Headphones

[kjh]

hi guys I'm new here and glad to joined

I was wondering what headphones some of you serious audio listeners are using, I'm really stuck what to go for, I used to have Sennheiser hd25 but want something a bit more open sounding but will need to be closed backed or in ear

I listen various soft rock and 70s to 80s pop.

Without going in to detail I can't and a full blown audio file system

My entire media is based arround my iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6

Thanks in advance

 

[giradman]

I was wondering what headphones some of you serious audio listeners are using, I'm really stuck what to go for, I used to have Sennheiser hd25 but want something a bit more open sounding but will need to be closed backed or in ear

I listen various soft rock and 70s to 80s pop. Without going in to detail I can't and a full blown audio file system

My entire media is based arround my iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6

Hello - I listen to most of my music on a home stereo using either my good speakers or Sennheiser wireless headphones (if I'm playing music I know will irritate my wife - ). BUT, I have well over a 100 hours of MP3 music on my iPad Air 2 which I play over a portable BT speaker when traveling or on BT headphones.

SO, we need some more information: 1) What file format is your music stored on your iDevices (assume either MP3 and/or AAC); 2) What is the bit rate if those music files are compressed, e.g. 256 bps; 3) What type of headphones do you prefer, i.e. earbuds, over the ears, wired vs. wireless (i.e. BT); and 4) What is your budget? Answers to these questions may help - Dave

 

[kjh]

lossless Apple MP3, I have no preference to type, budget £300 so about $470

Thanks

 

[giradman]

lossless Apple MP3, I have no preference to type, budget £300 so about $470

OK - not sure if you understand audio file format? But, quoted below is a summary that I put together a while back - 'lossless' & 'MP3' don't go together, and Apple means AIFF or AAC and NOT MP3, SO please clarify what is on your iDevices - also, your budget is not an issue, so specify the nature of the headphones you prefer (as to my previous post), and also whether wired or wireless - Dave

Audio Codecs

Lossless: non-compressed (NC) & compressed (C)

• WAV (Windows NC) - duplicates CD-A - LARGE files (10 MB/min)
• AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) - Apple’s WAV version
• FLAC (Free Lostless Audio Codec) - C file & saves space

Lossy: information lost but to a variable extent

• MP3 - popular; bit rate affects quality; 1MB/min average
• AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) - Apple’s MP3 equivalent; better?
• WMA (Windows Media Audio) - similar to the others

 

[kjh]

Lossless/iTunes downloads 1400 tracks approx and counting



Wired or not, not fussed so long as wireless options don't suffer drop in signals, in ear, on ear, over ear, but not open backed or noise cancelling,

Thanks

 

[giradman]

Lossless/iTunes downloads 1400 tracks approx and counting

Wired or not, not fussed so long as wireless options don't suffer drop in signals, in ear, on ear, over ear, but not open backed or noise cancelling,

OK - I have rarely used iTunes for my music acquisitions (typically rip my music from the 6000 CDs that I own or obtain classical albums from other sites as MP3 downloads), so still curious about the audio format you are ordering from iTunes - opened the app on my MBPro and did a screen capture below - the options are shown (I have MP3 selected which is @ 256 Mbps) - the 'lossless' codecs would be AIFF, ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), and WAV Encoder - which one are you using? Of course you realize that these are LARGE files vs. the lossy codecs (i.e. MP3 & AAC) and will greatly impact on your storage space - yes?

Now, listening to music off a small iDevice does not require expensive headphones for quality sound especially if you indeed are using the lossless codecs - I've cabled my iDevices into the AUX input of my receiver to listen on my regular speakers, used cabled cheap headphones that sounded fine, and also used BT wireless options over a portable speaker & Rockfish headphones (as shown below); the latter an $80 purchase which has worked fine for me.

If you really want more specific recommendations, then some googling will help or a better option is to join the Audioholics Forum - I'm a member but an infrequent visitor - there is a sub-forum just on headphones - you can obtain MUCH more specific advise there from members w/ a PASSION for the subject. Good luck and let us know your choice(s) - Dave

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[Stuart69]

Hi - I use two sets of headphones. [emoji637]Budget: Olixar X1 - great "on the move " phones. Easy to use and slip in a pocket. [emoji638] Expensive: Bose Soundlink - on-ear, fantastic quality for home listening if you can afford them. Both are Bluetooth wireless, although the Bose can be plugged in too. Both work well and are easy to pair with the iPad, phone, or any Bluetooth supported device.


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[kjh]

Giradman thank you

Stuart, could you be more specific as to which Bose model your using, also have you compared against hd25, thanks

 

[Stuart69]

They are Bose Soundlink on-ear Bluetooth headphones and cost £217. Expensive, yes, but as I am hard of hearing, good phones are a necessity, and I find these suit me 100% Don't know what hd25 are.
Cheers
Stuart


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[kjh]

Thanks Stuart