Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with headphone

Who knows where to find bizarre headphones?

coolguy#1 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:50:38 -0800

Today I saw a guy wearing what looked to be a pair of headphones that resembled a half-box on his head. Rather than curved plastic, the headphones met at 90 degree angles. Has anyone else seen these and/or know who manufactures them?

Motorola S9 Headphones - Hard Case?

intrigued — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:51:59 -0800

I need a hard case for my Motorola S9-HD Wrap Around Headphones. They came with a cloth pouch, but I need something solid to protect the headphones from being crushed while in my bag. Does anyone in the MiFi crowd have these headphones and a hard case, or know where I could buy one? I would even be willing to pay to have a case made.

All thoughts are welcome!

- - -
Photos of the headphones:

Here is a link to the Motorola site:

http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Consumers/global/flash_content/microsites/s9hd/index.html

And a few random google image results of the headphones:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS315US320&um=1&sa=1&q=motorola+s9+hd&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&start=0&imgtbs=z&imgsz=m

Repairing the iPhone headphone jack fastener?

Ian A.T. — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:49:07 -0800

iPhone 3G: The little silver ring around my iPhone 3G's headphone jack has gone missing, and now headphones don't stay in the jack...they just slide right out. The jack still works--if I press down really hard on the headphone connector, sound comes out of the headphones--but as soon as I let up the headphones come right out. Everything else on the phone works fine. What are my options for getting this repaired? Maybe my Google skills are weak, but I can't find anyone else online who's had this problem, so I don't really know what to do. It's out of warranty, but I don't mind paying a reasonable repair bill. But where should I take it?

1. The Apple Store. The closest one is about an hour and a half away, which isn't that bad of a drive and I could have lunch with friends, but is this even the answer? Would I have to leave my phone there and then pick it up again in a week, or could they fix it that day?

2. The local AT&T store. If this is really a viable option, I'd be glad to do it, but I don't want to lose time or my patience by dealing with AT&T if I don't have to.

3. The local authorized Mac repair place, whom I've happily worked with before when my MacBook Pro had a faulty fan, but do these repair shops even deal with iPhones? And yes, I'll call them in the morning to find out, but I'm curious if it's desirable to go this route even if they do.

4. Nowhere, and fix it myself. Apparently the part is available for purchase (1, 2, 3) but unless one of you is like "Oh I did it and it's totally easy, you just pop it in" I'd rather just pay someone to fix it for me.

What is the signature sound of Grado headphones?

kenliu — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:59:32 -0800

What is the signature sound of Grado headphones? Are they ok for listening on an iPod, specifically for electric bass (not rap music). I play electric bass guitar, and I am looking for a good pair of headphones to go with my Tascam MP-BT1 bass trainer, which is basically a specialized MP3 player designed for practicing bass guitar (you can play along with MP3s).

I currently use a pair of AKG K240M, which are great sounding in general, but they are high impedance (600 ohm, I think) and the bass is really thin when plugged into my bass trainer, even at max volume. I'm looking to spend around $150, and am wondering if a pair of Grados would work. I'm looking for strong bass definition but clear sounding, not too boomy (no DJ headphones here). Open back is fine, I'm not terribly concerned about sound leakage. Not sure what the "signature" sound of Grados is, but I keep reading that they are "rock" headphones...which to me means "punchy bass".

Also, I've heard that they are not particularly comfortable...is this still true? I could wear the AKGs all day. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

My "reference" headphones are Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10Pro, so that's the level of sound quality I'm used to, although this pair will really only be used for practicing music, and maybe the occasional video game/movie.

Seeking bluetooth headset recommendations

adamrice — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:27:41 -0800

Please recommend a Bluetooth headset that's good for both listening to music and talking on the phone. I plan to pair it to both my Mac and my iPhone (not at the same time). In-ear and on-ear are both OK.

Problems with earbuds

graventy — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:56:57 -0800

Help me stop destroying my iPod headphones! I listen to a lot of music/audiobooks/podcasts using an iPod, and a pair of earbuds. About every 6 weeks or so, if not sooner, the earbuds start to fail, and need to be replaced. It always seems to be a wire problem at the area near the jack.

