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What are the best headphones you would recommend in the $100-$250 range? What headphones do you have?

Veri

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Headphones are a personal thingy and should be purchased new whenever possible ;) Hygiene reasons.
Eh~ it's so easy to buy second hand and simply replace headband/earpads if they're used plenty. Otherwise you're really fine.

Refurbished should mean new parts and not used.
 
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Patrick1958

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Headphones are a personal thingy and should be purchased new whenever possible ;) Hygiene reasons.
True and not, whenever i purchase a pair second hand a pair of new earpads are usually ordered and delivered before i get the second hand headphone ;)
 

JJB70

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Thanks what kind of local dealers do you recommend? I'm a Richer Sounds fanboy, but they aren't very good for headphone choices...

Most dealers have clearance offers for surplus stock, obsolete stock, open box, seasonal sales and returns etc. Keep an eye on websites. Some I have used include:

Peter Tyson, got my Oppo PM-2 and Audio Technica MSR7 at good discount (£440 & £140 respectively), new sealed and no complaints about the service;

Polar Audio Ebay shop, they are the UK distributors of Beyerdynamic and I got my T5P II for £399, they were sold as B stock but they were brand new and I suspect they wanted to reduce stock without damaging price level for potential future re-stock, again no issues at all;

Hifiexpress EBay shop, got my Denon D7200 for £315 + £15 postage as B stock. Box had been opened but the contents were immaculate, very positive experience;

Hifiheadphones, got my Etymotic ER4 SR for £220 clearance, again a very positive experience.

I like Richer Sounds and have bought quite a lot from them. The local branch is a five minute drive away and they have always provided excellent service and good support but for some reason my headphones have been bought elsewhere.

The only negative experience I had was with the Harman direct sales shop with B stock AKG N90Q headphones. They were excellent headphones but when they had issues I was very unimpressed with customer service.
 

JJB70

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Do you recommend buying from them? Have you tried such second-hand/refurbishments and what was your experience with them?

As above, my experience with B stock and clearance has been positive with a single exception and exploiting offers has allowed me to get some nice headphones I would have been reluctant to buy at SRP.
On the Sennheiser outlet, I haven't bought from them but I know a few who have (several because i pointed them there) and i have never heard any negative comments about the outlet. Quite the opposite, it has all been positive, getting some excellent products at heavily discounted prices.
 

darkson1984

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Sadly, I cant stand on-ear (despite their name). If they made a true over-ear, I’d be so interested.
Raistlin65 is right this headphones are more over ear than on ear. They r very comfy in my opinion :)
You can get them from Amazon after all. If you dont like it, just send them back :)
 

solderdude

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Has anyone had experience with Yamaha headphones?

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/yamaha-hph-mt220/

So far you have been advised:

HIFIMAN HE400i
HE4XX (2x)
DT 770
DT 880
DT 990
AKG K361
AKG K371
AKG K7XX
AKG K712
Philips Fidelio X2
Maybe Fostex T50 rp
Audio Technica ATH MSR7
ATH AD-*00X
HD580
HD58X (3x)
HD598SR
HD600
HD650 (2x)
HD6XX (3x) = HD650 with shorter cable and darkblue paint
HD660S
Sennheiser HD-1
OMTDOEH

take your pick. Some are suited for your taste others I do not expect to fit your needs or require additional amplification or exceeding the budget.
 
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Shoaibexpert

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I just checked my HD650 that I've been rocking (apparently problematically) with drivers that look like this. The middle parts of both the Headphones is bumped in. Does this affect sound in any way enough for me to take it apart and attempt a repair. Coz I bought them in 2017...and surely Sennheiser wouldn't be honoring this repair FOC now! Even though I feel it's a manufacturing issue...
Screenshot_20200123-081045_Gallery.jpg
 

solderdude

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It will affect measurements.
Don't know about the sound.
A way to pop it out again that might cause the least amount of problems is by pushing it back from the rear.
Some would say suck it out with a vacuum but do not recommend this.

First you remove the back grille. The back grill is glued into a plastic ring. You can remove that ring (with the grille in it) quite easily.
Then you need to carefully remove the foam discs just above the magnet. Use small pliers or tweezers.
The most difficult part is to get the foam discs back in properly again. That can be a real pain.
Anyway... when you have removed the foam you can stick something small enough (and definitely not sharp) in through the hole and carefully push the dome (while looking at it from the front) back forward.
It will probably remain a bit wrinkled.
When you succeeded (success NOT guaranteed) you will have to put the foam disc(s) back in place and put the grill back.
 

