Headphones for music

madhurkishore

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
79
Points
6
Location
India
Hi,
Once again, I'm back to the forum to make a well informed purchase for Headphones. My requirements are as follows-
Budget - 15k - 20k max

Requirements- I would mostly be listening to music on my ipod, especially while travelling. The music files would not be flac types, but majorly medium to high bitrate mp3s (since my ipod doesn't support flac files)

I do not watch movies much on laptop, prefer to do it on my Home Theatre.

Since majority of the usage would be while travelling, I would prefer effective noise cancellation as a feature.

I have done bit of my research and have got to know that Bose and Beats are more of gimmicks as far as high fidelity is concerned.

Would be great if you guys can suggest some options in the mentioned budget range. I would prefer Over the ear headphones, coz I find them more comfortable than earphones. Options for earphones are also welcome, if they fit in my budget.

P.S. If possible, do suggest me any places in Delhi where I can go and test the headphones connecting them to my ipod.

TIA.
 
I have an almost new B&W P7 that I am looking to sell. Located in Gurgaon, so you can come over and try. You will have to stretch the budget just a little. It is not active noise cancelling, but the over-ear closed design drowns out most of the noise. Excellent sound quality, one of the best I have heard in closed design. 3 months old, but not used more than 2 hours! Selling because I realized that closed is not my cup of tea. And for travelling, I prefer the in-ears. So they were packed again and kept. PM if it interests you.
 
Was looking at Sennheiser Momentum, Sennheiser Urbanite XL over ear series, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250

Exploring few other options as well. Suggestions are welcome.
Also, would I be requiring amps if I am connecting them to just my ipod?
 
All except DT770 Pro are designed to play nicely on portables and mobile phones. However, a decent amp almost always improves the experience in headphones of this category even if their impedance is low. A good amp is not just for louder sound, but also for better sound even at low volume. But, your requirement of portability does not go hand in hand with additional electronics to carry. For home use, by all means go for an amp, IF, you feel the improvement is worth it.
 
Which is why i mentioned the Y-50s. Cheap, portable, easy to drive, easy to pack away. And i have done a comparison of the Y-50 and the Momentum 1. Hardly any difference. Cant comment on the others, except that the Dt770 pro dont really come under portable.
 
Which is why i mentioned the Y-50s. Cheap, portable, easy to drive, easy to pack away. And i have done a comparison of the Y-50 and the Momentum 1. Hardly any difference. Cant comment on the others, except that the Dt770 pro dont really come under portable.

Not really fond of the bold design of AKG Y50s. I think I would be going for a demo of Momentum this weekend.Fits within my budget and reviews are great, even better when compared to Urbanite, considering my usage is mainly for my ipod.

Also, is there any way I can check for the noise cancelling capabilities of a headphone while auditioning? I'm really pissed off with the airplane engine sound or the train sounds while travelling and listening to my favorite music.
 
Not really fond of the bold design of AKG Y50s. I think I would be going for a demo of Momentum this weekend.Fits within my budget and reviews are great, even better when compared to Urbanite, considering my usage is mainly for my ipod.

Also, is there any way I can check for the noise cancelling capabilities of a headphone while auditioning? I'm really pissed off with the airplane engine sound or the train sounds while travelling and listening to my favorite music.

Fair enough. I havent heard the Momentum 2 which have recently released so try to check them out.

As far as non-noise cancelling isolation goes, ask the dealer/owner if you can go outside and stand for a while on the road outside. IMHO, if isolation of good enough for you on the street, its good enough for airplane/train.
 
I have used Bose Quitecomfort and can vouch for it's ability to cancel the airplane noise. Its absolutely great at that. But noise cancellation apart there are other options with more audiophile acceptance. You may look here Best noise-canceling headphones of 2015 - CNET for more options under your budget.

In-ears are make for a good alternate without active noise cancellation.
 
I have used Bose Quitecomfort and can vouch for it's ability to cancel the airplane noise. Its absolutely great at that. But noise cancellation apart there are other options with more audiophile acceptance. You may look here Best noise-canceling headphones of 2015 - CNET for more options under your budget.

In-ears are make for a good alternate without active noise cancellation.

Absolutely. IEMs are the best for traveling. Period. The M50s i use at home, carried them on tours using the ipod, lineout cable, fiio amp, etc. sounded good. And another day, used my Soundmagic E10 with my phone and it sounded good enough and was lighters and equally good or better isolation.
 
