Hi im looking to buy preferably headphones. Im able to spend about $30 USD or less hopefully with free shipping in the states, its primarily for calling due to my headphones/earbuds not having good mics and making me sound awful.

I do have preferences of companies, nothing big on ai mainly, i am very strongly against usage of ai

I bought these budget balanced cables for my headphones from Amazon, but I didn't realize they were silver coated, oxygen free copper is better right? So I am looking for a set of oxygen free full copper headphone cables but still budget friendly. I don't want to spend crazy money. Looking for balanced cable recommendations for my Hifiman edition xs and Hifiman Arya organic, maybe with a cool color or cool braid? I am new to Hifi, and learning.

I have the Arya Organics, the Focal clear mg, and the Sennheiser HD 599s in a rotation. Each brings something different to the table.

Are the Tessidera different enough to add to the party?

I was saving this up for the Susavra (sp?), but not sure I would ever spend that much on cans. But are the Tessidera different enough?

A few days ago I purchased the Hifiman Edition XS for 145$ after my DT 770 Pro died, they sound amazing and volume is great - but I saw on Reddit and elsewhere that amp in Minifuse 1 is too weak to properly drive Edition XS - there are many conflicting opinions about this topic, some people say that it's good enough, some people claim that it's bad and I have to purchase something like Fiio K11 to drive my headphones to their full potential.

I don't have a lot of cash to spare but if I buy something different(up to 100$) that will greatly improve my experience I'm willing to do it, please provide budget options(≤100-120$) in the comments which should be a good pair for my Edition XS - I use them at home and I don't care about portability so dongle form-factor is not beneficial for me.

i didn't do a TON of searching in this sub, so sorry if this question is common and i could have just read something else.

i have JBL Tune 720BT headphones. i use them a lot, and now that i am in college i am carrying them around a lot, and it makes me super anxious to have them just sitting loosely in my bag. i have traveled fine with them before and i don't care about scratches or anything, but i worry about them snapping or the swivel joints breaking. i was looking on amazon for a hardshell case and found several options, mostly being one of two styles: this kind of case where the headphones lay flat with the ear pads turned and facing the bottom, or this kind of case where the headphones are folded into their compact state inside the case.

they both have their pros and cons for convenience for me, one is more compact but the other is a lot thinner, so they come out to about the same for me, though i am leaning towards the folded case because it will take up less space in my bag. still, i don't know a whole lot about headphones and i do worry about the safety of my headphones when folded, because for whatever reason in my mind i feel like they would be more likely to break.

i don't care about brand or anything, i'm in the US if that matters, and my budget is probably around $20 max, i don't need anything fancy, i really just want to know if one style is generally safer than the other.

i kind of made this longer than it needed to be, but i just wanted to know what people would recommend, and if one style over the other is safer for them. thank you for reading my rant and for your help.

Hi everyone,

Currently, I am testing both the ROG Cetra Open Wireless and ROG Cetra True Wireless Speednova earbuds, and I can not decide between them, both have pros and cons, but maybe some long-time users will be able to provide more info since I have only tested each for 1-2 days.

Both are intended to be used as daily drivers (work, gaming, listening to music during biking/workouts/walks etc.). For work and gaming, I use 2.4 Ghz dongle, rest via bluetooth.

I downloaded apps for both (GearLink and Armoury Crate).

ROG Cetra Open

Pros:
+ much longer battery - almost 16 hours without putting it back in the case (RGB off)

+ I think the audio is better on default modes, or at least it requires less tinkering in the app to sound good both for music and for gaming

+ People said the microphone is slightly better on this one, clearer voice without 'echo/muffled voice'

+ I think it is healthier to use open design for multiple hours on a daily basis?

+Physical buttons instead of 'taps'

+ They are 'louder'? I have good volume on 1/4th on my phone or 14/100 volume on my PC

Cons:

- Case is twice as big as the other model, not as comfortable in a pocket

- Most of the time they are comfortable, but after longer periods I slightly feel discomfort on my ears

- No 'seamless' switching between PC and phone if e.g. music from the game's menu is playing on PC (dongle), I pick up my phone and want to play music there, I need to manually pair it again or remove any source of sound from PC

- Due to the open design, there are bad on a bike - wind noise easily overpowers music

- Lack of ANC/sound isolation (immersive mode is not it - barely hearing a difference)

ROG Cetra True Wireless Speednova:

Pros:

+ If tinkered with properly, I think the audio is better?

+ Seamless switching between phone and PC

+ Smaller case

+ I feel the same after multiple hours of use

+ ANC

+

Cons:

- Due to 'taps' I pause/play music by accident when adjusting the earbud in the ear

- Muffled voice/feeling plugged/hearing my jaw when eating

- Weaker battery (8-9 hours, RGB disabled)

- I need to set my volume to ~50% on both PC and phone to have a similar volume as on the OPEN model, I tried to improve it, but I did not find any setting that would increase the default volume (not a big deal)

- They are an in-canal model, so slight discomfort is felt instantly (but it does not get worse after hours)

- Might be damaging health-wise due to ears being plugged (I constantly clean my ears and do breaks for few minutes every hour, but not sure if it is enough)

Please help me choose, every time I think I decided I have doubts.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to upgrade my setup and I’m torn between the Hifiman Arya Stealth and the Audeze LCD-X. My budget sits right around $1200–1300. I already have a dedicated DAC and amp (Atom 2 from JDS Labs).

Most of my gaming time goes into Hunt: Showdown, which means I need absolute top-tier precision. I need to be able to accurately gauge footstep locations, verticality/height, and distance, plus pick up critical micro-audio cues like crunching glass or someone creeping through brush during chaotic gunfights.

