For headphone lovers

[jjb1970]

For those here who enjoy listening to music using headphones (either out of preference or necessity) I recommend trying a pair of Oppo PM3 headphones if you haven't had a go with them. These are closed back headphones, they're vanilla 'phones, wired, no noise cancelling or anything else. They're a no nonsense headphone optimised for sound, at this point it might be worth mentioning the price. £350 is a lot to spend on a pair of headphones, they're far from being the most expensive headphones but to most people that is an awful lot to drop on headphones when you can find very good headphones for a third of the price. What may make it even worse is that I suspect many people will listen to them and say "eh?". One of the oldest tricks in the headphone book is to boost bass and the high frequency ends of the spectrum to make them sound bright and engaging and with a real oomph to the low end. What Oppo have done is flatten the response characteristic for a very neutral, natural sound. Some may find the result underwhelming but I found after listening to music on these my other headphones sound far too bright and bass heavy. Although they're not noise cancelling, they are very well isolated and I've found that they work extremely well on trains, haven't tried them on a flight yet though. I use a pair of Sony MDR1000X headphones which have active noise cancelling for commuting and flying, the Sony's are recognised as some of the best noise cancelling headphones around and I rate them extremely highly, as well as outstanding noise cancelling I found them to ahead of other noise cancelling headphones for sound quality but they're not in the same class as the Oppo's. The Oppo just sounds so much more natural and refined. They're very easy to drive too so although they do benefit from being used with a headphone amp you can use them with a portable device. To be honest, I'd never heard of them until recently, but my trusty old Sennheiser HD600's were getting a bit tired and a friend recommended I try them. I was sceptical as I prefer open back phones at home for a more spacious sound, these closed back Oppo PM3s still have something of the sound in your head quality of closed back models but its not oppressive and the other qualities outweigh this. If anybody is looking for some good headphones and wants something slightly special then they could do an awful lot worse than try a pair of these.

[Ron Ron Ron]

The market for quality headphones has been booming ( no pun intended) for a few years now.

Lots of people dropping anything from £300 to over £2000 for a pair, plus the price of a quality DAC and dedicated headphone amplifier.

 

 

!

[melmerby]

The market for quality headphones has been booming ( no pun intended) for a few years now.

Lots of people dropping anything from £300 to over £2000 for a pair, plus the price of a quality DAC and dedicated headphone amplifier.

 

 

!

The market for overpriced designer headphones has been booming, where it doesn't matter what it sounds like as long as it has the "right name"

I don't know about anything else.

Give me the old names who have been specialing in "cans" for years.

 

Keith

[brianusa]

Al this at a time when deafness is occurring much earlier than it would naturally!  Why has everything be so loud these days?

 

Brian 

[jjb1970]

I think headphones are like most audio equipment, you tend to get what you pay for but there is a diminishing return and there is some snake oil. Where the diminishing return kicks in is a very subjective and personal thing. For my wife it is somewhere around £20 for headphones. I think the Oppo PM3 justifies its price but I find that to go any higher up the scale means spending an awful lot for a marginal gain. I also appreciate that many people would reach that point lower down the price scale and that others will pay whatever it takes to get the sound they want.

On brands, most of the market is still dominated by the same companies at the pricier end of the market, particularly. Sennheiser, Beyer, Audio Technica, Grado, Sony etc and with Stax still very alive. Some of these companies have been very successful in marrying performance and style in products aimed at a different market than traditional hifi enthusiasts. The Sennheiser Momentum range is a good example, yes they're stylish but they're also very good. Some of the less familiar and newer entrants such as Oppo, Hifiman and and Audeze are making superb products that match better known producers. There is some very impressive gear being made by Chinese companies nowadays.

I was pretty much decided on a pair of Audio Technica open back headphones until trying the Oppo PM3, the Audio Technica alternative was a similar price and with a similar neutral sound but I decided the Oppo model edged it.

Edited October 11, 2017 by jjb1970

[Bernard Lamb]

I think I will stick with my Sennheisers.

Just thinking when I bought them.

Must be around 1986.

For value for money and hours of use they have done rather well.

Bernard

[jjb1970]

If I had bottomless pockets I’d love a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones with one of the Stax dedicated amps. They offer some remarkable sound but even the entry level models are far from cheap and at the higher end the prices become a bit bonkers. That said, you don’t have to spend high to get good headphones, and most of the major producers offer pretty good models that probably meet or exceed the demands of most people at affordable prices. The thing with headphones is that it is less about a particular model sounding “better” than it is different. I now like neutral and detailed sound, others like a much heavier bass and brighter top ends with an endless number of possible permutations in how they’re set up. What you like is a personal choice and it is irrelevant what anybody else thinks if you like a particular sound. Open back or closed back, in ear, over ear or on ear, they all have their place.

[MJI]

I just don't get the fashion ones.

