iso: advice on headphones

[El Gallo]

I need new headphones for my ipod and am looking for recommendations from my fellow f13 geeks.  I hate earbuds, so they are a no-go.  Smaller is obviously more convenient, but I am not utterly averse to carrying around headphones that are 10x bigger than the ipod if they are worth it.  I also have a big fucking head (hat size:8) which is a concern (some headphones don’t fit securely around my ears even when maximally extended).  I mostly listen to rock/metal with a little opera and rap mixed in.

I am not willing to spend 200+ on ultra-wtfever headsets since I usually am listening while walking around city streets rather than in an isolation chamber and, frankly, I just don’t have a refined enough ear to justify it.

Anyway, if you have headphones you love or headphones you hate, let me know.

[Furiously]

I think you should get a $995 headset instead...

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=DTC_LINKS_TARGET_EVENT&DTCLinkID=3124&perfsourceid=k15318&src=k15318

[Hoax]

http://www.sennheiserusa.com

They make good stuff.

[Chimpy]

http://www.head-fi.org/

These guys review every single headphone on the planet, anytime I had questions about headphones I ended up there to find out what was good/bad about the pair I was looking at. Site is a little slow but the info is very worthwhile.

[schild]

Headphone Otaku. They are fucking scary.

[Murgos]

I think you should get a $995 headset instead...

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=DTC_LINKS_TARGET_EVENT&DTCLinkID=3124&perfsourceid=k15318&src=k15318

My cousin got these as a graduation present but he's a pilot.

[Numtini]

Koss sporta/porta-pros are about $25-50 and have very good sound for the money. It's probably not worth spending much more on something you're going to listen to an ipod with--not just sound but also, if it's raining etc. Under their own brand, Radio Shack used to sell the same headphone without the top woodgie, but I don't know what the model number was or if they still do. Sennheiser PX 100s are supposed to be really good for the same price.

[Righ]

You say you hate earbuds, but do you also hate "in-canal earphones"? There's a world of difference. Ear buds fucking hurt and tend to sound like shit. They're the hard round things that come with every MP3 player out there. Quality in-canal designs are comfortable and provide good stereo imaging and sound isolation. About the only thing they have in common with conventional earbuds is that they fit in your pocket.

[Viin]

The "regular" Bose headsets (the non-pilot ones) work pretty good and are a bit cheaper:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=headphones_anc_subcategory

If you don't want noise canceling they have their regular ones:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=headphones_audio_subcategory

[El Gallo]

Thanks muchly for the tips, all. Viin, I think those are too good for what I need/will appreciate. 

I went to head-fi and read up.  Seems like the most commonly recommended headphones in the $50-or-so and under price range were the koss porta pros and the sennheiser px100 (and the koss ksc7, but they are clip-ons which I don't really like that much either).    I went with the porta pros basically because they look cooler to me.  Should be arriving soon, so I'll report after I get a chance to listen.

[Viin]

I haven't bought the Bose ANC ones yet, but I'm on airlines enough that I just might do it soon. Otherwise I'd say they are way too pricey too.

Let us know how those work out.