Headphone recommendations needed

[Ralph Kramden]

I'm looking to spend $60 max. on full size headphones for home theater, at night. How picky do I need to be for home theater? Any recommendations? Also, who stocks a good selection in the area? I looked at the Guitar Center today in Brookfield. Thanks.

[Mark Strube]

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sennheiser_HD497/4505-6468_7-20145920.html?tag=prod.txt.3

I got mine at CompUSA and I love them. Not sure where you'd find it (besides online) now that they're closed, however.

[markd]

I like Senns a lot.  I have a pair of HD 280 Pros that I use for audio but they were a little more than $60.  I have an older pair of Koss (support local companies :rock: ) that I don't use as often anymore since my wife bought me my Senns.  For TV watching, I'd assume you won't hear a big difference in phones ranging from $50 - $200 so comfort should be a top priority.  I agree that you should purchase online as you'll get the best bang for your buck when shopping in that price range but that also brings about the catch 22 since you can't always test em out :bang:

Personally, I'm fortunate that my Senns are very comfy to me since they were a gift.  Buying headphones for yourself though is like auditioning speakers, you need to take em for a test drive.  Does Flanners carry many cans?  What about the audio place that used to be in Bayshore mall but moved north off of Port Washington (I was only there once)?

-mark

[Ralph Kramden]

Thanks guys. I forgot about Flanner's. These are not going to be for watching TV. I want to use these at night occasionally(when everyone's asleep) with my projector, and plug into my receiver.

[StarvingForHDTV]

You could try looking around Koss's website:

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/cas?openform&st

They used to have a store attached to their manufacturing on Port Washington Rd. near the Home Depot.  I don't know if that store is still open or not.

Good luck.

[jkane]

Headphones for a Home Theater?  To me that just isn't right!  I don't want to watch TV on a 13" screen, and I don't want to be limited to only 2 small channels of sound!  I want to hear the fight scenes move around me.  I want my sub woofer to shake the whole couch.  star-wars-smiley-023  Screw anyone who didn't want to stay up late.  :p

[flash]

HERE is a good review of the Sen HD 280 Pros and has some great information with regards to headphones.

Amazon has them on sale for $79

[sp44again]

HD 280 Pros are great. That's what I use.

[brewtownska]

I know I'll get bashed here on sound quality issues, but I have 2 pairs of Senns that are wireless that I use periodically.  I know wireless are not going to be as good as wired in the sound quality department, but to me the conveinence outweighs that for me.  Both my Senns have 3 channels they can run on, so both sets could be used separately by 2 different people with 2 different sources, or they can both be used TOGETHER on the same frequency to listen to the same source.  My girlfriend and I have use them before to watch movies when the roommate is sleeping, and it allows us to have the volume up as loud as we each like without bothering anyone.  I also found myself using them outside while shoveling snow a few times this year.
I bought both of them as refurbs online.  I can't remember the exact model numbers, but they're both from the same series.  I think they had an 85, 65, and 50 from one year, so one of mine is the 65 and one the 50.  The 65 was better for me...comfy around the ears and locks in the sound well.  The 50's are not as comfy as there is padding that actually sits ON the ears instead of creating a cup around them.  I think the Senns that are available now are probably better and cheaper.  I think the 85 model included some surround sound effects.
Just something to think about in case you can think of other uses for them besides just for the home theater at night.

Mike

[sarusk]

Being within 20 minutes of Koss headquarters, I would be hard pressed to buy anything but Koss in that price range. The warranty cannot be beat. Recently I took a pair in that I purchased 15 years ago that no longer worked. They did not test them or ask any questions, and offered up a new pair immediately.

[Ralph Kramden]

Thanks sarusk. Is the store at the same address listed on the website, 4129 N.Port Washington Road? Also, I've been reading numerous Koss reviews on Amazon since reading your post. There were quite a few people stating that their Koss headphones broke due to poor quality, plastic, etc. Is the Koss quality that bad? Can you listen to the headphones at Koss before buying them?

[markd]

I don't think they have a store at their Port Washington building but I could be wrong.  I went there years ago, wanting to check out headphones and there was nothing there for me.  I ended up getting a pair at their Summerfest tent since this must have been summertime anyway.

Their quality isn't too bad.  Like I said above, I was happy with mine until my wife thought I needed new headphones for some reason and bought me my current Senns.  My Koss phones have been sitting on a shelf for quite a while now and when I picked them up the other day, the ear cushion coverings are totally cracked.  I'm not sure what that shiny leather looking like think membrane is over the foam but it's pretty much shot.  I was going to do some research and find out what I can do to get a new pair (hopefully).

-mark

[murdoc]

I'm almost sure the Koss store is still on N. Port Washington Rd.  You can see their billboard from the freeway.  That said I've had a few pairs of Koss headphones, and they all broke within a year of owning them.  Granted I was using them on the bus everyday to and from high school some 10 years ago, so they might have gotten better since then.

[markd]

If you're talking about the joint by Home Depot, that is their corporate headquarters or something like that.  That's where I went about 10 years ago for headphones and found out that it was just the business and they didn't actually *sell* anything there.

[pretzelkid]

J & R has the Senns HD280 for 79.99 with free shipping and I believe no sales tax when shipped to Wisconsin....