
Ask HN: Which headphones are you using? - martin_a
I&#x27;m looking to get some high(er) quality headphones for everyday use.<p>Either for commuting or traveling, but also for sitting at my desk and trying to deeply focus on something or casual music listening outside in the nature.<p>A friend told me to look for noise cancelling headphones as they are great for traveling and besides that to buy something from &quot;the big brands&quot; like Sony or Bose.<p>Not sure if that really helps in case something is broken, but I think they still have a name to lose and are eager to produce good quality.<p>I had a look at the &quot;Bose QuietComfort 35&quot; and they look good to me, on the other hand Sony has some for around 100 Euro (&quot;Sony WH-CH700N&quot;) with noise cancellation, too. Not sure if double or triple the price for the Bose gets me a long way or if I should just buy new ones in a few years when the ones from Sony are broken down.<p>So: Which headphones does HN recommend for everyday use?
======
prewett
I have a Sennheiser HD 280 Pro which I love. I think they are supposed to be
studio phones, so they have a fairly flat frequency response (which is what I
want). They are also really comfortable--even with glasses; I've worn them all
day for years. They only have 10 dB of isolation, so while they reduce office
noise, they don't eliminate it. But the 10 dB plus some quiet music is pretty
effective. And you can still hear when someone asks you a question (or pretend
not to).

I think the "big brands" in headphones are Sennheiser and Audio-Technica,
though, with Sony as a lesser brand, and Bose down there with Beats. But I'd
recommend going down to your local music store with your laptop / music player
and trying on a bunch of headphones and seeing what you like. I got the
Sennheisers after a friend at work loaned his to me for an afternoon.

(On the topic of audio, I bought a MacBook Pro recently and I'm really
impressed with the speakers. They are about 90% of the Sennheisers, the only
weakness is that they are a touch weak on the bass [no surprise, the surprise
is that it's only a touch weak].)

~~~
SOLAR_FIELDS
I also keep the HD280 on my office desk. I love them. They do a pretty great
job at attenuating noise. I have taken them on planes and it’s enough to put
them on without music if I want to sleep. They are in fact really comfortable,
but I do prefer them without glasses. My head starts to hurt after about an
hour or so with my glasses on, especially if I’m wearing larger rims. But I
think that any decent closed back set of cans is going to have that problem as
they need to grip your head to make the seal.

It appears to be a pretty common consensus in headphone circles (read:head-fi)
that Beats/Bose are decent quality but terrible value for $$$ (for instance,
you’ll get better frequency roll off on the HD280’s we are discussing vs a set
of Beats that often retail for 2.5x the price). Occasionally you’ll read
someone on the internet saying Bose or Beats are crap; they really aren’t
unless you’re speaking purely in terms of what you get for how much you spend.

------
Thaxll
The best thing I ever bought in an office were the Bose QC25, I just can't see
myself not using them. Anyone enjoying music and working in an office should
really try a noise cancelling headphone it's a life changing device. The NC
feature is even more impressive in a plane.

------
_bxg1
I've been a happy user of these for a decade now:
[https://www.koss.com/headphones/on-ear-headphones/porta-
pro](https://www.koss.com/headphones/on-ear-headphones/porta-pro)

They sound amazing for a very reasonable price. Not noise-cancelling though,
unfortunately.

~~~
stcredzero
I'll corroborate. I've owned $300 headphones, including some Sennheisers and
Beyerdynamics. My $40 Porta Pros are my most used headphones when I'm not at
work.

------
roymurdock
Check out this website:
[https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/best](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/best)

I recently went with the new Sony's after trying on a bunch of high end noise
cancelling speakers in store. very happy with them so far:
[https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm3-wi...](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm3-wireless)

------
timothyduong
Commuting/Daily: Apple AirPod Gen 1 (~220AUD at the time) Office / Airflights:
Sony WH-1000XM3 ($350AUD) Others: MH40 for home listening / PC, Grado SR215E
for Open back listening at home with Jazz etc.

AirPods for general day to day travelling when I'm not using a backpack. The
Sony 'cans' for noise cancelling and concentrating and added Bass.