After listening to the B&O H6, V Moda M100, DT770 i can say that the M50X are a bargain. Go for it.
 
After listening to the B&O H6, V Moda M100, DT770 i can say that the M50X are a bargain. Go for it.

I think I'll give it a try coz I will be able to get an idea only after an audition. Just figured out I was looking at Momentum On ear for cost and thought it was within my budget.
Momentum Over ear is at par with Bose Quiet Comfort costwise.

If you have used M50X, are they durable and light? Some reviews do not seem to suggest so.
 
I think you get reviews on innerfidelity.com..and i have VMODA M100 ...which is paired with FIIOX5 (2ndGen)...and this headphone is very good compared to other headphones twice its price...
 
Also, is there any way I can check for the noise cancelling capabilities of a headphone while auditioning? I'm really pissed off with the airplane engine sound or the train sounds while travelling and listening to my favorite music.

Noise Cancelling is a great feature but it is not for everyone. I had the Bose QuiteComfort and then I realised that there is no way to turn the cancellation feature off. They are always on. It creates a feeling of being in vacuum (I do not know how I know how it feels to be in vacuum ;) ) and it is absolute absence as opposed to silence I guess. Enough of my tangential description, but the feeling was too weird that I switched brands where you can turn the noise cancellation off.
You can also consider closed ear headphones which do not offer the same league of noise cancellation but does the job pretty well. Especially there is no amount of money / tech involved to cancel something.
I have Oppo PM-3 and they are pretty decent in blocking noise especially when music is on.
 
I have been considering the oppo pm3 for a longtime after reading all flattering reviews. One thing i couldn't find out is how it is to wear this and go for a walk. I have the habit of walking and listening to music. I am not expecting comfort level of a sports headphones. Just want to know the fit when subjected to mild activities.
 
You can give the UE6000 a try, dont even bother switching the ANC on, just listen to these as passive, i can assure you they can match up to headphones twice their price. Best part you can get them for as low as 6-7k if you look around. But remember, never even put battery in them :p I have/had many headphones including the M50 and trust me these are my go to headphones at home.
 
I had the Bose QuiteComfort and then I realised that there is no way to turn the cancellation feature off. They are always on.

Wich model is this! I have QC20 IEMs and the noise cancellation feature can be switched off with flick of a switch.

@OP, if you are ok with preused stuff, there is a PSB headphone for 17K on the 'For Sale' section.

It has builtin amplifier and has active noise cancellation as well. Though I heard lot of good words about them, I went for Bose over these only because of better portability of the latter.
 
I might suggest that you actually hear the headphones you want for 1. long term comfort and 2. sound level off portable players.
As mentioned by others for real portability nothing like IEM's.
But over the ear phones need to be large and REALLY over the ear and not sitting on or over part of your ear lobes. Beyer phones are great that way and are really light. You need to choose open back or closed back. Open back feels and sounds nice. Closed backs often have more bass but you CAN feel the enclosed unit and it does sound constricted slightly compared to the open back . But open backs can be heard by people around you and closed backs cannot. Some people around you could get quite disturbed if they hear what is being played.

Take time before deciding. Check as many as you can. Pity we don't have dedicated headphone shops locally. If you do get a chance to hear IEMs in a shop , wipe them well before inserting them into your ear. Don't share ear buds. Very easy to carry over infections ! That can be painful as some take weeks to show up as a problem ! :)
 
I completely agree with Aasis having come across many Hps and iems, If you want to drive with your smartphone iems are better. There is no need of amplifier in it. Adding comply ear foam can add sq you can select with your model as comfort noise isolation and sports. With comply rememberance foam I found good sq change. If you want to go for Head phone there are many over ear on ear full open semi open. Recently I bought Beyerdynamic custom one pro plus which can handle low impedance so your smartphone can easily drive it. It is over ear silky soft foam covers full ear and we get good noise isolation. More over it has custom design of bass port in four steps you can open or close the ports according to your taste of bass. It is really worth for money. But definitely good burn in time is necessary for it. In open ear headphone you can feel good sound stage but no noise isolation so less bass. Noise isolation or noise cancellation only decides the bass. But for the quality of the bass you should go for a good sq headphones. Cheers.
 
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Walnut finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
Back
Top