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		How to choose headphones for overcompressed music you aren't paying attention to ( csmonitor.com)		104
		More: PSA, Choose the Right, ambient noise, Oreos, music, Kevlar, frequency range

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imfallen_angel

2013-03-24 08:15:48 PM

great_tigers: total thread jack, but does anyone know why my laptop will not type anything but letters and numbers???? no tab, delete, enter or backspace. using an on screen keyboard right now.

Check your keyboard layout... you must have switched it.

As you didn't state what system you use, hard to tell anything more.

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 08:17:47 PM

Luminiferous Aether: Once you .flac, you never go back.

/Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250 Ohm
//FiiO E09k and E17
///HELMUT WALCHA

Rather than beat the dead-horse, too subjective debate of sound quality, the REAL reason to have FLAC is archiving. I know that ten years from now my FLACs can be converted to whatever lossy format is superior by then. I can also pick my own format and bitrates for portables that convert on-fly while syncing, etc. It's just common sense to use lossless when drives are so cheap.

Lots of people laugh at us for using FLAC, but they're the ones who'll eventually be stuck with that one lossy rip. With FLAC you can manipulate your files over and over again, keeping the original pristine.

StarshipAngel

2013-03-24 08:22:46 PM

I use a set of Koss KO727's. Old as hell, I've had to resolder the wiring a couple times, but damned if they don't sound wonderful. But then, I run tube amps and go for warmth over perfection - yes I know digital is more precise, but I personally find the sound of analog, especially tube gear, more pleasant to listen to. Also, in this era of 5000 watt (on the box it says so!) home theater package units, its pretty nice to be able to rattle the neighbour's windows and say "Oh, its only 35 watts RMS per side"

/class AB push-pull 2 x 6L6GC per channel ftw.

SpiderQueenDemon

2013-03-24 08:23:41 PM

Electrify: CNet gave high praise to these headphones from Monoprice. I'm currently using some Sennheiser earbuds for my phone which are alright, and a Logitech G930 headset for my PC which is also alright. Seeing as Monoprice has a history of raising the bar of value, was wondering if these are as good as this guy says.

/probably stick with what I have, just curious

Agreed. I wore out my headphones today, so I ordered a pair of the ones you linked.

Also, have you had occasion to try Monoprice's guitars? I bought one of their Stratocaster clones for my godson's birthday, thinking it'd be on par with the First Act POS ones they sell at Walmart, plus it was cheaper enough than the First Act that I could afford to pick up an amp for him. Damned if it wasn't fully the equal of my MIM Fender, plus it stays in tune a little better. So I got one of their Les Pauls for myself and they're just wonderful. Cheap enough you can use them for travel and little kids' first guitars, but still shockingly good instruments for the price. You'll want to swap out the strings for nicer ones after about a week and you're on your own to find a case for it, but apart from that, I couldn't ask for better.

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 08:24:24 PM

red5ish: In some places it's illegal to cycle while wearing headphones or earbuds. Can't imagine why anyone would think that wearing noise canceling earbuds in traffic should be illegal.

I live on a motorcycle and LOVE listening to tunes on the open road. I run a little Sansa player (has hardware buttons that work with gloves, unlike the phone), clip it to my jacket sleeve and just have a blast. But in town with constantly shifting traffic? Oh hell nah. it's amazing how little credit your hearing gets as part of the safety set. Whenever I see a bicyclist riding with 'buds I kind of shake my head. That guy's gonna be road pizza soon enough.

dready zim

2013-03-24 08:24:54 PM

HotIgneous Intruder: vicejay: This is all you need to know.

[kenrockwell.com image 640x443]

Comes complete with its own douchebag?
Is that what that is in that picture? A nice vinyl douchebag?

This is the latest retail rip-off thing: $150-$200 earbuds and designer headphones, a-la Dr. Dre beats and etc. Suckers born every minute and getting paid every Friday.

A pair of sony headphones is hardly monster cables or dr dre...

imfallen_angel

2013-03-24 08:27:02 PM

I've been using bluetooth stereo headphones since I got a cheap pair for 15$ a couple of years ago...

The sound was better than the cheap wired type, but the ease of use, being able to control the player made it worth while.

I've invested into the Creatives series (the WP-250 and the WP-350), regardless of the whining I read about them. And I am so glad I did... the sound might not be the greatest thing, as I'm sure there's some that are better, but overall, for wireless, I find them outstanding.

