Headphone Advice (On-Ear)

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

Just after some advice if possible. Two questions.

1. I'm considering selling my Monster Beats Solo HD headphones (White) and getting a new pair of on ear headphones. What do you think would be a fair price to sell these for? I have the instruction manual still, but not the box as I bought them whilst travelling from an airport and didn't have room to keep the packaging. I'm in London also, so pounds ideally.

2. What would you recommend for a new pair of on ear headphones? Budget wise, probably around £100 give or take, however would be willing to look slightly higher if absolutely worthwhile!

From reading reviews, I look the look of a few of the AKG options, the Harmon Kardon CL's and Sennheisers are usually a winner. Beyond that, I'm not really sure! I'm looking for the best sound quality possible, whilst not being too big (hence the on-ear rather than over-ear).

I'd also be very keen on a wireless pair if these are up to scratch these days, but again I'm not sure, would it be worthwhile?

Looking forward to your advice everyone! Thanks a lot!

Mike

 

[BenLaw]

I've been toying with a similar idea myself recently and the V Moda M80s look like a great option. There are a few very knowledgeable posters in this area who I'm sure will be on in due course

 

[Paul.]

Completed listings on eBay seems to be indicting between £70-£90 for the white ones, so I would advertise at £90 and expect £75 for a cash buy.

I saw some Bose OE2s in the John Lewis sale the other day for £107 (Bristol) so may be worth calling the London store. They also had the B&W P3 discounted as well. I love my OE2i, they are very practical as they fold up small and sound great. Im sure they can be beaten for SQ but not practicality!

 

[Anonymous]

I quite like the look of the B&W P3's. Seem to get a great review also.

 

[dalethorn]

The ATH ESW9a is a vastly better sounding headphone than the P3. It's even a lot better than the P5, and my wife gave up her P5 a week ago for the ESW9a. The ESW9a is $200 in the U.S., same as the P3.

 

[quadpatch]

The ESW9a is going to be quite a lot higher than the OP's £100 budget in the UK and ordering from Amazon US will incur another £30-40 on top for custom, vat and handling charge etc. My recommendation would be the V-Moda M-80. Not only does it look pretty and is built like a tank, but it's one of the best portables I've heard for the money. It's not as cheap as it has been on Amazon UK at the moment but it often goes down to about £110 and for that it's a bargain!

 

[Anonymous]

The M-80's look quite nice. They seem to be more popular than the P3's having read a few forums now, however on the reviews, the P3's seem to score higher, why is this?

How big are they also, as it's hard to tell from the pictures. They look a lot chunkier than the P3's, is this the case or is it just the photo playing tricks?

Are there any viable wireless options, or would the increase in price and loss of quality still be an issue?

More than happy to learn of any other models also if anyone has other suggestions!

Thanks for the help guys, really appreciated. I should probably mention also, the main use will be whilst travelling, hence the want of something without too much bulk.

 

[Anonymous]

What are people's thoughts on the AKG range and also the Sennheiser MM 400-X or MM 450-X??

 

[dalethorn]

The M-80's look quite nice. They seem to be more popular than the P3's having read a few forums now, however on the reviews, the P3's seem to score higher, why is this? How big are they also, as it's hard to tell from the pictures. They look a lot chunkier than the P3's, is this the case or is it just the photo playing tricks?

Quadpatch is right. And why the P3 scores high on forums is because of personal reviews like the one at headfonia. Just read the P3 review there for an eyeful of the most amazing job of dancing around the key issue I have ever read. But back to reality - the M80 sounds like a hi-fi headphone. The P3 is not that. The M80 is larger, in the sense that carrying a U.S. quarter in one's pocket is larger than a nickel.

I could describe the differences in sound in more detail, but the main issue is from the mids through the highs, the only really important sonic character of the M80 is a softness in the extreme highs. The P3 rolls off twice as much as the M80, requiring a treble boost (and inviting some raggedness in the process), and also has some unpleasant midrange colorations which the M80 does not.

In spite of my suggestions about the P3, I used it for nearly a month with acceptable results, and I think most people (if they are flexible enough) could learn to get along with its sound if they just made the effort.

 

[dalethorn]

What are people's thoughts on the AKG range and also the Sennheiser MM 400-X or MM 450-X??

Good wireless, good Bluetooth, maybe good noise canceling, but not hi-fi sound. Depends on what you want most.

