Looking for a good quality pair of over ear headphones to listen to music and podcasts on my bus and train home. I’ve got a big ass head so something adjustable and preferably Bluetooth. My budget is $150 or so.
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I know nobody cares and everything’s just ewaste in 1-5 years but consider getting something with a battery that’s possible to replace if you do go bluetooth (or go wired). The electronics can fail randomly, sure, but a battery will fail, predictably.
Look it up, if it involves unsticking a lot of glue, tons of plastic clips, etc. or worse there’s no documented way to do it, then you’re buying future landfill material. If you can take it apart with screws and replace the battery or other parts, or use it in wired mode without the battery, then it has a chance of lasting.
The only wired headphones I’ve had to toss in the past… idk 8-10 years? were a pair of earbuds where the wires fell apart repeatedly, and some cheapy all-plastic sennheisers where the plastic hinge failed beyond all possibility of repair. all the other ones either have had no problems or have been able to be fixed pretty easily. I’ve got soviet era headphones, Sony monitors, Koss’s, etc. that all still work and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was replace a plug.
I also recommend Sony WH-1000XM4/M5 with caveats. I have the WF-1000XM4 earbuds and they work well with good noise cancellation, but Sony released a firmware update which fucked up a lot of people’s devices by shorting their batteries. People opened up their WFs and those with newer batches realized their batteries are different from the older batches; the newer batteries require a slightly higher voltage to charge, and those seem to be unaffected by the new updates while the older ones got shorted. My earbuds got fucked up abruptly after 2 years of no problems. I’m in the process of changing out the battery; if that don’t work I’m finessing Amazon. I got mine barely used for like $160 like in 2020
Sennheiser HD600 is a certified classic and good intro level audiophile-tier headphones. These are wired, but there are bluetooth amps so you can use your phone freely. Although you probably won’t be using these on the go. It’s more of a home listening pair.
I also recommend the XM4s. Great noise cancellation, have a nice carrying case, can be used wired, and whenever they go on sale, they can probably be had for about $150 new. Haven’t really heard anything that’d make the XM5s worth paying extra for.
This meets literally none of your requirements but consider the moondrop chu 2 DSP for ~$25
based and chi-fi pilled
Soundcore do really good audio gear that is at the sweet spot of great yet cheap.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the higher end of the consumer market is able to offer better gear most of the time but it’s that thing where you are gonna pay 20–100% more for really marginal benefits. If you’re a hardcore audiophile then you do you but for most people Soundcore is gonna be more than sufficient imo.
I’m autistic and I’m very sensitive to sound so this may not apply to you as much but noise cancelling headphones are really awesome. If you think that you would benefit from having a significant amount of sound reduction while your headphones are on after a long day at work on the trip home or if you’re prone to anxiety, I’d seriously consider noise cancelling headphones even if autism wasn’t in the picture for me.
People report that the noise cancelling on Soundcore units that have this feature are about 80–90% to that of the better options out there (I think maybe Sony is considered the best in this respect? I don’t remember exactly but they’re probably twice the price of a similar Soundcore model.) I can’t attest to this fact but I thought I’d relay what reports I was able to get – some people said they are just as good but the people who have reviewed different models with that high degree of specificity that tells me that they’re more likely to have discerning taste seem to indicate that Soundcore is close but not quite on the same level.
FYI I have Sony XM4s because I had the opportunity to get them and the bump in noise cancelling was worth it for my particular circumstances. (Plus I’m fucking ADHD so I forget to charge things and having quick charging as an option can be a lifesaver.) But I was very seriously considering the Soundcore Q45 model as an option (I think - check the specs and comparative reviews but I reckon this is the near-identical Soundcore alternative to the Sony model. This was a while ago so there might be newer models available at this point too.)
I second soundcore/Anker products. It’s inexpensive and does the job supremely well. Currently using soundcore Q20i noise cancelling headphones (was about $100 possibly cheaper because I bought them through Best Buy and it was on sale) and before that I used their life tune headphones until they began to fall apart( the headphone padding peeled from my sweat and eventually the foam became exposed but it’s still usable even now and I had them for about 3 years. They have had to be taped up because of trauma from falling and stretching over and over but super worth was like $90 at the time).
