I'm trying to decide between these headphones:

• Samson SR850
• AKG K92
• Koss KSC75
• JLab JBuds Lux ANC

My main use is listening to music, watching movies, gaming, and long listening sessions (5+ hours). Comfort and sound quality are my biggest priorities.

Which one would you recommend, and why? If you've used more than one of these, I'd love to hear how they compare in terms of sound quality, comfort, build quality, and overall value.

Also, if you've used any of these headphones, how comfortable are they for long listening sessions (5+ hours)? Comfort is one of my biggest priorities, so I'd really appreciate hearing your experience.

Pretty self explanatory. Anyone with experience owning these pairs have a preference? Is one better for the money than the other? Mostly ruled it down to these 2, so just waiting to pick one or the other for the next sale.

Main Comparison:

• Soundstage (perfer wider soundstage)
• Deeper Bass Overall more well rounded for both gaming and casual music (of many genres like jazz, electronic, lofi, etc.)
• Build Quality
• Reliability

What’s up everyone.
I need wired headphones recommendations with v shaped sound and/or has a bass-emphasized sound.
My budget is under $250.
I wanna buy something that has a premium feeling without spending a lot.
I will be listening mainly on my iPhone.

I am currently looking for a set of headphones that are great for at home work, that are comfortable to wear for a couple hours on end, and deliver high quality audio. My budget is really $400-$450 max. I need something that I don’t notice I’m wearing while working (no neck pain or anything like that). I listen to a lot of more modern R&B, and a lot of older rap where the instrumentals were much more than punchy high-hats. I have a $5000 sound system I had installed myself in my Honda civic; sound deadening in all doors and rear deck/trunk, Morels up front, Hertz in the back with a Sundown 12”. I built it for sound quality, and honestly it’s pretty sweet. But I need something for at home working (I do logistics work). Any and all recommendations welcome. If they’re wireless, I just want to make sure that the Bluetooth compression doesn’t distort the sound quality in any way (I prefer wired).

Have tried LCD-X and they were way too heavy. Tried DCA (Expanse and Stealth) and absolutely hated the house sound. Also tried the Ayra Organic and HE1000 Stealth (newest). They were both nice but I preferred the HE1000SE.

Really enjoy the HE1000SE - very dynamic, open, and airy. But being planars they lack low-end grunt. Have tried a bit of EQ with my Lokius but I feel like I'm pushing them too hard. What's a solid step up from the HE1000SE? Powering with a Mjolnir 3.

Budget is up to $2500-ish, located in the U.S. Would prefer to buy used, as it increases the options!

Budget: Up to $1000 USD (flexible, bought by my aunt as a gift).

Source/Source Material: Mainly phone / tablet, streaming lossless tracks (Tidal/Apple Music).

Music Genre: Classic Rock, specifically David Gilmour / Pink Floyd (e.g., "Between Two Points"). Focus on clear vocals, lush guitars, and detailed soundstage but want bass.

Requirements & Preferences:

Type: Over-ear, wireless (Bluetooth).

Aesthetics: Must be discrete/understated. He is 50 years old (no RGB, clean look).

Comfort & Usability: High build quality and easy/intuitive controls.

Current Candidates We Considered:

Bowers & Wilkins Px8: Looks great, but wondering if it's too flashy.

Focal Bathys: Great sound, but might be too bulky/striking visually.

Sennheiser HDB 630: Love the discrete design, 60h battery, and comfort, but wondering if there is a better audiophile-grade option under $1000 that maintains a low-profile aesthetic.

Would love your recommendations on the best option that balances top-tier audio resolution with a subtle, non-flashy design. Thanks!

I want to buy new open-back headphones for immersive story games, but I can’t decide which ones to buy.

Games like:

-The Last of Us
-Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
-Detroit: Become Human
-Cyberpunk 2077
-Alan Wake

Basically, games that feel like a movie.