 

[Anonymous]

So it seems the P3's get a bad rap from most people then really. I will give these a miss for now. I'll look in to the M80s a little more thanks to your recommendations. Wireless still seems to be the same problem as always, sacrificing quality for a little more portability, but in the whole scheme of things, it's only one small wire, so I'll probably look past these for now too.

Are there any other I should consider? Lets say the budget is between £100 - £200.

 

[dalethorn]

So it seems the P3's get a bad rap from most people then really. I will give these a miss for now. I'll look in to the M80s a little more thanks to your recommendations. Wireless still seems to be the same problem as always, sacrificing quality for a little more portability, but in the whole scheme of things, it's only one small wire, so I'll probably look past these for now too.Are there any other I should consider? Lets say the budget is between £100 - £200.

I have the ESW9a now, and have had two M80s right next to it for months at a time. The ESW9a not only sounds better, but is far more comfortable. It should be obtainable for £200. Saturday I ordered the $740 USD ATH ESW11LTD from Japan Direct - that's the kind of quality I think this series delivers. One possible caveat - the cables are thin, they are not detachable, and servicing for repair is an unknown for me, even though I lived next door to A-T's headquarters in NE Ohio for many years. So the M80 is the safest bet, and I don't know of another small on-ear besides the AT that can compete with it for sound quality.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone else have any thoughts or can recommend other models to keep in mind?

 

[Anonymous]

I managed to sell my Beats for 90!

So I've pretty much decided on the V-Moda M-80s (Unless someone convinces be otherwise). They are currently 109 pounds (white) and 114 pounds (black) on Amazon. Is there any reason why they would be priced differently? Should I be choosing one colour over another? I like both and am trying to come to a conclusion on which I prefer the look of, but just wanted to check if there was a difference technically?

Also, if anyone thinks I should be considering another pair of on-ear headphones between 100 and 150 pounds, I'd really appreciate it!

These are the links for the headphones. The model numbers for them are M-80 SHADOW and M-80-U-WPEARL. What does the U mean in the white pair? This is another thing that confuses me and makes me think it's a newer version or stock or something?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-MODA-Crossfade-On-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B007TRUY6C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357768605&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crossfade-M-80-Shadow-On-Ear-Headphones/dp/B005HSDLCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357768605&sr=8-1

Cheers,

Mike

 

[dalethorn]

I've had the V80, M80, and M80 in pearl white. The prices fluctuate, for what reason I don't know. They are all the same - the white one is very nice and the color perfect. It doesn't seem to accumulate any dirt or need to be cleaned. In my opinion the white M80 is the best looking headphone I've ever seen - much better than the B&W P5 or P3 for example.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Dalethorn, for all of your help.

I've gone ahead and ordered from Amazon for £109. They arrive with next day delivery tomorrow! Very excited! I saw a picture in another forum of the White M80s that someone had taken with their iPhone (Actually, it may have been you???) and that made my mind up. They looked far better in that picture compared to the marketing photo's V-Moda use, showed the colours a lot better.

 

[dalethorn]

I've gone ahead and ordered from Amazon for £109. They arrive with next day delivery tomorrow! Very excited! I saw a picture in another forum of the White M80s that someone had taken with their iPhone (Actually, it may have been you???) and that made my mind up. They looked far better in that picture compared to the marketing photo's V-Moda use, showed the colours a lot better.

I've seen some good photos and took a couple with my iPhone4s, but the camera doesn't really capture the color. You'll see. The M80 is a class act.

 

[Anonymous]

They just arrived. I am at work so haven't had much of a chance to use them. But initial thoughts, they look fantastic. Much better in person than on the photo's to be honest.

The sound.. Well after listening for only about 5 minutes they already sound miles ahead of the Beats Solo HD's I had. Clean, crisp sounding, good bass (haven't even used any EQ settings). One button cable works perfectly with my HTC Sensation (Android), haven't tried the 3 button, but pretty sure it will have problems due to Android.

Thanks again for your help! Very happy.

 

[quadpatch]

Great news! Another fan of the M80... so far at least. I'm sure your first impressions won't change much too. I'm gealous that you got the white one as I think it looks a bit better than the shadow. It's a shame they don't do matt like the M-100.

The three button cable works the same as the one button version on my phones. The only problems will be on devices that don't like tripple connection or if you use a generic 6.35mm adaptor, but that's the same with both cables as far as I noticed.