 

For cheapies nothing wrong with Sennheiser.

[jjb1970]

I suppose if people are spending a tidy sum on something then it's fair enough to consider what they look like and how they feel. Most of the more fashion oriented models also perform pretty well and I think all the "serious" manufacturers consider styling. As well as their Momentum models the Sennheiser HD models all seem pretty stylised these days.

[big jim]

I think I will stick with my Sennheisers.

Just thinking when I bought them.

Must be around 1986.

For value for money and hours of use they have done rather well.

Bernard

My sennheisers (HD25 SP's) were bought for club dj'ing back in 1995 for £125 and I still use them today for the same use, replaced the cable a couple of times but other than that like new and a great sound from them

 

I bought a set of beats by dr dre a few months back for when I'm travelling on the train but have given them to my wife as they aren't a patch on the sennehisers and they make my ears all sweaty!!

 

At the cheap end of the scale I have a set of skullcandy 'ink'd' in ear 'buds' which for the £7 I paid for them are great value, they certainly give a nice crisp sound via the iPhone/iPod and are disposable at that price should they be damaged

[Ian J.]

I have a pair of wired professional Sennheisers stuck in storage (I forget the model number for sure, but they look like HD600s from what images I can find online). for current general use I'm using KS Immerse bluetooth headphones. They are a bit boomy, but otherwise have a nice sound for general less focussed listening.

[jjb1970]

The HD600 was excellent, I just replaced mine and they served me well. A company that has produced some superb headphones over the years yet never seems to have quite the brand kudos of some other brands is Sony.

[Oakydoke]

The market for overpriced designer headphones has been booming, where it doesn't matter what it sounds like as long as it has the "right name"

I don't know about anything else.

Give me the old names who have been specialing in "cans" for years.

 

Keith

You must be referring to the likes of Beats and other "fashion" items. Mediocre or rubbish headphones, sold at inflated prices and thought to be trendy by the likes of footballers and rap stars.

Quite different to the sort of high-end headphones that jjb and Ron are talking about.

[45156]

I've got an excellent pair of Sennheisers for sitting at the amp. and a not so quite excellent pair of Sennheieser cordless cans which my missus uses, and I do if I need to go to the bog while listening to my musc.  For me, the designer cans can stay on the shop shelf, and I will go for the quality of the sound, not the look.  Has served me well for many a year, and I have on that premise acquired a super audio system for under £4k.(mainly Arcam, but speakers from Bowers and Wilkins) - All UK made kit except the casette deck which is a Nakamichi - yes I still have one.  I have a friend who spent 10x that on very high end stuff - can I tell the difference - just about.

[jjb1970]

I agree completely on the importance of sound, yet for me headphones are unusual in that there is a consideration which is more important than sound and that is comfort. Unless headphones are comfortable it doesn’t matter how good they sound, you will just not enjoy using them. So unlike any other bit of audio equipment I buy, in the case of headphones the first test is not to listen but to try and on and see how they feel (well, actually the second test, the first is whether they’re within my price range). I just can’t get on with in-ear earphones as they just don’t feel comfortable, I’m not having a go at these as I know many who swear by them and if they work for others then that is all that matters but I still like over ear headphones.

Although perhaps slightly different to considering style I also like headphones to feel nice. Yes, it is not a sound issue but if you’re spending a lot it is nice to have a product that feels like it has been manufactured to a high standard from nice materials.

This time around a model that impressed me hugely in terms of comfort and quality of feel was the Denon D7200, these would normally have been outside my price range but they can be found with some good discounts and so were within what I was willing to spend. They are beautifully built from lovely materials and have a real feeling of quality which is really quite wonderful. They were also gloriously comfortable, despite being quite heavy I felt that I could have worn them all day. The sound is hardly shabby and in some aspects it is superb but I felt the PM3 shaded it and had a more even tone which I prefer, the fact they were also cheaper was icing on the cake. However if the Denons produce the sound you like then they have a feel and comfort that few other headphones this side of the silly-o-sphere in terms of price can match.

[Classsix T]

I've got through plenty of headphones, the usual reason for their demise is cat chewed leads, so I'm in the market for a Bluetooth set!

 

Brand loyalty is swaying me towards Sony MDR-ZX330BT, but can anyone recommend or otherwise comment about the products of OMORC, Excelvan, Betron and COWIN?

 

TIA, C6T.

[Ron Ron Ron]

.....a super audio system for under £4k.(mainly Arcam, but speakers from Bowers and Wilkins) - All UK made kit....

 

 

Sadly, B&W is now an American owned company, with some of its product line manufactured in China.

 

Arcam was bought by a Canadian firm in 2012 and recently sold on (2017) to American company Harman (now a subsidiary of Samsung).

I understand that while R&D is carried out in the UK, manufacturing is mostly done in China except for the more expensive items, which are made in the USA.