I’m pretty happy with my Liberty 4 earbuds. They aren’t perfect but really comfortable and ok at noise cancellation, and good audio when you have an LDAC source
This is going to get me put on a list of bourgeois scum for saying this but…
I also own a part of Liberty 4 earbuds and I’m very happy with them. For me with my auditory sensitivity the noise cancelling is not nearly as good as what you get from QC45s (I think?) or the Sony XM4s but they’re still very good. Like you, I think they aren’t perfect but they do a good job and I do not regret getting them in the slightest.
In my defense, I’m super heat sensitive as well and I live in a place that has brutal summers so often I have to weigh up whether I’m better off overheating with the XM4s or if I deal with more noise but being significantly cooler wearing the earbuds. It doesn’t seem like it from the outside but to me they are both accessibility devices. Trust me when I say that I sincerely wish that I didn’t have the need for owning both.
That totally sounds like an accessibility device IMO, entertainment should be accessible. The main issue I have with them is the mic quality is bad (apparently) to the listener when I’m in a call during a walk. Solution, I just don’t call people with them 🫡
Yeah most of the buds have poor mic quality. I think the ones that worked best were life note I think, they had lil sticks to maneuver the buds in and out kind of like air pods and those in particular had the best mic quality out the few soundcore buds I’ve had and were like $50 I think. Again for the price points the sound quality is fantastic.
What kind, price, and use case? Bluetooth, wired, open back, closed back, noise cancelling, is it for gaming, music, movies, all 3, etc.?
It’s for listening to music on my bus commute. Bluetooth is preferred but not a requirement for me. I’d like something less than $150.
Anker Soundcore Space Q45 are commuter headphones in that budget, foldable with noise-canceling
I have the q35’s and I have to say they are really excellent as well.
Indeed. Soundcore has thoroughly surprised me and now i have a few of their Bluetooth devices. Most bang for my buck.
yes, the waterproof bluetooth speaker is a favourite for the bath/shower since it can adjust volume and skip songs without having to endanger the phone
Same I’ve got a rave party cast and a flare 2 along with two pairs of over ears one of which is falling apart from overuse and my dumbass. I did have in ears too but I forgot about them in my pocket when I did laundry… Pretty sure the buds survived but not the battery case…
will never not recommend Anker.
sony bluetooth stuff is usually pretty good for the price in my experience. i think they should sell a bt headphone for less than $150, but don’t quote me on that. outside of bluetooth, audio-technica closed-back headphones in their M-X0 (like M-40, M-50, etc.) are affordable, ubiquitous, and pretty tough.
I second the Audio-Technicas. My headphones are the ATH-M50x, I’ve used them almost every singe day for almost a decade, and they’re still going strong. I’ve had to replace the cord twice, the ear pads twice, and I put a cover over the top once the fake leather started falling apart ~5 years in. The sound is still good, they’re still comfortable, and they show no signs of falling apart or anything, even though they get dropped on the floor at least once a week lol.
Apparently they have the M50xBT2 now, which is a bluetooth version, for $200. If the quality is the same as the wired version, I’d say it’s worth it, but that does put it $50 over budget.
A pair of refurbished Sony XM4s. They have excellent noise cancellation. I’ve had mine for a few years now. They fold nicely. The battery still goes for hours and hours.
Specifically, the WH-1000XM4. The other XM4 is the earbuds, WF-1000XM4
I have them and they’re good headphones. I prefer them with an EQ though. The SoundID app has good options for EQ with those headphones.
Yeah, the default EQ settings were meh.
My bad! Yes, the headphones.
sennheiser hd 450bt are good, but I’m not an audio nerd or anything.
Sennheisers, hands down.
People are going to hate but I love me some cheap Chinese plastic Bluetooth headphones. Around $40 is the sweet spot between trash or treasure. Read lots of Amazon reviews and do your research but when you inevitably crush, loose, or get your headphones stolen you won’t be freaked out. I’ve had my bludio Bluetooth headphones for about 6 years now and apart from some paint splatter they work and sound as good as new. I think I paid $25 for them. Thy don’t do noise cancellation or anything fancy (they might have an eq but I’ve never touched it) but the cups seal the ear well and I use them while weed whacking or using the circular saw to good effect.
