Headphones advice

[thebluebumblebee]

My son keeps wearing out headphones, or rather they keep breaking on him even though he's not rough on them. The set that he got for Christmas just broke. He likes over the ear with some noise cancellation (I'm not talking active) and a microphone is not desired. Gaming and Youtube, but not music.
Suggestions? Lets keep this under $100.

 

[Kursah]

Look up JVC HARX 700. Closed headphones that used to be had around the $30-40 mark. They sound pretty good too and are built very tough even being mostly all plastic. My first pair is going on 5 years pretty soon with nary an issue. Also a huge mod following out there if you google them. I'm sure there are newer and better out there now a days, but that's gotta be the toughest pair of headphones I've used yet. Also the Sony XB500's are pretty good too but a little chincier, though they have more bass and are lighter and more comfortable imho.

I have used both for music, movies, gaming galore through sound cards, headphone amps, etc all with great results.

That leads the next question...what are you driving the headphones with and what have you been using brand/model-wise? THe headphones I suggested will sound OK from a standard Motherboard or Laptop audio output I'm sure...but they will sound sooo much better with something that has a stronger drive...even an old Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio (old card, but a legend in my book...made me say WOW many times comparing the HARX 700 between onboard and that card..that was 2008 or 9 tho..).


You may want to look into a cheap set of Plantronics with the USB sound card or something that drives better than most onboard audio ports. I'm running a headphone amp, and I also have a dedicated sound card that has a smaller headphone amp on it as well. Audio can rack up prices fast. I do remember Plantronics being pretty good and very durable in my experience (took a 140lb malamute eating them on a few occasions to finally destroy them lol).

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Got them. He likes them. We'll see how long they last.

 

[Aithos]

I know you got some but I'll toss in my recommendation for future knowledge:

Look at Sennheiser headphones. They are quality-wise some of the best out there and they last a very long time. I have a set of PC350s (now you can also get the PC360s) and they are some of the nicest ones I've had. It does have a microphone, but if you're gaming it is better to have it and move it out of the way (vertical position) than to want one and have to use a desk or clip on mic.

They are over the ear and definitely noise cancel. They aren't completely sealed so you can still hear a little (enough to know if someone is trying to talk to you) but you definitely will not be bothered by conversations or some background noise, especially if you listen to music while playing games.

Some other tips:

1) Anything under 80 dollars is garbage, the build quality and sound quality go downhill really fast and you'll end up spending more in the long run replacing headphones than if you had bought a high end pair.

2) Anything marketed to "gamers" is garbage and marked up disproportionately to the quality. In this case even if it's 100 dollars you're paying twice what it would be if it wasn't marketed as a "gaming" headset. Logitech, Turtle Beach and Plantronics are all heavily guilty of this. The only headset of reasonable quality marketed to gamers is the Steelseries Siberia V2 and those still have a tendency to break with extended use.

3) Make sure you run a dedicated sound card if possible, don't rely on on-board sound or a USB board. The positional audio capabilites and power required to drive decent sound just isn't there without a dedicated sound card unless you run a headphone amplifier (more expensive than a soundcard). I like the Creative X-FI cards, but the Asus Xonar series are solid as well. They cost less than 100 dollars for the most part and you can use them in any computer you build for many years. I paid 150 for mine and I've been using it since like 2005ish.

Just to give you an idea, I've owned 3 Sennheiser headsets and all have been extremely durable. The first one I had lasted several years and only broke when my vicious vacuum cleaner grabbed its cord (which I foolishly left laying on the ground) and tore the little cable out of my headphones. The second I bought in 2005 and lasted until 2010 when years of the cord being rolled over finally took its toll and started shorting out the microphone on me. I've had my current one for over 3 years now and it's been a great headset. So far the average amount of time I've owned each headset has been at least 3-5 years per headset and in both previous cases it was my fault the headsets broke.

The cables are always a weak point of headsets, so you have to baby them a little regardless of the brand you buy. Sennheiser uses a type of cable that resists tangling better than most but I've gotten in the habit of putting my headset up on my desk when not in use so that it doesn't fall or get yanked. It works pretty well.

