Headphones with integrated mic

[Scottwaltonuk]

Hi All

i wonder if anyone can recommend any good headphones with integrated mic. Not in ear though as I have many problems with fit as I have freakish aerodynamic ears.

Cheers in advances

Scott

 

[quadpatch]

Most recently released headphones have that feature. Firstly what's your budget? Secondly what features do you most want from them? (Strong bass, Sparkly treble, Strong / build quality, Good comfort etc.

I will start you off and suggest these...

VModa M-80

 

[Scottwaltonuk]

Hi yes it would help if I stated preferences

Firstly I guess and mostly importantly around £100 mark

Then sound I prefer a good quality bass with my music

Cheers again

 

[dalethorn]

The M80 is more than £100, but one user I talked to recently found one for about £125. The extra money really counts in getting a superb sound quality.

 

[Scottwaltonuk]

Just checked them out £112 at amazon presently well in range

My range is a lot higher than my wife will allow though so I guess being sensible under 150 preferably

 

[quadpatch]

Well spotted on the Amazon deal . They only came down recently, were £160 before that and well worth it. I know they look pretty but they're not just designer rubbish like Beats, Skullcandy, House of Marley etc. These things sound amazing too. Since you mention bass I will stick with this recommendation for now. Is it a portable that you want?

You might also want to look out for the Audio Technica ATH-M50s (£133), they have a tiny bit more bass and more treble too. They're bigger so go around the ear but some people don't like the comfort on those either. I find them OK on comfort. They're very plasticy (unlike the metal VModas), but the build is solid.

I borrow the Audio Technica ATH-M50's from a friend at work sometimes. He prefers the M50's, I prefer the VModa M-80, could be becuase that's what we both live with. Dale will be able to say more about the comparisons between the two since he owns both.

 

[dalethorn]

The M80 bass is fairly neutral, but strong and solid. The M50 bass isn't as tight, but gets slightly stronger below 60 hz or so, and it's quite endearing. The M80's mids are very neutral, which the M50 is not. Much prefer the M80 there. The M80's treble is somewhat recessed, but with a treble boost comes up to hi-fi standard with no irritations, harshness, sibilants - i.e. near ideal. The M50's treble is recessed somewhat in the lower part and has some sibilants in the area just below 10 khz. Although the EQ'd M80 treble is far better I think than the M50's treble, if I had to live without EQ I would take the M50. But where you hear people say that EQ is bad and/or causes distortion and therefore the un-EQ'd M50 is a better choice than the EQ'd M80 - that's not true at all. Ya gotta listen and decide for yourself. And you will read many comments about comfort issues with the M80, so if you haven't seen it, watch Tyll in his demo of the M80 and how to bend the headband. It fixed my comfort issue perfectly.

Edit: I cannot EQ the M50 with my i-devices because the mids and treble are uneven, and it would help one thing and make another thing worse. The M80 is one of those rare items where a simple EQ actually works. But try without it, and if you get a sense of dissatisfaction with the sound over time, try with it before you give up. Most people just give up.

 

[quadpatch]

Thanks a lot for that Dale! I really must try EQ with the M80. So far I haven't done it and I still love them!

 

[dalethorn]

Thanks a lot for that Dale! I really must try EQ with the M80. So far I haven't done it and I still love them!

For me, it's one of those things that's at a tipping point - I needed just a tiny bit more treble for me and so I found the small boost from I-devices worked well. But many people with sensitive high-freq. hearing will be fine as is. I only mention it as much as I do because I can tell the highs are not as strong as many of the better hi-fi headphones, and a lot of people will try them and be dissatisfied without giving them a chance that way.

 

[Scottwaltonuk]

These sound spot on for what I need.

They will be used with my iPhone the vast majority of the time

Cheers for all the help

Now to find somewhere to actually try them out