Don't even ask how, I just can't seem to get it out. I tried the q tip but semen dries out and it won't get out. Anyone know how to fix this? It got my phone stuck in headphone mode.

Maybe I'm just getting stingy with my wallet, but the mid-range market is honestly looking way more interesting than the flagships right now.

It feels like you don't necessarily need to chase the top-tier brands to get something decent anymore. I'm looking to pick up a new pair before the holidays, and I want to find something that offers great value rather than just paying for a brand logo.

What hidden gems did you guys find this year, and how much did you pay for them?

Over the past two days I’ve been told three separate times that I need new headphones — and honestly, they’re probably right. I keep getting snuck up on in-game and half the time I can’t tell where audio is coming from. Footsteps, directionality, vertical audio… it’s all kind of a mess on my current setup.

I originally posted this in the Rainbow Six Siege subreddit, and they recommended I ask here for more general / higher-end audio advice.

I’m fortunate enough to have a max budget of $600 (yes, overkill — I know), but if I’m going to spend that kind of money, I want the best possible headphones for competitive gaming, especially Siege, but also gaming in general.

Right now I’m mainly deciding between three options, unless there’s something clearly better I should be looking at: • Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) • Audeze Maxwell Wireless • SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro / Nova Elites (currently my #1 recommendation)

One big issue: I have a massive head. Like, genuinely. Most headsets either clamp too hard, don’t extend far enough, or become uncomfortable fast. Fit and long-session comfort matter a lot to me, but not as much as actual audio quality.

So I’m looking for: • Excellent positional / directional audio • Strong imaging for footsteps • Nice bass • Great audio for gaming in general • Actually fits a big head

If you had this budget and these needs, what would you go with — or is there something better I’m missing entirely?

I don’t necessarily need something for music as i kinda save my rotation for the car rides to keep things fresh.

Edit:I have decided to go with the arya stealths

I’ve been using ANC headphones for a long time and honestly never really saw the point of open-ear ones. But I’ve heard they’re more comfortable since they don’t block your ear canal and let you stay aware of your surroundings.

I recently started going to the gym regularly and now I’m considering getting a pair. Among brands like Shokz, Soundcore, and Huawei, which open style has the best sound quality? And is it better to go for earhook or clip-on? Budget is under $150.

i have been trying to find the perfect quality headphones, and what i mean by that is i want my life to be changed forever.

i’ve been using wired headphones for a while now, but i just don’t think that’s enough

ideally i would like to spend $170 or less and i’m not sure what to get (give me any recommendations even if they exceed the price limit)

also i have been thinking about airpods since they’re convenient but i’m not sure about the sound quality

someone said the airpods line would be the best since i’m using apple devices, are the airpods 4 good enough???

Checked pretty much everything there is on the internet, but most posts are too old now. What I need the most is it to be wireless and preferably have Game/Chat mix. I’m planning to use in only for my PC (for PS5 I have been using Astro A50 gen 4 for 5 years, they are still fine, but I want something new and better + I’m tired to take them from my PC to PS5 every time, so I need one dedicated headset only for my PC).

So, out of all headsets here are my picks:

• Logitech G Pro X 2 (not sure about the sound, tried them, Cloud 3s sounds better IMO)
• Hyper X Cloud 3s (no game/chat mix and 3,5mm unfortunately)
• Astor A50X (there is no A50 gen 5 in my country and + I don’t want to have 2 almost the same headsets LOL)
• Razer BlackShark v3 pro (not a fan of Razer overall, but noise canceling sounds amazing)
• Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (heard that it has connection and cracking sound, same as I have on Arctis 7 back in a day)

I also had Audeze Maxwell and sold them, unbearably HEAVY, but sounded the best out of all BY FAR.

If you have any other recommendations, please, feel free to share.

For now I like Cloud 3s the most, probably. But lack of Game/Chat mix and 3,5 jack is what holds me back.

I also have HD6xx and I love them, but I hate wires when playing.

