18 of 30
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    [quote]Originally posted by MrBojanglez50:

    <strong>Umm, yea, sony sucks when it comes to sound people. All you sony fanatics can flame me for saying that but it's the truth. Ask ANY audio expert.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    I am an Expert and I say Sony ES is good stuff.
  • Reply 19 of 30
    warpdwarpd Posts: 204member
    I had the Grado 60's and now I use Sony MDR-7509, the model up from the Sony MDR-7506's and THEY ARE BADDASS!! I use them with my iPod, and they blow the grados out of the water. Of course, they cost almost $200, but well worth it. True studio sound!
  • Reply 20 of 30
    Hmurchison, but when you compare them to similar speakers with the same price tag they don't sound too good now do they?
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