r/headphones Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk

Budget : <300$ CAD

Source : Android phone, Thinkpad laptop (work), Chromebook (personal). Spotify for music, Audible for audiobooks, YouTube and Netflix for video, Zoom for meetings.

Requirements for Isolation : headphones will mostly be used inside quiet house on a dead-end street (I live alone with tenants upstairs). Would like something that cuts down on normal, everyday noises, like the tenants vacuuming, garbage truck making the rounds, etc.

Will you be using these Headphones in public : Very sparingly. May wear them on a walk, or on intercity train a couple time per years.

Preferred Type of Headphone : full-size

Preferred tonal balance : I don't know ? I'd guess balanced ?

Past headphones : whatever earbud I got with my phones, a cheap pair of bluetooth earbuds for running and a hand-me-down pair of Beats that I hate.

Preferred Music : mostly punk and metal, with a hefty dose of classical and opera thrown in the mix, but pretty much everything in between also. From hip-hop to Top40, audiobooks and ambiance/lofi music when I work, I listen to about everything except jazz.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up : something I can wear for long meetings at work, right now I'm wearing the Beats and they hurt my ears. Wired earbuds limit my range of motion too much and my bluetooth earbuds can't do a whole day on Zoom before the battery die. Also something I can wear on the couch or in bed just chilling alone listening to good music.

Location : Canada.

Extra requirements : Decent built-in mic is a must. I don't care if they're wired or wireless, as long as the wire is long enough or removable so I can swap it out for a long one when using it at my desk. If wireless, then USB-C is a must. Also nice to have but not mandatory, I'd like if they'd look good as they will be on display since I don't have a lot of storage. My personal style is very sleek and minimalist so something that could reflect that if possible.

I was looking at either the Sony WH-100XM3 or XM4 but have a hard time shelling out that kind of money for headphones whose main feature is ANC, which I don't think I need.

/r/headphones Thread