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"Oh, good and gentle townsfolk of Locker C "... I've worn out the ear-pads on my Bose headphones. I've been looking around for a new pair. I like the "over the ear" cups (like we had in the 70's). Anyone out there have any suggestions for a new set? I'm looking in the $150.00 (USD) range. BTW, I've tried the "Beats audio" *just to see*. Garbage near as I can tell, and when I looked up the "idea" behind them I was a bit appalled.

Thanks!

My Bose over the ear headphones are pretty worn out too, but I still use them because they sound so damn good. I also bought their ear buds and they sound good "for ear buds". I also have a Lifestyle system at home, so you can tell I like Bose.

This page could be your friend:
http://www.headphone.com/selection-guid ... uctListing

HeadRoom are basically the go-to experts on headphone buying.

hatts wrote:This page could be your friend:
http://www.headphone.com/selection-guid ... uctListing

HeadRoom are basically the go-to experts on headphone buying.

Thanks everyone. The Sennheiser HD 518 looks very promising at $115.00. The HD800 looks like one mean 'mutha' but at $1500.00 a bit out of my price range. Great link Hatts, thanks very much.

tom wrote:http://www.akg.com/

The AKG K 142 HD reviews look very good as well. Amazon has them for $94.00. Sennheisers are $115.00. Having only owned Bose and Sony anyone have a preference between AKG and Sennheiser?

i second Tom's suggestion; AKG is excellent (austrian company )

sennheiser is also very good, i have had this pair for +10 years now, still doing fine:
(these are also great for mobile devices due to their sensitivity)

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/dj-headphon ... hd-25-1-ii

Reviews on the HD 25-1 II are very good, but higher than I'm giving myself for a price cap. If I had my way I wouldn't have a price cap; my wife thinks otherwise

maybe this can help ... there is a "cheap" variant of the hd 25:

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/dynamic-hea ... d-25-sp-ii

this one does not have the "dj-function" (simple headband, no tilt-able earpiece), i think sound wise they are identical.

i'd recommend to check it out in a store though if you can, comfort is an important issue with headphones..

Get the Grado sr80i! they are open-back so they sound amazing but they are also very natural sounding. Not good for public use as everyone would hear what you were listening to.
Go and audition them if you get the chance, they have won countless awards and honestly they are really nice.

I bought my first Grado's recently and I've been very pleased -- they are "on-the-ear" style, but the sound is excellent.

Here is a pair in your price range: http://www.headphone.com/selection-guid ... r-125i.php

I should mention, if you do decide to go with a Grado, they need a substantial break-in period to sound their best... for me they matured around 160 hours of use.

Best,
Jason.

bograt wrote:Get the Grado sr80i! they are open-back so they sound amazing but they are also very natural sounding. Not good for public use as everyone would hear what you were listening to.
Go and audition them if you get the chance, they have won countless awards and honestly they are really nice.

Would be okay for home use, but I use them at work as well. Then again, I use them when my wife is watching TV and I'm working at the computer. Seeing how's she put a limit on my spending, it could be fun irritating her with my music, "But dear, I have headphones on, I'm sorry if it's bothering you"...

Maybe you can just replace the ear-pads or re-cover them... Is it possible? Just thinking aloud.

Maybe I could... but then I wouldn't have the fun of getting a new pair

These are Bose TriPort OE. The pads are an integral part of the plastic and don't come off. Still very usable, but as I say time to try something new. One thing that they did with these headphones is to make the cord in three pieces; there is a very short cord coming right from the phones. Then another piece about 3 feet long and then another 20 inch piece. If you pull away fast instead of the phones getting ripped off your head the cord separates. Thoughtful design if you ask me; I wish others would follow suit. If you ever see a pair of these used and in good shape for short money try them out, it's a very suitable headphone.

I just remembered that I also had a pair of Sennheisers a while back. STRONG recommendation. One weak point with Bose is that a large portion of the price goes toward the name of Bose, while the actual performance of Bose products is extremely unpredictable. Sennheiser has always leaned toward the audiophile market and their price reflects reliably high quality, IMHO