Previous Earphones/Headphones: In the last 5 years * Bose QC35 - Rubbish sound
quality for a pair of 300+ headphones. Active Noise cancelling is very
pressured, hurts my ears. Microphone picks up EVERYTHING! Do not recommend *
Shure SE215 - Great sub $200 in ear canals with great sound quality. I broke
mine cause I stepped on them, decided to go wireless. * RHA T20i - Great sound
quality but the rubber on the earlets broke. I replaced them twice, was to
expensive to send to London each 12 months so I gave up on them. Too expensive
for this design flaw. * Master and Dynamic MH40 - Look cool but heavy and
expensive. Sound quality doesn't justify the price

Recommendation: The Sony WH-1000XM3 is the bee knees!

------
dilippkumar
+1 to the Koss Porta Pros, and their cheaper sibling - the Sporta pro. They
both sound fantastic, and are cheap. They do leak sound quite a bit - people
standing in a bus next to you will know what you are listening to.

I've also loved the Sennheiser Momentum II wireless over-the-ear head phones.
They sound fantastic, but are expensive. Their noise cancellation works well
enough. They look great, feel great and sound great.

I am now going through a set of wireless Bose QC35 (series II). They are
decent. They sound like a generic set of headphones, nothing to complain
about, but not really good enough to get excited over. The active noise
cancellation is buggy - severely distorts my audiobooks at times and I have to
turn the noise cancellation off and on again to make it go away.

I also always carry my airpods - they sound ok, but feel very liberating. I'm
strongly considering upgrading to airpods v2, but I've spent a bunch on
headphones already :-) Not looking to spend any more money on headphones.

------
Zack-sgu
Sony WH1000XM3 for great ~$400 noise cancelling cans. I feel like I'm in a
different universe with them on.

Only problem is that it's a little clunky switching connections between my
phone and laptop. I also tried B&W PXs before that handled that a little
better, but overall preferred the Sonys for the NC and comfort.

~~~
tuzakey
I bought a pair of the Sony wh1000mx3 and let my coworkers try them out, as we
have a noisy open floor plan. Everyone who tried them bought a set in spite of
the price tag.

My only complaint is that they don't support multiple device connections. I
can wear these cans all day without discomfort too.

------
kahlonel
Sony WH-1000XM3: I've used several ANC headphones before. None of those come
close to this. Sound quality is extremely good too. Good battery life. A 15
minutes charge gives me 5 hours of playback.

On the negatives: A bit heavier than Bose headphones but not by much. The
"touch control" is sometimes annoying to use.

------
floatingatoll
Beats Studio Pro. I can’t use modern Bose because they noise-cancel so
strongly that I get severe nausea. They fold nicely (but only for height-
width, thickness - earcup diameter - remains unchanged). Noise cancelling is
effective enough to forget to turn off a faucet, double-tap power to
disable/enable canceling without interrupting sound. Probably work fine enough
for calls but I don’t do that with them even though they support it. I often
forget I have them on without any music playing, as they’re comfortable and
the noise canceling isn’t intrusive.

~~~
ebg13
> _I can’t use modern Bose because they noise-cancel so strongly that I get
> severe nausea._

Even on the "low" canceling mode?

~~~
floatingatoll
Unsure, sorry. I think they now have 11 degrees of canceling of which I’m sure
only a fraction make me puke, but the Beats just have the one level and it’s
safe, so I haven’t made any effort to test Bose further given the risk.

~~~
ebg13
> _I think they now have 11 degrees of canceling_

The QC 35 has 3 canceling modes: "High", "Low", and "Off"

~~~
floatingatoll
I encourage you to write a review for OP if you haven’t already, but it’s been
some time since I tested them and I won’t be able to clarify further.

~~~
p1esk
Actually the latest Bose model does have 11 levels of NC.

------
fetus8
For everday use at my desk while working, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x have been my
go to for the last couple years. They don't have noise cancelling, which I
prefer for when I'm at work so I don't end up ignoring people when they come
to my desk. The sound quality is really good, no complaints.

I do use Bose QC35s when travelling though. The noise cancelling makes
airports and flying a much much better and less obnoxious experience. I high
recommend them, but don't like them when I'm working.

------
jamesakirk
Sennheiser HD25: fantastic sound quality, bulletproof construction, easy to
drive, and replacement parts (earcups, pads, cables) are readily available and
easy to install. I've used them daily for a decade and have no regrets. No
noise cancelation, but they block out ambient sounds well. One caveat: they
are "on the ear" earcups... if you plan to use them for more than 2-3 hours at
a time, then "over the ear" models may work better for you.

