Ok so I've never been a headphones kind of guy, I've always had the little ear plug ones. After seeing some of you obsess about headphones in IRC (m0o) I've decided that it might be a good idea for me to see if I can enhance my music experience. I would like you guys to suggest some headphones to me based on the following information.

I live in Australia, I don't mind buying them off eBay, budget is minimal, looking for a good pair of beginners headphones, style isn't an issue but it may decide in a tiebreaker.

If you recommend a few different sets could you please go through the specs and why this is better than that and so on, as I am a complete n00b when it comes to this stuff.

I listen to Metal, Hardstyle, Hardtek, Trance, Happy Hardcore and Trip-Hop, anything that you guys can contribute will be most appreciated.

Go here and forget everything you ever thought you knew.

or here http://www.head-fi.org/forums/ and I am sorry for your wallet in advance

though as a beginner id suggest Grado SR80i or Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 (I own these) ($100-$150) and if want you really cheap and ok stuff - buy KOSS Porta Pro ($40-$60) though there are really too many people in my city wearing em.

Head-fi can suck my ass. Except Patrick82; that guy is literally hilarious.

So, m0o has informed me that unless I know why I need closed that I should not get closed, which has lead me to believe that I should find out what closed headphones are needed for or I should look solely into open headphones.

m0o what does one need closed headphones for?

Simply put... You need a closed design when:

• You're in a noisie place: Because you can't hear shit with open designed headphones when you're in such places... like public transportation (buses, trains, trams, subway, etc).
• You're at home and your mother or wife will kill you if the sound coming from your headphones continues to prevent them from sleeping

Closed = Very little to virtually no sound coming in from outside/going out from inside of your headphones.
Open = The shit you're listening to will inevitably be listen by those who are around you and/or you'll have trouble listening to your music because the noise outside will "pollute" the music coming from your headphones. Only good for quiet atmospheres like home, sweet home...


The problem with closed design is that they usually have more trouble moving the air that's needed to create sound, therefore the sound quality of the closed design may not be optimal like the one produced by headphones with an open design.

I have the Sennheiser HD 555 (bought it for 85,20€) and I recommend it to you if you don't need headphones with a closed design.

genkisudo, do u use HD 555 out of doors?

Of course not. They're open design I wouldn't be able to hear shit inside the train or I would annoy the shit out of the passengers right next to me because of the sound coming out of the headphones like if they were a damn speaker lol. Plus they're circumaural, they're too big I would totally look like a retard outside. They're for my "lounge" sessions at home. hehe

I just use Skullcandies... 10$

use SkullCandy and nothing else, unless you are a very hardcore listener. SkullCandy makes many different types, in ear, around ear, and the full clip on ear thing wich is wierd. very good sound and range anywhere from $10-$60.