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A good place to buy headphones?

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  • A good place to buy headphones?

    It looks like my 2 year old Jensen headphones' life is coming to an end, and since I bought it in Texas, I don't know where else to get them.

    Is there any "headphone specialty stores"? Any place where I can tryout the headphones with my iPod before I buy them? (since it'll be for my computer, I can't carry my 20lbs case and monitor with me, so it'll suffice)
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

  • #2
    Re: A good place to buy headphones?

    Originally posted by adri1456
    Any place where I can tryout the headphones with my iPod before I buy them?
    Not that I know of, but I LOVE my Koss Porta-Pro headphones. You can find them on Amazon for around $25 on sale. They go head to head with the popular Sennheiser portable headphones.

    Granted the Koss are a little ugly compared to others, but they SOUND INCREDIBLE!

    I've tried others and always gone back to the Koss. And I should mention the LIFETIME warranty: If they break, send them back to Koss with a $6 check and they will repair or replace.

    I've sent mine in TWICE in the past 20 years! Both time, new unit came back.

    Blaine
    Make trouble, have fun, do good stuffs.

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    • #3
      Re: A good place to buy headphones?

      I need a pair of headphones so I can listen to stuff on my PC without disturbing the rest of the household. I have no idea what makes one pair of headphones better than the next. What things should I look for when shopping for one?

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      • #4
        Re: A good place to buy headphones?

        Being in radio what I look for in a good pair of headphones is one with a cord that comes off the side instead of a yoke that comes down under your chin.

        I like acoustic versus open air ear cushions better sound and it isolates ambient noise better than open air.

        For the Ipod crowd, I'd prefer an inline volume control so I won't have to mess with the digital volume controls.

        Look for sensitivity. Cheap headphones (under $50) take more volume to hear decently.

        Adjustable headband with a saddle that cradles the top of the head so the headphones don't fall off.
        Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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        • #5
          Re: A good place to buy headphones?

          Mahalo Craig!

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          • #6
            Re: A good place to buy headphones?

            Originally posted by craigwatanabe
            I like acoustic versus open air ear cushions better sound and it isolates ambient noise better than open air.
            Good advice, Craig! Could you clue this non-audiophile into what "acoustic versus open air ear cushions" means, though?

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            • #7
              Re: A good place to buy headphones?

              Originally posted by zztype
              Not that I know of, but I LOVE my Koss Porta-Pro headphones. You can find them on Amazon for around $25 on sale. They go head to head with the popular Sennheiser portable headphones.

              Granted the Koss are a little ugly compared to others, but they SOUND INCREDIBLE!

              I've tried others and always gone back to the Koss. And I should mention the LIFETIME warranty: If they break, send them back to Koss with a $6 check and they will repair or replace.

              I've sent mine in TWICE in the past 20 years! Both time, new unit came back.

              Blaine
              I used those headphones, but I returned them to Borders before the 30 day return policy was up, but I forgot why I returned them.

              I remember jogging with them, and they stayed on my ears for a while, but then they'd feel uncomfortable because the band was squeezing the earpads into my ear, but I didn't feel that until a few hours with them on.

              I'll look into those (I'll try and find them at a local store first, so that I can return them again) but I found the same headphones that I'm replacing (its $29.99 at Sam Goody Ala Moana, but I remembered buying them at Texas for $19.99. I wonder why its so expensive now?)
              How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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              • #8
                Re: A good place to buy headphones?

                Acoustic headphones are the type where the earpiece encloses the entire ear. These can make for sweaty ears but it does a better job of isolating outside noise and the response is much more clearer.

                Open air headphones are the type where the earpiece is just a flat piece of foam with a puka in the middle for the speaker. This design allows for ambient sounds to enter so you can hear things like phones ringing, or people trying to talk to you.

                For radio you don't want to be distracted by anything but the sound you're working with.

                Both Koss and Senheisser make great headphones regardless of earpiece design. For Koss their pro line is the Koss Pro4 A or AA. Sony makes good headphones however for what they're worth, it's not worth the money.

                Bose also makes good headphones but really their business was the 901 Direct-Reflective speaker system developed in the mid 70's. Otherwise they're just another overpriced audio gear manufacturer like Sony.

                And don't get taken from the sales pitch, Digital ready headphones. Unless your ears are willing to hear white noise (hissing sound), there is no such thing as the ability to hear digital music with your ears. All sound coming out of any speaker or headphone is and will always be analog. That's the only way your ears know how to hear, same with your eyes.

                Digital ready only means the headphones are capable of hitting a greater range of sound without distortion. It's dynamic response is greater than older phones however most ears cannot hear in those ranges advertised by digital ready equipment, so it doesn't make sense to spend money on "digital ready" equipment, especially with today's crap music coming out lately (my perception only).

                A good place to buy headphones? Believe it or not, Radio Shack because they sell their version of the Koss headphones but not the Koss price. Otherwise it's the internet. Try Musicians Friend at www.musiciansfriend.com for some great deals on audio gear for the musician.
                Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                • #9
                  Re: A good place to buy headphones?

                  IMHO - the best place to find information on high quality headphones is:

                  http://www.headphone.com/

                  These guys are serious audio geeks, and do really good price/perfomance analysis.
                  I am Jack's absent signature.

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