------
nilram
I really prefer an over-the-ear headphone for an office environment because
they keep out external noise and, I presume, leak less sound to my co-workers.
After years of habituation, my brain focuses more when I wear them. I really
liked a noise-cancelling headphone for airplane travel (when I was traveling a
lot), but the one I had didn't have good enough sound quality for me for
regular use. Although I like the sound quality of Apple EarPods, they don't
fit me well and my eardrums feel assaulted after using them.

My two over-the-ear picks:

Sony MDR-V6: basically flat response, great price point (~100 USD). I can't
compare them to higher priced cans, but I have enjoyed them for 30+ years. One
difficulty, though, is that the ear pads can pop off (especially after they've
been replaced once) so they require a little extra care when traveling.

Audio-Technicia ATH-M40+. I loaned out my MDR-V6 (long story) and I thought
I'd try something different. ATH-M40 is also over-the-ear, basically flat
response, similar price. I don't feel I get as much detail in the sound,
though it's not dissatisfying enough for me to look further. They are much
easier to travel with because they fold flat and the cord tangles less than
the MDR-V6.

------
omni
A friend got me a pair of Nuraphones for my birthday and they've been great:
[https://www.nuraphone.com/products/nuraphone](https://www.nuraphone.com/products/nuraphone)

Noise canceling, Bluetooth and analog, good battery life, awesome sound
quality. They're a little weird as they use both cans and earbuds. It took me
about a week to adjust to the feel but now I can wear them for long times no
proble.

~~~
DaTwant
Ditto. Just put in an order for the NuraLoops
[https://www.nuraphone.com/products/nuraloop](https://www.nuraphone.com/products/nuraloop)

Best thing about these (and original Nuraphones) is being able to still
connect an AUX cable to them (think flying).

------
Matthias247
I have the WH-CH700N you mentioned. It was more of an impulse buy at Amazon,
but they are fine headphones. I compared them in the meantime to other NC
headphones in the low to medium price category and I think they compare
favorable there. I found them more comfortable to wear than others (e.g. the
Sennheisers), the physical control buttons are nice, Bluetooth works
flawlessly, battery life is good, and sound is also decent.

The downsides are that one can only pair them with a single device at a time
(all Sony headphones do that), whereas others can do two devices, and that the
noise cancellation is a lot weaker than on the class leaders (Sony 1000XM3 and
Bose QC35). Sound quality might be bit weaker too, but I doubt most people
would notice. I might want to upgrade to one of those at some point of time.

If you have the money, use the headphones more often in noisy environments or
just wear them often enough that the pricy doesn't matter too much investing
in the class leaders certainly won't be a regrettable decision.

I wouldn't go for a non noise cancelling option now anymore. Even in my
apartment the sound is better when I can block out the outside street noise.

------
piinbinary
Some people (myself included) have trouble wearing noise-cancelling headphones
for a long period of time. Something about the active cancellation is
uncomfortable.

I have used a Sennheiser HD 380 for several years now and love it. It has
better audio quality than my Bose QC25 (though not as good as something like
an HD 650). It doesn't have active cancellation, but it is still pretty good
about passively blocking noise.

------
lvturner
Over-ear headphones for me get too uncomfortable during the day, either too
hot or they press down too hard on the sides of my glasses.

Currently using the Shure 535 in ear monitors - only real complaint with them
is that the bluetooth adapter it shipped with was not hi-def so I ended up
shelling out extra for one that is (was worth it though)

~~~
timothyduong
What adapter is that?

