Audio Gear

What is your audio gear?
I like to know so I can gain more information regarding my consumer decisions.

I use tritton kunai wireless headphones, they are multiplatform too.

I use Audio-Technica M50x. They are super comfortable and pretty well rounded in audio quality. Bass is a little weak in them compared to other headsets I have used. Also has a detachable cord which is 10/10 for that alone.

It's actually slightly bass boosted. I also own a pair of M50x as well as AKG K240s.

I am not an audiophile, I have not tried a lot of different headphones. Really the last one I remember are Steelseries Siberia V2 which no longer work. I'd say the sound quality was rather poor on those. I won't even bother reviewing them. Also my taste in music is rather bland (mostly hip hop, electronica). Therefore any comments I make on sound quality are probably useless to you.

Philips SHP9500

I use these at home. They're very comfortable. Build quality seems quite solid, I expect them to live a long time. Sound is "good", which essentially means, better than all the cheap garbage I've been using most of my life. However they're open-back. All your sound will leak out and ambient noise very easily leaks in. You can usually get these for under $70 USD on Amazon. Inexpensive, with great value.

Sony MDR1000X

These are my commute/work headphones. Not as comfortable as my Philips. I wouldn't say they're terrible but I wouldn't keep them on all day. The earcups can get a little too hot and they definitely clamp hard on my big head. I think my head is pretty big, at least for my body size. Build quality is questionable. It feels solid but you'll want to read my concerns below. Sound quality is even better than the Philips, sorry I can't provide much more reference than that. They're not cheap. MSRP is $400 USD and the cheapest I've seen them is around $315. If you can afford them they're very good for what they do but if not just save your money. I don't think they're worth it unless you have disposable income.

I bought this purely for the noise cancellation feature which helps a lot on my commute and sometimes if I'm trying to focus at home (kids playing outside, lawnmowers, weed whackers). Noise cancellation works pretty well. It will not block out everything. Listening to music at a fairly reasonable volume (around 30-40% on my Android phone) will block out most things that the noise cancellation won't. Some examples (with music): If someone is having a fairly loud conversation in the next room, I won't hear it especially if the door is closed. I sometimes don't hear my coworkers speaking to me if they're talking at a medium volume. I don't hear the hum of an air conditioner at all. Riding public transportation it blocks out an estimated 80% of engine noise and announcements (enough that I can still hear that there are words being spoken, but not enough to understand them).

Also they work on bluetooth and have some handy features like touch gestures and a built in microphone. None of these really make or break the sale for me though.

I've given the Bose QC25/35 a brief try at a local store. This can't be considered a fair comparison because I don't have them in front of me right now, but I think both the noise cancellation and the sound quality of the Bose are inferior to the Sony MDR1000X. However I do think the QC25/35 was more comfortable on my head.

Some concerns: I've seen a lot of reviews and reports that the headband can break on the side where the earcup is joined to the band. I have not personally experienced this issue in the 3-4 months that I've owned it. I can only assume that a lot of people are just not gentle with their gear. That said, you ought to expect better build quality from a $400 product. Take that as you will.

Also an updated version of this product will be selling in just a few days. I probably won't be upgrading though.

What is your audio gear with the headphone? That is the question now.