The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

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Networkn
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#3004122 1-Dec-2022 15:05

I have been very very happy with the A800 Panasonics. As a big headphone and good sound guy, These are pretty incredibly sounding for something with more than half decent ANC.

It's not perfect, I don't really like the button controls, I wish they were entirely gesture controlled like the Sony XM4's, or that the buttons were a bit more distinguishable from each other to make controlling them easier, but in terms of comfort, sound quality and ANC, I haven't found a better combination yet. I haven't tried the XM5's but ruled them out as they don't fold up, and I haven't tried the 45's from Bose.

mrgsm021

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#3004226 1-Dec-2022 16:06

ShinyChrome:

Thought I would dig this out of the depths it fell into to see what is currently good in the wireless ANC headphone space, since there has been a few new products to market in the last 6 months.

In the New Year I am going to be travelling for work a bit more, so looking for a set of over-ear phones to come with me comfortable enough to use for extended periods of time (2hr train ride each way potentially), have good ANC performance, and reasonably good for video calls. I'm a lot less fussy about the music since that won't be the primary purpose, but not sounding like arse would be a bonus. As is par for the course, I only decided I needed to upgrade after all the Black Friday specials ended so looking to pick them up over the usual pre- and post-Christmas sales.

The frontrunner at the moment Sennheiser Momentum 4's since I'm a fan of the brand and they seem to review reasonably well. HN has them on a FOMO special of $467, up from the BF low of $438 according to PriceSpy.

I also see NL have the Bose QC45's on special atm for $385, but when I had a quick play at HN between the two, I found myself preferring the design and feel of the M4's. Unfortunately I didn't have time to have a good back-to-back listen, which I'll get to at some stage.

Anybody had experience with the M4's? Any other models of comparable price/performance I should be looking into?

The issue I can see for the M4 is its fabric headband where overtime the fabric would become stringy and come away from the headband.

mrgsm021

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#3004227 1-Dec-2022 16:13

networkn:

I have been very very happy with the A800 Panasonics. As a big headphone and good sound guy, These are pretty incredibly sounding for something with more than half decent ANC.

It's not perfect, I don't really like the button controls, I wish they were entirely gesture controlled like the Sony XM4's, or that the buttons were a bit more distinguishable from each other to make controlling them easier, but in terms of comfort, sound quality and ANC, I haven't found a better combination yet. I haven't tried the XM5's but ruled them out as they don't fold up, and I haven't tried the 45's from Bose.

You meant A800 Technics?😜

Got these not long after they came out in NZ, comparable sound quality to the Sonys, very comfy headband, maybe a little more so than XM3

Still not seeing a lot of these on the road though.

They were at a all time low price of $297 in early November when the Black Friday deals started at PB

Handle9

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#3004236 1-Dec-2022 16:37

ShinyChrome:
Thought I would dig this out of the depths it fell into to see what is currently good in the wireless ANC headphone space, since there has been a few new products to market in the last 6 months.

In the New Year I am going to be travelling for work a bit more, so looking for a set of over-ear phones to come with me comfortable enough to use for extended periods of time (2hr train ride each way potentially), have good ANC performance, and reasonably good for video calls. I'm a lot less fussy about the music since that won't be the primary purpose, but not sounding like arse would be a bonus. As is par for the course, I only decided I needed to upgrade after all the Black Friday specials ended so looking to pick them up over the usual pre- and post-Christmas sales.

The frontrunner at the moment Sennheiser Momentum 4's since I'm a fan of the brand and they seem to review reasonably well. HN has them on a FOMO special of $467, up from the BF low of $438 according to PriceSpy.

I also see NL have the Bose QC45's on special atm for $385, but when I had a quick play at HN between the two, I found myself preferring the design and feel of the M4's. Unfortunately I didn't have time to have a good back-to-back listen, which I'll get to at some stage.

Anybody had experience with the M4's? Any other models of comparable price/performance I should be looking into?

It’s personal preference of course but are you married to over ear? I haven’t used my over ear ANC headphones for a year now. I find in ear far superior for travel, both for comfort and convenience. Having one less large thing to carry in my backpack is great and no sweaty ears is nice.

YMMV of course but it’s worth considering.

jonathan18

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#3004237 1-Dec-2022 16:45

I really like the sound of my Technics A800s. Noise cancelling is decent but not amazing - good enough for my purposes. My biggest issue is the control buttons - apart from the large touch panel for switching NC modes, the small buttons are tricky to identify by touch, and after months of ownership I have to admit I don't always know which one to reach for when wanting to change tracks etc! Still, they offer fantastic bang for buck, and I'd certainly suggest you give them a good listen.

Edit: Personally, I really value having both in-ear and over-ear products - if space is at a premium I'll be fine with just my buds, but otherwise I'd usually take both (keep the headphones in my pack). Also, both types end up irritating me - either inside my ear or the clamping on the head, so the ability to swap between is a real advantage.

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#3005984 5-Dec-2022 13:35

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll add the Technics A800's to consideration (and quite strongly if they come up again at that pricing!). I suppose I should take a look at the incumbent Sony XM4/XM5's as well, although the pricing is still up there (and justifiably so given the performance I guess)

Handle9:

It’s personal preference of course but are you married to over ear? I haven’t used my over ear ANC headphones for a year now. I find in ear far superior for travel, both for comfort and convenience. Having one less large thing to carry in my backpack is great and no sweaty ears is nice.

YMMV of course but it’s worth considering.

