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Ask HN: Best Headphones at Under $500

11 points by danielovichdk 2y ago

Have some bluetooth BOSE headphones which turns off music when I turn my head. What do you have that has been a positive experience?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
solardev 2y ago
I love my Airpods Pro so much, even though I don't have an iPhone. I previously had Bose and Sony noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones, but they were so heavy and uncomfortable to use for any extended amount of time. The ear pads would always get sweaty and gross, and one of the aftermarket replacement pads caused an allergic reaction on my ears (which I never experienced before). I also tried Pixel Buds and a few wired ones. Nothing came close, comfort-wise. The Airpods Pro sound just as good to me as any of the other ones, and are dramatically more comfortable – I forget they're even there, and wear them for walking, running, cycling, working out, gaming, calls, etc. They have some spatial features (like faking the position of a sound in space), but I turn all of that off and just use basic noise canceling and it works great. The one downside is that the mic kinda sucks and picks up all sorts of ambient noise (typing, people walking or chatting nearby, etc.) on a call. I use a separate external mic and sometimes Krisp.ai to help filter out the noise.
toomuchtodo 2y ago
Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling Headphones. They are cost competitive, but not perfect.
schwartzworld 2y ago
Koss Portapros for about $40 have been my gotos for years. Particularly the wired ones. The Bluetooth ones suck.
KomoD 2y ago
> What do you have that has been a positive experience? Sony WH-1000XM4, very comfortable and great ANC
synthoidzeta 2y ago
I just picked up the first gen AirPods Max on sale (~$469). I didn't think I would appreciate the noise cancelling as much as I do. Really helpful for focusing and tuning out the world around me.
syndicatedjelly 2y ago
10 years ago, I would have answered: Sennheiser HD 280. They are comfortable, portable, and the thick pads offer semi noise-cancelling capabilities. I loved the fact that they faithfully reproduced the audio spectrum as the artist intended with their music. Today, I can’t be anywhere without Airpod Pros. They are simply superb. Music sounds incredible on them, without excessive bass tones. Active noise cancelling is excellent. The user interface is sublime and intuitive. I only wish the battery life were a bit longer, but is sufficient for 95% of use cases

11 points by danielovichdk 2y ago

Have some bluetooth BOSE headphones which turns off music when I turn my head. What do you have that has been a positive experience?

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

solardev 2y ago

I love my Airpods Pro so much, even though I don't have an iPhone. I previously had Bose and Sony noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones, but they were so heavy and uncomfortable to use for any extended amount of time. The ear pads would always get sweaty and gross, and one of the aftermarket replacement pads caused an allergic reaction on my ears (which I never experienced before). I also tried Pixel Buds and a few wired ones. Nothing came close, comfort-wise. The Airpods Pro sound just as good to me as any of the other ones, and are dramatically more comfortable – I forget they're even there, and wear them for walking, running, cycling, working out, gaming, calls, etc. They have some spatial features (like faking the position of a sound in space), but I turn all of that off and just use basic noise canceling and it works great. The one downside is that the mic kinda sucks and picks up all sorts of ambient noise (typing, people walking or chatting nearby, etc.) on a call. I use a separate external mic and sometimes Krisp.ai to help filter out the noise.

toomuchtodo 2y ago

Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling Headphones. They are cost competitive, but not perfect.

schwartzworld 2y ago

Koss Portapros for about $40 have been my gotos for years. Particularly the wired ones. The Bluetooth ones suck.

KomoD 2y ago

> What do you have that has been a positive experience? Sony WH-1000XM4, very comfortable and great ANC

synthoidzeta 2y ago

I just picked up the first gen AirPods Max on sale (~$469). I didn't think I would appreciate the noise cancelling as much as I do. Really helpful for focusing and tuning out the world around me.

syndicatedjelly 2y ago

10 years ago, I would have answered: Sennheiser HD 280. They are comfortable, portable, and the thick pads offer semi noise-cancelling capabilities. I loved the fact that they faithfully reproduced the audio spectrum as the artist intended with their music. Today, I can’t be anywhere without Airpod Pros. They are simply superb. Music sounds incredible on them, without excessive bass tones. Active noise cancelling is excellent. The user interface is sublime and intuitive. I only wish the battery life were a bit longer, but is sufficient for 95% of use cases