so my headphones broke

[Son Of Odin]

Going 4 years with a 24 euro set of headphones, tell me when your 300 euro headphones lasted you 48 years.

WTF some people use 300 euros for headphones? Just for comparison you would get a pair of top notch, active studio monitors if you'd add another 100€ to that. Such better audio, much sound wow. I rest my case.

A pair of these eargasm generators:
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[Teeth]

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I wont start arguing here, but if you want to read this :

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Headphones always have been a danger to our hearing, if you listen to music with them too loudly for too long. But earbuds brought hearing loss to a whole new level because they don’t work to cancel out outside noise as well as regular headphones do. And because they fit inside your ear, they are blasting that loud music directly into your ear canal.

Earbuds enter the scene

So what kind of damage do earbuds do exactly?

The ears are delicate. When sound enters our ear, it causes the ear drum to vibrate. These vibrations then travel to the cochlea, where fluid carries them to fine hairs that stimulate auditory nerve fibers that travel to the brain and interpret the sound.

Hearing loss occurs when the hair cells inside our ears are destroyed. The damage is done when we listen to loud noises for a long time. With the invention of earbuds and portable music players that can hold lots of music and have a long battery life, more and more people are listening to loud music for hours. At what level is loud noise damaging to our hearing? Typically at 85 decibels, about the level of a hair dryer or a food processor.

Watch those decibels

Compared to traditional-style headphones that rest over the ear, earbuds can have a higher output level of sound by about 7-9 decibels. An audiologist at Wichita State University who pulled earbuds off students to find out how loud their music was discovered that most students were listening to music at 110-120 decibels, well over the recommended volume. At that level, loud noise can cause permanent hearing loss after just an hour and 15 minutes. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder that the number of teens with hearing loss has jumped 33 percent since 1994, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

So what to do if you want to preserve what hearing you may have left? If you are going to use earbuds, the American Auditory Society’s rule of thumb is 60/60 — to not listen for more than 60 minutes at a time at 60 percent of the maximum volume.

And here the link (source)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/headphones-bad-for-hearing_n_4100874.html
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Anyway, if you search headphones as i said, go for YUIN PK2

These links are discussing earphones in general, not specifically the type that fits deeper inside your ear. They argue that the lack of outside noise dampening makes earphones more dangerous than actual headphones. If you use that reasoning than in-ear earphones are actually a better choice than regular earphones as they close of your ear against outside noise, allowing you to put the music on a lower volume.

[Herezy92]

If you read what i posted in the spoiler, its the part where they explain why the "earburds*" are worse
generally because we are using it in the wrong way.
Ppl mainly keep the volume at the same level, even if normally with this in-ear they should lower it.
So i agree on your point, but in fact, the effect is still here.

earburds* = headphones IN EAR

But of course, headphones are more dangerous than headset.

[Son Of Odin]

If you read what i posted in the spoiler, its the part where they explain why the "earburds*" are worse
generally because we are using it in the wrong way.
Ppl mainly keep the volume at the same level, even if normally with this in-ear they should lower it.
So i agree on your point, but in fact, the effect is still here.

earburds* = headphones IN EAR

But of course, headphones are more dangerous than headset.

Earbuds* = Earbuds. Many types. Some of them you plug inside your ear canal and they block outside sounds a bit like ear plugs. The traditional earbuds don't go inside your ear canal.

Headphones = Headphones

A set of good speakers = Best option for enjoying audio in your house, period. Plus your ears don't get "tired" as fast as they do with headphones.


Also coffee is more dangerous than water but damn sometimes I just need coffee. Earbuds and headphones aren't going to kill your hearing if you keep the volume at reasonable levels just like the coffee isn't going to kill me if I don't drink 50 liters of it every day .

[Nessaj]

Here's IMHO literally the two best headsets, one is wireless the other is cabled:


Logitech G930 {Wireless} — http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g930-7-1-wireless-gaming-headset

Great headset, I've just ordered a new one a few days ago. Good size, sound, no delay, excellent range and it won't burn off your ears after long term use. Look it up on Google and you'll find a lot of great reviews.


beyerdynamic MMX 300 {Cable} — http://www.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/gaming/mmx-300.html

This is almost twice the price of the Logitech headset but in return you get literally the best cabled headset available. It's built with avionics parts used for helicopters so you'll get an awesome microphone, top notch noise cancellation, and a headset where you can literally sit in peace without anything around you being annoying.
A great headset for ignoring everything around you.