The WP-350 paired with a apt-x capable device or dongle, is simply great... Compared to wired ones, I can't tell the difference.

dready zim

2013-03-24 08:30:00 PM

dickfreckle: Luminiferous Aether: Once you .flac, you never go back.

/Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250 Ohm
//FiiO E09k and E17
///HELMUT WALCHA

Rather than beat the dead-horse, too subjective debate of sound quality, the REAL reason to have FLAC is archiving. I know that ten years from now my FLACs can be converted to whatever lossy format is superior by then. I can also pick my own format and bitrates for portables that convert on-fly while syncing, etc. It's just common sense to use lossless when drives are so cheap.

Lots of people laugh at us for using FLAC, but they're the ones who'll eventually be stuck with that one lossy rip. With FLAC you can manipulate your files over and over again, keeping the original pristine.

Although it is still a compression format and requires you to run a program to access it which may not run on the hardware in ten years...

Are hard drives so expensive that you can`t use WAV?

/I use FLAC for my Sansa clip zip bid dip flip de pip just to get more tunes on...

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 08:30:04 PM

StarshipAngel: Also, in this era of 5000 watt (on the box it says so!) home theater package units, its pretty nice to be able to rattle the neighbour's windows and say "Oh, its only 35 watts RMS per side"

Lol - I have an old Marantz (one of my several dorky stereo rigs around the apartment) pushing 25RMS. She's hooked to some vintage JBL monitors and that sh*t can get painfully LOUD with no danger of clipping. Nobody ever believes me that I'm pushing that 'little' power. Granted, my speakers are efficient as all hell but even then, the ratings they put on equipment these days makes me laugh.

1.21 gigawatts!

/all for $199!

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 08:33:33 PM

dready zim: Although it is still a compression format and requires you to run a program to access it which may not run on the hardware in ten years...

This is a valid point. But being open source gives me confidence that the community will keep it alive. Also, lossless can be converted to another, newer lossless with no loss of quality. So even if FLAC goes dodo bird, you won't lose quality converting to the next popular format.

As for wav, tagging wav is a pain in the ass! I'm sure it can be done, but I tried and failed. My player (MediaMonkey) autotags FlAC in one click. It's just too easy.

The Googles Do Nothing

2013-03-24 08:36:07 PM

dickfreckle: Summoner101: If anything, headphones, like smart phones, are prized more for status than for function.

No one here is talking about "Beats by Dre" headphones, man. Those might be the cans and the consumer you're thinking about.

Though it may seem a foreign concept to you, people spend a few bucks on headphones because they enjoy music and not some noise smeared across our ears. Remind me to find a hobby of yours and then dismiss it outright without knowing what I'm talking about.

Cheers!

I really hope you are British and not just trying to sound British....

Glitchwerks

2013-03-24 08:39:41 PM

dready zim: Although it is still a compression format and requires you to run a program to access it which may not run on the hardware in ten years...

Are hard drives so expensive that you can`t use WAV?

/I use FLAC for my Sansa clip zip bid dip flip de pip just to get more tunes on...

Since FLAC is lossless, it doesn't matter. It can be converted to whatever format with no loss in quality. That said, I doubt FLAC is going anywhere.

WAV also doesn't support tagging, whereas FLAC does as well as album art.

Artcurus

2013-03-24 08:44:09 PM

StarshipAngel: I use a set of Koss KO727's. Old as hell, I've had to resolder the wiring a couple times, but damned if they don't sound wonderful. But then, I run tube amps and go for warmth over perfection - yes I know digital is more precise, but I personally find the sound of analog, especially tube gear, more pleasant to listen to. Also, in this era of 5000 watt (on the box it says so!) home theater package units, its pretty nice to be able to rattle the neighbour's windows and say "Oh, its only 35 watts RMS per side"

/class AB push-pull 2 x 6L6GC per channel ftw.

I played a Middle School dance (120 kids) Friday night using a pair of tube 100 watt RCA amps (6550 x2) driving a pair of JBL JRX115 and a pair of tube 65 watt Precision Electronics (6GT8 x2, these amps sound AMAZING, easily outpacing amps costing $1000's more) driving a pair of Peavey SP2.
The sound was unbelievable, clean and detailed, and you could feel the bass in the tables where the kids were sitting. Room was about 50 by 25 ft.

blue_2501

2013-03-24 08:47:19 PM

Duh!

