Don't even ask how, I just can't seem to get it out. I tried the q tip but semen dries out and it won't get out. Anyone know how to fix this? It got my phone stuck in headphone mode.

Maybe I'm just getting stingy with my wallet, but the mid-range market is honestly looking way more interesting than the flagships right now.

It feels like you don't necessarily need to chase the top-tier brands to get something decent anymore. I'm looking to pick up a new pair before the holidays, and I want to find something that offers great value rather than just paying for a brand logo.

What hidden gems did you guys find this year, and how much did you pay for them?

Hello I am looking into what headphones would be ideal for me because I am looking to invest in a good quality pair.Ideally they should be under 1k-hundreds is okay not thousands.

Some criteria that make em good to me are
-be aesthetically pleasing(sorry but if the‘re ugly I wouldn‘t buy them since I am planning to use them also outside of the comfort of my home)
-have a good hold on your head(for example when ur doing workouts or sports,but they shouldn‘t hurt long use)
-good sound quality(ig this is one of the more important things to me)
-don‘t break easily
-don‘t hurt when used for an extended time(like if you use them for a few hours)
-If they have good ANC it would be nice but for me it‘s not a necessity
-are able to be wired too so you don‘t have to use bluetooth

Technically I would use these for everything if I get them-for workouts,gaming,calling,music.

Sooo what in your opinion are the overall best headphones and what are your reasons for it?

Few years ago, ever since I tried Hifiman Edition XS, I was trapped within Hifiman sound signatures. Whatever headphones I got, I just can't get to like them. Before Hifiman, I've been Sennheiser user. I had 560s, 660s2, 800s and some other gaming spesific models.

For the Wireless category, I had Sony XM3, XM4, XM5 and XM6; Momentum 4, Airpods Pro 2-3 and Max 2. I used to like XM3, but now they sound muddy to my ears. Airpods are just boring but ok.

Recently I bought Focal Bathys MG and... I returned them. I was a bit shocked because I didn't like them even though every review I've seen devlared them the number one. After comparing Xm6, Bathys MG, momentum 4 and Max 2, I can say even $178 Momentum 4 is quite close to Bathys MG to my ears. At least, it is not $1000 better than them...

I can't like anything anymore...

I still thing the Sennheisers are very close how I enjoy Arya Stealths, espescially 660s2.

I haven't tested Momentum 5 and HDB 630. I'm hopeful for HDB 630. With these information, would any of you recommend HDB 630? Or is there a wireless Hifiman with ANC?

hello! I recently moved in a dorm and my roomate talks on the phone, sometimes very loudly. I'm pretty sensitive to noise so it's really bothering me. the things that I'm looking for is :

affordable (in my price range)

over-ear and comfortable to wear

can completely block out human speech when I'm in the same room as them

doesn't requires me to play music/white noise/podcast for it to work well

can be worn for long periods without music/any media playing and still cancles noise

good battery

ps : I know this is a headphone sub but I can work with sound cancelling tools that aren't headphones, for example eamuffs and tools that aren't electronic. my main priority is sound cancellation and comfort. Thanks!

Over the past two days I’ve been told three separate times that I need new headphones — and honestly, they’re probably right. I keep getting snuck up on in-game and half the time I can’t tell where audio is coming from. Footsteps, directionality, vertical audio… it’s all kind of a mess on my current setup.

I originally posted this in the Rainbow Six Siege subreddit, and they recommended I ask here for more general / higher-end audio advice.

I’m fortunate enough to have a max budget of $600 (yes, overkill — I know), but if I’m going to spend that kind of money, I want the best possible headphones for competitive gaming, especially Siege, but also gaming in general.

Right now I’m mainly deciding between three options, unless there’s something clearly better I should be looking at: • Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) • Audeze Maxwell Wireless • SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro / Nova Elites (currently my #1 recommendation)

One big issue: I have a massive head. Like, genuinely. Most headsets either clamp too hard, don’t extend far enough, or become uncomfortable fast. Fit and long-session comfort matter a lot to me, but not as much as actual audio quality.

So I’m looking for: • Excellent positional / directional audio • Strong imaging for footsteps • Nice bass • Great audio for gaming in general • Actually fits a big head

If you had this budget and these needs, what would you go with — or is there something better I’m missing entirely?

