So I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones. I currently use a cheap set of Creative in-ear phones and they are good, but not anything to brag about. I really want a nicer set of headphones, so I set out with a friend to Best Buy to try some out and we found these two models:
The Sony's are ridiculously comfortable, and have great bass performance IMO. The SOL REPUBLIC's are slightly more expensive, but also have a cooler and slimmer look (think Beats by Dre) and (the Sony's have HUGE cushions on the earcups, so it looks weird when you wear them). As for sound quality, the SOL's were above average but seemed like it lacked a tiny bit in bass.
I listen to a lot of bass heavy songs, rap, hip hop, and rock if that matters.
Should I go for the Sony's or the SOL REPUBLIC's? Any ideas gdgt people? Which do you recommend?
I know these are terribly expensive and may be out of your price range, but they are the best headphones I've ever worn in my entire life. They retail for $150, but you can probably find them cheaper at somewhere like Amazon or Ebay. I'm not lying, best headphones ever.
As to the ones you listed - the Sony's have great ratings on Amazon, but they are very eye-catching. If I saw someone walking down the street in those I would 1) worry for their safety because I doubt they can hear anything else, and 2) maybe chuckle a bit at the sheer size of their headphones (the Sennheiser's aren't much better).
The SOL's look really nice, but I can't find them on Amazon to check their reviews. At any rate, it comes down to what sounds the best to you, even if they look ridiculous. I mean, the Beats by Dr. Dre look ridiculous too and they aren't even the best headphones, yet the're generally accepted in society so why can't the Sony's be too?
Thanks for the reply, Chris! Yeah, I was actually looking at phones in the $100-$200 price range, and I found the Audio Technica ATH-m50s (the highest rated headphone on amazon) but they were $150 and that's just a little bit too high of a price for me at this point. So based on that, the AE2's are probably out of the question.
However, those Sennheiser's are really nice looking. I'll look into them.
If you're considering open, instead of closed, you may enjoy some Grado sr60i or sr80i cans [ gdgt.com/grado/sr80i/ ] -- they've been around for years, and are considered to be some of the highest-quality cans you can get for the money. It looks like some folks have marked them down for 'Sound Isolation' -- but as Open earphones, that really isn't what they're meant to do anyways [ www.head-fi.org/t/367229/closed-vs-open-headphones ].
SOL REPUBLIC's headphones are hip and the band is basically indestructible. They are also the first headphone to be modular. The sound is worth the price! you should try them out.
Wait did you just say the SOL's lacked bass? Must have been a defective pair. I bought a pair of SOL after I went to best buy and tried every single pair on display. I never heard of the SOL but I thought they sounded best for my price range. My only problem with them is, not as comfortable as I would like, and at low volume the bass drowns everything out and makes it sound like the speaker is behind a curtain or something, so you have to listen at medium/high volume or mess with your EQ, They were perfect for Hip Hop but for R&B I had to turn the bass down. I returned the Tracks and I'm waiting on the HD Tracks, I think they are going to be worth the extra 30 bucks. I like the idea with the band I'm not worried about breaking them.
