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Looking for a good pair of over ear headphones

4 points by jickes ↗ HN
Title says most of it. I want a good pair of over ear headphones. My budget is around 300 dollars. I need transparency to talk to my girlfriend when she's in the room with me. I wanted to use these for work as well. So a mic and usb dongle are needed.

Was looking at Sennheiser but seems like the quality has gone downhill since they were bought out back in 2021 and went woke. I have good experiences with audio technica as well. I'm not an audiophile so I don't really know everything there is to know. I just want a good sounding pair of headphones/headset thats not too expensive. Again, my budget IS $300 but cheaper is always better. I may also use this headset for my personal computer from time to time.

Thanks in advance.

9 comments

[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 35.7 ms ] thread
8thcross
i like sony WH-XM1000 series. I have 3, but it works great. turn off NR is easy, it even comes with a cord to use when it runs out of power. if you like audiophile quality - 300 is not going to cut it.
jickes
Thanks for the suggestion. I have never owned a pair of really high end headphones. Most I've ever purchased have been in the 100ish dollar price range.
x11antiek
+, the WH-1000XM5s are the best pair of headphones I've ever had.
unfixed
I used Edifier WH950NB and I really like it. I used them every day for at least 3 to 4 hours for almost 2 years now, and they are like brand new.

Very comfortable, good sound quality (not an expert by any means) and the battery duration is good considering that I used them always with noise cancelling on.

It sounds good on calls and without ANC environment sounds are ok to keep a conversation.

PD: I realize this looks a little bit like an ad. It is not, I just like the product.

mic999
I use beyerdynamic dt770 pro, since 2015. My first pair was 250ohm and served me until 2020, I accisentally bumped the wall while wearing them and that resulted in irrecoverable mechanical damage (though they sell individual components so I probably would be able to fix them). After destroying first pair I got second, same model only this time 32ohm so they are a bit easier when plugged to my phone.
tacostakohashi
I've been pretty happy with various Sennheiser Momentum headphones over the past few years (some wireless, some not).

It's the kind of thing I get on amazon resale / warehouse. I think $1-200 is about right for some decent headphones, good enough, $3-500 to me is nuts for something that will inevitably live a pretty hard life and get lost / broken after a year or two.

jickes
That's how I feel. $500 would already be steep for me. I suppose some people have more disposable income. I'm just concerned about sennheiser quality. I've read they've really gone downhill. I am also tired of these woke companies. I notice that generally anything "woke" winds up being crap. Media, people & products
gnatman
I went looking for information about Sennheiser's wokeness, and found a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. using one of their microphones in 1965. Is that what you're talking about?
champdebloom
I’d suggest getting a separate mic and headphone set because you reduce the likelihood of having to compromise on either when packaged together.

I think the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and ATR-2100 should be a a solid start and fit within your budget. I used to own both and have upgraded a few times since.