70 dollar headphone

[sap chicken]

Can someone educate me on the good and the bad headphones for around 70 dollars?
I like the closed ones, I know brands like Sennheiser, Philips and Panasonic make good headphones for the price but I need your opinion’s on choosing a good one.

 

[anwaypasible]

i think somebody can educate you on the good and bad headphones.
there are only two ways to do this:
1. learn how speakers are made and go into great depth and detail about all of the different descriptions.. and then realize that those descriptions are not available for headphones.
2. read reviews and find a store that allows you to listen for yourself.

i know how hard it is to go to the store and see none of the headphones are available for you to try before you buy 'em.
but if you bring a radio with you, and you know the radio has high quality output.. then i dont see why you couldnt bring the $70 with you to the store and buy a product, open it up and try it, then bring it back for an exchange.
you would be outside for half of the day trying different headphones.
and if the allow you to do it in the store or in the parking lot.. when you are done, they would probably gripe that you didnt write a review for each product.
or
they would call the cops and try to say you have no civil rights, and that what you are doing is wrong.
depends on the store and/or the store manager.

to call you lazy would be hippocritical, because the stores put things on the shelves that never get any chance to see them in action before you buy them.

even the review websites dont care about the truth.. they might tell you the worst of the worst, but everything else gets a positive review.

there are websites dedicated to headphone listening, and you will find more information there than you will on this website.
but
going out into the stores and trying them yourself is the only way to make the buying decision.

satisfaction guaranteed is too distant.
and these stores need to learn that there are people who are at an advantage when they dont have the time and money to mess around.
their morals are not looking good.. and offering a refund isnt doing much but putting a patch on the problem.
of course,
the stores would say 'the product manufacturer needs to pay for the display.. why should we spend money on proving the product is any good'
and to that i say 'you dont care if the products get sold or sit on the shelf'
and if there is any contract or policy preventing such displays of quality.. then those policies and contracts need to be over-ruled.


opinions are weight, comfort, visual looks, functionality, and how long they continue to function.
to say that these are mandatory judgements, that just proves the opinions are certified from a reputable critic/judge.

you didnt give a specific model number.. and you didnt specifically ask for anything in detail.
your statement said 'i need your opinion'

more details in your question would allow us to actually be of some worth to you.
but
if you are asking for a personal lesson on headphones for $70 ... i hope you receive the truth :lol:

 

[sap chicken]

okay sorry for the lack of information.

I could go look around in some stores, here they sometimes have them set up to try out. (just not the ones I was looking at)

I was looking for something like the
Philips SHP8500 the only thing I dislike about that one is that it has those foam ear cushions, do they ware out fast?

I was also looking at the Sony MDR-ZX500
it got like those leathery cushions which I prefer I guess. it only looks a bit weak, it say's light wait which I don't really care about.

also the Panasonic RP-HTF600
it looks great has one wire and also those leathery cushions and seems very sturdy.

the Sennheiser HD 428 looks a lot like the Sony one only with the wire on one side which seems better, but it's also lightweight which makes it look a bit weak.

Pioneer SE-M390 looks very strong but that air hole for the bass I don’t really understand.

the Sennheiser HD 215 look huge which I like, but in reviews they say that the bass is a bit weak.

None of those did I find in stores to just try out, most of them I cant even find in stores and need to buy them from the internet. all the reviews say that they are nice, are perfect, sound really good or is worth the money which makes choosing one really hard.

I was thinking about or the Panasonic RP-HTF600 or the Pioneer SE-M390 but if you got any good experiences with other headphones or just bad experiences with these can you tell me?

 

[anwaypasible]

fantastic write-up you got here.
as you know, i dont have info on these headphones.

and i feel bad for you when you try to wait like 1 or 2 years before you go reading the review to see if anything bad happens in 1 or 2 years.
sometimes the review is old enough, but the product is no longer available for sale.. and it is next to impossible to find the headphones new or used.

the bad thing about reviews is the lack of information.
people say 'these are worth the money' and that doesnt say or mean anything.
one person might feel that they didnt waste any money, and another person certainly would feel that they wasted money.

a person might say 'these sound really good' and that doesnt say or mean anything.
another person might think 'these sound decent.. but i have heard better'

a person might say 'these sound better than anything i have ever heard before' and that doesnt say or mean anything.. because nobody knows what other headphones the person has heard before.
and another person might say 'i have heard better'


people really need to stop being quick and simple.. it is lazy and wastes time.
some people dont bother to say how long they have owned the headphones.
and if they do say how long they have owned them.. they dont say how often they use the headphones.
i could tell you 'i bought these headphones 3 years ago'
but what i didnt tell you is 'i have only used these headphones for a total of 10 hours listening'
what good is 3 years if you only used them for 10 hours ?!!
we need to hear that you have owned them for 3 years and you use them every day (or every weekend).

