Comfortable headphone recommendation please

I picked up 6 courses from Udemy (CB's CCNA courses, Linux stuff, AWS stuff) with that 70% discount code awhile back and have just got around to working through them.

I currently use some mildly busted Plantronic gaming headphones (w/pink duct tape that my wife put on them to "fix" them). Even when they weren't busted they would make my ears hurt after 30 minutes of use.

Anyone have some recommendations for something that is comfortable?

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Comments

Kinet1c

A big part of this is going to be budget. Have you a limit on what you would like to spend?

--chris--

Not over 100 but id prefer to stay around 50.

N2IT

I'm in the market myself but would like to have the microphone feature as well so I can do music and no hands talking.

Asif Dasl

I've been using noice cancelling headphones - Sony MDR-NC200D. No volume or microphone which might put you off - oh and it's a little over $100 but the sound quality is superb. It requires a AAA battery to work at noise cancelling and full quality sound but I'd recommend them highly. I haven't used them on a flight yet but it blocks out sounds very good so far. It has good reviews on Amazon too... the price off them might be an issue though.

sratakhin

If you also listen to music in headphones, I could recommend these headphones - Amazon.com: Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone: Musical Instruments

jem7sk

Go to a musician's website like Musicians Friend and you can find some great deals. I picked up a pair for $10 shipped and they sound and feel great. I also have a five dollar pair of ear buds that I got at Big Lots and they sound and feel great too.

Kinet1c

If less than 50 then I'd say the Sennheiser HD202s, I've used them for a number of years now and they're sill quality.

If you have more than 100 then the Sennheiser HD598s are amazing quality for the price.

Cerebro

I second the Sennheiser HD202. They are superb, I've had them 5+ years.

paul78

I realize you want to keep below $100 but if you are willing to make the long term investment, the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones are amazing.

At $299 retail, it is expensive but it could be the last headset you ever own. I have own my pair for more than 10 years. It broke (sat on it) last year. Bose has an upgrade/replace policy for that headset, I was able to just bring in my broken pair to the store and I got a new one for $99.

RouteMyPacket

--chris-- wrote: »

Not over 100 but id prefer to stay around 50.

Ouch, was going to recommend Bose QuietComfort 15

Amazon.com: Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones: Electronics

Awesome for around house or on an airplane. Airplane especially

Balantine

These would be the under 50.00 cans: Superlux HD668B Dynamic Semi-Open Headphones

I also like these Koss KSC75 since they are so portable.

Everyone

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

Ouch, was going to recommend Bose QuietComfort 15

Amazon.com: Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones: Electronics

Awesome for around house or on an airplane. Airplane especially

I second this, definitely worth the investment. I used cheap headphones for a long time, got my Bose QuietComfort 15's about a year ago... I'll never go back.

--chris--

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

Ouch, was going to recommend Bose QuietComfort 15

Amazon.com: Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones: Electronics

Awesome for around house or on an airplane. Airplane especially

I had these (maybe not exactly these, it was about 3 years ago). They were very comfortable, but my cat chewed the cord up and that was that. No amount of repair made them work again. I baught a cheaper set of Bose after that. I dropped them twice and they came apart in a few spots. I am just too rough on headphones for the price range again!

I ended up getting two pair of headphones, first I got these for use on my laptop and when I work out:

LeBron-James-x-Beats-by-Dre-PowerBeats-Headphones-3.jpg

LeBron-James-x-Beats-by-Dre-PowerBeats-Headphones-3.jpg

Rakuten.com - Powerbeats by Dr. Dre In-Ear Headphones - White

Since that took care of my budget for this, I went for these from Newegg (dedicated to the desktop PC):
JVC HA-RX700 3.5mm/ 6.3mm Connector Circumaural Full-Size Headphone - Newegg.com

For ~$40, they are almost as comfortable as the Bose (they may even break in and get that comfortable) and they sound plenty good for my purpose (online classes, videos, etc...).

Sorry for posing the question, than appearing to disregard the advice given.

docrice

Just to add to the existing comments...

Up until a year ago, my only headphones were a pair of Sony MDR-7506s (the ones mentioned earlier in the thread) which I bought back in the early '90s. Aside from replacing the ear pads a couple of times, they've been great.

But they don't do noise-canceling. I bought a pair of Bose QC 15s a while back due to their weight (feels very light), comfort, and also because they fit a travel bag pretty easily. They certainly don't compare in audio quality to the MDR-7506s, and I don't know how they compare against other noise-canceling models from other brands, but they're good enough that I bought a second pair just for home.

This may or may not be what the OP asked for, but for long-term use the Bose has done well for me. I don't like swapping out a new AAA battery every week, but otherwise it brings sanity to my work day as it reduces office noise (including HVAC hum), immediately removes all rumble while working in a datacenter, and makes a night/day difference on flights. The cabin noise of an airline feels unbearable after getting used to having these on. Many times I don't have them plugged into a jack and I just walk around with them on to instill a bit of zen.

That said, one weak area is the headphone cord. Due to their length, they tend to get caught up in armchair rests, etc. and while a little tug easily pulls it out of the headphones themselves to prevent breakage, it's just annoying sometimes. I also had one sort of go bad after a year (past warranty) and Bose basically will swap one out with yours for a charge (normally $100 or something, although they did $50 for me since I think it was just outside of the warranty period). It has been worth it overall for me. Their customer service is actually quite good.

Mike-Mike

thanks for the suggestions guys, adding the Sony and Bose to my wish list

JustFred

You could also go for the Poor man's Bose QC15. You won't regret buying it.

Monoprice Noise Canceling Headphones Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

aftereffector

Which do you prefer - over the ear or in-ear headphones? I am an in-ear guy, so I have used everything from iPod earbuds (garbage) to Sensaphonics ProPhonic 2X-S (touring level in-ear monitors). Klipsch, Westone, Ultimate Ears, and a few others make good one-, two-, and three-driver IEMs that will put nearly anything you can find at Best Buy to shame.

Sennheiser and Sony make good over-the-ear headphones but I haven't used any in the last few years. Anything that is highly recommended by session musicians or broadcast engineers will be both comfortable and high-quality.

4_lom

Not sure if you want over the head style or in ear, but I've been using the Razer Hammerhead earbuds and like them so far. They're going for around 50 bucks on Amazon.

Razer Hammerhead Pro In-Ear Headphones: Gaming & Music Earphones - Razer United States

--chris--

JustFred wrote: »

You could also go for the Poor man's Bose QC15. You won't regret buying it.

Monoprice Noise Canceling Headphones Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

Nice suggestion, whos "brand" is that...I see it mostly on Newegg.

JustFred

It is made by this company, they seem to have quality and yet affordable stuff

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more! - Monoprice.com

I would have recommended this WeSC by RZA but since you wanted to stay under 100, the monoprice is your best bet

http://www.amazon.com/WeSC-6297999-Premium-Black-Headphones/dp/B0071HJ7BI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386777369&sr=8-1&keywords=rza+headphones