So almost 2 years ago I asked about upgrading my plantronics backbeat pro 2’s and people suggested I hold them until the wheels fall off
https://lemmy.world/post/23922174
Well, now the wheels are falling off. Headband is coming apart.
What would be a modern day upgrade you’d recommend?
Based on what I’ve seen… It would seem the momentum 4 (I’ve seen them regularly under 200 usd new on reseller sites) or momentum 5 from sennheiser would be a good choice but curious to know if this community has a different or better recommendation.
Do not buy Jabra products. I use them for work (work pays for them) and have had multiple models. They have all failed for various reasons. They do replace under RMA but it’s annoying as they should not break someasily, especially the upper premium models. I wouldn’t touch a pair of I was personally paying for them.
Anything on this list, its a list of high quality eq curves for tons of different headphones ranging from very cheap to very expensive, its also available on github and available to be accessed by a lot of different software.
https://www.technics.com/ca/products/headphones/eah-a800.html
I don’t know exactly where they stack up, but when using a headphone jack the audio quality and volume are much better than just bluetooth. I’ve been very happy with them, also have a set of earbuds from them I use everyday and they’ve been around for about 3 years and are holding up very well compared to Sennheiser earbuds I had. I also only really bought them because it’s what a local shop sells.
Sony MDR 7506 or similar are the best headphones I’ve ever owned. They are modular, designed to be repairable, and have great build quality. They’re wired and have no microphone, but they retail for a third the price of a bluetooth set that can match the sound quality. (~$100)
I have a similar approach. Keep the headphones basic for repairs. I have a fiio Bluetooth receiver and a Zen DAC at my desk. I then have a series of custom made cables for different headphones and jacks (balanced 4.4mm, stereo 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm).
I can run any headphones with this setup, I might need a new cable made up depending on what pair I next buy.
I loved mine but the membranes aged quickly
They are designed to be repairable, but iirc the parts cost enough to make it hard to justify repairing over just buying a new pair
I like my Sony XM4s
Had an XM3 and now an XM5, these are top notch head phones indeed!
I haven’t tried the XM3, XM4 or XM5 but I would recommend the XM6.
Beyerdynamic DT 150.
They are designed to be fixed and are built like a tank. I fully expect them to keep working for the rest of my life
I second the Beyerdynamic. I have the DT 770 myself, bought them 15 years ago and still going strong. I’d expect these to be the last pair of headphones I’ll ever need. Mine are however fully closed, which can lead to hot ears. They are super comfy and I get cold ears quickly, so I prefer them. I also really like the sound isolation and the sound quality is absolutely perfect.
A friend of mine has the DT 990 which are open backed, so they don’t suffer as much from hot ears. However the sound quality can be a bit worse as they have less isolation. It’s a bit of a trade off, both have excellent sound and in a quiet room there is no difference. So it’s just preference really.
Yeah, I’ve had two pairs of DT 770 Pros now, and they’re probably my favorite non-active-noise-cancelling headphones. Good passive isolation, comfortable, fairly light, durable.
I think that the cable used to be detachable and isn’t on current models, but my current model also cost significantly less, so…shrugs
If OP wants ANC headphones, though, which I assume he does if he’s looking at Momentum 4s, might not be what he wants.
I have some 770’s and fit a mini XLR socket on them. I then balanced them too. It’s nice to have cable options. It was years ago I did this, there were a few videos on how to convert them, probably more these days.
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I recently bought Senheizer HD-650’s. I’m very happy with them.
I was gonna recommend the same. Have been using them for 2 month and absolutely love them.
Probably gonna get hate, but why not Quietcomfort? If you’re an audiophile and your phone is actually playing lossless high res audio, of course go for Sennheiser. If you wear your headphones everywhere often, prioritize ANC and don’t mind the Bose sound, I’d go Bose every day and save the hifi listening for at home.
Agree. There are some things that annoy me but my QC35 II are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever had. I don’t like anything touching my ears and I am very very sensitive to pressure, so if this matters to you then look at the quiet comforts.
QC35 II
Can you even still buy those? I’ve been using mine for 4-5 years now and they work great. I had to buy bunch of replacement cushions over the years but other than that 0 issues. Super comfortable, great noise cancellation, physical buttons instead of some gimmicky gestures… When they die I would happily just get same model again but looking in the stores I don’t see QC35 II anymore. There are bunch of other QC models with cryptic names like SE, SC, Ultra but I don’t see 35 II anywhere.
How big are your ears? I’m on Sennheiser 598 because it’s good stuff but also because they accept my big ears ☺️. They are definitely home only though so I’m looking for some sturdy nice ones for outside.
I completely agree with this. If I want noise cancellation, the quiet comforts are good, I am mostly playing music to mask sounds anyway, so the main exception is comfort, non-obtrusive sound, and good ANC. I also use them on flights, for podcasts when awake or background music when trying to sleep- so again, sound quality is secondary. My only problem with them is the faux leather cover of the ear cup flakes easily, needs replacing about every 2 years. For listening to music at home, I use open headphones.
Adding another +1 from personal experience.
I’ve happily used the same wired, over-ear Sennheisers as my daily drivers for 15 years, but tried switching over to Sennheiser’s wireless noise-canceling line a few years ago. Horrible mistake: the sound quality was acceptable but the firmware, the fit, and the ANC were atrocious.
Couldn’t believe the two products were made by the same company.
What is the Bose sound?
There’s a specific space or soundstage that it produces and lower mid punch with a little dullness in the mids and highs but still good color.
Looks like somebody mapped the sound profile. Not sure if it fits how I hear them.
It depends on your requirements.
No particular model to recommend, but if you use it primarily for music/movies at home and don’t have anyone around you to bother, go for open-back or half open-back headphones.
I’ve heard Ploopy headphones are good, and since they’re open source you can easily fix them yourself if you have an issue
I think those are usb only :(
I have the Momentum 4 and they sound good, but in my opinion the noise cancelling is really bad. I also really dislike the pressure they create on my ears, but i’ve been told all noise cancelling headphones do that so that might just be a thing i personally dislike. My friends swear on the Sony XM1000 series, though i remember them saying the older versions were better.
I’ve had a Momentum 4 and a WH-1000XM5.
I was not happy with the Momentum, and can’t recommend it. I initially had some kind of connectivity problems with Linux. Then, it had a tendency to l cut out, which I eventually discovered was a problem with the infrared sensor in one cup used to detect whether you’ve taken the hesdphones off. When it fogs up with condensed sweat, apparently not enough IR light gets through and it thinks that you’ve taken the headphones off. I disabled that feature with the Android app. Then some problem came up where when moved slightly, it would play back loud, high-frequency “squeaky” sounds. Some sort of problem with the noise-cancelling setup. Oh, and I had problems with bumping the side triggering touch controls.
The XM5 was fine for me when used as headphones—and better noise cancellation than the Momentum 4. But when used as a headset, sometimes, especially when resting my head against a chair, the other party would say that I suddenly became muffled.
I currently use it as headphones, but pair it with a USB lapel mic when I need a mic.
Had the exact same IR problem with the XM4. Bit disillusioned with basically all the brands.
Interesting, i’ve got the disconnects too, never knew why. Moisture in the IR sensors, who would have thought ^^
Yeah, if you get the proprietary Android app, you can permanently turn that functionality off from an Android device. Took me ages to discover that. :-/
I use Panasonic ergofit everyday, good luck
That headset must’ve been crap if it only lasted 2 years…
8 Years. They just posted about them 2 years ago…
OH
Damn
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