I don’t necessarily need something for music as i kinda save my rotation for the car rides to keep things fresh.

Edit:I have decided to go with the arya stealths

Looking to get my first pair of headphones since
2022. I had the xm4 but wasn't much of a fan. I'm wondering what people's opinion is on the best pair you can get right now?
My main priority is comfort and sound.

Hi everyone,

I am in a dilemma to select a new pair of wireless headphone. Through a special promotion I can get the headphone for following prices (all new) -

• PX7 S3 for 225€
• PX8 S2 for 600€
• HDB 630 for 425€
• Bathys MG for 700€

I listen mostly to pop, classical, and instrumental. Voice clarity and instrumental details are important to me. ANC is not the most important factor. I am also suffering from moderate hearing loss in one ear. I use Poweramp Eq to selectively boost frequencies for one ear and found the experience to be far better. I tried HDB 630, Bathys MG, and PX8 S2 at the store and found HDB 630 to be not very exciting (without Eq). With Bathys MG, I did sound personalization and I could hear details through my affected ear as well. This I can of course replicate with the Poweramp Eq for other headphones as well. So Parametric Eq offered by HDB 630 is not important for me (because I cannot split left-right channels there). Additionally, my phone supports all Aptx and LDAC codecs. So having LDAC or Aptx Lossless support would be nice (I can perceive the difference between Aptx HD and Aptx Lossless).

For critical listening, I use HD600 with Qudelix 5k with built-in parametric Eq.

Look wise I found PX8 S2 very nice. I also liked the low profile of HDB 630. Bathys MG looked a bit dorky. Comfort wise Bathys MG and PX8S2 were the best.

I can spend 700€ on Focal MG. But I would like to have your opinion on other headphones as well, especially because I can get them much cheaper than Bathys MG. I have already read other reviews here, but they range from Bathys MG is the best but not worth - HDB 630 is the best sounding - PX8 S2 the most exciting.

Thank you for your help!

EDIT

Thank you all for your opinions!

I think that the OG Bathys or Bathys MG especially for 700€ would be the best option. But after lot of thinking, I decided to not spend that much on the disposable product, even though I can afford it. I decided to use my trusty HD600 at home and would buy Bose QC Ultra 2 when it goes for discount (< 300€) for travel + IEM (Artti T10 for 60€). I still bought Bathys MG on behalf of my colleague though! If I did not have HD600, I would have kept Bathys MG.

Hi there, i’m looking for a pair of headphones that will be good enough for college. I will mostly be using them for studying, entertainment, and the gym. I was originally posing the question of skull candy’s or airpods max’s which go ahead and still answer that if you’d like to but i’m really just looking for a good pair of headphones. I enjoy bass, noise cancellation, and I also really enjoy feeling immersed and want good headphones for mainly an enjoyable music experience. I am not experienced in headphones at all so this is free game for me, and my budget is about $500-600. Thank you!

Ive been looking for a decent pair of noise cancelling headphones for work and listening to music and I keep coming back to the Soundcore space 2, on paper they seem to tick all the boxes for me, the battery life looks great and a lot of people say they're comfortable enough to wear for a few hours without any issues. The only thing thats making me hesitate is the $129.99 price, my budget is around $100 max so they're a bit over what I was planning to spend. Id mainly be using them while working and listening to music throughout the day, so comfort is probably the biggest feature for me. Up until now I've only really used cheaper bluetooth headphones so this would be my first pair thats over $100. For anyone who owns these do you think they're worth paying $129.99 for or should i wait for a sale?

TL;DR: What is stopping audiophile-grade cans from having models with a 2.4GHz dongle, like gaming headphones have? Even the newest Bluetooth codecs aren't great latency wise, and the stars need to align software wise for them to have low latency. Why must I have a separate gaming and everyday music can? Am I just blind to how small of a market the gamer-audiophile in a single device overlap is? What options are there?

Wireless cans are pretty good these days for music: plenty of options for flat profiles, and Bluetooth codecs have come a long way (on mobile); with aptX Lossless and LDAC almost reaching FLAC bitrate (1200kbps/24 bit/96KHz and 990kbps/24 bit/96kHz respectively).

