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I need help with a HEADPHONE recommendation, please . .


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Budget: $300

 

Parameters: Noise-cancelling with Bluetooth if possible or without it (if there are no good bluetooth headphones)

 

I know nothing of the headphone world.  These are for the college-age kid of a friend.  They obviously can't be top shelf, audiophile headphones, but I can imagine there might be some very highly regarded values in this price range with such specs.

 

Thanks,

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You might consider sacrificing the noise cancellation and Bluetooth in exchange for what might be fairly described as headphones for audiophiles who don't have much money or who don't want a super expensive pair banging around the airport.  PSB has a pair for $300 that give a passive noise-cancelling seal around the ear and will sound much better than those with the features you describe.  (Both active noise cancellation and bluetooth have a price in terms of both sound quality and dollars.)  I use mine on the plane, my son uses his on the subway--two thumbs up!  They're carried by both hifi shops and Amazon.

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2 hours ago, PeterG said:

You might consider sacrificing the noise cancellation and Bluetooth in exchange for what might be fairly described as headphones for audiophiles who don't have much money or who don't want a super expensive pair banging around the airport.  PSB has a pair for $300 that give a passive noise-cancelling seal around the ear and will sound much better than those with the features you describe.  (Both active noise cancellation and bluetooth have a price in terms of both sound quality and dollars.)  I use mine on the plane, my son uses his on the subway--two thumbs up!  They're carried by both hifi shops and Amazon.

Thank you. Can you pass the model number on to me, please.

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The newest Sony model has been quite well-received:

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-WH1000XM3-Canceling-Headphones-WH-1000XM3/dp/B07G4MNFS1

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

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15 hours ago, sockpit said:

Thank you. Can you pass the model number on to me, please.

 

Good news!  The price has come down (I'm almost certain that I paid $300 a few years ago, and they are in Wirecutter as a top choice for $300).  We have not had the durability issues mentioned, ours have been very rugged.  Also note that you can get the noise cancellation version for well under $300.  I still think you are better off without noise cancellation, even if both were the same price.  Rock on!

 

https://www.amazon.com/PSB-M4U-1-GRAY-Performance-Headphones/dp/B00AFUF2EE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544304019&sr=8-3&keywords=psb+headphone

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I’ve tried several noise canceling headphones, and when it comes to noise canceling nothing beats the Bose QC35 which I own.

 

I’m a very frequent flyer and it has literally changed my life shielding me very nicely from crying babies, engine noise and all the other pleasures of being surrounded closely by a lot of people. 

 

Now let’s be clear, while the Bose (now available as QC35V2) have a quite enjoyable sound quality, if you need neither active noise canceling nor Bluetooth you can obviously get significantly better at the overall SQ. 

 

At home I use among others the Beyerdynamic T90 which I bought discounted at the end of its life cycle for less than $400 and we are in a different league here. But these are open ended, no noise canceling to speak of and others in the room clearly hear me. 

 

The Bose‘s are the best compromise of all other features, if you need the active noise canceling

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