Current gear and my opinion on it:

-Bose 700 — Good highs, but almost no bass

-Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed — Horrible sound, good bass, and really comfortable

Maximum budget: $430 USD

What I’m looking for in headphones:

-Amazing bass so I can really feel explosions

-Good soundtrack reproduction so I can feel the emotion of a scene

-Good surround sound and imaging so I feel like I’m inside the game, with a kind of spatial-audio effect

-Replaceable earpads would be great

-Not too bulky

-A good all-rounder without any major weaknesses

-I don’t want to change or EQ or the stock sound

-Overall amazing sound that doesn’t lean too heavily in one direction, while still having good highs and bass, preferably with an emphasis on bass

I have a slight bias towards Sennheiser, but I’m open to anything.

Headphones I’m currently considering:

-Sennheiser HD 490 Pro
-Sennheiser HD 650
-Sennheiser HD 600
-Sennheiser HD 660S2

What would you recommend based on this information?

Edit:
I’m in a quiet room so noise doesn’t bother me.
Thank you all for the help.

My base setup is the 4K player connected to the Sony Quad speaker system, which is then connected to the LG G4 TV. Perfect for daytime, decent simulated Atmos and booming bass.

Which doesn’t go down well at night! Looking for the setup which will optimize the sound quality through headphones. The Panasonic has no headphone jack or Bluetooth, I’m currently connecting my headphones to the TV via BT but is there a better option especially to drive the faux-Atmos effect through headphones? Would connecting to a DAC/AMP provide a better connection? If so, any recommendation on one to use?

Headphones are either the Sennheiser Momentum 4 or the AirPod Max 2

If possible I wouldn't like to spend an extra dollar for my Edition XS and HD 560s. I remember Apple said the DACs in their pro series computers are special and are designed to work well even with high end headphones with minimal distortion.

Any advice for DACs in the $200 range would be great if the DAC in the computer isn't sufficient! I prefer a clean, linear sound that doesn't color the music.

So I've been using my mic's audio interface to power my headphones for the longest time (currently my audio interface is the Arturia Minifuse 1) and I'm wondering if it would be (significantly) better if I used a dedicated DAC/Amp for my headphones?

I do notice some problems with using the Arturia Minifuse with my current headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M40X), such as a noticeable amount of noise when nothing is playing.

So, should I get a dedicated DAC/Amp? What would you recommend?

I live in Thailand and my budget is up to 200 US dollars, preferably lower. I'd prefer a DAC/Amp with less coloring of the sound, and of course, low noise.

I'm also thinking of starting off with something very low budget, like a dongle, just so I don't have to use my audio interface for my headphones anymore. Then, I'll upgrade to a real desktop DAC/Amp later. I'm thinking of getting the JCally JM20 MAX and using that for a while until I can comfortably buy a big ol' DAC/Amp. Would that be a good idea?

Hi everyone! I’m currently using the Meze 99 Classics and would like some upgrade recommendations in the €500 range. I’m a bit of a basshead, so I’m looking for headphones with strong, punchy bass that i can feel. I’m open to either open-back or closed-back models.

I’d also appreciate recommendations for a suitable DAC/amp pairing.(As well a portable replacement for my fiio btr15 which died on me.
Thanks!

Just picked up a nice set of HIFIMAN edition xs on market place for a great price! Now I need nice cable recommendation, original cable is damaged and also a nice amp/dac with Bluetooth combo, it doesn't have to be portable it can be desktop style, any recommendations? Nothing too spendy, I'm ok with budget friendly stuff, its my first time going into wired Audiophile HIFI.

$200 MAX, but I don’t want to go that high unless you really think it’s worth it.

First of all: Is it even worth it? I tried a few in CanJam London 2026 and only the Chord ones (including the Mojo 2) worked. Others I tried made the headphones sound noisy (even at lower volume) or distant/ghostly.

If it's worth it, I'm open to consider both portable and desktop recommendations. Ideally as cheap as possible, but decent.

Hello, all.

First time posting here. Just some quick background info. I am by no means an audiophile and am not after the latest and greatest listening experience. My primary use for headphones is for mixing/recording. I am looking for pretty good, not perfect.