/AKA The Monster Cables of headphones
//also, Poe's Law

blue_2501

2013-03-24 08:48:03 PM

Benevolent Misanthrope: /And seriously - "Beatz by Dr. Dre"? It' the faring Monster Cable of headphones.

goddammitsomuch...

Dracolich

2013-03-24 08:50:22 PM

I know a guy who went on and on about FLAC ten years ago. He thought it would overcome mp3 in a couple years back then. If people cared, he would have been right. Instead he and many other audiophiles bemoan this in countless online threads. Unfortunately things like this require demand, and demand requires knowledge of the product. It can be done. It's done all the time when people launch products professionally. Someone who cares enough should take out a commercial on the radio, TV, or internet and force people to listen to both so they can hear the difference.

Glockenspiel Hero

2013-03-24 09:07:46 PM

I've been using a set of Sony 7506's to practice guitar with for a number of years and they're great headphones, with one issue- now that my eyes are old and I'm having to wear glasses to see the music they begin to hurt like hell after an hour or so.

I picked up a set of Soundmagic E10s recently and I've been pretty impressed with them. The response isn't as flat as the 7506, but for $35 they do pretty well. Almost too well in terms of sound isolation- it's damn near impossible to hear anything outside when I'm playing, and I don't crank the volume.

Mad_Radhu

2013-03-24 09:37:01 PM

I'm not exactly sure how a pair or studio-quality monitor headphones that cost $70 on Amazon are exactly a rip-off. Seems like a pretty good deal to me compared to a pair of Beats.

Mad_Radhu

2013-03-24 09:45:45 PM

Benevolent Misanthrope: /And seriously - "Beatz by Dr. Dre"? It' the faring Monster Cable of headphones.

Beats is actually a funny story. The brand was created by Monster Cable originally, but the son of the founder didn't know what he was doing and gave the whole farm aways to Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre in the contract. (Warning: Gizmodo story) The poorly written contract basically allowed Iovine and Dre to take the brand away from Monster and then sell it to HTC. There is some wonderful schadenfreude there for anyone who hates Monster.

Fubegra

2013-03-24 09:53:33 PM

meatofmystery: My Beyerdynamics are my favourite music investment ever.

Heh. I'm listening to my DT 770 Pro/80 phone right now, so I'm getting a kick out of this. I've had them for about five years now, and they're my home listening go-to set.

/Grado SR-60 for work, Sennheiser CX 275 S for on-the-go earbuds
//laughs at Beats
///laughs harder at Monster Cable getting rooked by Dr. Dre

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 10:04:57 PM

Fubegra: /Grado SR-60 for work,

SR60 is THE all-time bang-for-buck earphone ever made. I'm serious. I still have a pair floating around here and they sound warmer than my 325i's, which have a bit too much treble extension if you ask me. If you have an older set, look into replacing the "comfy" pads" with the cups. Noticeable difference in sound that I won't describe because some asshole will come along and accuse me of claiming things that are in my head. The cups basically make an older SR60 into the SR80.

My favorite thing about Grado is that I'm constantly thinking that I haven't turned off my speakers after plugging in (my amp doesn't do it automatically). I get fooled all of the time into thinking my speakers are still running - it's that realistic. Maybe I'm just weird. At any rate, Grado is IMHO the best can company out there, except for build quality.

Fubegra

2013-03-24 10:09:04 PM

Mad_Radhu: Beats is actually a funny story.

*shakes tiny fist*

RAWISRADFORD

2013-03-24 10:09:11 PM

Ginnungagap42: For listening to music, the previous version of this was the best $70 I ever spent (Better than the excellent Sennheiser 590s).

All hail

GRADO LABS

NutznGum

2013-03-24 10:11:25 PM

If it wasn't recorded on a wax cylinder, I'm not listening to it.

Fubegra

2013-03-24 10:20:55 PM

dickfreckle: StarshipAngel: Also, in this era of 5000 watt (on the box it says so!) home theater package units, its pretty nice to be able to rattle the neighbour's windows and say "Oh, its only 35 watts RMS per side"

Lol - I have an old Marantz (one of my several dorky stereo rigs around the apartment) pushing 25RMS. She's hooked to some vintage JBL monitors and that sh*t can get painfully LOUD with no danger of clipping. Nobody ever believes me that I'm pushing that 'little' power. Granted, my speakers are efficient as all hell but even then, the ratings they put on equipment these days makes me laugh.

1.21 gigawatts!

/all for $199!

