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Headphone recommendations 
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I have been offered a new pair of headphones for Christmas to replace my dead Sennheiser PX-200 ones. Those are the benchmark - I’ve been happy with them, but replacing the plug with a new one has been problematic due to the odd cable innards.

So I’ll be scouting down a new pair. What I’d like are some recommendations of ones which are worth considering in the sub-£100 pound bracket. I don’t want in-ear or ear canal phones, and sound cancelling isn’t really necessary either. Lightweight phones are preferable. I would be interested in a pair which had an easily replaceable jack as that is clearly the weak spot, but what is of prime importanmce is audio reproduction over a variety of music and spoken word recordings.

Suggestions?

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Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:45 pm
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My standard recommendation is for the Sennheiser HD555s. Had them for a number of years and they've withstood a vast range of abuse without issue.

I would also suggest looking at companies like Beyerdynamic, AKG and Grado in that price bracket.

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Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:56 pm
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jonlumb wrote:
My standard recommendation is for the Sennheiser HD555s. Had them for a number of years and they've withstood a vast range of abuse without issue.

I would also suggest looking at companies like Beyerdynamic, AKG and Grado in that price bracket.

I have the 515's

Not very bassy (and open ear) but sound very good and comfortable to wear

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Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:46 pm
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Grado's would be my choice.
SR60's for easy plug replacement (SR80's if you can find them at a good price, as the cable is better).
igrado's are great for the price but the cable may be a little thin for you (although mine have survived over a year of abuse with no sign of failure)

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Mon Dec 06, 2010 3:21 pm
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I wouldn't buy any headphones on based on someone else's recommendation or a magazine review. They're useful starting points, but to find the right ones you need to listen to them yourself - what you like and what other people like can be like chalk and cheese.

Case in point - Sennheiser CS300 II: all the reviews rate these very highly, so I bought some. Big mistake - the sound was so bass-orientated is was difficult to believe these were the same headphones people were raving about, and I'm not alone. A friend at work was selling for exactly the same reason.

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Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:17 pm
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Is there anywhere that you can get to that has headphones on display? Take an ipod and try them out in-store. A lot of the time comfort is highly subjective and you really need to try them on. Maybe Hifi shop.

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Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:23 am
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Well, after Christmas (we decided to do our presents to each other in the sales this year), I ended up with some Sennheiser HD 238s. Normal price is around £80, but other half found them for £40 on Amazon. Sennheiser are doing well - they have some very good POS units in some stores which have their headphones and a decent selection of music to listen to, which helped. No iPod plug for my own music, though, which is a shame.

The 238s are very good - more comfortable than the previous set, and the sound is much improved too. In all, I’m very happy with them.

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Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:33 pm
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I've got CX300 IIs but can't seem to get them to stay in my ears, irrespective of which size buds I use. Anyone else have this problem?

Any ideas of comparably priced headphones that will stay put for when I leave the country? I listen to all sorts, but clarity and some warmth are probably slightly preferable to outright accuracy.


Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:45 am
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finlay666 wrote:
jonlumb wrote:
My standard recommendation is for the Sennheiser HD555s. Had them for a number of years and they've withstood a vast range of abuse without issue.

I would also suggest looking at companies like Beyerdynamic, AKG and Grado in that price bracket.

I have the 515's

Not very bassy (and open ear) but sound very good and comfortable to wear


I've got the HD205's and the sound quality is nice. I think they cost about £40, (but it was a while ago)...

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