Headphones Recommendations?

Yo y'all,

I really want to get some over-ear/on-ear headphones (I hate earbuds - with a passion lol) so I can do my music-making in peace without other people hearing it all. I've done some research myself and found some potentially good offers, but don't want to spend too much (like £30 or under is my hope, although I could go up to £50 if need be). I also really really want a nice colour too, not white or black cos it seems a bit boring for headphones. I'd much prefer yellow or orange or sky blue.

Any recommendations?

These are the headphones I'm using right now, but they're black. I think they're pretty good (at least way better than the old ones I had). Not sure how much it is in your currency.

Hey Weather

Cheers, I had looked at Sennheiser 201 because we have them at school/college (it's complicated - basically 11th/12th grade) but I kind of want something a bit different. They're pretty cheap. When I do a bit more research on them, I'll see how good quality they are. They look quite nice though even in black. Thanks

speaking of sennheiser, I'm using Sennheiser HD 598 and I really like them, and they're not black or white.

Yeah, my friend has those and I do really like them but they aren't really within my price range..

Either start looking at cheaper stuff or save up some money then.

imo saving up money to buy good headphones is worth it - you'll likely use them a lot so spending extra money to get better sound quality (and less weight) will be worth it soon enough. I did a quick google search + currency conversion and Sennheiser HD 598 goes for ~£130 over here. I have never actually spent less than £50 on headphones - when I buy something I care about I want quality (which is why everything I buy is cheap, save for computer-related things).

It's up to you in the end but I would personally consider going up in price range a lot to buy better headphones. If you really can't go past £50 then there are probably a lot of reviews online that cover those headphones; but personally I got no experience with them.

Here's a pretty decent buyer's guide to quality headphones . It might be a bit outdated, but it's a good starting point.

Also, I have to second what Kalle said. It's pretty easy to say "why on earth would I spend $100 on a pair of headphones?" but if you actually do the research, the difference in sound quality and comfort is night-and-day. Generally you get what you pay for when it comes to this type of stuff, and I would recommend investing as much as you can. You're going to be using your headphones for a long time if you take good care of them, and it isn't the best idea to just cheap out if you can avoid it.

(That being said, avoid Beats headphones at all costs even though they're expensive. You're just paying for the branding.)

Thanks both for your comments. I do understand that pricier headphones = better headphones, but I will eventually have some really good ones, I'm kind of just wanting to get some decent ones that aren't too expensive for the time being. And yeah, I figured Beats would be crap, unfortunately my friend got those (and they broke in like 2 months). The guide there isn't too bad, but I found another few guides and stuff, and I've gone off those really. But thanks anyway.

EDIT: I decided to get Sennheiser HD 451. I always wanted Sennheiser really, but I thought doing more research would have helped me to decide. Look awesome, and have a lot of good sound features, and are also over-ear which is not on-ear but they look extremely comfortable. I didn't try any on, which wasn't the cleverest but I think that I've got the right ones.

www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-151-Noise-C...ophone/dp/B000NOR89Y

I've used three of this particular model of Sennheiser headsets for the last decade. My first pair ran me from 2004 - 2012, when the microphone suddenly stopped working. I bought another pair shortly after the microphone died, and a second pair for my office because:

- It fits my head comfortably, most headsets I try on are too small or have a sharp plastic band that is incredibly uncomfortable for hours at a time
- The over-the-ear style of this particular headset sits comfortably on the outer ear without the weird "clamshell" effect, yet still do a decent job of canceling out background noise.
- The sound quality for the price is stunning, I never though I could hear such high quality sound from a $50 product.
- The headset is built to last if you take decent care of it - hang it up on your monitor or wall when not in use, don't throw it around, and it will simply work for a long time.

Sure, there's probably better headsets on the market that have much better sound quality and are a million times more comfortable and fashionable and light up and the whole nine yards.

Bottom line, I like minimalist equipment that is comfortable and functional. If you need a headset that is durable and functional, this is a solid set. I have never had any complaints with Sennheiser headphone products - do let us know what you think of your pair after a few months!

~Aayrl

TheEvoker wrote: Thanks both for your comments. I do understand that pricier headphones = better headphones, but I will eventually have some really good ones, I'm kind of just wanting to get some decent ones that aren't too expensive for the time being.

I understand you've already bought your Sennheisers, and I hope that those will work fine. However, I thought I'd just give a suggestion since you said you might buy some other, more expensive, headphones in the future. This pair is the best I've ever used. The sound quality on those is amazing and unlike that of any other pair I've ever used. They're amazing, but they're wireless. Not a problem in my case, but perhaps batteries are an issue for you, I don't know. They can be plugged into your laptop with a Micro USB cable, though.