I had the same sort of thing happen to me ~30 years ago with my first car... I popped in a Pioneer AM/FM/cassette unit with a massive three watts RMS per channel, and a pair of Jensen 2-way (NOT Triax!) 6x9 coax speakers in the rear deck. That farker would CRANK. My buddies asked how many watts I was running and freaked when I said just 3 per channel. They just couldn't believe that I didn't have an amp stashed in the trunk.

Protip: "peak music power output" ratings should be considered fraudulent, and even RMS can be fudged ("oh, it's 1000 watts RMS with speaker-smoking amounts of clipping, never mind the THD").

kab

2013-03-24 10:27:52 PM

Mad_Radhu: I'm not exactly sure how a pair or studio-quality monitor headphones that cost $70 on Amazon are exactly a rip-off

lolwut

Fubegra

2013-03-24 10:32:43 PM

dickfreckle: SR60 is THE all-time bang-for-buck earphone ever made.

Oh, absolutely. They may be packaged in a pizza box and look like a WWII radio operator's headset, but damn, they sound sweet. Even better, they're made in the US - especially unusual these days.

I have the old model, and just recently replaced the worn-to-hell earpads. I went with the comfies because that's what I'm used to... maybe I should try the cups just for kicks.

Mad_Radhu

2013-03-24 10:46:03 PM

kab: Mad_Radhu: I'm not exactly sure how a pair or studio-quality monitor headphones that cost $70 on Amazon are exactly a rip-off

lolwut

Allow me to drop some education on you:

The MDR-V6 was introduced in 1985 and became popular with sound engineers and disc jockeys (DJs). The headphones were listed as having a very wide 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz frequency response and were convenient for travel as they could be folded and carried in an included leatherette bag. In 1987, audio industry journalist Daniel Kumin wrote, "Throw away your loudspeakers. There is now what may be the most perfect transducer yet made by man. Recently I auditioned a pair of Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitor headphones, then purchased them. There are not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe the performance of these headphones. Listening to them with a good CD recording is like being in the center of a live performance."[3] Consumer Reports wrote in 1989 that "there seems little reason to look beyond the check-rated Sony MDR-V6. That model combines the highest accuracy we've measured in headphones, comfortable design, moderate weight, and enviable bass reproduction."[4]

In 1993, the headphones were described as "almost-industry-standard" for the monitoring of location sound recording for film and television.[5] Newer designs were introduced by Sony, most notably, the Sony MDR-7506 and MDR-V600, yet the MDR-V6 continued to be produced. By 2003, the headphones were so well known that Electronic Musician magazine, recommending headphones with a "fold-up design", called the MDR-V6 "venerable".[6] In a comparison of many headphones models, Dave Rat introduced them as "one of the most popular live sound headphones", and tested them to be "a little low on the top end, a little low on the bottom; definitely close" to neutrally flat.[7]

Currently $67.99 at Amazon.com. There's a reason they are still selling them almost 30 years after they were put on the market.

RogermcAllen

2013-03-24 10:47:27 PM

Fubegra: meatofmystery: My Beyerdynamics are my favourite music investment ever.

Heh. I'm listening to my DT 770 Pro/80 phone right now, so I'm getting a kick out of this. I've had them for about five years now, and they're my home listening go-to set.

/Grado SR-60 for work, Sennheiser CX 275 S for on-the-go earbuds
//laughs at Beats
///laughs harder at Monster Cable getting rooked by Dr. Dre

I game with the Beyerdynamic MMX2 (they are the DT 235 with a microphone), and they are by far the best headphones I've ever had. I'm not sure what they are like for music, but the crack of a gunshot is amazing out of these things.

/ARMA II

wildcardjack

2013-03-24 10:48:09 PM

I have three sets of headphones.

A set of Bose cans I bought with a birthday gift card I use for computer gaming and playing with my synths. Mostly used when the studio monitors would wake people up or I'm watching screamer porn.

A set of Polk ear hangers that have a short short cable to plug into my iPod nano. Well made, excellent range, and I can actually clean the earwax out of them. Good value around $80.

A set of Jaybirds that are only for the gym. They don't weigh anything, sweat proof, and have a four hour battery life. No bass, barely work more than 10 feet from the iPhone. Worth the $130 price tag because my sweat killed a bunch of iPod nanos before they stopped making them collar clippable. I'm probably part of the reason Apple stopped making them.

Happy Hours

2013-03-24 11:20:09 PM

I would read this thread, but I've got Bose Q3 right now. At $350 they're a little pricey, but they have been worth it.

I've had other headphones.