Is there an easy way to fix these old sets of earbuds, or something I can do to prevent further breakage? Or, can you recommend a good set of earbuds that'd stand up to lots of abuse and use.

Headphone jack Snapped Off Inside Laptop

zzazazz — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:55:11 -0800

I have about a quarter of an inch of a headphone jack snapped off inside my laptop due to a manic dachshund. Can you recommend a tool I can use to get it out? I've tried very small tweezers but I can't get in there. I attempted to open it up but stopped when I got to the point I didn't know what I was doing.

Dollar Store sucks

BrnP84 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:18:12 -0800

Did this cheap POS from the dollar store really just break my computer headphone jack? I bought a 1/8 to composite cable from the dollar store and when I went to hook it up to my receiver nothing happened. My computer didn't seem to be affected, there just simply was no sound going through the speakers so I just assumed the cable sucked. Than I went to hook up my computer speakers back up and they don't work now. I used the computer speakers literally 5 min earlier and they worked fine, the power lights are on and I'm pretty certain they are in good working order. I have Apple care but did this cheap ass cable really just break my headphone input?

Save me from the audio snake oil salesmen.

jlowen — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:46:07 -0800

I am a budget headphone audiophile with $250 to buy myself a toy. I do not want upgrade my amp or source at this point, would the AKG 701 headphones be a wasted investment? My current setup is an iTunes library full of lossless audio feeding a Headroom total bithead (amp/dac combo) and a pair of Grado Sr-80's headphones. I am attracted to headphones because they provide a much more affordable and accesible audiophile listening environment than speaker setups. Now that the Akg 701 headphones are dropping in price to less than $250, I am very tempted to snag a pair.

I've read alot of reviews and am becoming very tired and distrustful of the sonic snake-oil that seems to be passing for advice in audiophile message boards. Many in the community claim that you need thousands of dollars worth of amps and cable upgrades to create a quality listening environment. I have never seen a decent review of any audiophile grade product that took into account the law of diminishing returns or any measure of restraint.

The fact is that I am never going to upgrade my source past lossless digital audio files and I would very much not like to buy another headphone amp or DAC. Given that would it be a foolish waste of money to buy the Akg 701's? Would I notice any improvement over the Grado cans I already own?

playing with myself

jak68 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:44:50 -0800

need recommendation for headphone amplifier for an electric guitar... I need a tiny headphone amp (rockman style) but I havent played in a while and dont know what sounds good out there. Mostly I'm playing rock and blues (blues to REM to black sabbath). I was looking at "Dean Stack in a box" and the rockman (whats the difference between 'guitar ace' and 'metal ace'?). Of course I'd like something that can at least approximate tube amp punch. Anyway so any recommendations? The Dean stack is only 30 bucks (cheaper the better!) at amazon, does anyone know how it compares to rockman? Are there any other brands out there that I need to consider?

Thanks!!

Phone in your answer, please.

Gordion Knott — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:22:25 -0800

I love my Sennheiser HD 580 headphones, but the cord gets tangled around my chair. Could I switch to cordless headphones with no loss in sound quality? Usually, I listen to iTunes mp3s and watch videos on the computer as I'm wearing the phones. No high-end sound sources, in other words. The Sennheisers have been more than adequate to the task.

I'd like to switch to cordless headphones, but is the quality degraded by the cordless feature?

If the degradation isn't measurable, what solid, circumaural headphones can you recommend? I spent a sliver less than $200 on the HD 580s, and if I can stay in that parameter--especially with a new pair of Sennheisers--I'd be happy.

Wireless headphone recommendations for an iPod, please!

Twicketface — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:01:06 -0800

Recommendations needed on wireless headphones for use with an iPod. My dad has had it with constantly having his headphones tugged out of place when working in the yard/workshop. I'd like to surprise him with a set of nice (but not too expensive) wireless headphones he can use with his iPod. A search here yielded results from 2004, so I'm hoping that someone(s) here have more recent experience/success with particular models/brands. Thanks in advance!

