Do headphones vary in quality?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Do headphones vary in quality?

simon14

1889 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 44

Trusted

#129625 22-Sep-2013 10:19

In terms of sound quality, do mobile phone 3.5mm jack headphones differ really?

If so, what is a good make/model to buy?

1 | 2 | 3

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#899626 22-Sep-2013 10:26

Is this a genuine question?!

I would certainly suggest that a pair of Stax electrostatics costing $5,000 are a whole heap better than a pair of Dick Head's $9.99 Own Branders!!

For mobile use I use the Apple ones (new kind) which are pretty good and are robust. For more involved listening I have some Sure 425 IEM's (In Ear Monitors) which are around $550 and are very good.

I also have a pair of Bluetooth AptX enabled Sennheisers for travel etc that cost me about $700 and are amazing for wireless sound when used with an AptX equipped source.

simon14

1889 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 44

Trusted

#899630 22-Sep-2013 10:29

Wow ok time out... i've got a bunch of headsets that came free with my phones (s2, s3, note2)

Just wanting to know if these headsets are decent or if a sub $60 pair would be better?

How much is to do with the phone and how much is to do with the actual headset?

Excuse my ignorance.

EDIT: Headset needs to also include mic.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2526
Inactive user

#899631 22-Sep-2013 10:30

Factory headphones work fine

keewee01

1743 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 204

Trusted

#899654 22-Sep-2013 11:38

I find the ones that came with my iPhone 4S to be really good, and the ones that came with my Galaxy S3 to be of a similar good quality.

These two pairs I would rate far, far superior to any earphones/buds that I've ever had before (They were all cheaper ones mind you).

So, in short, IMO the ones that came with your S3 will be far better than the $9.99/$19.99 ones you can get in the shops. That said, they are certainly not going to be anywhere close to the best ones you could buy.

PaulBags

809 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 184
Inactive user

#899661 22-Sep-2013 12:05

If it sounds good to you, go with it. Not everyone is an audiophile.

alasta

6888 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3362

Trusted

Subscriber

#899666 22-Sep-2013 12:41

Bundled headsets are really only good for phone calls and talk radio in my view.

You can get headphones for under $200 that are OK for music listening, but if you want something really good then you need to buy quite expensive headphones and an amp. Even then you're still at the mercy of a potentially poor quality DAC or heavily compressed digital audio file.

It all depends on how fussy you are, how much money you can spend, and how badly you want the convenience of portable music.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

alasta

6888 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3362

Trusted

Subscriber

#899667 22-Sep-2013 12:42

Oh, and to answer your second question a couple of good headphones in the $200 ballpark would be the Sennheiser PX-200II or the new Onkyo ES-FC300.

timmmay

20858 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5349

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#899719 22-Sep-2013 14:10

I own www.headphonereviews.org, I've owned headphones and been sent review headphones that cost everything from $5 to $1500, though none of the crazy expensive $5K electrostatic headphones. The headphones that come with the iPhone are Sennheiser, which is a good brand, but last time I bought one (years ago) they were earbuds not in-ear which I find more comfortable and better sounding.

Price generally reflects quality, though preference plays a big part. Intended use is also important - I have some fantastic headphones (Audeze LCD2) which are great at home, but wouldn't be any use while moving.

While I do have a good DAC, headphone amplifier, etc, I don't think amplifiers necessary for anyone other than the highest end audiophile unless you choose headphones that need a lot of power. The LCD2/Sennheiser HD650 (and above) do need an amp, but the Audio Technica A900 work just fine out of my phone and sound really nice. For $200 they're amazing headphones, but the headband system of the current A900X model sucks. I was lucky to get a pristine second hand pair of A900s second hand after mine were stolen from work. The A900s are roughly comparable with the LCD2 at 1/5 the price, and they don't need an amplifier. A good source helps though. Very few in-ears headphones require an amp, and Sony models can actually be decent.

If you post where you'll be listening (eg on a bus, at work, at home, plane, train, etc), what you're listening from (iPhone, Android, computer, etc), budget, and preferences you might get some useful advice. You can also look at http://www.head-fi.org for more advice and reviews. Full sized headphones costing less than $200 won't be much of an upgrade from stock, but in-ear headphones may be.

Personal taste is important in headphones, there's no right answer. There's also the "mine's better than yours" factor, things like cable upgrades, amplifiers (cheap/expensive/tube), modifying headphones, etc, etc. Sometimes people just like to justify the money they spent I think. I'm fairly practical, I judge things with my ears not test equipment.

ilovemusic

1469 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 307

#900708 22-Sep-2013 15:09

simon14: Wow ok time out... i've got a bunch of headsets that came free with my phones (s2, s3, note2)

Just wanting to know if these headsets are decent or if a sub $60 pair would be better?

How much is to do with the phone and how much is to do with the actual headset?

Excuse my ignorance.

EDIT: Headset needs to also include mic.

try 'em first.

if you like what they do then there's no need to spend money.

:)

lxsw20

3689 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2174

Subscriber

#900738 22-Sep-2013 16:50

keewee01: I find the ones that came with my iPhone 4S to be really good, and the ones that came with my Galaxy S3 to be of a similar good quality.

I find both of those sound really tinny, the headphones that come with the iPhone 5 etc on the other hand I find really good for day to day duty.

This is the thing with headphones, it's down to the individual listener to how fussy they want to be.

richms

29097 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10206

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#900808 22-Sep-2013 19:43

More than the quality of the phones is the quality of the fit to your ear for in ear ones. If you are not in the middle of the bell curve for ear hole size etc then a majority of phones will not be much good for you no matter how high end they are.

Richard rich.ms

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

macuser

2120 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 506

#900811 22-Sep-2013 19:50

as far as bundled headphones go, really like the headphones included with my HTC One

Dunnersfella

4100 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 887

#900841 22-Sep-2013 20:41

I found the performance of my Sony Armature's was poor until I found the right tip to suit my ears. Some people prefer a foam tip, others, rubber. Investing in aftermarket tips is worth it IMHO.

richms

29097 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10206

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#900846 22-Sep-2013 20:45

The other thing I find that matters more than the actual audio quality is the amount of cable rubbing noise, and wind noise gets transmitted by the earbud into my ear. Doesnt matter if it sounds amaaaaazing if everytime I move my head it sounds like someone is dragging a suitcase across gravel or similar.

Richard rich.ms

timmmay

20858 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5349

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#900850 22-Sep-2013 20:55

Most in-ear phones come with various sizes, I've never tried third party, though I've had the odd pair sent to me for review that never sealed well.

Cord noise is called microphonics, from memory, can be annoying. I solved that problem by not listening to music while I'm moving, but that's not for everyone.

1 | 2 | 3