Sennheiser - they were crap
Bang & Olufsen - they were overpriced and just looked freaky

Actually, these B&O headphones weren't bad, but they broke

Koss had decent sound, but weren't made very well - the speakers were excellent, they just fell apart.

You can't really wear the Bose if you're jogging because they'll fall off your head but the noise cancellation is awesome.
Don't buy Sony though. They are an evil company now that just turns out crap.

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 11:34:19 PM

Fubegra: dickfreckle: SR60 is THE all-time bang-for-buck earphone ever made.

Oh, absolutely. They may be packaged in a pizza box and look like a WWII radio operator's headset, but damn, they sound sweet. Even better, they're made in the US - especially unusual these days.

I have the old model, and just recently replaced the worn-to-hell earpads. I went with the comfies because that's what I'm used to... maybe I should try the cups just for kicks.

The cups don't do anything drastic, but they do 'widen' the stage and tighten the bass to a modest degree. I wouldn't rush out and grab a pair of cups, but it's noticeable. Google the Grado mods and farkie me as a Grado guy if you want advice on modding your SR-60 or future Grado rigs. I know a thing or two about this. More or less worthless everywhere else, but Grados? Yeah.

dickfreckle

2013-03-24 11:40:37 PM

One last Grado thing - you mentioned they are made in America. I contacted the Brooklyn (or Bronx?) office when I I broke one of the retainers while doing a mod. Completely my fault. I emailed and asked how much for a replacement. They emailed back requesting my address, so they could send a free replacement part, no questions asked. It arrived two days later! I never asked for it to be free.

That's service.

imgod2u

2013-03-25 12:12:49 AM

Oh, look, another thread where people illiterate in data compression and signal processing claim how crappy mp3's are.....

/vinyl forever, right?

Hagbardr

2013-03-25 12:25:58 AM

I upgraded my system from an 8 watt 1978 Sansui to a 25 watt Bang & Olufsen. Even the 8 watt receiver could get my big floor speakers louder than I could listen to.

American Decency Association

2013-03-25 01:20:19 AM

Kyosuke: Noise-blocking earbuds: Etymotic ER4p <<< these are great
Noise-blocking earbuds/mic for my phone: Etymotic hf3
Non-noise-blocking earbuds/mic for my phone: The ones that came with it.
Headphones: Sony MDR7506 (on-ear, folding for transport)

/listens for a living

...and for those who worry about the buds falling out or not sealing well... the ER4Ps can be used with these foam tips that you roll into a pip and let expand inside the canal. Get em from Amazon $14 for a ten pack

/canals or the foam tips are not for everyone though
// ER4p users with iPhones, check out EQ 10 for a ten band equalizer for fine bass adjustment

Quantum Apostrophe

2013-03-25 01:27:22 AM

imgod2u: Oh, look, another thread where people illiterate in data compression and signal processing claim how crappy mp3's are.....

/vinyl forever, right?

Oh look, another one who doesn't think the transducer is the critical part...
/you plug your bits straight into your brain, right?

2and4

2013-03-25 01:35:33 AM

I have a set of AKG K240's that are around 20 years old and still the best phones I've ever had. They won't get as loud as modern headphones but they sound great. I also have a set of Shure E2 ear buds on me at all times.

At home for listening, I run a pair of older Yamaha MSP5 powered monitors fed by an Ashly MX508 mixer. The best decision I have ever made for sonic quality was that Ashly mixer. I hear things I've never heard before on recordings I've heard hundreds of times.

Dinjiin

2013-03-25 02:11:44 AM

Luminiferous Aether: Once you .flac, you never go back.

Portable devices usually don't have enough storage to hold huge collections compressed with FLAC, APE or Apple Lossless. Even if you can fit it all, you might not have much room left for anything else.

I just have a really hard time telling the difference between a 256Kbps Musepak or Vorbis file and a lossless file on my portable player and earbuds. Just isn't worth the space.

Tsar_Bomba1

2013-03-25 02:39:31 AM

Got the ER-4Ps, a pair of Westone W2s, and these bad boys. Need a full watt to run properly and the factory cord goes into your speaker terminals to run. Have an Audiovalve RKV that powers them nicely...

And yeah... you look like this wearing them.

Head_Shot

2013-03-25 04:34:26 AM

Tsar_Bomba1: Got the ER-4Ps, a pair of Westone W2s, and these bad boys. Need a full watt to run properly and the factory cord goes into your speaker terminals to run. Have an Audiovalve RKV that powers them nicely...