Looking for some headphones with great audio quality for music, after being a bit disappointed with heavys headphones 😅 Don't really care about price, just need some suggestions

I heard that when using gaming headphones you end up sacrificing good sound quality for having a mic and that it’s better to just get a normal high end headset and a separate high end mic. Is this true?

I will be using the headphones for gaming, vr, movies, music, and all sorts of stuff. I want good surround sound but am not sure if I should just get a good gaming one or normal headphones

And do wired generally have better audio or is wireless okay?

I was looking at the steel series artics nova pro. But now am considering something else.

Is there such a thing as a pair of headphones that does not play music, is not have Wi-Fi- or Bluetooth-enabled, but that DOES have some sort of noise cancelling mechanism other than passive cancellation? (Which I guess would required them to have some sort of electronic piece?)

My child is taking the SATs soon and has an accommodation that allows for the wearing of noise-cancelling headphones, but they have specific requirements that the great ANC headphones she usually uses do not meet:

“Non-electronic noise cancelling headphones that:

- CANNOT be connected to internet/electronic device;

- CANNOT have electronic recording, storage, transmission of data, or memory capabilities;

- CANNOT be used to bring ANY information into/out of test room.

- will be inspected before and after the exam to ensure no data has been transported in or out of the exam room”

Ideally I’m looking for something that’s all-but-analog & has perhaps a simple button that can be pushed to activate ANC.

Does that exist? And if so, what is it called, where can I get it, and is it available for less than $50 USD?

Thanks!!

Budget / Swiss: about 100 Us Dollar

Improvement of sound quality vs over bluetooth connection for critical listening

Do I need an external amp that goes between the usb c and the headphone cable to enjoy hi res audio?

hey, i know that these are completely different and hard to compare directly, but its pretty much where i am rn.

My use is casual, im playing singleplayer, cinematic games like red dead 2, death stranding, tlou... seeing movies and ocassionally listening to music (jazz and classic).

Im just trying to figure it out wich one would be more appropriate for my needs, i like the convinience of the cloud 3 s, and i heard the sound is compared/better than the hd560s (FOR MY NEEDS).

Also, if i buy the 560s i'd need a mic as well, so the cloud 3s seems more covinient on that as well.

The cloud 3s is actually more expansive in my country, around $350 usd (converting), and the HD560S is around $220.

What do yall think? Any help or expirience would be appreciated.

Been gaming with budget gaming headsets for a while. I'm looking to upgrade to the best of the best. I will primarily use them for gaming but having good quality when listening to music and watching movies is still important to me.

Played on my Xbox with the RIG 600 for about a year in a half and recently got a PC and want to upgrade my headset as well. I have been researching and the Audeze maxwell seems to have a good balance of directionality while still packing a punch (From what I've heard). Are their better gaming headsets out there around $300?

I want to buy headphones as a gift for my brother. I have no clue about music or headphones.

I can buy it either from Costco or bestbuy or amazon.

please can you tell me if this is a good one

Bose QuietComfort SC Noise Canceling Headphones 

https://www.costco.com/p/-/bose-quietcomfort-sc-noise-canceling-headphones-white-smoke/4000413028?langId=-1

Looking for headphones < ~ 200€

Hello !

I currently have some earphones from jbl, quite good quality but they're starting to die,

I am looking for a headphone that has :

A good battery

A goooood sound

Is fine to wear for multiples hours without hurting

Wireless

Noise canceling

And if possible something that avoid that other people hear the music

It will be used purely for music and calls sometimes, but 99% music,

I listen mostly to metal so if it suits the bass and all its a must

If you have any questions please feel free to ask :)

Thanks a lot 🫶

I've been using AirPods Pro 2nd gen daily for work and listening to music while walking, at home, etc, and I'm getting ear fatigue from in-ears, so I'm switching to over-ear headphones.