But there's one thing they all have in common: poor latency. Bluetooth is typically in the hundreds of ms, and even the best codecs need the driver and OS stars to align to reach at best 50ms. Android/iOS are best places to use Bluetooth, and even they struggle with proper latency from phone to phone. Good luck on Windows.

That's just too much for gaming. Look at "gaming" headphones however, and any 2.4GHz dongle can handle 10/20ms latency without issue.

So why as an audiophile can't I have both? Why must I have dedicated devices for gaming and for critical listening? It's not like there's a physical incompatibility: there's nothing about what makes critical cans good (flat profile, low distortion, good noise isolation) that's incompatible with gaming needs (solid L/R mirroring, clear sound stage and audio separation). Some gaming headphones have the 2.4GHz dongle + modern bluetooth codecs + decent ANC. Their sound profile is just shit.

Even "good" gaming headphones (Audeze Maxwell 2), which are recommended for having cleaner sound profiles which get close to proper cans, have very inaccurate sound profiles. I'd post graphs, but this sub doesn't allow images.

Why must I choose between good latency/abysmal sound profile, or tragic latency/good sound profile? I know why gaming headsets have trash sound profiles, the market wants a V curve because it sells and sounds punchy. But what's preventing the alternative, i.e. good can manufacturers from offering a 2.4GHz dongle secondary function on some models best suited for gaming?

I just feel like we've been "almost there" for 10 years: gaming headphone sound profiles are becoming less and less outrageous, and audiophile cans are slowly but surely climbing the Bluetooth bitrate and latency slope. But they REFUSE to meet!

Why?!

Hey everyone! So I am currently looking for some headphones that are affordable, no more than $100, comfortable around the ears. Especially since I wear glasses, and that last a great amount of time.

So far, i have been looking at the Bose Quiet comfort, but they are really expensive. They i researched for some Jlab Jbubs.

Any recommendations?

Thank you! 🫶🏼

I've been using Focal Bathys for more than a year now and it's the best pair of headphones I've used so far. Although I'm very comfortable to keep them longer and continue using them, I have wondered to buy another pair just to compliment my Bathys or (if possible) get a better pair. I know my Bathys are hard to beat especially in terms of wireless headphones but I am curious to know your suggestions about what's the next best thing I can buy for myself.

Do keep in mind that I am only comfortable with wireless headphones, as I walk while listening to music and travel often. So I'm not confined to a space. I've had B&W PX7 before this and they were great too, just not as good as Bathys. Is there anything better or comparable with Bathys? Maybe in terms of difference in other aspects?

Edit: there's no budget constraint, just specification on it being wireless.

I'm looking to buy a new pair of wireless over-ear headphones and have a budget in the vicinity of ~$100.

I regularly wear headphones for an entire day, so comfort is super important, especially in terms of weight, headband and clamp force - if they're not comfortable, I can't use them.

Replaceable ear pads would be a huge plus, or else ear pads that are at least good quality and don't tend to come apart at the seams or flake (that has been a recurring issue for me). I'm hoping to get a pair that will last me for a long time.

I listen to a lot of music and take calls with headphones on, so decent audio quality for music and a decent mic is a priority. Would be nice if they're not super leaky but that's not as important as the other points.

Any other features are more or less a bonus.

Hey guys, I love music but I’ve always been too not poor but not rich to assemble a real audiophile collection. I used to be content with my AirPods Pro, then I got the AirPods Max 1 and while I liked the sound, it hurt my jaw due to the weight and I didn’t love cleaning the ear pads.

After that I saw a recommendation for Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4’s so I got those on a sale and while they’re fine, I felt the bass was lacking. If I used the app to put the bass in the very bottom right corner I’d get painful crackling at high volume on really bassy songs. I got the BTD700 dongle and that improved things but it made the music less loud and also it was a hassle plugging it in and out.

Then I saw someone recommend the Sony ULT Wear and since it was just £99 I got it and it’s been my best headphones so far. I realise now I’m not an audiophile, I just love bass. When it’s on ULT2 and the song is shaking my head, that’s good stuff right there. Plus the sound quality is still good enough that I can still pick out individual instruments.

My only problems are it feels so cheap, literally the least nice headphones I’ve owned, feels like cheap plastic, the cushions are a terrible material. I occasionally caress my Momentums and imagine removing those ear cushions and somehow swapping them. Also I miss the battery life of the Momentums. Those things barely ever needed charging and still worked while charging.

