• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Headphones

I just use a pair of plain purple ear buds I bought a while back when my previous ones broke. These ones have lasted me a long time - over a year, which I think is rare because any headphones/earbuds I use tend to break after just a little while.
 
My primary phones, ATM, are these:


Creative Labs Aurvana Live Headphone Review - Headphones.com Blog | Headphones.com Blog
Creative Aurvana Live! A Classic Reincarnate | InnerFidelity

I love 'em.

Ignore the "Creative" on them; they're essentially Denon phones. They're rebrands of the famous (at least in the headphone/audiophile community) and acclaimed Denon D1001s.

Creative has gotten a bad rap--not undeservedly, given their history--but it seems like they have had a couple of home runs the last few years. I have their X-fi HD USB DAC, and, while not perfect, for the price it is phenomenal. Your comparison to the old Denons has intrigued me...it is a shame they (Denon) have been retiring some of their great models and not really coming out with anything new that's particularly good.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I won a contest from Skullcandy, where I got 3 headphone pairs (Hesh 2, Aviators and Mix Masters.) I love the Aviators. It also came with earbuds, but they died about three months ago. Not worth replacing them just yet even though they were AMAZING. I just don't have $70 right now. For now I use the new Apple earbuds that recently got redesigned. I like them, and for $30 they get the job done. I also have Sennheiser HD 280 pro headphones. They are fantastic!
 
I haven't found good headphones since my last Sennheisers broke and in ear buds aren't always enough. As I told in another thread I've really big problem with shaft of eye glasses touching my temples, and yet I don't always wear glasses at home my headphones still should fit with or without. I'm not high end enthusiastic in sense of money, but am otherwise really quality conscious. But it's easy for me to wait without until I find something really suitable, so I'm not rushing in getting new ones. Searching something like this just seems hopeless at times.
 
I picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 448s at a thrift shop a while back. I am still not quite sure what I think of them. Un-amped, they sound pretty bad. Hooking them up to a dirt-cheap FiiO E6 breathes a lot of life into them. They are lean on bass, which I actually like; much more laid back than my Grado SR60is (which, contrary to popular belief, benefit tremendously from amplification). I still like the Grados MUCH better, though of course they have their flaws (can sound brash with certain recordings, have the narrowest soundstage you could possibly find).

Just more rambling from a budget-conscious audiophile. It truly is a slippery slope!
 
Current headphones and earphones on my "Wouldn't Mind Buying Someday" list:

  • HiFiMAN HE-500
  • HiFiMAN RE-400 (IEMs)
  • Jaycar rebranded Fischer FA-003 (because the Jaycars are way cheaper and are still being made)
  • MonoPrice 8320 (IEMs)
  • MonoPrice 8323
  • MrSpeakers Mad Dog (Fostex T50RP mods)
  • Sennheiser HD 600


Current amps, DACs and soundcards on my "Wouldn't Mind Buying Someday" list:

  • ASUS Xonar Essence STX (sound card)
  • FiiO E12 (portable headphone amp)
  • Schiit Magni (amp)
  • Schiit Modi (DAC)

I want to limit myself to getting two or three of the above per year.

I think I'll get IEMs next. I think they'd be ideal for when traveling.
 
Last edited:
I just followed my heart and bought this:

Creative Hitz MA2600

It's quite a good buy, I bought it at US$69 :)

Looks cooler than Beats and what-have-you, and just what I needed for great sounds :)

headset_creative_hitz_ma2600_white.jpg
 
Sony MDR-XB400

Robust, blocks out the world, comfortable and amazing sound. I love them :bounce:
 
I need to replace my Etymotics, which broke a while back. I am trying to decide if I want more IEMs or if I should go with a full-sized closed-back pair of 'phones. My Sennheiser 448s do a pretty lousy job of blocking out noise (and sound magnificently mediocre to boot), and I am wondering of there is a model that would work better on that front without having to go the noise-canceling route. I would LOVE a pair of ATH-M50s. IEMs are always uncomfortable, easily broken, and don't sound very good. Sigh.
 
Love the comment about the Sennheisers. I might have bought them and been equally disappointed.

Great thread. Thanks Wyv!
 
I'm burning in a new pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50s, which have been mentioned several times here. It might be the first time ever where I've gotten a bit of equipment that sounds EXACTLY like I expected it would! Kind of bass-heavy, a bit stuffy-sounding (they are sealed, after all)...in fact, I have no idea why they're advertised as "monitor" headphones; I wouldn't call them "well-balanced." But they are a big improvement over those Sennheisers and sound pretty decent hooked up to my cheap-ass Fiio E6. And they seal better, and the added bassiness really helps with blocking outside noise.

