Headphones for Programmer

[Nasa]

Hello,

I hope this is the correct forum, if not, mods please move it.
I am looking at purchasing a set of headphones to use at work while I am programming.
Here are some of my requirements:
Price: < $50
Listening: Music, podcasts, streaming tv shows
Type: On ear/over ear/ ear buds doesn't matter
Noise cancelling: not a requirement but would be nice, hard to find at this price point I would assume

Must be comfortable, I know this is YMMV thing but would be nice to hear some good feedback.
I have noticed the Koss portapro are very well reviewed, anything else?

Thanks for looking and sharing.

 

[Eeyore]

I don't know, but I would be interested as well!

 

[Purplemonkey]

+1 to the Koss Portapro's, they are comfortable and sound good. It will be tough to beat them at under $50

 

[xxvaleria]

I have a set of Klipsch S3m earbuds that I got from Best Buy for about the price you are willing to pay. The sound is excellent, and they shut out ambient noise extremely well. They are very comfortable, and the cords don't tangle.

 

[Pattorashu]

MEE makes a killer lineup. I have a few of their headphones and they're great.

http://www.meelec.com

Skullcandy is pretty good, but you pay a little for the brand. Comfortable and accurate. Plus sometimes you can find them at Ross, or Marshalls, for around $15-20

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sr_1_1_...=2530438011?ie=UTF8&qid=1381688008&sr=8-1-acs

Sennheiser is a little less comfortable in their lower end range, but sound really nice.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1?rh=n%3A172541%2Ck%3Asennheiser&keywords=sennheiser&ie=UTF8&qid=1381688041&rnid=2941120011

 

[Shoe City Thinker]

I'm one of those DevOps guys. I recommend either the Grado SRi 80 or the Bose MIE2

 

[AABCDS]

I haven't tried the Monoprice earbuds but for $5.99 through MassDrop.com, you can't go wrong! I've ordered one pair.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/monoprice-earbuds

I'm in for a pair to try out. I also really like these JLabs that I got for $9.99 through Amazon. I've got the Etymotic ER6i and the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10s and the JLabs give the other two pairs a run for their money.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RWJD7A/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jtb]

I'm a DBA (used to be a developer many years ago), I've been using Skull Candy buds that work pretty good. They also have a mic and vol control for use with my phone.

 

[SiBurning]

You don't mention that you care what they sound like, and if you're willing to use buds, that's a given. So don't follow my advice. But I'll give it anyway...

If you're using them at work, and you listen at anything above a whisper, you probably need closed headphones to keep it quiet for everyone else. Unfortunately, every closed headphone ever made pretty much sucks. Beyerdynamic makes the best, but they're all out of your price range. Sennheiser owns the low end of the price spectrum here. They're generally very well made (i.e. sturdy) and sound better than anything else for the money. Stick to the HD201 or 202. Don't bump up the price to get a better model like the 280 because you're getting into other companies' territory there and start losing value. See if you can find a store where you can put them on and see if they're comfortable enough. Prices don't vary a great deal on Sennheiser headphones, so it should be worth the trip to a brick and mortar.

 

[arthurdl]

At your price range one of your best options is Koss Portapro, Grados are my favorite, but leak a lot of sound.

 

[Nasa]

Thank you for all the feedback. To answer some questions, I have my own office so not really considered about some sound leakage, I would like something that sound good but I am not an audiophile. I have ear buds now (broken) I would like to try something different unless there is a good deal out there. Some of the suggestions are out of my price range, I know they may be better quality but just can't afford it right now. I would love to try the Grado, but they are too expensive and hard to deliver to Canada.
So far I have found the following:
http://www.amazon.ca/Koss-Porta-Pro...=1381756481&sr=1-1&keywords=koss+portapro+ktc
http://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-202-Professional-Headphones-Black/dp/B003LPTAYI

What do you think?

 

[YetiDave]

Sennheiser CX300 II - brilliant earbuds

 

[YetiDave]

You don't mention that you care what they sound like, and if you're willing to use buds, that's a given

You can get great sound from earbuds!

 

[Luke49783]

I'm not exactly a programmer anymore, used to be, but I still spend large amounts of time immersed in what I'm working on and don't like being disturbed. My preference has always been the big over-the-ears ear muff style head phones. Nothing says "leave me alone, I'm working" like a pair of those. Plus they tend to sound better than buds and are very comfortable.

 

[rearviewmirror]

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Wireless-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B0052YFYFK

I like these. Wearing them now. Connects to my PC and my phone.

 

[blary54]

Audio Technica- M30 $55 dollars at amazon. Great headphones for the money.
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technic...778595&sr=8-5&keywords=audio+technica+ath-m50

 

[Dondoh]

Head-fi.org is the Badger and Blade of obsessive headphone users. You might want to wander over there to save some money.... :


http://www.head-fi.org/

 

[Dondoh]

Great advice on the closed back phones too. Open back phones are better, but you'll be sharing your horrible taste with everyone in the office. In ear monitors are way better than ear buds, but some folks can't tolerate bits of rubber jammed deep into their ear canals. You have to fit them tightly to get proper bass response, but if you do they can be pretty swell. And there are some decent very cheap IEMs. Porta-pros are nice too, and nerdy lookin' as the day is long. I love Grados and own a pair, but the volume outside is the same as inside....
There is also a metric crapton of bad equipment available at any price.
Head-fi is your friend here. I bet you didn't even know you needed a dedicated headphone amp did you? How do you feel about tube rolling? Recabled phones? You're going to save so much money!

 

[SiBurning]

Thank you for all the feedback. To answer some questions, I have my own office so not really considered about some sound leakage, I would like something that sound good but I am not an audiophile. I have ear buds now (broken) I would like to try something different unless there is a good deal out there. Some of the suggestions are out of my price range, I know they may be better quality but just can't afford it right now. I would love to try the Grado, but they are too expensive and hard to deliver to Canada.
So far I have found the following:
http://www.amazon.ca/Koss-Porta-Pro...=1381756481&sr=1-1&keywords=koss+portapro+ktc
http://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-202-Professional-Headphones-Black/dp/B003LPTAYI

What do you think?

I think you should find a local shop so you can listen and try them on for comfort. IF you'll be wearing them all day, you really need something relatively comfortable.

If you still want to just order something online, the porta pros will be more comfortable than the Sennheisers, and the issues with the design (folding, hair catching, etc) won't matter much in an office environment.

 

[SiBurning]

You can get great sound from earbuds!

Plus or minus an octave.