Sennheiser headphones - just buy from Sony instead

[Dread First]

Not particularly sure what you expected comfort-wise from on-ears

I hate in-ear far more than on-ear.

 

[DrearyDoomguy]

Does BOSE not still stand for Buy Other Sound Equipment?

They're not as bad as Beats, that's about the best I can say about them. And even that isn't necessarily true when you factor in bang-for-your-buck.
I got some HD595s a long time ago and had to replace them because the cord wore out. that single audio cord from one can was a terrible design choice. Got the 660s and they've lasted me a long, long time. Plus the cord is detachable and can be replaced when it eventually wears out. Absolutely sublime sound quality.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Sennheiser used to be a great headphone brand but at some point they just doubled in price for reasons I can't fathom, even before tariffs and possibly COVID. My Sennheiser headphones were great though, the ones I had for years wore out the pads and I can't find good replacements. I'm in the market for new headphones, I bought some cheap ones at Best Buy but they were extremely uncomfortable (circular muffs, no top-of-head padding).

 

[WULULULULU]

Second, Audio-Technica.
They aren't shit yet, AFAIK, so you can actually get what you pay for.

Are the M20X even worth?

 

[Binary-Tyrant]

Something something Sennheiser Hurr Durr Six Hunnies.
I've been served well by Samson SR 850 cans through several years, even after needing to resolder and insulate the cable. For the <$50 price their quality can't be beat.
For portables I went with KZ Pro IEMs but if I were to go for over ears I'd like to try out some Koss KPH30s, I hear good things about them.
I'd also like to try some Philips SHP9500s since they're supposed to be really good for $100 and have good 3rd parts for them.
I'd be interested in the Mass HD 6XX from Massdrop for $200 instead of the $600 for the 600s as some kind of "end game" set of headphones.

I mean Dankpods is funny but you don't have to blindly follow his advice on everything. There's more to chi-fi IEMs than KZs and SR850s have annoying sibilance unless you use a very specific EQ to even out the sound (and there's really only one good EQ profile out there).

But yes even though I say that, I am getting a HD 600 for critical listening (classical music mostly). Done a bit of research and it seems that there's really no beating them for a well rounded open-back pair.

 

[Raven of the Burning God]

Are the M20X even worth?

That is not what I have, but probably.

They're $60.
Expect $60 headphones.
You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Administrator Flotsam]

Assuming you guys get your music from slobptube / spotify, do audiophile-grade headphones even make a difference? Wouldn't the compression and other space-saving quality-degrading algorithms have made the base file low quality anyway?

TLDR, wouldn't the audio file quality be the bottleneck and not the headphones?

 

[Maniacal Foreigner]

Assuming you guys get your music from slobptube / spotify, do audiophile-grade headphones even make a difference? Wouldn't the compression and other space-saving quality-degrading algorithms have made the base file low quality anyway?

TLDR, wouldn't the audio file quality be the bottleneck and not the headphones?

It's a little bit of both: a really good pair of headphones can bring out the nuances of music even on a lossy recording, and conversely even a perfectly mixed and mastered FLAC with sound like ass through some bass thumping gamer headset.
As for my preference, for long term listening it's gotta be over-ear. I absolutely can't stand on-ear headphones and in-ears become painful after an hour or so.
I've always had a good experience with Audio-Technica, they last long, are comfortable, and have a nicely balanced sound profile.

 

[Quandale Octavius Dingle]

There's more to chi-fi IEMs than KZs and SR850s have annoying sibilance unless you use a very specific EQ to even out the sound (and there's really only one good EQ profile out there).

I've never noticed sibilance or anything being off from them except crackling and dropping out when the wire came loose and needed re-soldering and insulating. Five minutes later and it's back to normal. I can't really complain for an audio set up for $50 all in with sales and holiday deals that's lasted almost 5 years.

Assuming you guys get your music from slobptube / spotify, do audiophile-grade headphones even make a difference? Wouldn't the compression and other space-saving quality-degrading algorithms have made the base file low quality anyway?

TLDR, wouldn't the audio file quality be the bottleneck and not the headphones?

My opinion has been that the codec wars are pretty much solved. At the usual bitrates of 320 to 130 AAC, AC3, and Opus are pretty much transparent for most lossy audio needs. FLAC has been around for decades now and solved the lossless compression dilemma. The single most important thing about the file is the mixing. No amount of audiophile snake oil or weird proprietary encoding formats are gonna make up for a dogshit mix. Just my two cents.

They're not as bad as Beats, that's about the best I can say about them.

Oh man that reminds me of when I was back in school, one of the neighbor kids got his Beats earbuds back from being RMA'd for a broken cord or something. Kid gets on the bus all excited but as soon as he pulls them out of the little case and plugs 'em into his phone the cord comes clean off the TRS like it wasn't even put back on. Needless to say I don't remember him ever getting another pair of Beats after that.

 

[Elysian]

I have the HD560S which are the same drivers as the HD600 in a plastic chassis for half the price. They’re pretty good. Even if they’re made of plastic you can tell they picked some solid, durable plastic rather than the kids maraca toy stuff, and it makes them more lightweight and comfy to wear too.

 

[SHAKE256]

Hey Sennheiser fuck you for making parts for the HD800 basically unavailable. You can't buy any chassis pieces for it directly, when did they get so bad with consumer grade gear? Jesus Christ