If anyone is thinking of getting them, definitely go for the coiled cable.

I still MUCH prefer the sound of my Grado SR60i, but they are not so good to travel with or use in libraries/waiting rooms/etc.
 
I'm burning in a new pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50s, which have been mentioned several times here. It might be the first time ever where I've gotten a bit of equipment that sounds EXACTLY like I expected it would! Kind of bass-heavy, a bit stuffy-sounding (they are sealed, after all)...in fact, I have no idea why they're advertised as "monitor" headphones; I wouldn't call them "well-balanced." But they are a big improvement over those Sennheisers and sound pretty decent hooked up to my cheap-ass Fiio E6. And they seal better, and the added bassiness really helps with blocking outside noise.

If anyone is thinking of getting them, definitely go for the coiled cable.

I still MUCH prefer the sound of my Grado SR60i, but they are not so good to travel with or use in libraries/waiting rooms/etc.

Was looking at the reviews of those on Best Buy. Only six of them, but all 5.0s. Don't see those very often. Sounds encouraging, especially about the noise-cancelling functionality.
 
Was looking at the reviews of those on Best Buy. Only six of them, but all 5.0s. Don't see those very often. Sounds encouraging, especially about the noise-cancelling functionality.

They're not actively noise-canceling, just passive, but like I said, they block out enough sound for me to drown out whatever background noise there is. I definitely wouldn't give them 5 stars on sound quality, but like I said, I do like them. The Sennheisers have their strengths, too, and I try not to pretend it isn't an apples-to-oranges comparison. Also, the Sennheisers were much cheaper (I picked them up at a thrift shop), but I think they've been discontinued.

Sorry...I could go on all day about this! Aspieness and all that. :biggrin:
 
They're not actively noise-canceling, just passive, but like I said, they block out enough sound for me to drown out whatever background noise there is. I definitely wouldn't give them 5 stars on sound quality, but like I said, I do like them. The Sennheisers have their strengths, too, and I try not to pretend it isn't an apples-to-oranges comparison. Also, the Sennheisers were much cheaper (I picked them up at a thrift shop), but I think they've been discontinued.

Sorry...I could go on all day about this! Aspieness and all that. :biggrin:

Yeah, went back and looked at the product specs on Best Buy. Apparently some users were commenting on noise cancelling quality, but yes they don't have that feature. Oh well...back to the drawing board. I want good sound, but most of all noise cancellation/sound isolation.
 
Yeah, went back and looked at the product specs on Best Buy. Apparently some users were commenting on noise cancelling quality, but yes they don't have that feature. Oh well...back to the drawing board. I want good sound, but most of all noise cancellation/sound isolation.

If you're looking for noise cancelation, definitely go for the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 if you can afford it. I am told they are the best.
 
If you're looking for noise cancelation, definitely go for the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 if you can afford it. I am told they are the best.

Yep, that's what I see consistently in reviews of products on various retail sites. But holy cow....what they want for some headphones....yikes. Not sure if I'm prepared to pay that much. Certainly not now....too many bills.

Ideally I'd just like something that cancels noise where I can have them hooked up to one of my receivers that is connected to the audio output of my cable box. Then I could watch tv and not have to hear my neighbor's bass thumping underneath me. Not a really big issue, but I hate any sound intrusion that isn't of my own making...
 
Yep, that's what I see consistently in reviews of products on various retail sites. But holy cow....what they want for some headphones....yikes. Not sure if I'm prepared to pay that much. Certainly not now....too many bills.

Ideally I'd just like something that cancels noise where I can have them hooked up to one of my receivers that is connected to the audio output of my cable box. Then I could watch tv and not have to hear my neighbor's bass thumping underneath me. Not a really big issue, but I hate any sound intrusion that isn't of my own making...

Again, you could go with in-ears, which work even better than noise cancellation headphones. Comfort is an issue, though...I would recommend looking into those as an option.

I cheated this year for Christmas and gave my brother my old pair of Sennheiser HD 203's. He has a pair of Grado SR60i's that he bought after falling in love with mine, teehee, but his Sennheiser 202's broke and he needed something to use in libraries and the like (he's in college). This still leaves me with plenty to choose from! Right now I'm using the new Audio-Technicas and they're doing a great job blocking out the TV noise!
 
The more I read about noise-cancelling technology, the more I see that Bose appears to be well ahead of any competition. The problem being only one thing- the price. Ugh.
 

New Threads

Top Bottom