Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones NEWEST MODEL
QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Bose® QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones --For those who prefer a compact on-ear design and a rechargeable battery, QuietComfort 3 headphones offer a proven combination of Bose noise reduction, audio performance and comfortable fit. Enjoy full-spectrum noise reduction that dramatically reduces engine roar--and fades background distractions at work and at home, too. Bose quality sound reveals nuances in your music you might have missed. And the soft-cushioned headphones stay comfortable for hours. Earcups fold flat for easy storage in included case.
I decided to cheap out earlier and bought a pair of Sony NR headsets for $30 and change. They seemed pretty good but on flights, the NR wasn't good enough - way too much background noise. Finally I decided to man up and get the real deal. And boy, what a change (for the better)!
With the Bose headsets, NR means NR, they ain't kidding about when they say NR, absolutely no background noise on the flight. My quick thoughts on this so far:
- You haven't heard true HD sound if you haven't heard it on this headset. And the sound is not like bass or treble heavy, it's just crisp and you can hear every water drop and every single instrument being played. And NR works great both ways on this headset - the surrounding noise is almost cancelled out completely for you when you're using the headsets, and the sound of the sound from the headset doesn't carry out of the headsets either. I can listen to music or movies at a fairly high volume and the person sitting next to me won't hear a thing.
- The leather trim around the headsets makes them extremely comfortable to wear. I wear them on 15-hour flights and don't feel any strain by the end of the flight. My ears or head don't hurt because of the headsets and the plastic strap. They truly are made for comfort.
- It comes with airplane adapter so you can turn it from a single 3.5mm audio cable into one that fits in the airplane sockets. The cable is also detachable completely from the headset, which I actually find very useful when I want to doze off and not be bothered by surrounding noise. You don't realize how effective the headsets are till you take them off and realize how much of background noise they were eliminating!
- The only one downside of this headset is that it runs on a AAA battery. So I always need to make sure I have fully charged batteries with me at all times. I carry rechargeable batteries (Sanyo Eneloop are the BEST) with a charger. So if I do run out of battery, I can always charge it on the flight itself. ON a full charge of the Eneloop AAA, I am yet to run out of battery on a 15-hour flight.
Yes, these headsets aren't cheap but they are worth every penny. Bose puts so much research and effort into developing their products, I have absolutely no reason to complain!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sennheiser HD 598 Audiophile Headphones with High-Gloss Burl Wood Accents
In a hurry so I will try to be quick, but thorough. Forgive the lack of proper structure but I think you will find the review quite informative.
I think it would be quite helpful to do a comparison. In contrast to the 598s, the HD555 are quite affordable to most for a beg head fi headphone, and they do sound good. Also, yes the foam mod "works" when done on the 555 in that it opens up the headphones, bass is more prominent but still remain tight (this is a popular mod that is well known in the head-fi community).
The 558 mod (foam removal) will NOT make the 558 like the 598. It will make the bass somewhat heavier/looser (slightly overlapping the mids) which some may find as a negative.
The casings where the drivers sit are different and the drivers are tuned differently.
The sound on the 555 is laid back and the 555 is not as airy and open as the hd558 or the 598. The 558 is also laid back and darker than the 598s.
The 558s and 598 are more refined and the frequency is smoother throughout relative to the 555s; the 598s are undoubtedly more refined than both the 555 AND the 558.
The 598s are brighter than the 558, the 598 are awesome for vocals, that is, the vocals are more up front and pleasant (especially awesome when listening to female vocals, I love my Adele :)and piano (awesome with piano), the 598s definitely shine with classical music as well. The 598 also excel in a wide genera of music including pop, jazz, classical, jrock, jpop, acoustics.
Bass is weightier on the 558s and tighter on the 598s (tighter bass is what I prefer, I like the tight punch). Not only is the 598 relatively bright when compared to the Senn signature, but it is funner to listen to as its mids are more forward than both the 555 and the 558.
The 598s have a Grado approach without the treble being overly sharp.
