So my old pair of earbuds broke, and I'm looking into buying some new ones. Quite possibly even two, a pair of buds for running and headphones for regular use. I'm wondering if anyone has any good headphone/bud recommendations for me? No, I will not be using them for gaming, so please don't suggest gaming headsets. I've looked at skullcandy, as I've used my friends pair before and I thought they were pretty great, but I just wanted some other opinions.

Don't buy Skullcandy. They bloat the bass in everything.

 

I'm assuming you don't have a portable amplifier. And I'm guessing you are using a lossy format with your music.

 

Do you want Earbuds or IEMS? Here's a quick link to tell you the difference. Or are you looking for full-size headphones?

 

What is your budget? I can think of things from less than $20 like the JVC Marshmellows with the Kramer Mod to $1300 with custom JH13s.

 

Do you have a musical preference?

Don't buy Skullcandy. They bloat the bass in everything.

 

I'm assuming you don't have a portable amplifier. And I'm guessing you are using a lossy format with your music.

 

Do you want Earbuds or IEMS? Here's a quick link to tell you the difference. Or are you looking for full-size headphones?

 

What is your budget? I can think of things from less than $20 like the JVC Marshmellows with the Kramer Mod to $1300 with custom JH13s.

 

Do you have a musical preference?

 

Nope, i don't have a portable amp.

 

And I'm looking for a pair of IEMs for when I run, but also a pair of full sized headphones (that cover the ears) for when I'm lounging about.

 

Budget isn't really set, but $35ish for the IEMs and 70ish for the Headphones is about as high as i'll go.

 

Music preference is...well...not really set. It ranges from metal (like Five Finger Death Punch) to rap ( mostly Eminem) to alternative (like dashboard Confessional). Sometimes even some Death Cab for Cutie if the mood strikes me. Just generally looking for a good all around headset, something that can put out some bass for when I want a rap beat, but won't leave the vocals in the dust for something like Death Cab.

 

Hope this helps.

For IEMs I'd look into:

Soundmagic PL30

Sennheiser CX300

Head-Direct RE2

Nu-Force NE-6 (These would be my choice, I ran and went to the gym with these for around 2 years before I upgraded).

 

For full-sized headphones I'd look into:

Grado SR60i or SR80i - These are pretty much made for rock, I'm just mentioning them because at the price point they are pretty good. They have a little more bass and mids than the MS1s and present the music in a front-row kind of way. Hard to explain, I like them but not for rap music. They sound phenomenal with rock/metal and things of that nature. I personally love the Grado Sound signature. They are open headphones so other people can hear what you are listening to.

 

Alessandro MS1 - It's pretty close to the Grado sound signature, but a little brighter. It does better with other types of music like Jazz and classical and not just rock like most Grados. They are open headphones so people will hear what you are listening to.

 

Sennheiser HD555 - These are fairly neutral, the bass is there but it's pretty far behind the mids. These are also open headphones.

 

Denon 1001k - Closed headphones will generally give you more bass and keep your music to yourself. These are probably my favorite closed headphone in the sub-$100 price range.

 

Audio Technica A700 - Closed and in the price range ballpark. Pretty decent soundstage, a lot of people like them.

 

Sony MDR-V6 - These are pretty popular studio headphones, they are closed. These do well with most things, they don't have a very large soundstage though so classical music sounds off.

 

That should get you started. I'd read reviews and impressions from other people on Head-fi, Amazon and the like.

Fooman, you won't be able to fit Grado's in a computer, they have hi-fi jacks, not iPod jacks. The very large majority of computers won't come with them.

 

 

OT:

It depends on how much you are willing to spend. I myself would recommend Sennheiser's, Bose or Beyerdynamic.

Alright, thanks much foooman for the recommendations. If anyone else has something to add, feel free, otherwise that's all I needed.

Fooman, you won't be able to fit Grado's in a computer, they have hi-fi jacks, not iPod jacks. The very large majority of computers won't come with them.

 

 

OT:

It depends on how much you are willing to spend. I myself would recommend Sennheiser's, Bose or Beyerdynamic.

 

Most Grados actually come with a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. And even if they don't you can buy one for less than $10.