[The_Bloody_Nine]

WTF some people use 300 euros for headphones? Just for comparison you would get a pair of top notch, active studio monitors if you'd add another 100€ to that. Such better audio, much sound wow. I rest my case.

why would you use studio monitors for listening to music or playing video games? Studio monitors are designed to provide a clear 'flat' sound where you can hear all frequencies alike, so you can mix raw material. They are not designed to provide a fat 'Hifi' sound.

Also I don't agree that Speakers are generally better for enjoying music. I prefer Speakers in general but listening to music with good Headphones can be very intense and it is much easier to listen to small instrumental details, stereo mix and panning.

[Son Of Odin]

why would you use studio monitors for listening to music or playing video games? Studio monitors are designed to provide a clear 'flat' sound where you can hear all frequencies alike, so you can mix raw material. They are not designed to provide a fat 'Hifi' sound.

Also I don't agree that Speakers are generally better for enjoying music. I prefer Speakers in general but listening to music with good Headphones can be very intense and it is much easier to listen to small instrumental details, stereo mix and panning.

I would buy studio monitors because I would use them to produce my own material. It's also the way I want to enjoy music. Precise and tight sound so I can hear everything. Just threw that in there since 300 euros for headphones seems like a major rip off to me. Everkistus has a set of Genelec's (subwoofer included) at his place. They are considered as studio monitors as well. I don't see why they aren't "Hifi" enough for music, movies and games. They sound awesome!

Maybe I just don't understand headphones... Never liked them and probably never will.

[Kafein]

Headphones are in many cases a necessity. I'd like to use speakers too, because it's way more convenient and better for the ears (right ?). However, that would make too much noise for most environments I'm playing in.

[Sagar]

I recommended you to look here, these are models under $50.
http://www.squidoo.com/best-headphones-under-50

I have Superlux HD668B, (I paid them 35 €) and I'm more than satisfied with them.

Superlux also have other great models, but HD668B are really good.

There is many reviews for this model, here is one:

Superlux HD 668B: A Giant Killer?
http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-hd668b/

[The_Bloody_Nine]

I would buy studio monitors because I would use them to produce my own material. It's also the way I want to enjoy music. Precise and tight sound so I can hear everything. Just threw that in there since 300 euros for headphones seems like a major rip off to me. Everkistus has a set of Genelec's (subwoofer included) at his place. They are considered as studio monitors as well. I don't see why they aren't "Hifi" enough for music, movies and games. They sound awesome!

Of course it is possible that studio monitors can sound Hifi, or that you simply prefer the way they sound. I just wanted to mention this, because people often think that studio monitors mean better sound in general because of the professional use. But if the monitors really fulfill their purpose, it should be the opposite in theory.

Studio= linear frequencies, steril sound and a limited 'room', so you have to sit right in front of them.
Hifi = slightly different frequencies (matter of taste), more 'fat' sound and a different spaciousness, so should have a better sound in your whole room.

[Son Of Odin]

Studio= linear frequencies, steril sound and a limited 'room', so you have to sit right in front of them.
Hifi = slightly different frequencies (matter of taste), more 'fat' sound and a different spaciousness, so should have a better sound in your whole room.

Yeah it's an endless pit of taste and preferences if we start discussing Hifi speakers. It doesn't even end there. "You should have Ron Jeremy thickness pure gold wire to connect the speakers to your amp and digital optic super duper terminator batman 5000 cable to connect that to the source."

That's one of the reasons why I want to get just a pair of good studio monitors and be done with it. All I need is a good reference point so I know what the fuck I'm doing. I'm always and constantly trying to analyze the sound of records I like and I'm thinking how I could replicate it or make something similar. That's why I want the speaker's own sound out of the equation as much as possible even if I'm just listening to stuff.