Does it use aptx?

~~~
lvturner
[https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/rmce-
bt2](https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/rmce-bt2)

"Support for multiple codecs. Qualcomm® aptX™ audio, aptX™ HD, aptX™ Low
Latency, AAC, and SBC enable superior digital audio"

Not cheap for something that I feel should have been included with the
headphones in the first place (seriously, the BT1 it came with was garbage),
but it has made the world of difference to me.

------
tucaz
I’m using a cheap 40 USD noise canceling headphone from Amazon for the past
two years and I have nothing to complain about it.

[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E3R87DW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Kv...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E3R87DW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KvafDbGT24FVG)

------
stordoff
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x with a set of memory foam ear pads (the stock ones are
uncomfortable). Great sound quality (bass is _slightly_ exaggerated, but it
works for the music I listen to), extremely comfortable (I can wear them 12
hours plus most days and barely notice I have them on), and reasonable noise
attenuation. Not noise cancelling, but with them on and any sort of music I
rarely notice anything except loud background noise.

Only issue I've had is that a tab that holds the headphone in place has broken
twice, though Amazon replaced it both times under warranty and I haven't heard
of this being a widespread issue, so YMMV (this is over about 5 years of heavy
usage, and one pair was an Amazon Warehouse pair to begin with - current pair
is about a year old and showing no signs of the issue).

------
throwaway8879
Anything from these brands will be decent - Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic,
Audiotechnica, Shure. If you're not actually producing music and just looking
for casual music listening, anything within the lower price range($100-$300)
should be alright.

Avoid Sony, Bose etc. Especially avoid Beats, they're a total scam.

------
ddebernardy
I use bluetooth Bose headphones day in day out day out, but in all honesty my
next bluetooth headphones will be in-ear and non noise cancelling - e.g.
AirPods.

In-ear headphones are orders of magnitude lighter than on-ear or over-ear
ones. They're much more comfortable when you wear them for more than a few
hours. And seeing how my on-ear headphone's ear cups look like a dog's chew
toy after a year, I'd add that they're more durable to boot.

Perhaps most importantly IMO is that they _don 't_ have noise cancellation.
There's plenty of situations where you most definitely do _not_ want noise
cancellation, including but not limited to when walking outdoors or riding a
bike to notice approaching dangerous situations earlier, and when someone you
care about is trying to talk to you.

------
nataz
Use cases, 200k miles of international flights/year, light gaming, listening
to music/podcasts around the house.

For long haul air travel; Bose qc, no contest. You get on a plane, and all the
serious business travelers are using the same headphones for a reason. They
aren't the best (but are good enough) at weight, sound quality, comfort, but
they are the best at drowning out engine noise. On a 7-12 hour flight that's
pretty much the only thing that matters. I prefer the version with a AAA
battery and a cord for the instant battery swap recharge vs the version that's
wireless Bluetooth but has an internal rechargable battery.

 _Edit

Important note about the QC and other noise canceling headphones -some people
feel a weird "pressure" or stuffy feeling from what I assume is all the work
the active noise canceling mics/speakers are doing. It can be uncomfortable. I
feel it a little when im using them, but for me it's a non issue if im playing
music or sound through them. I do avoid using them without an audio input.
Even when I sleep on the plane with them I play soft music.

If you read the comments below, it sounds like some people experience it worse
than others. I strongly suggest trying before you buy at a local Bose store.

_ End Edit

For everything else, jawbra elite 65t. Decent sound quality, I can choose to
only wear the right ear if I want better awareness of my surroundings(say
walking the dog), good noise reduction b/c of the in ear seal and noise
canceling (keeps the music volume low and protects your hearing), and
Bluetooth means small and no wires. Battery lasts 4-5+ hours on a charge for
me after 6 months of heavy use, wireless is nice, and the form factor is small
and discreet (unlike air pods which scream im not paying attention to my
surroundings). You can also turn off the NC.

In hindsight I wish I would have bought the active version with better water
resistance for a few dollars more, but so far so good -they even lived through
a trip in the washer machine.

------
bra-ket
Sony WH1000XM3, bloody amazing noise cancelling [https://www.amazon.com/Sony-
Noise-Cancelling-Headphones-WH10...](https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Noise-
Cancelling-Headphones-WH1000XM3/dp/B07G4MNFS1/)

------
karmakaze
Sony MDR 7506. I got my first pair for monitoring to use with a Panasonic
DVX-1000 video cam. I was so impressed I got a pair for my desk and have
replaced them a few times over. I've tried may others' headphones but nothing
beats it for midrange clarity and neutrality.

For my commute I'm using JVC HA-FXD80 in-earphones that I imported from Japan.
Great isolation and sound. Again very neutral with clear midrange and no
exaggeration of bass or treble. Surprisingly the wires are still fully
attached despite being ripped out of my ears and catching on bags etc
repeatedly.

Edit: I also keep a pair of Bose QuietComfort somethings around with no signal
just NC and wear my in-earphones underneath them. Great combo on flights.

------
askafriend
AirPods + Sony WH1000XM series.

I use the latter for at-desk use (at home and work) and on airplanes. I use
AirPods for everything else. Sometimes I even use AirPods at my desk when I
don't feel like having something heavy on my head.

One thing's for sure - I'm done with wires.

------
aviditas
I have used and will continue to use Status Audio for my everyday headphones.
[https://www.status.co/](https://www.status.co/) I'm really rough on
headphones and cables so being able to replace the cables is really important.
The overall design looks great and holds up to my abuse. If I do end up
breaking the band, replacement cost is not going to break the bank. In fact,
they've offered discounts to me for replacements even though it was 100% my
fault.

Plus the sound quality is amazing and holds up to all but the absolute top end
expensive brands.

I currently use the BT One for work and out & about use, and the CB-1 for home
cabled listening.

------
phonon
Bose is coming out with their next gen NR headphones next week. Might want to
wait and see the full reviews. Its headline feature is reducing ambient noise
from leaking into calls you make (like if you're making a call from a coffee
shop). That may not be relevant to you at all, but it should also have
slightly better NR and sound quality. You can also occasionally get deals on
the Bose QuietComfort 25 model (under $150) which is the same as the QC35
except wired.

[https://www.tomsguide.com/us/bose-700-noise-cancelling-
headp...](https://www.tomsguide.com/us/bose-700-noise-cancelling-
headphones,review-6552.html)