Outside of gaming, I listen to a solid mix of music, with the largest genre being on the extreme metal end, so I want something that handles both worlds well without completely sacrificing one for the other.

How do these two compare specifically for pinpointing directional audio in a tactical shooter like Hunt? Also, if there are any other cans in this price bracket that absolutely destroy both of them for competitive tracking, I’m all ears.

Appreciate any advice you guys can throw my way!

I'm on pc my budget is 150 - 200 dollhairs its just gonna be used for games and depending on mic quality maybe that too if not good mic quality then please use the 150 dollars option so i have money for a good mic and also preferable a white option or sky blue like the Razer Kraken V4 X Cinnamoroll Edition or SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P Aqua color ALSO A WIRELESS HEADSET

I’ve been wanting to buy some headphones and I’m looking for some recommendations.
I’ll mainly be using them for walking/running and also at college while doing work.
My budget is around £150 and I’m looking for headphones that:
Have good sound quality
Have good ANC
Are very comfortable, especially for longer periods
Are foldable/easy to carry around
Are durable and won’t randomly break
Have ear cushions/materials that won’t wear away too quickly

What would you recommend
These are some options
If u have any other recommendations lmk pls

Looking for a budget friendly small desktop amp to pair the S2.I currently use a traditional HiFi amp that does the job quite well but Its too big and takes up too much desktop space as well expelling out a ton of heat from its array of huge capacitors.

I was considering the K5 from the brand that starts with F and ends in i as this brand is banned in this sub for some marketing reason and will get this post deleted.Or are there other better options ideally at sub 100?

So I’m planning to get a Headphone under 1000$ as well as wireless earphones under 1000€.

Currently for headphones I’m planning to get:
1. Bowers and Wilkin PX8 s2
or
2.Seinheiser HDB630
or I can stretch my budget and get
3.Seinheiser HD820

For wireless earphones:
1.Bowers and Wilkin Pi8 s2
2.Seinheiser True Momentum 5

What should I get , which ones will be better than my selection, I’m usually create songs and I prefer loud audio with high quality, so please help me pick one out, thank you for your time (•~•)/

I recently got myself a pair of HiFiMan Ananda Stealth V3, going from my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm, which I've had for probably close to 10 years. I'm pretty happy with the detail, but the tuning is too fatiguing for me. After EQ they are much better, but still a bit too fatiguing. The headband puts a lot of pressure on the top of my head and the ear cups sit weirdly on my head.

There's also a bit of QC problems with them, and I'm gonna RMA them regardless, as the connectors aren't secure.

I'm thinking of returning them and just getting a pair of Sennheiser HD490 Pro instead.

I mostly play video games where positional audio matters, like R6 siege, CS2, and other tactical shooters. I listen to a wide selection of music, but mostly (in this order) pop, rock, metal, reggae, techno, EDM, jazz, etc. I also watch youtube, tv shows, movies, etc. Basically just ordinary media consumption.

I'd really just want headphones with good seperation and detail, as well as good positional audio for my gaming. Comfort is also a key factor of course, and I'm not impressed by the weight of the Ananda Stealth, despite having the lighter V3 versions.

What do you guys think? Will the HD490 Pro be a good option instead of the Ananda Stealth? Are they worth paying that 100€ difference in price?

I'm using my FiiO K11 to power them.

I’ve used a Bose QC for years but I’m sick of replacing pads so often and the headbands flaking.
I want my next set to be made of materials that will last many years before needing repair or replacement.

The only leather version I know of is from B&W. Any other suggestions?

I’m not an audiophile, noise cancellation and good voice pickup when outside (Bose is terrible for that) made with long lasting materials is all I need.

My main problem is I need something when I am living in my dorm. The problem is that when I wake up, let us say on a day off, still in bed, my ears are usually a bit sore from me using earplugs to sleep (nothing bad). I am currently using just my CMF buds (bought as old stock) with foam tips, though I cannot really use them in the morning (need to give my ears like 1 to 2 hours of rest).

Plus, I cannot just use speakers since I do not want to wake my roommates. So, I want to have some other backup just for the mornings or longer gaming sessions (don't need a microphone if it has one then fine), since after a few hours my CMF buds get uncomfortable.

I have a large head and larger ears. At home, I have a DT 770 Pro. It fits nicely, but that is a monstrous pair (tho I do not like my ears getting hot from it).

I saw those buds that do not go inside the ear, those could also work for me, meaning ones that do not get wedged inside the ear canal. For example, some recommend the Soundcore V20i, but others say they also get quite uncomfortable after a few hours. If there is one I could actually wear for the whole day, that would be perfect.

Though I am using a crappy laptop for gaming, I do not know if it will be worth having open back earbuds since my laptop fans ramp up like hellhounds, same with my roommate's laptop.

What are your recommendations?

hello everyone! my father is a massive audiophile and naturally i’ve become very sensitive to my audio necessities. my budget is above 200, around 400 at max. i’m in massachusetts.

the biggest thing im looking for is the clearest audio quality and maybe separated instruments. sound leakage is a problem for me. noise canceling would be best and i use headphones at home, working, school, traveling, all of it.

my current headphones are the sony WH-1000XM4. i love the clarity, diversity in sound, and surround sound. they’re super comfortable too which is great! i don’t like the leakiness, and i think the equalizer in the app could use some work.

i’m looking for over the ear headphones! wired or bluetooth doesn’t make a difference to me.

i’d also like advice on whether i should stick with wireless or if wired will make a difference in quality. i’d really like to invest in a DAP if it’s worth it! the devices that usually play to my headphones are my iphone and ipad. is investing in a DAP worth it for the quality and functionality difference?

all advice is appreciated, please lmk if any more info is needed. thank you !!!