Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
I've been doing a few long (11 hr) flights recently, and found my in-ear buds have been painful with such extended use.
I've been using some excellent Shure buds with really good sound and great isolation properties, but I can't get past the discomfort from extended use.
So I figured I'd go back and look at over-ear cans and see what was what.
I have an original pair of Bose noise canceling cans, which are ok, but the sound is fairly naff, so I figured I'd do some proper reasearch and see what was hot and what was not.
Not included anything by Beats - basically marketing and hype over quality - pile of poo IMHO
Hot was the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - which is a 'pro' studio set of cans, available with either straight or coiled cable - and which all the reviews seemed to think agree was a dogs do-dabs sound.
$159 from a local pro studio shop - which is a bit of a bargain I'd say.
Fit and finish are excellent - lovely quality and weight - cable is thick and will last a long time - strain relief spring on teh plug and an adapter that takes it from 3.5mm to 1/4 inch jack.
Padded nicely - doesn't seem to drag on the head or grip too tightly.
Sound quality - bloody excellent!
Very neutral to my ears, no odd frequency boosting. Clean highs and a lovely deep bass.
I listen to a lot of electronic music and the amount of base just blew me away, without sounding muddy or over done.
Very easy to listen to for long periods - plenty of welly even without any additional amplification. They drive very easily from the iPhone for example, and with good isolation, were able to compete with the lawnmower during a grass-cutting test! :lol:
Possibly the best cans I've ever heard - and I've owned studio cans costing way more.
I can also hang with the kids on the streets now, with my kool folding cans around my neck - apparently over-ears headphones are 'back in' according to the girl at the store - who knew!
Highly recommended - in fact, I'd say essential listening for anyone using headphones
I've been using some excellent Shure buds with really good sound and great isolation properties, but I can't get past the discomfort from extended use.
So I figured I'd go back and look at over-ear cans and see what was what.
I have an original pair of Bose noise canceling cans, which are ok, but the sound is fairly naff, so I figured I'd do some proper reasearch and see what was hot and what was not.
Not included anything by Beats - basically marketing and hype over quality - pile of poo IMHO
Hot was the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - which is a 'pro' studio set of cans, available with either straight or coiled cable - and which all the reviews seemed to think agree was a dogs do-dabs sound.
$159 from a local pro studio shop - which is a bit of a bargain I'd say.
Fit and finish are excellent - lovely quality and weight - cable is thick and will last a long time - strain relief spring on teh plug and an adapter that takes it from 3.5mm to 1/4 inch jack.
Padded nicely - doesn't seem to drag on the head or grip too tightly.
Sound quality - bloody excellent!
Very neutral to my ears, no odd frequency boosting. Clean highs and a lovely deep bass.
I listen to a lot of electronic music and the amount of base just blew me away, without sounding muddy or over done.
Very easy to listen to for long periods - plenty of welly even without any additional amplification. They drive very easily from the iPhone for example, and with good isolation, were able to compete with the lawnmower during a grass-cutting test! :lol:
Possibly the best cans I've ever heard - and I've owned studio cans costing way more.
I can also hang with the kids on the streets now, with my kool folding cans around my neck - apparently over-ears headphones are 'back in' according to the girl at the store - who knew!
Highly recommended - in fact, I'd say essential listening for anyone using headphones