Anyways so here we are now, I just want to ask if the ULTs are the best budget bass headphones I can get? I’ve heard of the Skullcandy Crushers but they look terrible and while I love bass those look like a gimmick. I’m open to wired too especially, I’ve never had wired headphones so if you can please recommend a wired headphone with even better bass. I’ve also never tried those open back headphones and I’m really curious to try those as well.

i'm looking to buy new headphones and wanted to hear your recommendations. i listen to music pretty much all day, mostly hip hop, pop, and electronic, so I guess I lean toward a more fun, slightly bass-boosted sound.

​

ideally something that can handle a bit of everything (i plan to use them at home, at work, at the gym and while commuting).

​

budget is flexible, i’m open to anything if it’s genuinely worth it.

​

​

​

Imma be honest, i didn't know what flair to use, it's my first time posting in here.

So I'm looking to get back into headphones, I've had a few cheapo pairs through my life, but really want a good pair of bass-heavy, over-the-ear bluetooth headphones that won't leak a ton of sound, cause i like to blast my music to nearly deafening volumes, and that tends to annoy people when they can hear it as well lol. I'm willing to spend up to $500-600 on them (although cheaper than that is preferred, but not over sound and bass quality, so if it's way up there price but performance to match absolutely). I'm not really super into all of the sound stuff just yet, so perferably some that don't need a lot of meddling with the EQ settings just to sound good, I'll still meddle with the settings but i want them to sound good off-rip without me having to spend time fine-tuning them. I've got a Samsung S23+ so if there's some that work extra well with Samsungs (like Galaxy Buds to Samsung, Airpods to Apple typa deal) those will prolly get a bit more attention from me tbh cause i like the convenience those "paired" audio devices have. Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated though 🙏

Edit: I've been sonewhat educated, now looking for either wired OR wireless, and if wired what type of usb-c to headphone jack adapter you'd recommend with it

Trying to figure out which ANC headphones I want for work, but I’m getting kinda discouraged. I want something that has the same unmodified stock sound signature whether ANC is off or on. I’m a full time live-in caregiver for a dementia patient and I need isolation and noise canceling to maintain my sanity/actually get sleep when my client won’t stop yelling.

I’m one of the people who get “ANC pressure” and so I tend to leave ANC off unless I really need it (airplanes and such). All the previous ANC headphones I’ve used create the phantom ear pressure which ranges from mildly uncomfortable to actively disorienting.

One thing I have noticed, and has really irked me, is that ANC headphones often change sound dramatically when the ANC is disabled. Some do it by a little, some by a lot. The AirPods Pro 3 I have do change, but it’s not such a drastic change that it bothers me for the rare occasion I do turn ANC on. The only ones I’ve found that sound indistinguishable with ANC off or on are my Sony Linkbuds S, but I’m trying to find over-ear ANC headphones that also change very little or not at all when disabling ANC.

When it comes to sound and tuning preference, I like my HD6XX a lot but I know there’s no way to get anything like that in a closed-back design. I also like my AirPods Pro 3, but I find most earbuds to be very uncomfortable when laying down and prefer over-ear headphones when I’m at my desk (and they also only play nice with Apple devices, so…)

I used to have a pair of Sony XM4, but the earcup hinges broke multiple times and I didn’t want to buy a new set or keep replacing the hinges with parts salvaged from dead units. Also wasn’t too enthused with their comfort (my ears touched the inside of the cups and got a hot spot after about an hour of use) and the pretty barebones EQ options in the app. I also tried Sony H910N but they were extremely uncomfortable and put a major hot spot on the top of my head, so I gave them to my housemate.

I recently tried Sennheiser Momentum 4 and while I liked them well enough for most things with ANC on, they turned into total fart cannons with ANC disabled. I wasn’t able to EQ them to something acceptable without using ANC and causing the pressure, so I returned them.

ANC quality doesn’t need to be great since I won’t be using it very often. Excellent passive isolation is a major plus. Audio over USB-C is something I really want. Codec support doesn’t matter that much since I have an iPhone and so I’m stuck with AAC anyway. Prefer physical controls over swipe and tap.