Great call-out, I actually have the Jabra Elite 7 Pro's as my DD out of the house; they seem to be great for the price although I find they can be uncomfortable for longer periods of time (could be just a poor fitment though), plus the call performance isn't amazing (to be expected ofc).

Maybe some of these concerns could be fixed by a higher quality model, but echoing Jonathan18's comment, I like having options so I wouldn't mind having some over-ears for longer excursions. From what I have heard reviews, the noise cancelling and mic performance is generally higher. I also like that with over-ears they can be easily perched on my head or neck without having to fumble around for the case if I am alternating on/off for extended periods.

A800 owners, what is calling like? I'm particularly curious about the aforementioned qualities of noise cancelling and mic noise filtering as I have started trying to try working out of the house from cafe's, libraries etc

WWHeisenberg

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#3020650 12-Jan-2023 21:05

I recently (Black friday) purchased the Technics A800s and have been listening to them off & on since Xmas (as they were wrapped up until then). I thought I would give my initial thoughts on them with regards to sound quality. To date I have only used them at home and can't comment on noise cancellation etc.

I am using them either paired to my iphone or macbook and so would only be using AAC codecs. I switch between listening to spotify & youtube (watching music videos) and so the source quality varies also. I have been comparing them to my Sony XM3s (WH).

I was enticed to purchase A800s due to the amazing price ($297). I also thought it would be a good idea to hear another quality audio brand rather than a simple upgrade to the XM4/XM5 which would have produced a similar sound stage/quality to the XM3. Plus the XM4/XM5s were still noticeably more expensive.

My initial thoughts are that I have made a good decision. The A800s sound great. I am no audiophile but I know what I like. To try and best explain the difference between between my 2 headphones would be to say that the Technics have a more balanced sound which lets them open up to hear more instruments etc in the soundstage. In doing this you are able to appreciate songs that you know well even more. Although to balance my review I would say that while they do have very good bass the Sonys are better in this area.

I was just listening to a song by a local hip hop artist and noticed that even when I tweaked the equaliser in the app of the A800s I wasn't quite able to replicate the bass heavy soundstage which the XM3s have which makes this song sound better. It will be interesting to see going forward whether certain genres sound best through a particular headphone or whether its more focused still and whether its related to each song? time will tell. As I do listen to quite a range of genres from pop, rock, heavy metal, hip hop, R&B, country ... and the list goes on.

Anyway that's my thoughts.

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networkn

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#3043311 28-Feb-2023 15:40

https://apos.audio/products/xduoo-ta-22?sca_ref=476690.LeLqamn4OB

networkn

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#3043316 28-Feb-2023 15:48

That looks incredible value for a unit of it's type and reviews seem very favourable.

lookout

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#3054410 25-Mar-2023 12:30

How is the comfort on the Technics A800?

I am torn between the Technics and the Sennheiser Momentum 3 which are both $298 at PB with a free stand. The most important thing is comfort on my big head. Coming from Anker Q30s wich are super light and comfortable but the plastic is falling to bits so I want something more durable.

networkn

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#3054416 25-Mar-2023 12:36

The A800 is very comfortable. Can't speak to the sens I haven't tried them personally but sen traditional does out quite a lot of priority on comfort. Personally even though I love the technics the Xm5 is what I'd go with. They are more expensive but worth it IMO. Sound quality is better on the a800s but it's much closer than with the xm4s

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#3054418 25-Mar-2023 12:41

Cool. Thank you. My max budget is $300 which is why I've narrowed it down to those 2 models.

networkn

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#3054546 25-Mar-2023 15:26

From those two, I'd lean toward the better sound quality of the a800. NL may have the momentum 3 to listen or try on.

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#3078068 20-May-2023 15:47

So, because I was in Sydney and had a little bit of time, and have always wondered about Addicted to Audio (the flagship store in Melbourne has long been a desired location for me), I decided I'd go along and see what's what.

I have HD650's, Beyer T1's and HD800S, which all sound a little similar. Very warm and comfortable. The Beyers almost get no attention, because the HD800S are so capable, but I have always wondered about a pair with a different sound signature.

Joshua Valour really rates the Focal Clears and so I decided I'd go and have a listen. They had an open box special for <$1000 and I thought it might provide some contrast. In reality, they are awful for me. Sibilant to the extreme (Which I am very sensitive to). They got a bit.. negative with me about it, insisting it was not sibilance but just 'very detailed'. They suggested I tried the closed-back version, which I did. I could only have them on my head for about 1 minute they were so much worse.

After a bit of a discussion, they provided me a pair of LCD-X's which I really liked and was almost considering, when his eyes lit up and said.. 'try these' and handed me the HifiMan Aryas (another Joshua favourite). WOW! I was immediately blown away. They are supremely comfortable, a very key feature for me, and the sound signature is different enough they don't massively overlap with my 800S, but still maintain the detail and sound I really like. They did me a deal $500 cheaper than retail) and I have to say, 10 hours of listening in, I am absolutely in love with them.

The detail levels are high, but different things get highlighted in them than my other HPs present. I have them paired with a D90 Topping and Schiit Bifrost with Upgraded Boards. I am looking forward to trying them with my Crack Amp with Speedball upgrade.

My biggest gripe with my HD800's is that they aren't 'comfortable'. They aren't uncomfortable but I feel they don't get a good seal. The Arya's are also massive cups, but do seem to do a better job in that regard.

I highly recommend them.

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#3078382 21-May-2023 21:04

Is Addicted 2 Audio in Aussie comparable to the Auckland store?

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