Good head/earphones

LCallumHendo on 15/08/2013 - 19:33

Hi guys,

I realise this topic must come up quite often, but I've been looking for some new headphones or earphones (really don't mind which, I plan on buying a quality pair of both eventually anyway.) Just wondering if you had any recommendations, probably looking to spend between $100 and $200 each. I'm really gutted I missed out on the XBA4's this morning, cause as far as I'm told the new XBA40's only offer cosmetic changes. I found the XBA4's at $150 at centrecom that I'm considering(https://www.centrecom.com.au/sony-xba-4-quad-balanced-armatu…), but would love to get any feedback you guys had to offer first :)

Thanks in advance!

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • plmko on 15/08/2013 - 21:07

    The XBA40 is not just a cosmetic change.

  • Eivad on 16/08/2013 - 11:15

    You will need to let us know what your primary use of the headphones, and what your primary use of the earphones, are. Also, what are you music preferences - are you a bass lover, or do you like to relax on the couch with some acoustic music playing?

    Preliminary advice (headphones): Audio Technica ATH-M50s (closed) or AD-700s (open) are pretty good and would lie on the lower end of your price range (ozb have deals for them every now and then).

    Higher end of your price range: There are so many great cans to choose from at this range, but my personal favourite would be the Sennheiser HD598s. Looks and sounds beautiful :)

  • Folly on 16/08/2013 - 11:43

    I second the M50's. Since the dollar has gone down they are much more expensive (used to be able to get them for about $113 delivered from Amazon http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/102393, but now they are about $190AUD delivered). Because of that, its cheaper to source them in Australia. Just be careful of counterfeits (and remember that grey imports have no warranty coverage).

    I bought mine directly from AudioTechnica whose RRP is a ridiculous $220 delivered, but used a 20 token Coke Rewards coupon that brought it down to $165 delivered (which is a bargain for Aus stock). The service was excellent and I received them less than 24 hours after ordering.

    Re: other headphones, there's plenty of good stuff out there. Beats get a lot of hate but all the industry analyst resources credit them with reinvigorating the consumer market for high performance cans. The problem with them is they cost about 3 times as much as they're worth and are outperformed in every way by cans that cost half as much (ala M50s). However they do sound good (not great, especially for the price), they are very comfortable, and quite stylish (one of the reasons they cop so much hate is they are style over substance, IMO).

    I'm not a big fan of the HD598s though: I think they are ugly, uncomfortable and have good sound at a very premium price. But what do I know. Cf reviews: http://www.whathifi.com/review/sennheiser-hd598 or http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-598/4505-78….

  • Stargazer5 on 30/08/2013 - 15:34

    I like the sound from hd598. I have hd555 myself for 2 years. I listening to pop, trance and mostly classical music on my ipod. Sounds wonderful.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join