And yeah... you look like this wearing them.

Dafuq!?

Driedsponge

2013-03-25 07:02:16 AM

So after scanning most of this thread and doing a little digging, if I want to find a pair under $100, it looks like I'd have to choose between the Grado SR-60i, the Monoprice 8323, or the Sony MDR-V6. If I feel like going a bit higher in price, I should be looking at Sennheiser's of various models.

For anyone still reading this thread, is this a pretty fair assessment?

Right now I'm using a set of Skullcandy I had to pick up at an airport when my last pair of Walgreen's Maxell's crapped out mid-vacation. As you can clearly see, I need help.

jso2897

2013-03-25 07:49:00 AM

Movies on 3 inch Phone screens. Crappy, tinny digital music. Movie "theaters" the size of subcompact cars.
All the joy and grandeuer is being sucked out of everything.
Convenience is king.
Enjoy.

LewDux

2013-03-25 08:25:00 AM

Link

WhippingBoy

2013-03-25 08:25:22 AM

jso2897: Movies on 3 inch Phone screens. Crappy, tinny digital music. Movie "theaters" the size of subcompact cars.
All the joy and grandeuer is being sucked out of everything.
Convenience is king.
Enjoy.

I know, right? But what are you gonna do? It's not like you can buy anything bigger than a 3 inch screen to watch your movies on.

Fubegra

2013-03-25 09:22:11 AM

Keep in mind that Grado uses an open design - you can hear sound from outside quite well, and if you turn them up high enough, others can hear your music. If you need the isolation, the Sony or Monoprice cans would be a better bet.

Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and Koss are worth looking at as well.

BHShaman

2013-03-25 09:42:48 AM

vicejay: This is all you need to know.

20 years old (or so) and going strong.
Fun to watch the faces of people at work when you offer to let them try them out.
It is like they just realized what a real orgasm is, A mix of wonderment and sadness as they realize what they thought was good before, in their regular headphones, is just not as good as life could be.

Driedsponge

2013-03-25 09:50:47 AM

Fubegra: Driedsponge: So after scanning most of this thread and doing a little digging, if I want to find a pair under $100, it looks like I'd have to choose between the Grado SR-60i, the Monoprice 8323, or the Sony MDR-V6. If I feel like going a bit higher in price, I should be looking at Sennheiser's of various models.

Keep in mind that Grado uses an open design - you can hear sound from outside quite well, and if you turn them up high enough, others can hear your music. If you need the isolation, the Sony or Monoprice cans would be a better bet.

Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and Koss are worth looking at as well.

Thanks. I am thinking of getting the Grado set for work. My current ones make it difficult to hear the phone on my desk or the intercom, which angers the boss. The monoprice seem like a very happy price point for a travel set that I won't feel guilty about throwing around and jamming in the last inch of space on a carry-on. I don't think my average listening habits warrant something in the range of the higher quality sets quite yet. I very rarely have time any more to just sit and listen to music.

Deamos

2013-03-25 11:37:35 AM

Driedsponge: So after scanning most of this thread and doing a little digging, if I want to find a pair under $100, it looks like I'd have to choose between the Grado SR-60i, the Monoprice 8323, or the Sony MDR-V6. If I feel like going a bit higher in price, I should be looking at Sennheiser's of various models.

For anyone still reading this thread, is this a pretty fair assessment?

Right now I'm using a set of Skullcandy I had to pick up at an airport when my last pair of Walgreen's Maxell's crapped out mid-vacation. As you can clearly see, I need help.

If you want to go a bit above $100 I also strongly recommend checking out a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50s. They're fantastic and affordable for the price. I have those, a pair of Shure in ear monitors and a set of Sennheisers . The drawback to pair of Senn's I own is their open air cans but they're amazing. The Audio-Technicas are almost permanently attached to my computer and see a lot of use. Love the way they sound.

dready zim

2013-03-25 11:42:21 AM

Dracolich: I know a guy who went on and on about FLAC ten years ago. He thought it would overcome mp3 in a couple years back then. If people cared, he would have been right. Instead he and many other audiophiles bemoan this in countless online threads. Unfortunately things like this require demand, and demand requires knowledge of the product. It can be done. It's done all the time when people launch products professionally. Someone who cares enough should take out a commercial on the radio, TV, or internet and force people to listen to both so they can hear the difference.

Then people would convert their MP3s into FLAC files and audiophiles everywhere would facepalm.

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