Ask HN: What headphones are you using?

However I have shelled out for some "Iron Buds" on KickStarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legendary/earbuds-time-t...

and they are due to arrive any day. These are basically strengthened ear buds with interchangeable cords and ear pieces, making them less disposable and more rugged.

They're so clear that I could even hear a metronome quietly ticking in the distance during a guitar solo on Meshuggah's Catch 33. I'd listened to that album many times before, but I'd never noticed it until I listened with my Etymotics.

That said, the frequency response is very realistic. You're not going to get scooped mids with huge, muddy bass out of them. If you're planning on listening to hip-hop or dubstep then you'll probably want to look elsewhere. Shure and UltimateEars have some stacked driver designs which offer most of the benefits of the Etymotics, but with more bass. I haven't heard the UltimateEars firsthand, and I've only listened on a $100-ish pair of Shures. The mid-price Shure's are okay, bet they don't hold a candle to my Etymotics. Then again, the they're 1/4 the price, so that's par for the course.

The ER-4s also have phenomenal sound isolation. They're almost as effective as a pair of earplugs, even when you're not listening to music.

My only complaint is that the pair I had was a bit flimsy. One of the ear pieces actually snapped off in my ear (though I was drumming at the time, so I may have been asking for it). Etymotic repaired them free of charge, but they still feel a bit plastic-y to me. For the price, I'd really like them to feel solidly built.

Best headphones price-quality, hands down. Got them because a recomendation from a friend. Best recomendation ever made.

Even headphones in the multiple hundreds can´t compare to them at 60$. I actually bought a spare one ;)

They are very comfortable, even with glasses on, for any period of time. They are very effective at blocking outside noise, regardless of whether they're being used as headphones or earmuffs. They've lasted about three years, while all other headphones I have used didn't make it past the two year mark. I bought them for non-DJ use, but now use them for everything. DJing, Pandora, White Noise, movies, gaming (with a $7 Zalman clip-on mic), you name it.

headfi.org is probably the best place for advice, if that's what you are looking for. Nothing beats trying on headphones for yourself though.

Also, the noise dampening comes in handy in the data center. I mean, it's not so loud that short periods of time are going to kill your hearing, but over the years? yeah, I could see problems.

Also, I find I don't get fatigued as quickly in a data center with hearing protection.

But I use them for office work, too; it's not like I have 'golden ears' anyhow; these things are perfectly fine for listening to MP3 quality audio. I have clipped off the antenna; reception is shit most of the places I work.

My favourite phones would have to be Brainwavz HM5

Very clean and unbiased. Avoid these if you like overly harsh, bright, flat or the patented Sennheiser 'heavy mud bass .' Don't have much of an opinion on earphones, though. Just that they make me feel like an 80 year old with how little they give in terms of clarity & depth .

Edit: I also used to use Alessandro MS1, basically the Grado 125. If you like metal/rock, get these. My favourite brights. Not for the faint of ears...

I had issues with Shure's SE530s, and stumbled on a one-day special on Amazon for the SuperFi 10's for 20% of list price: never looked back. As in-ear phones go, they're the best I've ever had. I gather newer units have some manufacturing quality issues, but I've had mine for over two years and although I'm on the fourth cable (they're user-replaceable) and n'th set of foam tips, I'm very happy with them.

(Which is a good thing, because triple-driver in-ear phones generally cost an arm and a leg!)

I had a pair of cordless Philips with Bluetooth, again for sports, which were very handy; sound quality wasn't excellent though, they were bulky and would fall off too easily, so eventually I lost them.

My ideal headphones would be cordless, good for sports, noise-reducing, small and adjustable, fitting my ears without hurting.

I have had them since the end of 2003. These head phones are very good value for money. I have travelled with them and use them most days. Recently I replaced the leatherette ear pads but apart from that they are still going strong.

I use them every day at the office to muffle out background noise/conversations. They're also great when traveling, I commute into Boston once a month and they muffle out the engine noise of the bus pretty well.