With that said, I'm currently using a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros (250 ohm). I know they are notorious for their screeching treble frequencies, and am looking to purchase a pair of headphones to replace them. I've narrowed it down to either the HIFIMAN Sundara or the Ananda Stealth. These will be running through a Topping DX1 ii.

I know the Sundaras have a good reputation based on their performance-to-price ratio. However, the Ananda Stealth are a lot cheaper than they were before. Sundaras retail for $269.99 (CAD) while the Ananda Stealth go for $379.99 (CAD).

If anyone is familiar with both of these, based on the pricing and performance of these headphones, which of the two would you recommend? Keeping in mind that I'm looking for an upgrade on the DT 990s purely for mixing/recording. I can get a fairly decent mix on the DT 990s, but would like to upgrade and see if I can get the mixes better with these.

Thanks very much for your time.

Long time air pods user. Like 12 years ago I bought some audio technicas that hurt my ears and kinda gave up. Will use in office and light workouts, as well as some gaming.

Needs:

1. Wireless (will need to connect to phone)

2. Comfortable for 2+ hours (I have a big head and wear glasses)

3. Closed back

4. Noise cancelling optional

Open to spending up to maybe 250, but some room if needed to go up. Live in a rural area so don't have like a best buy close by to test stuff, so need to buy online.

I'm looking to upgrade for my aging Sony XM4s. I realise now I don't really care about Bluetooth or ANC (I usually have it off) and I don't travel often at all, but anyways. I was looking at a pair of Sennheiser 560S's, as they seem like they'd fit what I'm after quite well, but I thought I'd check to see if there's a choice I overlooked. They'll just be for music, no gaming, and my tastes are:

• Classic rock (Pink Floyd, Eagles, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac)
• Classic metal/hard rock (AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica)
• Some alt-rock/alt-metal (Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead)
• A light smattering of Electronic stuff (Daft Punk, mostly)
• A lil' bit of 70s Disco occasionally.

I'm definitely not a bass-head, preferring texture over thump, but the last two are what make me wonder if there's something more suited to me. I hear the 6XX's could be better in that department, but they're very hard to find here in Australia. Ideally I'd go and try some out, but it seems impossible to find a place with any displays set up. Audio stores only have the 800's at the lowest end, and retailers mostly just have XM6's and such on display. I'm located in Canberra, Australia on the off chance anybody has some ideas on that front.

The plan is to have them be able to run off a little USB-C dongle (Like a Fiio KA11 - open to suggestions here because I don't know anything) because my phone is where I listen to most of my tunes, streaming from my Navidrome server. They're FLACs, but still not ideal I imagine. That's kind of what led me towards the 560S's, because it sounds like they'll run off one of those little dongle DACs just fine.

Budget all-in is around $350AUD($250USD). I'll probably be waiting for sales anyway, so that might open up my options a little bit.

If I'm barking up the wrong tree or if I've missed a good option do let me know. This is a whole new world for me, so I'm just going by what I've read so far.

I’ve landed on getting the asus rog kithara was wondering if anyone has a dac recommendation or if I even need one my motherboard is the asrock x470 taichi Budget is 150 US Will mostly be used in room

Anyone have these and can tell me how the bass and atmosphere actually sound. Looking for multiple opinions. I don’t care if the mk1 sound better or worse I wanna know comparisons to get an idea of what to expect from these and also can I use the meze boom mic on these. Kindly give me your observations and insights. I am looking for something that kind of will be jack of all trades I will only have one headphone. Already have topping d3 pro plus dac amp I know what the meze boom mic needs if it actually does work I just wanna know about this headphone more detail and if there any other recommendations or comparisons of this one for imaging, soundstage, treble sparkle, immersion, bass weight rumble and impact. Yes I am more of a fun energetic sound enjoyer I wanna feel like I’m in the game not observing it. :)

I want to start by saying I have a budget of around $500, I'm from the USA and plan to be shipping using Amazon.