Like others have said, and I concur, the 598s def open up/come alive when coupled with an amp/ decent DAC. But at 50ohms, an amp is not necc to drive these babies.
A number of audiophiles have stated that: The sound from the hd598 are UNMATCHED by ANY other headphone. AGAIN, that doesn't mean they are better than, for instance, the hd800s but rather that they are unique, nonetheless, a notion is to be taken in a positive way.
Comfort is great on both the 558 and 598. BETTER than the 555/595. If you call Senn they will tell you that the clamping force is the same BUT I as well as a couple of others I know all agree that these are MORE comfortable, you pretty much forget that they are on your head (that says a lot especially because I wear glasses and I'm really sensitive to the pressure in that area).
If you are going to be playing electronic, house, metal then these headphones may be a bit slow for you, they could use some speed. If you want that, then I recommend the HD 25 1 ii. DO NOT get the hd25SP (easily mistaken since the picture is incorrect on amazon.com). The hd 25s are closed back, awesome for portable use and the no.1 DJ headphones in the world. They are also used by the broadcaster in NBA, NEWS etc (their version has a special mic attached of course).
If you were to do a AB testing bw all 3 like I did, you would definitely notice the difference, the HD598 is the clear winner in my estimation.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT and thus should be noted, as stated by another reviewer there has been incidents in the past where there has been cracks that have been formed on the headbands of the 5xx series. Although Sennheiser essentially ignored the problem for several years they have INDEED taken corrective steps in manufacturing as of last year to prevent this. Further, they come w/ a two year warranty replacement and Ive heard pretty good things about the CSRs there.
Lastly, is it just me or do you guys also cringe when people/"reviewers" complain about sound leakage when reviewing an OPEN BACK HEADPHONE.
This headphone is an amazing product. I've used Sony XD400 and Bose Triports before. I'm not an audiophile. I just use it for listening to music and movies. It sound so great...so spatial....one word its heaven. It has controlled and well defined bass. Bass does not overwhelm mid/treble as in XD400. Sound leaks out but as advertised it is open headphone, so ofcourse it does. I can hear everything so clearly. Only thing is, the pins provided does not fit iphone properly unless you hold with your hand.
I think it would be quite helpful to do a comparison. In contrast to the 598s, the HD555 are quite affordable to most for a beg head fi headphone, and they do sound good. Also, yes the foam mod "works" when done on the 555 in that it opens up the headphones, bass is more prominent but still remain tight (this is a popular mod that is well known in the head-fi community).
The 558 mod (foam removal) will NOT make the 558 like the 598. It will make the bass somewhat heavier/looser (slightly overlapping the mids) which some may find as a negative.
The casings where the drivers sit are different and the drivers are tuned differently.
The sound on the 555 is laid back and the 555 is not as airy and open as the hd558 or the 598. The 558 is also laid back and darker than the 598s.
The 558s and 598 are more refined and the frequency is smoother throughout relative to the 555s; the 598s are undoubtedly more refined than both the 555 AND the 558.
The 598s are brighter than the 558, the 598 are awesome for vocals, that is, the vocals are more up front and pleasant (especially awesome when listening to female vocals, I love my Adele :)and piano (awesome with piano), the 598s definitely shine with classical music as well. The 598 also excel in a wide genera of music including pop, jazz, classical, jrock, jpop, acoustics.
Bass is weightier on the 558s and tighter on the 598s (tighter bass is what I prefer, I like the tight punch). Not only is the 598 relatively bright when compared to the Senn signature, but it is funner to listen to as its mids are more forward than both the 555 and the 558.
The 598s have a Grado approach without the treble being overly sharp.
Like others have said, and I concur, the 598s def open up/come alive when coupled with an amp/ decent DAC. But at 50ohms, an amp is not necc to drive these babies.
A number of audiophiles have stated that: The sound from the hd598 are UNMATCHED by ANY other headphone. AGAIN, that doesn't mean they are better than, for instance, the hd800s but rather that they are unique, nonetheless, a notion is to be taken in a positive way.