Can I fix my Macbook's headphone output?

Dorri732 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:25:21 -0800

My Early 2007 Macbook makes a continuous popping sound (through the headphone jack) whenever anything is plugged into the headphone jack. Audio plays normally through the built in speakers, but only the thumping/popping sound through headphones or external speakers. It seems similar to what's described here, only just the opposite. If I plug headphones in when no music, ect. is playing, nothing happens. However, when any sound tries to play, the thumping sound starts and continues until I unplug the headphones.

It happens exactly the same whether on battery power or AC. It is also not location dependant (probably not interference).

I am pretty sure it's a hardware problem, as it happens exactly the same when running Windows XP as when running OSX 10.4.

I'm not afraid to tear into it if it's something I can fix, (decent soldering skills) but I don't really know my way around the inside of the Macbook (yet).

Google searches turned up a lot of problems with popping through the headphone jack, but they all seemed to be sporadic, with the normal sounds playing fine. They suggested resetting the PMU by removing power cord and battery, and pressing power button for 5 seconds, then starting it back up. Didn't work.

Tell loud headphone users on mass transit to turn it down?

shivohum — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:49:30 -0800

Have you ever been riding on mass transit next to someone whose headphones are so loud you can hear them several feet away? If so, do you ask them to turn it down?

Using Ipod Line-Out

jimmyjimjim — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:07:17 -0800

I'm an old stodgy audiophile finding myself forced to resort to iPod, but I want to make the most of it. First of all, I'm looking for a solution that will allow me to use line-out audio on my ipod (5th generation), and simultaneously charge via AC. Does such a thing exist? Also, what's the standard audiophile solution for on-the-go listening? Headphones into mini-preamp into dock, I'd suppose?

give me stereo or give me death!

yonation — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:18:42 -0800

easiest way to replace the headphone jack in my iaudio x5 portable mp3 player? i have a two year old iaudio that works well except for its headphone jack. it plays audio in to one ear with no problems (usually the left). to hear music in stereo, however, i have to push the headphones all the way in and then push down, so presumably the contact at the top connects. then it sounds perfect. this is quite annoying and i dont want to buy a new player. i have limited soldering experience, but is it a matter of opening up the player and doing something simple?

BONUS: does anyone live in the brooklyn, nyc area and has done this kind of thing before???

Deep in-the-ear earbuds that don't leak sound.

grumblebee — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:01:41 -0800

I'm looking for cheap, deep-in-the-ear earbuds for listening to audiobooks. The sound quality doesn't have to be great, because I won't use them to listen to music. I want cheap ones, because I inevitably break headphones, and I don't want to have to spend $100 every month. On the other hand, I'm willing to spend $20 a month if I have to. In-the-ear, because I don't want to keep my wife awake with "leaking" sound. I listen audiobooks when I have insomnia, which is way too often. But if there's even a tiny bit of noise leakage, my wife complains. The only solution I've found is that sort of earbud that sticks way in your ear canal. There's no leakage, and I can keep the volume really low and still hear.

My full-bodied (enclose-the-ear) headphones don't leak, but they're too uncomfortable when I'm lying on my side, which is what I mostly do in bed. Only earbuds seem to allow me to lie on my side.

For whatever reason, I'm finding it harder and harder to find earbuds that go deep inside your ear. I live in NYC, and all the ones I see are those ones with the little round buds on the end. Those leak too much.

I've tried expensive ones, but they're not worth the $ if you're just listening to audiobooks. Also, I'm careless with them. I break them and lose them.

I thought I found EXACTLY what I was looking for at Radio Shack. Deep-in-the-ear headphones for $10 (I got a better deal than what you'll see via the above link). I figured they'd be crappy and that I'd have to replace them, but I'm fine with $10 a month. So I bought about five of them. And -- no joke -- they lasted about three days each! After that point, the sound kept cutting off, and I had to constantly bend them and put rubber bands around them to get any sound out of them at all. I guess you get what you pay for.

Feel free to suggest other solutions or talk me into expensive headphones. I want a solution, and I'm willing to think outside my box.