when they say the bass is loud.. they dont say if it is muddy or of it is loud and precise, or if the bass is loud - muddy - and overwhelming like a huge pressure on the ear that makes listening to the midrange difficult.


they dont say things about the midrange, like..
'there is a cardboard sound' or 'the details are high.. but everything sounds like aluminum or tin'
they dont say 'there is a lot of space in the sound.. but the actual vocals are still paper-like'


these people would do terrible at an art expo.
to walk around and say 'i like this one' and not give any reason why.. that makes the person dull and boring with little to say.
if the reason you like it is hard to say, then simply say 'i dont know.. i am somehow drawn to it'
or
'i cant find the words, but i am somehow attracted to it'


otherwise..
things that need to be said are like.. 'i like this shade of the color'
or
'i like how this thing swirls around'
or
'i like how this part looks clear and is in focus.. and then right here ___ it begins to lose focus, and right here is the most blur'


they try to teach us how to appreciate things by using those 'can you find the items in the list'
and all of the items are hard to find, making you hunt them down in the picture.
when you look at something, you are supposed to hunt down the things you like and dont like.. and you are supposed to have a real reason.


sometimes you have nothing to say, and all you have is energy.
then you make the decision to stay there and fight with that energy (using the piece that gave the energy) and stay there until you come up with a reason.
or
you make the decision to move on without getting those reasons (that energy) into words.


since you were totally willing to put up the post with some detailed info.. i really hope somebody comes along and has something SOLID to say about at least one of the headphones.

if all of those headphones cost the same.. and i heard 'em all and i knew for a fact that one sounded better than the other, and that there was no other difference except the change of the audio clarity.. i would certainly tell you.
or
i would say 'these have more space.. but the actual vocals are less detailed'
and 'these have less space.. but the vocals sound more realistic'
then i would leave it up to you to decide if you want the extra space or the extra vocal detail.
that is how it should be done.
and if i knew of a pair of headphones that have both.. i would point you to them with a model number or a link to the headphones.. even if the price was higher.
and if the cost was lower, i would certainly tell you about those headphones too.

 

[sap chicken]

can I ask wat headphones you've got and if they are to your liking?

 

[anwaypasible]

i bought some grado sr60 headphones.. one of the speakers blew in less than a year.
and it might have something to do with me over powering the bass.
they said it would cost me about $20 to have them put in a new speaker and ship it back (although i asked them to ship me the speaker and let me install it).

to give a review of the grado sr60's .. i would first mention that i didnt get much of a chance to use them.
i remember the sound wasnt really really bad.. but the low frequencys were so low that i had to zoom in and listen for them, and at the lowest frequency there was nothing there.

the midrange was nothing special.. and neither was the treble.
meaning, these headphones are not audiophile or premium grade headphones.
but
that is going forwards towards the improvements.
to go backwards..
well that is a different matter altogether.
since the quality obviously has its place.. there are other speakers and headphones that sound MUCH worse.
i can say that i have a pair of $20 sony headphones from walmart or kmart or one of them stores..
the grado headphones sounded like a money improvement.. and they also felt like a money improvement.
do i think $40 more money was there in my possesion?
to that i would say, if all i get for my extra $40 was that.. then they are asking a lot from us and our wallets.

the grado sr60's didnt have a cardboard sound.. but they still had a pinch of paper sound.
and not all of the sound was pouring out of them.
the frequency response wasnt flat at all.
the bass i already mentioned.
the treble wasnt overly loud.. and it matched the midrange enough to say that the treble wasnt screaming at me.. but my sensitive ears would say that the treble was still louder than the midrange.

i really cant dig into the details of the midrange any more because i dont remember.
but
i just went and grabbed 'em and i will listen to the one side that still works :lol:

i take back what i said about the treble.. the treble is less than the midrange and the midrange screams into your ear at an unsafe level.

maybe you will find a better pair of headphones at walmart or kmart for $20 .. MAYBE .. but it would seem like these headphones are for people who dont want to waste the time or money searching for them.

i listened to a 96khz version of pearl jam's 'even flow' and 'alive'
the singer was screaming into my ear with these headphones.
tried a track from pink floyd.. a 96khz version of 'money'
same problem.. the midranges are screaming at me and they dont have much to say.
the treble is harsh.. the midrange is harsh.. the bass is opposite of harsh, meaning it sounds like there are chunks missing.. as if weak and hesitating.

if you havent heard harsh treble before.. it means the treble is there, but it isnt tight and sizzling.
it simply exists as angry and hot as the sun.