 

 

.

[jjb1970]

I've got through plenty of headphones, the usual reason for their demise is cat chewed leads, so I'm in the market for a Bluetooth set!

 

Brand loyalty is swaying me towards Sony MDR-ZX330BT, but can anyone recommend or otherwise comment about the products of OMORC, Excelvan, Betron and COWIN?

 

TIA, C6T.

I'm not familiar with the MDR-ZX330BT but looking at the internet it seems to be a typical entry level wireless headphone. There really is no substitute for trying a pair, as only you know what feels comfortable on your head and headphone sound is a very personal thing. One thing I would say is that at that price point you'll basically be paying for the wireless functionality. Unless you really do need wireless my advice at that price point is to look at another £20 or 30 for wired headphones, look for models with replaceable cables. You'll get an awful lot more in terms of sound quality. However, being a Sony product I'd expect build quality to be good and for it to be an effective product in its class. Of the others, I know nothing I'm afraid.

[Classsix T]

I've the Excelvan's on the way purely because of an Amazon flash offer. For less than three pints of beer they're worth a punt and fulfil two criteria being Bluetooth and foldable. They do seem a bit tacky, but the lights(!) are turn offable thankfully. If they're total sh!t I'll use them for DJ-ing and try one of the others for armchair listening.

 

C6T.

[jjb1970]

One thing worth looking for if you buy Bluetooth headphones is that they have a cord connection so that if the battery runs out you can still use them. Some wireless headphones have excellent battery life but it's comforting to know you have the option. If you want to release the potential of good headphones you really need a decent headphone amp, as with headphones you do get what you pay for but there are some surprisingly good headphone amps and amp/DACs, both desk top and portable, at very affordable prices that will be a big step up from the phones output of a smart phone or PC or a lot of full size hi-fi gear.

Edited October 13, 2017 by jjb1970

[Vistisen]

If I had bottomless pockets I’d love a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones with one of the Stax dedicated amps. They offer some remarkable sound but even the entry level models are far from cheap and at the higher end the prices become a bit bonkers. That said, you don’t have to spend high to get good headphones, and most of the major producers offer pretty good models that probably meet or exceed the demands of most people at affordable prices. The thing with headphones is that it is less about a particular model sounding “better” than it is different. I now like neutral and detailed sound, others like a much heavier bass and brighter top ends with an endless number of possible permutations in how they’re set up. What you like is a personal choice and it is irrelevant what anybody else thinks if you like a particular sound. Open back or closed back, in ear, over ear or on ear, they all have their place.

I have a pair of Stax at home and b&w P5 for use with a mobile phone at work. The P5s sound great... until I use the Stax

[Vistisen]

About 30 years ago I had the jeklin electrostatic. Remember them?

Edited October 13, 2017 by Vistiaen

[jjb1970]

Jecklin, crikey, that's a name I haven't heard for almost as long as Obi Wan Kennobi was called Ben! Stax headphones are wonderful, a friend keeps goading me into taking the leap and tempting me by letting me listen to his set up but I really can't justify that sort of money on headphones and the necessary amp as things are. I've had to do some serious damage limitation with she who must be obeyed after buying the Oppo's never mind buying a Stax set up.... Staggeringly good headphones though. She thought the Sony MDR1000X's were excessively expensive and a waste of money and seriously cannot understand why I consider those travelling headphones, not home listening headphones. The noise cancelling on the Sony's is superb (very effective) and the sound is good for noise cancelling phones but nothing like as good as my old HD600's or the new Oppo PM3.

[jjb1970]

An area where headphone manufacturers might consider a bit of improvement is ear pad materials. My old HD600's had velour ear pad material which despite looking and feeling like a throwback to 70's fashion was actually superbly comfortable and durable and felt good however long I wore the headphones and in any temperature. Many companies use either leather or plastic leather which varies greatly from being wonderfully nice to quite frankly horrible depending on the filling and nature of the leather/plastic. The best ear pad material I tried this time were Shure 1540's which use an alcantara type ear pad material (although the rest of the materials couldn't match the Denon 7200 in terms of tactile feel and general sense of luxuriousness), unfortunately the bass was a little too pronounced for my taste but in terms of comfort they were the great.

[jjb1970]

Something I'm curious to compare is how active noise cancelling compares against noise isolation when flying these days. I generally use active noise cancelling when flying as noise cancelling is particularly well suited to the constant drone on an aeroplane. I'm flying to China in a couple of weeks and I'm planning to take both my Sony noise cancelling phones and the new closed back headphones. I've found on trains that the Oppo PM3 does remarkably well, yes the noise cancelling headphones are more effective at reducing noise, but the Oppo's reduce it enough that the superior sound quality edges them ahead of the Sony's. However trains and aeroplanes aren't the same, we'll see what happens.