Requirements: no leakage. comfortable when lying on side. inexpensive (in the long term).

Does this alarm clock have a headphone jack?

tomwheeler — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 14:25:30 -0800

I'd like to find an alarm clock that supports playing MP3 files through a USB drive or memory card. I found this one which seems almost perfect. But does it have a headphone jack? The specs and pictures don't show one and the only company that seems to carry this model can't be bothered to confirm it. Can anyone say for sure if this model has a headphone jack? Alternatively, is there another alarm clock that can play MP3s from a memory card/USB drive that does have a headphone jack?

Wanted: headphone adapters that don't resemble crowbars

flabdablet — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:43:18 -0800

Can anybody help me source headphone adapters that won't break all my headphone sockets? 70 school computers, 70 sets of headphones. Headphones have 6.5mm stereo plugs; computers have 3.5mm stereo sockets.

Everywhere I look for 3.5mm male to 6.5mm female stereo adapters, I see these solid one-piece units with a 3.5mm prong on one end and a 6.5mm hole in the other. I don't want to use these in the school, because the combined leverage of a 6.5mm headphone plug plus a solid-body adapter makes it far too easy to snap off the 3.5mm plug end and/or damage the socket it's fitted to.

Does anybody know of a reliable, preferably Australian, source for adapters consisting of separate 3.5mm stereo plugs and 6.5mm stereo sockets with a short length of cable in between? Please tell me I'm not going to have to end up hand-soldering 140 connectors myself!

Where do I get foam for my cans?

russmail — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 09:09:07 -0800

I need to replace the approx 3" diameter foam discs on my Beyerdynamic headphones - the ones that sit between the baffle and the driver. There's no information on the Beyerdynamic site, and I had this problem with Sennheiser before - these things are damn hard to come by (I know that Sennheiser make spares, but finding the ones that fit your cans is another story). Can I just make my own? Where would I go to buy thin foam that would feel nice pressed against my ears on a daily basis? Any other suggestions?

Good headphones

daninnj — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:14:04 -0800

Help me find some good quality headphones that are small but tough! I loved my Sennheiser PX 100 headphones that have been recommended on here a few times. They sounded awesome for the size, but were flimsy and I went through two pairs because the wire or the plug started to break (The wire would always get caught on things and start to pull apart after a while). Instead of getting another PX 100, I would like to get more sturdy headphones (The cheap headphones that came with my mom's CD player had an L plug instead of a straight plug the PX 100 had and had a thicker wire) that sound good. I prefer them small and over the ear like the PX 100 but am also open to other types and slightly bigger headphones. Any suggestions? My budget is $150.

Laptop Front Audio Input Concerns

Overzealous — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:56:02 -0800

Are front headphone jacks on a laptop computer a real pain? I need to get a new laptop and several of the models I like have the audio jacks right under the mousepad, directly where my palm would go when I'm mousing.

Any heavy headphone users out there have one of these models? Is your headphone jack always in the way? Is this the only spot left on a notebook computer to put an input?

headphone amps?

vronsky — Sun, 13 May 2007 18:19:19 -0800

A friend recently gave me a pair of used Sennheiser HD - 600 headphones. Plugged directly into the back of my computer they sound very meh. So I'm guessing they need an amp. What are some of the best at the best price that will work with my computer?

headphone hiss

dearleader — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:07:28 -0800

I was listening to a jazz CD on my Linn Classic, through a pair of Sennheiser HD-280s, and am noticing a static hiss when the music goes quiet. Does anyone know if the headphones might be shot, or if there's something to do with the source, or if any way to fix it? I'm guessing the disc wasn't recorded with that much ambient hiss in it, though I could be wrong...

Ostensibly replaceable component filter

moift — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:49:20 -0800

Where can I get a replacement cord for my Sennheiser 497 headphones? Doesn't have to be official, I think any cord that fits the description of stereo mini jack to dual mono mini jacks would suit (all connectors male). I broke the end of the original and shoddily repaired it by splicing in another stereo jack but would like something less ghetto if I can ever find a seller.