 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-07-22 18:46
I, too, would be interested in good quality, compact with good noise-limiting ability. If high quality stereo can be had with Bluetooth connectivity, even better.
Karl
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-07-22 19:47
There are many good options out there but it depends on exactly what your needs are. Will these be for mobile use or sudio/home use? Do you prefer an "in the ear" design (i.e. earbuds) or an "over the ear" design? What is the device that the earphones will be connected to? What type of audio format (CD's, MP3, WMA/FLAC) will you be listening to? How expensive is too expensive?
As with many things in the world of audio playback equipment prices can vary from relatively cheap to stratospherically high depending on what you want/need. Probably the most important criteria in deciding on an appropriate setup are where and how the earphones will be used. A nice set of full-size "over the ear" headphones would be great for home or studio use but may be too bulky for mobile use. Similarly, an open-style headphone may be perfectly suitable for use in a quiet studio but entirely unsuitable for use in a noisy house or apartment. Personally I prefer full size, open-style, "over the ear" headphones for home use. These are the most comfortable style for me to wear for extended periods.
The device driving the headphones is also important. When you progress beyond the basic consumer-grade headphones and into the realm of entry-level-audiophile class and above there is a good chance that some devices may not have a sufficiently strong output signal to properly drive the headphones. This is especially true if you are using a mobile device for playback. Many of the better quality headphones will require the use of an amplifier.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2013-07-22 19:47
Not cheap, but I have always loved the sound quality of AKG headphones.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-07-22 22:39
I was once a recording engineer and still love my Sony professional headphones. They were $100 at the time (before internet pricing). They are very efficient (it doesn't take much power to drive them - they work well with iPods). They are full size but they fold up. AKG headphones are nice but need a lot more power and are probably more expensive.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-07-22 22:51
Once when I got a $2,000 windfall, I got a Stax Lambda electrostatic system. It's scary good, with very large but light head-pieces that don't make my ears sweat. It doesn't filter out surrounding noise, and it makes the same amount of sound outside as inside, so I can't use it at night when my wife is asleep.
To block out surrounding sound, you must go with noise-cancelling circuitry like the very expensive Bose, which works very well. My wife flies a lot and wouldn't be without them.
The alternative is earbud phones, which are available at very low prices. The inexpensive ones I've tried have all had ear-tearing distortion on the high frequencies. Sony earbuds are particularly bad on this, even the very high priced ones. Also, they're built to listen to headbanger rock, so the bass is grossly exaggerated.
It's easy to harm your hearing with earbuds, and even easier to get entrained in the music. When I drive, I've learned to spot white wires dangling from pedestrians' ears. I honk early and often.
I went up the price list with with earbuds for night listening, and the only one I've been satisfied with for sound quality is the B&W C5 http://www.jr.com/bowers---wilkins/pe/BNW_C5/. Alas, it costs $179.95 and has a clumsy fitting scheme. Even then, I run it through my amplifier and give it a slight treble cut and bass boost.
Earbuds are fragile. When I remove them to go to sleep, I have to be VERY careful about picking them up in the morning. The same goes in your backpack.
In my experience, you can have cheap or good, but not both. Earbuds good enough for serious listening don't come for under $100.
If you can do with open-back phones with no noise reduction, go for the (relatively) inexpensive Grados or Sennheisers.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Rezzie
Date: 2013-07-23 03:15
for the small personal stuff on the go - you can't beat iGrados for sound, comfort, and value - 50 bucks. I can't do earbuds. I sit and write code all day with these 'phones on much of the time.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-07-23 04:24
JJAlbrecht wrote:
> Not cheap, but I have always loved the sound quality of AKG
> headphones.
No arguments there. I've had a nice set of AKG 702's that sounded great when hooked up a proper headphone amplifier. My only complaint was that they pinched my ears a bit and got uncomfortable if I wore them for more than an hour or so without a break. I ended up switching to Sennheiser HD-600's however as they were more comfortable (for me) to wear and sounded just as good as the AKG's.
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Author: Dan Paprocki
Date: 2013-07-24 01:57
So here's what I got: Klipsch Image S4. I'm using them with my own custom fit ear plugs. If you take off the silicone tips that come with the headphones they fit right into my Etymotic custom plugs. The Klipsch were around $80. The custom plugs were over $100 but I've had them for a couple years and use them sometimes in the orchestra. These really make the Apple earbuds sound like a tin can.
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2013-07-24 10:01
Klipsch makes very good audio products. I don't have their headphones, though I heard they are great. I do have their 2.1 ProMedia computer speakers and they are the best speakers I've ever owned. They give good stereo systems a run for their money.
As far as what headphones I have. I found the DT-770 by Beyerdynamic. Pretty expensive at around $200 but they are amazing and still not as expensive as the really good Sennheisers or AKG. They're bulky cause they're studio monitor headphones, but man, crisp crystal clear sound. Perfect from classical, to alternative, to hip-hop. Glad to hear your's are working out.
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Author: chihuo
Date: 2013-07-25 15:13
For studio result (no/min distortion), I use KRK 8400 for classical (I like KRK, also use their monitors for home). For casual, I have a Klipsch image s4i. They are all inexpensive.
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