Shoaibexpert

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It will affect measurements.
Don't know about the sound.
A way to pop it out again that might cause the least amount of problems is by pushing it back from the rear.
Some would say suck it out with a vacuum but do not recommend this.

First you remove the back grille. The back grill is glued into a plastic ring. You can remove that ring (with the grille in it) quite easily.
Then you need to carefully remove the foam discs just above the magnet. Use small pliers or tweezers.
The most difficult part is to get the foam discs back in properly again. That can be a real pain.
Anyway... when you have removed the foam you can stick something small enough (and definitely not sharp) in through the hole and carefully push the dome (while looking at it from the front) back forward.
It will probably remain a bit wrinkled.
When you succeeded (success NOT guaranteed) you will have to put the foam disc(s) back in place and put the grill back.
Doesn't Tylls sucking the middle dome with mouth idea seem easier? Just remove the driver assembly and suck the middle part gently to a bulging shape.

The sad part is that I've not known my unit had this issue since 3 years almost...
 

solderdude

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When you haven't heard a problem maybe it isn't an audible problem.
I have sucked out domes of woofers and some tweeters in the past with a vacuum cleaner with the sucking force set to low on the tube (the hole open) while holding the cone itself and has worked.
You can try 'sucking' it out as well. Too much force by accident and it is ruined.
Pushing it out from the back is easier to 'dose'.
Sucking it out by mouth means one cannot see what one is doing.
 

Count Arthur

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I wonder if you could use a straw, or short piece of pipe to suction onto the centre of the speaker dome and pull it out from the front. I've heard of people doing something similar with soft dome tweeters that have been pushed in, although I haven't tried it myself.
 

Shoaibexpert

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Pushing it out from the back is easier to 'dose'.
I would do that...but you said it involves taking the driver back assembly apart and apparently creating a hole in the middle back side for the diaphragm and inserting something thin and yet not pointy from the middle. I haven't done this before so I am a bit nervous. Any video or DIY link to doing this would be very helpful bro...
 

solderdude

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Yes, can also work but need a steady hand and controllable sucking power.
Works well with softdomes. The dome material is quite rigid in this case so may not be easy to get a good 'grip' with a straw.

One could try the sucking methods first, then try the pushing, otherwise replacing it or just keep using it.
It doesn't seem to have been sound degrading the last 3 years ?
 

Shoaibexpert

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I bought Sennheiser HD800S recently too...will inspect it's driver too now...
 

solderdude

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I would do that...but you said it involves taking the driver back assembly apart and apparently creating a hole in the middle back side for the diaphragm and inserting something thin and yet not pointy from the middle. I haven't done this before so I am a bit nervous. Any video or DIY link to doing this would be very helpful bro...

It only requires removing the back (easy). No need to kae anything apart. Just pull out the foam under the 'spider'.
As said getting the foam back in is by far the most difficult part.
 

Shoaibexpert

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Yes, can also work but need a steady hand and controllable sucking power.
Works well with softdomes. The dome material is quite rigid in this case so may not be easy to get a good 'grip' with a straw.

One could try the sucking methods first, then try the pushing, otherwise replacing it or just keep using it.
It doesn't seem to have been sound degrading the last 3 years ?
I don't know honestly what it should sound like. But yeah! Will try sucking it out First and pushing later. Any ideas where I can replacement drivers cheap in case I ruin them?
 

solderdude

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Would buy them from Sennheiser.
The downside of buying a replacement driver is A: expensive, B: it won't be matched.
The current drivers are matched.
There can be small tonal balance and/or efficiency differences compare to the other driver.

Just listen to the left and right driver separately. When they sound identical you could leave it this way.
When the pushed in one sounds weird, ratteling or noisy you can take actions.
 

Shoaibexpert

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Would buy them from Sennheiser.
The downside of buying a replacement driver is A: expensive, B: it won't be matched.
The current drivers are matched.
There can be small tonal balance and/or efficiency differences compare to the other driver.

Just listen to the left and right driver separately. When they sound identical you could leave it this way.
When the pushed in one sounds weird, ratteling or noisy you can take actions.
Thanks a lot mate. I know it's gonna be hard psychologically to leave it this way as it would always bug me during listening...but I'll take your advice in attempting a successful repair and report. Cheers
 

Veri

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Thanks a lot mate. I know it's gonna be hard psychologically to leave it this way as it would always bug me during listening...but I'll take your advice in attempting a successful repair and report. Cheers
Can always sell it second hand and buy another one second hand. (maybe unethical but yeah...). It's quite possible there's zero audible issue in the first place. Beats attempting to fix what's not broken, and breaking the driver while you're at it :oops:
 
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