~~~
mattmanser
I have the QC25s, they're great. Sound reduction is great when you need it,
not too hot, good weight, great sound quality, decent when used as a mike.
Plus fold up a bit so you can fit them in laptop bags in a pinch. If you want
the noise reduction on all the time though, you'll be switching batteries
every few days (easy to do). Wonderful on plane journeys.

Well worth the money.

Wired is slightly annoying, but my previous Corsair wireless headphones were
too heavy and always seemed to need plugging in at the most inopportune
moments.

------
unstatusthequo
[https://aiaiai.dk/](https://aiaiai.dk/)

Great and modular. Build them the way you want. If you’re a member of
FoundersCard, a nice discount too!

------
PebblesHD
I’ve been using the same pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones for the last
6-7 years and aside from needing to replace the ear cups they’ve been
excellent. Sound is fantastic and the noise cancellation is genuinely the best
I’ve heard. Replacing parts is quite easy and at least in Sydney the people in
the Bose outlet are very helpful and friendly. If I was buying again today
though I’d quite like something with bluetooth because the wires do get in the
way a bit...

------
diweirich
You have to be careful with some of these big brand names. They tend to make a
mix of good product and stuff that is sold at a higher price point with sexy
marketing, but you're just paying 4x as much for the same audio quality as a
$50 pair.

I've been tempted by wireless headphones, but I would personally stick with
wired. Not a fan of noise cancelling. Depending on your budget, my brand
choice from low to high would be Sennheiser > Grado > ZMF.

------
PascLeRasc
I love my Beyerdynamic DT 990s. So much better than Sennheiser 598s or M50s in
my opinion, but M50s are probably the best folding/portable headphones.

~~~
SOLAR_FIELDS
990’s and 598’s are both open back so they are not really comparable to M50’s.
M50’s are great though, a lot of people in my office use them. Though you did
pique my interest with the 990’s since I have a pair of 598’s I use at home
and I love them, so would be interested to check the 990’s out.

------
stevewillows
My favorite 'around town' headphones are Sennheiser Momentums. Really light,
comfortable headphones that sound great.

Along with these, @brundolf's suggestion of the Koss PortaPros is excellent.
Cheap headphones that fold up small, but still give excellent output.

Personally, I would avoid NR headphones for a commute if you're walking at all
-- especially in a city.

------
emit_time
Sony WH-1000XM3

I wear them everyday at work. Better than the BOSE QC35, and better than the
new Bose 700's I had the opportunity to try.

~~~
p1esk
How are they better?

------
StefanoC
I've had Audio-Technica ATH-M50X at work for around 5 years and despite having
used them most working days they still look mostly new, and are quite
comfortable for my (large) head.

Never had a set with NC, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing. However I
can't hear much else at all when I'm listening to music.

------
aosaigh
Bose QC35ii. They're probably my most used electronic device after my phone. I
love them.

------
terrycody
I bought this one:

[https://amzn.to/2RDBR2U](https://amzn.to/2RDBR2U)

This one is pretty solid, very quiet and comfortable, I never experienced bad
as few said, though u may check the reviews.

------
ronaldvalente
Audeze makes great cans. I am not a fan of active noise cancelling headphones.

------
cellis
Bose QC35

------
size110
V-moda Crossfade. I have a pair at home and one at work.