I have three headphones in mind but am mainly considering comfort, neutral but detailed freq response (maybe a touch bright), and weight.

I'm using them for gaming, music listening, and pretty much just as a daily driver, driven thru an audio interface, NOT a dedicated amplifier.

My three main considerations have been:

-Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro x (a little scared of the clamp force, but I know I'd like the sound)

-Sennheiser HD 490 Pro (have heard before and was only a liiiittle disappointed by the bass)

- Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (Have not heard, i'd be buying preowned at $549 usd)

Let me know if you have any other recommendations that prioritize comfort and a clear, neutral to bright sound.

Hi everyone!

I'm currently searching for wireless noise-cancelling headphones, really only those where I can replace the cups/over ear parts/whatever if they start to flake or wear down in any other way.

I'm either eyeing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen.) or the Sony WH-1000XM6. Does anyone know if the ear cups can be replaced for either of these?

Additionally, if anyone has other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear about them! I'd probably be fine with paying up to 400€ even though less would be absolutely fine as well of course 😅

Hello, I'm looking to get some wired earbuds that are specifically not in the over-ear cord iem style (I have tiny ears, glasses, and a lot of hair; I've tried conventional iems before and the cords fell off when I moved my head or adjusted my hair, which happens a lot because I like to sing along to my music pretty energetically). My current earbuds are wired Skullcandy Jibs and they're fine but I'd like to get a pair that are a bit more solid, y'know? I'll be pleasantly surprised if these last me until the end of the year, and they don't sound show-stoppingly amazing or anything.

I'm in Canada, I don't want to spend much more than 150 CAD, I love me some tasty tasty bass, I need silicone tips and want a 3.5mm audio jack and a mic in the cord. In terms of what I listen to, it's mostly around the pop/alt/rock centre of gravity, with some musicals in there too. I've got an iPhone 17 that I mainly listen to music on at home and while I'm out walking (will be using a dongle) and I want to watch more movies on my 9 year old MacBook Air.

A few months ago I got the Tangzu Wan'er SG2 Red Lion and found them sorely lacking. The mids were muddy and male vocals (which make up a lot of my most loved music) sounded awful in comparison to my cheap Jib set. I haven't touched them since the week I bought them.

There don't seem to be many options for me to buy anything like this in person where I live so I'll probably have to order online. I've been looking at Amazon for things that meet my needs, but it's so hard to tell what's credible or not.

Thank you!

Edit: I'm looking at the Sennheiser CX 80S, would that be a good fit for what I've said above?

Hey so I'm planning on picking up a set of Sennheiser 660s2 soon and was doing some research here and there and read I need a amp to go with it. The ones I keep finding are round $350-$500 AUD I'll be honest I'm not looking to spend that much since the headfones are already expensive enough haha. Is there any recommendations someone can give that I can look at round the $150 - $250 AUD mark? If there is even cheaper that does the same thing with power that would be even better :P. Looking forward to your recommendations for a new comer.

Hi everyone,

I need to buy a new pair of IEMs and I've gotten to the point where if I watch one more youtube review I think my head will explode. Please help.

My budget is anywhere from $200-$700. And I could buy used if I found the right set that was out of my price range.

For the past 12 years I have used to the same pair of IEMs--the FLC8s, a discontinued model from a dead company that was well reviewed and moderately popular a long long time ago. If anyone reading this has any experience with them, I used them with the red, grey, gunmetal filter combo. I think I bought them for around $350 if memory serves. Drivers are one DD and two BAs.

I don't really want to try my hand at describing the sound of the FLCs for fear of using the wrong audiophile term and then being pointed in the wrong direction by a well-meaning commenter. However, over the years, I have tried quite a few different IEMs that I was hoping would replace my trusty FLCs. All of them felt like they fell short one way or another to the point that it didn't make sense to drop a few hundred dollars on them. However, now that my pair is literally falling apart, I need to get some new IEMs.