Side Note: If you end up buying a nice Sennheiser (the 360 is currently around 150) you can get the USB model and just not use the USB adapter. It is a separate piece and not required. Right now the PC350 (no usb driver) is actually more expensive since it is not currently in production (200-300) but it's the same headset as the 360.

Edit: To give you an idea, I've spent probably a grand total of 350 dollars on my 3 headsets which has lasted me since at least 2003 (I can't remember when I got my first one, it may have been closer to 2000). In the same span my brother has bought countless $40-60 headsets and has likely spent even more than I have. I'd say he averages a headset every 1.5 years or less, there have been years he bought more than one headset. He could have just spent a little more at the beginning, had better sound and not messed with it all those times.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Update!
Well, they died ceased being usable . First the plastic on the ear cushions started flaking off and then a plastic tab that allows for ear piece adjustments broke, which may have been caused by too many drops. Understand, he most likely averaged ~4 hours a day of usage on these.

 

[Kursah]

Update!
Well, they died ceased being usable . First the plastic on the ear cushions started flaking off and then a plastic tab that allows for ear piece adjustments broke, which may have been caused by too many drops. Understand, he most likely averaged ~4 hours a day of usage on these.

Ya my pair are still going. The wife uses them on and off. We ended up slapping on some Brainwavs ear pads like this on the 700's. It took some serious stretching, and patience but they fit well! Next time I'll be getting these, Brainwavs angled pads...because of the limited ear cup adjustment range...on some heads the new pads don't create a complete seal...and you lose a lotta sound and lower end. My big ol' dome is fine, but we had to increase the clamping force to seal on her head.

I do gotta give the old JVC's credit, mine have been through A LOT as well, and they're still holding up admirably.

Sorry to hear yours have finally bit the dust but it sounds like they have had plenty of usage over the last several years to get their money's worth!

 

[Frederik S]

Maybe: Koss Porta Pro, Takstar HD5500 (or maybe the Pro80).

JVCs are good but not the most durable. Audio-technicas are usually pretty durable if you get the ones with the dull design, but those are over the budget I think.

 

[Yukikaze]

I have the Skullcandy SLYR (I have the white one that costs the same as when I got mine about 9 months ago) which I am very happy with for the price. This is actually my second pair as I am quite happy with them. Both pairs are still alive despite being dropped pretty often (the second one is handled by the elderly and young kids, so it sees some mishandling). I am not sure how they are going to take more serious abuse, but people seem to be happy with them in reviews.

They don't have the annoying plastic cover on the cushions that tends to strip away and are very comfortable (at least to my head). The one con they have is that since they are supposed to be used for both a PC (via USB) and with consoles (via a bunch of annoying cables) they tend to have a lot of cabling that needs to hide away. Not a problem for me (I tucked them away in the cable netting under my desk), but can be a problem for others. The sound quality is definitely beyond what you'd expect from the 50-60$ price range, and the microphone is great.

 

[NinkobEi]

auzentech m40x for ~$77 seem to fit the bill but you would need to add a boom-mic to it.

 

[Dethroy]

I know you said that he likes over the ear headphones. But since he always seems to break his phones no matter what, you may consider looking for some in-ears. I'm personally not a fan of in-ears, but I've read quite often on audiophile forums that pretty good ones can be had for well under 100$ and it'll probably be way harder to break them.

 

[Kursah]

auzentech m40x for ~$77 seem to fit the bill but you would need to add a boom-mic to it.

I think you mean Audio Technica? That's who makes the M40x's you speak of at least.

Auzentech is a defunct company last I had checked...though I do still have my Auzentech X-Fi Forte PCI-e card. Was amazing back in the day, bought it brand new in 2009. I retired it when I went with my Aune T1 DAC/AMP. But I keep it just in case I end up needing to slap an audio card back into one of my systems.

I know there's a lot of JVC products that aren't built like tanks, but for all the plastic the RX-700's have they are very tank-like indeed... mine have taken falls, hits, been stepped on, crushed in boxes being moved, thrown...you name it. Still holding strong...but sounds like the OP's kid gave them very well-used faithful service.

Might be time to step up to something a little more resilient...but frankly for a budget headphone, if you can still find them for around $35, I can't recommend another pair that would be better all-around. There's plenty of other options though if you do decide to re-enable the 2013 budget of $100. I'd be crazy to not recommend my current and now long-running favorites from Massdrop. The AKG K553 Pro's, which can be had for as little as $125 shipped. They're worth MSRP though. No active drop currently, but there was at least 10 drops last year and over 300 requests now so I'd expect they'll try to make another drop happen.

