Curated: Headphones
Ever since I really discovered music I have been obsessed. First, by soundtracks from video games like Megaman X, Sonic, Final Fantasy, then by TV & Movies like Dragonball Z, The Lion King, A Goofy Movie, moving into radio mainstream like N*Sync (fun fact, no strings attached was the first album I asked my parents to buy me), Oasis, & Eminem, and finally learning that my now very religious father was once a metal head and discovering Metallica, Nirvana, The Scorpions, and Linkin Park. Now, by no means do I have a masters in the history of music, to this day I continue to learn the roots of where a lot of my current favorite artists draw inspiration from, but my fascination with music continues to evolve, even reaching into technical audio production and creation, not just music.
I can rarely be found without some form of headphones on me, even if I don’t have them on or around my neck, 9/10 times I have some earbuds tucked away in the breast pocket of my jacket or some over ear headphones in my bag. Many of my friends took notice, and I even made a video on the current headphones I had on hand. As such, I started becoming a point of reference when someone was in the market for a new pair of headphones for the office, to deter conversation, for web/phone conferencing, for commuting, you name it.
So, I decided, why not write about my current recommended headphones for those different purposes? This serves as the inaugural post in my new ‘Curated’ series, hand picked by yours truly. Maybe the name will change. I just picked something and I’m going with it. So without further ado:
Overall Choice - Jabra Elite 65t
I have been using these earbuds for a little over a year, and while I used to swear by Audio Technica bluetooth headphones, the 65t pair quickly overtook those and have become my go to daily drivers. They’re comfortable, have multiple ear bud tip sizes, they’re true wireless, you can take calls, and most importantly, they sound great. Now, the highs can cause a little bit of ear fatigue at higher volumes over a long session, but not enough to be a real problem. They’re still very crisp and no harsh distortion at max volume. The mids are nice and robust, and the lows pack quite the punch for such small drivers, mostly driven by it’s in ear design.
They also have active noise cancellation, although they won’t fully block out noise in the cabin of an airplane. For that purpose, however, I’m carrying a different pair of headphones that aren’t exactly suited for everyday carry, but something to keep in mind. Because of this, they do have an external mic that allows pass-through outside sounds via it’s app, which is very convenient when commuting so you are aware of your surroundings, or simply want to be able to hear someone speaking to you while you work. On top of that, the app has an equalizer so you can modify the sound profile to your liking. These earbuds rival even the AirPods Pro at a $100 cheaper price point, and are really only rivaled by the Samsung Galaxy Buds. For my money, these are the headphones to pick up if you are in the market for some new daily drivers.
Runner- up - Samsung Galaxy Buds
Speaking of the Galaxy Buds, they are my runner-up choice. Honestly, it’s very close but there are a few things that makes me choose the 65ts over these. They are nearly identical when it comes to sound quality and feature set, but the sound pass through is harsher on the Galaxy’s and makes outside noises sound a little more robotic. To the point that I personally recommend keeping that feature off, which isn’t exactly great when you’re commuting or out and about. The bass is a little weaker, and only carries an android app, so you’re out of luck as an iPhone user.
On top of that, the app doesn’t offer an equalizer, so some things to consider. Don’t get me wrong, still a great pair of wireless earbuds, and if you are an Android user on a tight budget, saving the extra $20-$40 over the Jabra’s is still a solid choice.
Upgrades - Audio Technica ATH-M50x
These are not my daily drivers, but they are my personal favorite headphones. I swear by these. They’re wired, so better suited to sit at your workstation unless you don’t mind a fairly long audio cable going into your phone pocket. But that’s not really their purpose. These headphones have a flat sound profile. Meaning that they don’t favor any sound frequency. Which makes them perfect for audio production and why you will find these in even high end production studios. At this price point, they simply cannot be beat. If we’re only looking at comfort and sound quality, I dare you to find me a better pair of headphones. These regularly outclass headphones at sometimes even twice the price. So if you’re ready to take your music listening experience to the next level without breaking the bank, these are the ones to get. Sure, bluetooth is making improvements but put these on, go in a quiet room, plug in, and experience the birth of your inner audiophile.
In fact, these are the very headphones I’m using right now to write this, and are the ones I have plugged in to my home studio set up. They’re simply that good a headphone. The cables are detachable so there’s even a bluetooth device attachment, so if over ear headphones are more your style, you can take these on the go, especially if you don’t care about the typical on the go features like taking phone calls, or active noise cancellation. They are closed back, so there is some natural cancellation, but the no frills, straight forward style of these is partly why I love them so much. Get these if you’re ready to take the next step.
Budget - Sony MDRZX110NC (headphone) or Shure SE112-GR (earbud)
I’m going with 2 options here because some people prefer headphones where others prefer in ear buds. Both of these are wired but offer OK noise cancellation, and under $50, that’s difficult to find. These are about as cheap as I’m willing to recommend because once you go under $20, to be perfectly honest the quality of sound is interchangeable and you’re barely getting an upgrade over the out of box pair you get with your phones.
So, the Sony’s here I personally like the sound quality more than the Shure, but that’s natural as headphones have bigger drivers to drive better sound, but since some people are looking for convenience with earbuds, the Shure is a good compromise. Both of these will provide you with a noticeable upgrade in sound when moving from standard out of the box earbuds, but start suffering at higher volumes and the Sony’s tend to favor bass which may muffle some sounds, where as the Shures have a little brighter audio so at louder levels there’s a bit of distortion. Nonetheless, these are solid budget headphones that I recommend.
Boujie gang - Sony WH1000XM3
You’re ready to drop $300 for some really good sounding headphones, that are also wireless, and have potentially the best noise cancellation at this range. 30 hour playback, built in mic, ergonomic, comfortable, and fantastic sound quality. Don’t get the Bose headphones for your flights. Get these. These are as close to full noise cancellation as you can get. For the uninitiated, the experience can actually be a little disorienting, so only get these if you’ve already experienced some form of noise cancelling or are ready for a literal physical reaction while you adjust. There are no buttons for controls, but the touch controls on the backs of them are intuitive, and covering the right ear cup to listen to someone coming up to you is such a nice touch. On top of that, they aren’t ugly as a lot of headphones in the higher end range tend to be. The biggest thing here is great sound quality with all the bells and whistles to show off.
For you readers that really want to deter conversation, block out the world, and aren’t afraid of the price tag, get these. There’s a reason they’re so highly rated across the internet and constantly on top of lists. That said, they’re likely overkill for the average listener, so if you’re only thinking about buying these for the clout, just get Beats Studios instead, they’re lower quality, sure, but you can at least be flashy with a color of your choice.
I’m leaving the comments open on this one, so if there’s a specific use case you’re looking for, let me know and I’ll try to recommend something for you.