My priorities are something I can listen to for hours and hours (fits great, non fatiguing) and that works as an all-arounder for all sorts of music (hip-hop to films scores, experimental electronica to Enlgish folk, Japanese post rock to jazz to DC post hardcore). I don't want to start collecting IEMs. I want to buy another pair that I'll be happy to use daily for the next 5-10 years and not feel the need to watch a single video review of a new set during that time. I don't like things to be too v shaped. At the risk of being wrong about my own taste, I think I like rich mids. I really like tactile, impactful sound where you can feel the texture of kick drums, etc. I think when it comes to bass I would prefer quality over quantity. I think I probably need some sort of vent to help with pressure build up.

Here are some of the sets I've tried and what I remember about them, ranging from below to above my price range. Most of these have been ordered and then returned on Amazon. Maybe this can help someone help point me in the right direction.

Source-wise, I either use an iPhone dongle, an RU7 (which I'm not in love with...can't stand the way the playback cuts out when I adjust the volume) or an old Dragonfly Red (love this thing although a bit heavy). Open to dongle recs as well, but no where near as important as new IEMs.

AFUL Explorer: Listened briefly to a friend's set. Fit great. Liked the way they sounded. Clearly technology has advanced in the last 12ish years. The bass was nice. Felt like they were missing a bit of detail in the mids and treble compared to my set. Understandable as they're 100 bucks.

Sennheiser IE600: Didn't like these at all. Way too v shaped for me.

Moondrop S8: If I remember correctly, I liked the way these sounded, but the pressure build up from the non-vented all BA design was so bad I couldn't listen comfortably for more than 20 minutes.

Hype 4 mkI: Too V shaped

Tea Pro: Too V shaped

Softears Volume S: REALLY didn't like these. Everything sounded so muddy. Are they too warm for me? I don't know. Felt like the entire tonality of everything was way off. Reviewers love them. I did not.

AFUL Performer 8: These I liked. Felt most similar to what I was used to with the FLCs, just technically better and more modern. Comfortable. Tonally correct. Didn't make my library sound wrong. Some things in the treble stood out a bit too much, but it wasn't a huge problem. I almost kept them. But they just didn't seem SO great that I wanted to spend the money. I will probably give the 8S a try as they are on Amazon, but I think the shells look so ugly I can't imagine I'd keep them.

MEST MKI & MKII: Bought and then sold each of these circa 2021. Both sets absolutely wowed me. However, neither fit me well. Not only were they too uncomfortable to justify the price, they just made some of my music sound weird. Sometimes, male vocals felt way to far back in the mix. Certain things felt like they were muted or missing. The MKII was better for me than the MKI, both in terms of fit and sound. Sometimes it would get fatiguing though, and I'd still have that problem with feeling like the mids weren't there enough for me. Eventually sold. But wow...feeling the hammer strike a piano string was pretty cool.

U12T: Also bough and sold in 2021. One of my least favorite sets I've ever heard. Tonally, everything seemed wrong. Very dry sound. Nothing about these impressed me. Really disappointed.

I think that mostly covers my misadventures in IEM shopping. As you can tell, I have spent years trying and failing to find something that sounds right, feels good, and makes me feel something like what I felt the first time I used my beloved, aging set.

When I produce music I use the Audio Technica r70x. I like them for a neutral full sized set. even though I'm sure the signature is different between these my FLCs, my music sounds correct on both...it's not like with some IEMs I've tried where certain things just feel like they are drastically at the wrong volumes and the tonality is way off.

I have a limited window to shop around for a new pair...I live in Peru and will be going back home to the U.S. for about ten days. I will JUST miss CanJam SoCal, which is a serious bummer because I would love to try some IEMs in person. If anyone knows of anyway besides CanJam someone in SoCal can try some IEMs on and see what they think, please let me know.

Otherwise, I plan to just try more things they have on Amazon. That means I miss out on things like the Top Pro, Mega5EST, and other sets that seems like they might work for me but that I wouldn't be able to really audition.

Any help will be appreciate. Any collector who lives in the greater LA area and would let me listen to a few of their sets, I will buy you a beer and throw you some cash for your time.

Thank you all so much.