The AKG's sound better, are smaller, lighter, fit better and are far more comfy than the RX700's. They're also made out of metal, so hopefully will hold up pretty damn well...though like anything, abuse is abuse. Everything breaks after so much of it. They also have excellent passive isolation for inbound and outbound sound. I'm super impressed every time I throw these on. I may miss the speed of my HE-400 ortho's, but I don't miss the rest of their qualities or sacrifices when I have the 553's on my dome.

Edit: Seems Amazon has them for just under $140. I realize that's over the original budget set years ago...but they're worth it. Maybe not for a kid, but maybe. Depends on their needs. My teenager uses mine from time-to-time because he wears glasses and is particularly sensitive to pressures and discomfort.

 

[Easy Rhino]

My old Astro a40s from 6 years ago are in rough shape. The mic no longer has a good connection (the wire must be cracked inside) and part of the plastic on the right side broke so the headphone is a bit lose (not to mention ugly looking). They still sound amazing though paired with the Astro mixamp. If I can't repair the broken mic then I am probably going to get the Sennys Game Zero headset. I have heard great things about them.

 

[erocker]

I use the Sennheiser Game Zero's and they're great!

Massdrop is having a really good deal on some Sennheiser gaming headsets right now if you subscribe to them. They seem to be game zero's without the red in them.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Edit: Seems Amazon has them for just under $140.

How can "Lo'Oo Prize Centralz" sell these for $60 less than everyone else? Fakes?

Oops, got ahead of myself.

 

[Kursah]

How can "Lo'Oo Prize Centralz" sell these for $60 less than everyone else? Fakes?

Nah. With as many sales as these cans have been on, folks don't wanna pay $200 (or $300 some were asking at one point!)...so I imagine that they are just the lowest bidder. Really they're fulfilled by Amazon so even if they were fakes you'd be taken care of.

Plus a 98% rating out of over 3,000 reviews in 12 months and 9000+ all-time is pretty decent IMHO.

 

[Aquinus]

My Sennheiser 280 Pros lasted me 5 years, I upgraded to the 380s and the old 280s still work (although, less padding and more painful on the ears as a result.) Sennheiser in my experience has been excellent.

 

[Kursah]

My Sennheiser 280 Pros lasted me 5 years, I upgraded to the 380s and the old 280s still work (although, less padding and more painful on the ears as a result.) Sennheiser in my experience has been excellent.

If you don't need isolation, keep an eye out for the next (hopeful) Massdrop for the HD6XX, which is the Massdrop HD650 and I guess it runs for $200. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

I had a friend that rocked 280 Pros for years and years...he swore by em. People swear by Senn's brand, quality and sound...I for some reason haven't given them a fair run. Maybe I should change that someday.

 

[Dethroy]

If you don't need isolation, keep an eye out for the next (hopeful) Massdrop for the HD6XX, which is the Massdrop HD650 and I guess it runs for $200. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

I had a friend that rocked 280 Pros for years and years...he swore by em. People swear by Senn's brand, quality and sound...I for some reason haven't given them a fair run. Maybe I should change that someday.

Both the HD 650 and HD 600 are "living" legacies. Sennheiser makes very good headphones indeed. But they are not for everyone. Lots of people dig bass, and while most Sennheisers have very detailed and punchy bass, they are definitely not made for bass heads. Sennheisers are very neutral - but if that's your thing, you will most certainly appreciate what Sennheiser does.

 

[erixx]

I would also look for durable textile rather then oh-so-frequent-false leather for the earcups.
And detachable cables are nice so you can replace them and adapt to your own tastes! u

 

[Capitan Harlock]

I use the Superlux hd668b but if you go this way i suggest to change the normal earpad with something else because are very hard.
On my pair i break it with the continue use so are "soft" but is a suggestion.
I know are good the Sennheiser hd 518 and they don't cost so much as the other models but no mic as the Superlux that i own.

I also own a pair of Corsair Vengeance 1500v2 and are good for what they should do but the sound quality is not even near the Superlux.