there isnt any atmosphere to the sound, except some annoying nuance that sounds like it would make me go deaf if i listen to them for too long.. and perhaps the headphones would sound better then, even if the bass was still lacking.

i cannot recommend these headphones to anybody.

i've tried the DAC in my onboard soundcard.. and the DAC in my receiver.
the DAC in my receiver appears to have a higher signal to noise ratio.. and a faster slew rate than these headphones can keep up with (at least when they are plugged in and pressing play)
i find it difficult to exaggerate the sound until it shoves an improvement into the headphones, and it would probably cost more money.


a person who likes rock and roll might be tricked into thinking these headphones are decent.. but in fact, they sound downright dangerous to my hearing.. even at low volumes.
there is a constant ringing that annoys and fatigues the listening experience.

if these are considered an improvement to the $20 headphones .. it might be the treble and vocal clarity being less cardboard sounding.. but the paper-like effect appears to be twisted and pinched, making the midrange shout harsh with more energy than it knows what to do with.

i think they are on the road to improvement.. but when it comes to being hyper-active.. they arent enough to be considered 'blistering' in the good way.
they are 'blistering' in the bad way.

not only would i call the audio clarity junk.. the headphone jack (the metal) has shrunk and if i wiggle it, the sound cuts out.
just another piece of junk that is intended to make people satisfied way too early.

now take what i said and look at all of the good reviews of the grado sr60 headphones.

 

[sap chicken]

I know, reviews (most of them at least) suck...
But erm those jacks can be easily replaced with a high end gold plated one just for like 2 euro's here.
Also you are better off with replacing both speakers if one breaks because with most brand headphones they take two speakers from the same production line so you'll get the same quality on both sides, buying just one replacement might leave you with the annoyance of hearing one side louder or with more bass or something.

And I think I’m just going to chose the Panasonic RP-HTF600 or the Pioneer SE-M390 because they are both from a good brand with features that I want and it’s just a chois that you need to make and be lucky I guess.

 

[anwaypasible]

that is exactly how it works.
nothing is going to change that until the stores stop selling inferior things for more money, and premium things for less money.
meaning.. each product will be priced exactly to represent the plus or minus of quality.

for us, that means there is no more 'getting higher quality for less money'
and it also spoils marketing and ad campaigns.

you would look at each product and directly see the price tag, and how terrible the product is.
that puts a thought into your head.
and when the product appears to be high quality, you can look at the price tag and know it is going to break soon.

there are countless numbers of people who work with the analyzing of the psychology towards people who pick and choose what they buy.
all of it is shuffled and scrambled into a form of conduct that promotes abuse.
the only benefit is finding something of high quality and paying less for it.
but
the information available does not offer any suggestion.
cant go by brand names, cant go by model numbers, cant go by specifications, cant go by features.
these have all proven to be misleading to the final verdict of quality.

a contrast ratio is NOT the same thing as the number of colors available in a television.
and even if they did give the number of colors.. that does NOT mean all of those colors are available at once.
if you are given a number, that number could be for the lifetime of the television.
to say the television has a life expectancy of 10 years .. and the first 3 years you have 'group A' colors .. the next 5 years 'group B' colors are available .. and the last two years 'group C' colors are available.
in the end.. you combine all three groups to get a higher number of colors than at any one time.


manufacturers cant complain much.. except that they cant sell their junk for higher prices anymore.
but
they might want to sue and say that 'if we cant sell the junk for more, then we cant afford to sell the good stuff for less'

you know what that boils down to?
the mid-class and the poor will constantly suffer from the lack of quality available to them.

it should be rewarding to do the research and grab the television that rewards the hunter.
instead.. the information isnt available and people come to the forum begging for help.

even an electronics repair person cant give the best advice.. because if the electronics inside are 'new' to them.. then they dont know how long they last.
sure, they could say.. these pieces are all designed perfectly to work with eachother.. but that doesnt mean the pieces have a long lifetime.

say they do know the pieces and they say 'these are all designed perfect and should last 20 years'
that doesnt mean the LCD panel is any good.
doesnt mean the refresh rate is honest.
doesnt mean the response time is fast.


all we have to complain about is the lack of information.
you might be well into the local government.. and they might tell you what store to go to for a television.
then the undercover agent at the store tells you which one to grab.
but
not everybody is affiliated.. and that doesnt mean they deserve a television that is junk.

the whole system is disgusting itself.
they need to make the information available so we can shop.. and if the person doesnt deserve the high quality, then they can send a signal to it and either lower the quality over time.. or totally break the television entirely.
this means, if the quality can be made worse.. it should also be available to increase the quality.

it is simply amazing the amount of data that can be sent to electronics.
if you think about it, cell phones work just about everywhere.
so if the data doesnt come through the cable.. it could still come wirelessly.