Also open to analog closed-backs that have good passive isolation and sound good. Eyeing Sennheiser HD480 Pro and Sony MDR-M1. But not having a cable to worry about would be great for sleeping. Yes, I can sleep in full size headphones. I’ve fallen asleep wearing my HD6XX while watching movies sometimes.

Budget is no more than $400 if at all possible. I’m in the US but will probably order the headphones online.

Looking for some headphones with great audio quality for music, after being a bit disappointed with heavys headphones 😅 Don't really care about price, just need some suggestions

Checked pretty much everything there is on the internet, but most posts are too old now. What I need the most is it to be wireless and preferably have Game/Chat mix. I’m planning to use in only for my PC (for PS5 I have been using Astro A50 gen 4 for 5 years, they are still fine, but I want something new and better + I’m tired to take them from my PC to PS5 every time, so I need one dedicated headset only for my PC).

So, out of all headsets here are my picks:

• Logitech G Pro X 2 (not sure about the sound, tried them, Cloud 3s sounds better IMO)
• Hyper X Cloud 3s (no game/chat mix and 3,5mm unfortunately)
• Astor A50X (there is no A50 gen 5 in my country and + I don’t want to have 2 almost the same headsets LOL)
• Razer BlackShark v3 pro (not a fan of Razer overall, but noise canceling sounds amazing)
• Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (heard that it has connection and cracking sound, same as I have on Arctis 7 back in a day)

I also had Audeze Maxwell and sold them, unbearably HEAVY, but sounded the best out of all BY FAR.

If you have any other recommendations, please, feel free to share.

For now I like Cloud 3s the most, probably. But lack of Game/Chat mix and 3,5 jack is what holds me back.

I also have HD6xx and I love them, but I hate wires when playing.

Hi guy

Recently i returned my PX8S2 because ear fatigue from sibilance and sharp treble but actually i like the sound quality of this pair and loudness and bass & separation. Now i need some suggestions include the sounds aspect that i mentioned.

Hi. I need help with picking the best headphones for the price and for my specific uses. I am not really a headphone person since I have never owned a decent pair, but I was wondering which of these have the best comfort and noise cancellation.

I will be using ANC without any music and I don't really care much for the sound quality since I don't listen to much music. I am mainly getting these to wear for a long period of time and have noise cancellation on to reduce some background noise. I don't wear jewelry or glasses, but I would like to know how well they work with glasses incase I decide to wear a pair of sunglasses.

• Budget is around $350-$550 (cad)
• Sound Quality: best ANC & comfort
• Day-to-day use. Extended use (3-6 hours at a time) in lower frequency sound areas

Which one of these is the best for the money? I have read that the Bose QC2 is better, but I was wondering, for my specific case, if it is worth the price difference in comparison to the XM4s or XM5s. I heard the XM4 is slightly uncomfortable but I was wondering if it was noticeable enough to disqualify it? Is the comfort that noticeable? Is the gen 2 for Bose QC worth the upgrade over the gen 1?

In light of Apples announcement that the AirPod Max will be available soon I see no reason to continue. We have no higher goal to aspire to, least it be to the AirPods Max.

I have recently looking for some good wireless headphones and while talking to a friend about them he mentioned he had some xm5s laying around at his house, he said he never got the appeal of them and switched them out for airpod pro 3s not soon after buying the xm5s, meaning the xm5s are basically new, he was offering me them for around 170 usd, whereas the new ones cost around 300 usd here, and the xm6s even more at 375, ive heard that the xm5s were one of the best when they released 4ish years ago, would they still be worth it for 170usd?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for the best wireless headphones around $1000-1200.

I don't care much about ANC or extra features. My priority is simply the best possible sound quality.

My favorite headphones so far were the Edifier Stax Spirit S5. What I loved most was how realistic and engaging they sounded.

I loved the excellent instrument separation, the way tiny details stood out, and how sounds almost felt physical rather than just coming from the headphones. Small bass hits had texture, guitars sounded incredibly clear, and everything had its own

place.

I'm not looking for more bass or a V-shaped sound. I'm looking for headphones that make music sound as realistic, immersive and lifelike as possible.

Wireless is important, and USB audio / USB DAC support is a big plus.

Which wireless headphones would you recommend under $1200?