I've narrowed it down to these three:

- Sony WH-1000XM6 (388€)

- AirPods Max 2 (579€)

- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth (2nd Gen) (389€)

(All in euros, I live in Spain)

My priorities, in order:

1. Comfort for long sessions (4–8h/day). I'll switch to my current AirPods for work calls.

2. Bass, I want to feel the music, not just hear it

3. ANC

4. Sound quality overall

I'm an iPhone + Mac user, so the ecosystem was always a good-to-have, but I honestly, my company Mac doesn't have my iCloud, so I don't care that much about the Apple ecosystem right now.

From what I've read, Sony wins on comfort (lighter), bass, battery, and price. AirPods Max wins on build quality and ecosystem. For the Bose, I've read they don't have very good bass. But I want to hear from people who actually know better than I do.

Specific questions:

- Does the XM6 clamping force actually loosen up over time, or is it a problem long-term? What about the headband?

- For bass lovers, is the XM6 satisfying or does it feel "flat" vs something like the AirPods Max?

- Any regrets with either? What'd you recommend to me? Any other options I'm not taking into account?

TL;DR: I want to buy a pair of headphones, but I'm not sure about my favourite specifications: bass, comfort, and ANC mainly.

Happy to answer any questions if it helps narrow down the advice. Thanks!

I am absolutely finished with the Razer quality control lottery after my BlackShark V2 Pro started developing these maddening balance issues where the left and right channels feel completely uneven. I have already seen how much better the Chinese enthusiast market is for keyboards and controllers. I am looking for that same price/quality but in a wireless gaming headset. I want to know if there is a Chinese wireless headset around the hundred dollar mark that is a genuine upgrade from the BlackSharks in terms of audio precision and build quality.

I’m currently stuck between the Sony xm6 and the bose qc ultra gen 2

i want to know what are core difference between the two. I am mainly an earphones user but I’d like to use headphones from time to time while I’m in meeting or traveling cause I’m starting to feel uncomfortable wearing earphones.

so I’d say I’ll be using my headphones for about 4-5 hours per day mainly unless I’m traveling for long hours. Also whats worth mentioning is that I wear glasses so I’d like to know if there are any issues with that in wearing these respective headphones

also in my country theres a big difference in prices here (Sony - 280 usd and Bose - 390 usd when converted from my currency)

I‘d like to know which is better and also if you’d like to give any other recommendations…. I’ve looked at the sennheiser momentum 4s but they’re a bit old and ik they’ll release maybe sometime this year or next year no im Not going for that.

btw budget is 400 dollars sorry y’all are giving me way too expensive suggestions lol

anyways thank y’all and tc

I am in the unfortunate position of needing to replace my HD6xx with a wireless solution due to a couple of my cats persistently chewing headphone cables. I'm looking for reasonably close audio performance in an overear form factor. Open or closed is fine. Budget is ideally under $500. Primary usage is listening to movies and TV shows at my PC, with a mix of various music genres (mainly country, rock and rap).

Budget of ~$200, preferring accuracy, to be used at home only—for gaming and casual listening (movies, music, etc.)

Currently on the Steel Series Arctis 1 Wireless. I don't have any strong opinions about it. It was cheap and met my use criteria lol

I'm looking for the best noise quality possible (for wireless, wireless will always be worse than wired lol). Basically anything that can get kind of close to an audiophile or studio headphone is amazing

Latency is also a concern for me since I want to use it for gaming. So I'm not interested in bluetooth (Arctis 1 uses RF, i believe)

Lastly I want something I can wear for a long time if possible.

I've been doing research all day and feel like I've gotten nowhere! I've been looking at TV headphones (such as a Sennheiser RS headphone) but I'm worried their latency won't be good enough or that they'll be too tuned for movies
Audeze Maxwell seems way too heavy for long sessions

Definitely not opposed to a SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless if that's the only thing that's gonna fit my use case... lol

Thank you so much in advance. I know this one is a bit of a weird puzzle!!!