Comfort is great on both the 558 and 598. BETTER than the 555/595. If you call Senn they will tell you that the clamping force is the same BUT I as well as a couple of others I know all agree that these are MORE comfortable, you pretty much forget that they are on your head (that says a lot especially because I wear glasses and I'm really sensitive to the pressure in that area).
If you are going to be playing electronic, house, metal then these headphones may be a bit slow for you, they could use some speed. If you want that, then I recommend the HD 25 1 ii. DO NOT get the hd25SP (easily mistaken since the picture is incorrect on amazon.com). The hd 25s are closed back, awesome for portable use and the no.1 DJ headphones in the world. They are also used by the broadcaster in NBA, NEWS etc (their version has a special mic attached of course).
If you were to do a AB testing bw all 3 like I did, you would definitely notice the difference, the HD598 is the clear winner in my estimation.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT and thus should be noted, as stated by another reviewer there has been incidents in the past where there has been cracks that have been formed on the headbands of the 5xx series. Although Sennheiser essentially ignored the problem for several years they have INDEED taken corrective steps in manufacturing as of last year to prevent this. Further, they come w/ a two year warranty replacement and Ive heard pretty good things about the CSRs there.
Lastly, is it just me or do you guys also cringe when people/"reviewers" complain about sound leakage when reviewing an OPEN BACK HEADPHONE.
This headphone is an amazing product. I've used Sony XD400 and Bose Triports before. I'm not an audiophile. I just use it for listening to music and movies. It sound so great...so spatial....one word its heaven. It has controlled and well defined bass. Bass does not overwhelm mid/treble as in XD400. Sound leaks out but as advertised it is open headphone, so ofcourse it does. I can hear everything so clearly. Only thing is, the pins provided does not fit iphone properly unless you hold with your hand.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Skullcandy Hesh Headphones S6HECZ-079 (Shattered Blue)
Fisticuffs with the boss could potentially be confused by some at the office as a sign of insubordination. Vigorous dancing on his desk with exotic facial contortions and frequent airborne double-bird fist pumping hand gestures while wearing Hesh headphones is probably a more diplomatic way of saying, Leave me alone so I can rock again. Features; Explosive 50mm Drivers Enhanced Parabolic Sound Soft Leather-Touch Ear Pillows Satin Travel Bag Specs; Speaker Diameter: 50mm Magnet Type: NdFeB Frequency Response: 18-20k Hz Impedance: 32 ohms Max Input Power: 100mW Cable Type: TPE, Braided Nylon Cable Length: 1.2m Plug Type: 3.5mm Gold Plated
I'm used to using the separate headphones where you rotate this awkward piece of plastic behind your ear because those are cheap, but I decided to buckle down and get some nice over-the-ear headphones because the original ones I'm referring to never seem close enough to my ears. I love the style and color; I feel like Skullycandy is all about expression. I read the reviews before my purchase and I took note that these leak sound (which is unusual considering the style), but I truly don't mind. I usually only wear headphones when I'm walking outside or at home, not in public places anyway. This product also comes with a pouch which is really neat; I just store these and my iPod in there so I always know where they are. I also love how the cord doesn't get tangled and ruined like most headphones! Whatever material they used for the cord is ingenious.
I'm used to using the separate headphones where you rotate this awkward piece of plastic behind your ear because those are cheap, but I decided to buckle down and get some nice over-the-ear headphones because the original ones I'm referring to never seem close enough to my ears. I love the style and color; I feel like Skullycandy is all about expression. I read the reviews before my purchase and I took note that these leak sound (which is unusual considering the style), but I truly don't mind. I usually only wear headphones when I'm walking outside or at home, not in public places anyway. This product also comes with a pouch which is really neat; I just store these and my iPod in there so I always know where they are. I also love how the cord doesn't get tangled and ruined like most headphones! Whatever material they used for the cord is ingenious.
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