I looked up a couple of old threads and the products I found were either too pricy or they didn't really meet what I wanted... So would some people who have a good knowledge base recommend me some headphones?

I'm looking for these features:
1) I want to be able to use them for long periods of time without having discomfort from too much bass/the way it fits in my ears
2) mic for use with iPhone
3) Durable,I want to be able to use it for 2+ years
4) Preferably on the cheaper side, liek $20-30 would be ideal for me...

Any help/input is greatly appreciated!

Rainbow

United States249 Posts

January 02 2010 08:24 GMT

If you mean earbuds, I personally like the gummy ones xD
They cost about 7-9 bucks, very comfortable, and if it breaks just get more, it's way cheap.
Many styles and colors are another big plus in my book.

GTR

51570 Posts

January 02 2010 08:28 GMT

i highly doubt you will find a durable, 'iphone' type headset for $20-30

R04R

United States1631 Posts

January 02 2010 08:33 GMT

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/shootout-18-portable-headphones-compared-ultrasone-zino-earpollution-nerve-pipe-added-12-28-09-a-433318/

Try that thread. You'll have to get a mic separately, though.

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

January 02 2010 08:38 GMT

if you decide to raise ur budget for audiophile-ish sound, try the ultimate ears 10 vi (recently sold for $99 new on amazon, but regularly it can be as much as $300, so wait for a sale or buy used)

they have world class sound and a built in mic. its way over ur $30 budget but the fact that it has replaceable parts (longer life) and disposable/replaceable tips makes up for it imo.

decafchicken

United States20154 Posts

January 02 2010 08:45 GMT

I doubt you'll find anything that is actually decent and has a mic. also, do you want headphones or earbuds?

DivinO

United States4796 Posts

January 02 2010 08:48 GMT

AKG K518LE DJ headphones for the win here.

Yuin G2A's look good though.

JWD

United States12607 Posts

January 02 2010 16:24 GMT

There is no way you are going to find good, comfortable headphones with a built-in mic for $30. If the iPhone mic is important to you, I recommend these Bose In-Ear headphones:

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/mobile_solutions/in_ear_mobile_solution/index.jsp

Bose gets a lot of shit from the "audiophile" community but I have yet to find a pair of earbuds (note I'm not discussing cans here, which never come with mics) that offer a better combination of build and sound quality than these. Most earbuds will fall out of my ears regularly or have cords that fray easily—this Bose pair does neither, and it's plenty comfortable too. If you like bass then I strongly recommend them, as the bass is crazy powerful for earbuds. After having these as my regular earbuds for a few months, I couldn't bear to listen to other earbuds (even some Shure etymotics, for example). $116 is sort of steep, but maybe you can find them for cheaper on Amazon or something. If you are planning on using them a lot though, I'd strongly consider making the investment.

My last bit of advice is: beware "in-ear canal" earbuds (the kind that you seal into your ear canal—many high-end earbuds are of this type). First, they are difficult to put in and out. If you want them to sound proper you need to create a perfect seal in your ear canal, which is tricky to do (ever put in earplugs? Same thing). You can't just grab them and go. Second, they tend to be less comfortable because they have to be wedged into your ear canal. Third, in my experience they aren't that great for use during walking or exercising because the sealed chamber between the earbud and your ear drum will act like a little drum, turning your body's movements into sounds that will probably interfere with your listening experience. I sort of got used to this over time, but man did it annoy the hell out of me at first. Fourth, and maybe most importantly, in-ear canal earbuds are pretty immersive. This can be great when you are sitting on a plane and want to block out outside noise, but it's a big problem when you are walking around or around other people that might at some point want to get your attention. With regular earbuds you can still hear some outside noise over your music—not the case with in-ear canal buds. You will be unable to hear a car coming up on you from behind, or someone yelling your name from the other side of the street, or a guy asking if he can work in with you while you're lifting at the gym. All in all this made me very uncomfortable to use my in-ear canal earbuds whenever I would be around other people.

YPang

United States4024 Posts

January 02 2010 16:34 GMT

holyshit i never knew 100$ +Earbuds existed.. @_@

madnessman

United States1581 Posts

January 02 2010 17:08 GMT

#10

if you want a decent pair of headphones (without an iphone mic thing) try going for one of the cheapo phillips headphones. i bought a pair for like 15USD which lasted me for two years (it only broke because i tripped on the cable and ripped it). the sound quality was decent. it was surprisingly clear for its price range. they were relatively comfortable as well.

Chef

10810 Posts

January 02 2010 17:20 GMT

#11

On January 03 2010 01:34 YPang wrote:
holyshit i never knew 100$ +Earbuds existed.. @_@

They're not exactly worth their price tag. There's 1000 dollar IEMs you can buy if you're really stupid. They're custom built to fit to your ear like hearing aids molds... Unfortunately the people buying these things don't realise it really doesn't cost that much to make a custom mold of your ear, decent driver or not.

That said, if you're looking for comfort and you don't want to spend more than 30 bucks... Get earbuds. Everything as far as headphones go is uncomfortable at your price range in long listening sessions... At least until you get used to them. Everything including lots of 100 dollar headphones are like that. Most of us are already used to earphones from using the stock ones that come with modern mp3 players, so you're probably gonna find them comfortable enough (though you won't if you aren't used to them).

As far as wanting a built in mic with a comfortable nice headset for 30 bucks... I don't know, it's probably not going to happen unless you build part of it yourself. It wouldn't be that hard to make a decent headband on your own, then attach a cheap mic and wear ear buds... But you're probably not looking for the ghetto experience. Your demands are absurd, even for people who aren't spending ludicrous amount of money on stupid shit.

Also... nothing for 30 dollars is gonna last 2-3 years... What is wrong with you lol? (Well I guess it depends if you mean USD... I've heard you can get MX560s for 30USD but the conversion doesn't work for how much I had to pay for mine).

Loser777

1931 Posts

January 02 2010 20:09 GMT

#12

You could try the Nuforce NE-7M, which has gotten a lot of good reviews on head-fi. In fact, a lot of people actually buy them just for the sound quality and don't use the mic. Worth looking at, but they're a little above your budget -$40-$50.

EDIT: good reviews on head-fi should be taken with a grain of salt, I don't want to swing you the wrong way here.