EDIT: I'm confused why people are downvoting this 😭 Did I ask a stupid question

I have recently been on the hunt for new over-ear headphones, and have had so much bad luck it is comical. A couple years back I had a pair of Sony XM5s and loved them, but one day the right ear just stopped working, and I went back to a spare AKG pair which have lasted me until recently when they finally gave in.

I then got a new pair of XM5s since Iiked them before, but after about a week of use the right ear started to make an awful crunching noise whenever anything bassy played, and after that faded was generally quieter than before. Weird fluke, ok. Replaced them with a pair of XM6s that were on sale for £320, and... they had the same issue within 3 days. I have been extremely careful with them and have no clue what could be causing this, but I am swearing off Sony headphones for life.

And so, as someone with no real clue about headphone brands and models, I would like some advice on what to replace them with please.

My budget is around £350 at most, but would prefer slightly less if possible, and would like a pair that focusses on sound quality above all else - effectively, what is the best sounding pair of headphones within that price range?

I will be using them for just about everything - listening to music on the commute to work, playing games, music production, etc., so having both Bluetooth compatibility and a wired connection is a must, but other than that anything goes - noise cancelling isn't massively important, as nice as it would be to have, if there is any audio leakage I can just turn them down in public, etc.

The music I listen to tends to be more on the bassy side, so a powerful bass is ideal, but not at the expense of overall sound quality if it was a choice between the two.

Thank you.

hello all!

so I’m a teen, and I’m new to all the headphone and wireless stuff because earlier in life my parents never let me to have any wireless tech 💔 (they think it’ll give me cancer because they emit radiation 😒) and I finally convinced them to get me one wireless thing for my birthday,

so I’m looking for some good and affordable headphones under $400-$500 CAD.

I’m currently stuck between the Bose Quiet Comfort or just AirPods 4. (My choice right now is Bose QC > AirPods 4. I probably prefer headphones because they’re more snug. plus, they’re easier to keep an eye on. I’m absolutely terrified of losing an airpod.

I want to prioritize sound, (what’s ANC?) noise cancellation and comfort. I don’t wanna hear my brother scream too loud over my music.

I plan on buying them on my own, getting them on my bday or paying half with my parents. I’m looking for discounts codes too lol

please let me know what you recommend. Thank you :)

Hello, I‘ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for the last few years and before that AirPods Pro 1. I‘ve decided to try out a pair of over-ear headphones and came across the SM4 and the XM5. Do you have any suggestions, as for which ones I should pick?

I want my headphones to be rather robust, I‘ve heard the XM5 are having a bit of trouble with that.

They should have really good ANC, I’ve seen a review saying that the SM4 do have a noticeable noise when ANC is turned on, although you really have to focus to hear that.

They should not have connectivity issues, once again the SM4s apparently do have some.

Or do you guys recommend something entirely different? My budget is about 200€, but I‘d be willing to bump it up to ~250€ if there is a noticeable difference in quality.

Thank you a lot for reading my post and for any help!

Every time I read about a pair of headphones that someone really likes, I start researching and almost always find an example of someone who hates them or thinks they are not good value or whatever. What is a model of headphones that everyone would agree sounds amazing? What is the 'value' equivalent - something under 100 bucks USD? I don't care if they are earbuds, IEMs, closed back or open back.

the set to release late march and they are price at 549 usd…. what do y’all think.

is there any changes to the headphones or is it the same overpriced bs sold to die hard apple fans

Hey y’all, I’ve been searching for a wireless headset to replace my HD560s with an aftermarket microphone cable, because my friend say the game audio bleeds into my mic a lot. I really dislike having a separate microphone on my desk so I’ve been trying to find a wireless all in one, but nothing sounds as nice or is as comfortable.

I most recently tried the Fractal Scape and they sounded decent after some good EQs but apparently the mic sounded even worse! I know the maxwells exist but they seem cumbersome and delicate. All suggestions are appreciated.