Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

HD25 SE version with travel case for £90 on Amazon is bargains

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-Special-Headphones-Monitoring/dp/B08W9R7ZKD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Sennheiser+hd25&qid=1639821968&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-4

These look quite good and reasonably priced
https://nothing.tech/products/ear-1

https://www.soundguys.com/nothing-ear-1-review-56705/

I have a pair of AKG K451s, and the headphone jack has snapped in the earphone, and I can't get it out (i've been quoted £30 and £40 to repair this, which is sadly uneconomical). If anyone would like them, please let me know. In the same vein, are there any recommendations for similar sized and quality on ear headphones (preferably under £70ish)?

Tried the ballpoint pen / straw thing?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=y0hncoJW8MA

Yeah, but unfortunately there's some plastic attached to the end of it, too. It wasn't just the metal part of the jack that broke - to my eye the earphone should just crack open and it should be possible to remove it, but I can't seem to open it, and the repair shops told me "it's not that simple"...

What's the mic like for calling?

For context I'm after some cheap in-ear wireless headphones mainly to listen to podcasts and speak to people while I'm walking.

My phone headphone jack is a bit picky so my wired headphones with a mic don't work well and my BT headphones are big over the ear affairs. Which is why I was thinking wireless in-ears.

I suppose it depends on what experience you've had with true wireless inbuilt mics.

I've had none, and I've used these earphones 3 or 4 times in the last two months for calls. I've had no issues at all whilst using them for calls other than learning the volume of my own voice. Turns out I don't need to shout like a boomer dad. I am not, however, using these for important calls, or that often for calls. Mostly for music and podcasts.

The music quality is great! Honestly, compared to the Jaybird VISTA 2, there's no competition. The bass is punchy, and if the fit is snug, you won't even need to set up the noise cancellation properly. I still haven't. If you're in to techno, prepare to have your head filled with a cloud of bass that doesn't disappoint.

Podcasts also no issues with. You CAN change the EQ to "speech" which alters the sound, but I haven't felt the need to, but have tried.

One tiny issue, is that after a while, the automatic pairing if the headphones takes a second or two longer. For this I did an earphone reset and they were back to good as new.

I'd buy these again. I'm even tempted to email jabra to tell them how great these earphones are. Total Jabra convert now.

Cheers 👍

Anyone had any experience with the Earfun headphones from Amazon?

Woeful name but majority of reviews are very good (inc What HIFI) but some complaints of one ear bud breaking after a few months…

Wondering whether the cheap price point is worth the gamble

mpow flame,,,,good👍

Any recommendations for wireless over ear headphones for £100 or less? Especially appreciate advice from glasses wearers, as I've found some over ear headphones get very sore....

I went cheap (well, ~£40) with a pair of Anker Soundcore Life Q20.

I wear glasses and don't have a problem with them. I use them for video calls (with a separate microphone) and for listening to music, wearing them over 8h a day usually.

My only gripe with them is that the sound isolation is too good, even with noise cancelling turned off. I often have to leave one ear open when I need to hear the doorbell (deliveries, daughter coming home from school, etc) otherwise I'd miss the doorbell completely, but they're still comfy when worn like this.

I should probably have gone for the Q30 which has more noise cancellation modes including "transparent" and "indoor" which would have probably suited my needs better.

Those sound great, and like they have the functionality I was hoping for at a far cheaper price - so doubly great!

I can thoroughly recommend the Aeropex bone conduction headphones, they're great.

Looking for some true wireless earphones for the gym and running. I’d like decent audio quality (not tinny), small size and I’d say £80 tops. What is the forum’s go to? Tired of biased paid reviews for tech online!

I should probably have gone for the Q30 which has more noise cancellation modes including "transparent" and "indoor" which would have probably suited my needs better.

I've got some of the Q30s, the transparency mode just reverses the phase of the noise cancelling, so the ambient noise is amplified. The noise cancelling works particularly well, to the point where my partner thinks I'm ignoring her.

I've got some jabra elite active 65t which are around that price range. Bt connection is solid, sound fine, and sweating on the turbo hasn't killed them.

Has anyone tried the Sony LinkBuds on a bike yet?

The donut driver arrangement sounds perfect for riding but I've seen one review that said wind noise was an issue.

I want to get headphones for work meetings. Currently between air pod pros and Bose QuietComfort 35. I use a PC mostly and iPhone will I have trouble using air pods? More embarrassingly, will the Bose flatten my hair?

Use mine with computer all the time. Works totally fine. Was a hater until I got them and now I honestly can’t imagine life without them. Which is sad. Ha.

I looked into using my QC 35s and the consensus seemed to be that the audio quality goes to crap when using the mic. Never got round to actually trying them tho'.

Alternative idea, decent gaming headphones for work stuff.
However, these will deffo flatten your hair and are not bluetooth, you have to use a dongle.

https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-7p-plus?country=GB&mpa=1

Worn these nearly all day everyday throughout the pandemic without issue, geat mic, a bit heavy at first but you get 24 hour battery life.

you have to use a dongle

I find using a dongle way better than bluetooth. Better range and you can turn the headphones off and it doesn't disconnect. Bluetooth always is just a bit annoying.

True, they really are excellent for making coffee during a call. For me, the low latency and mic also make conversations as close to being in the same room as you can get without VR.

Can also confirm the mic is really great at blocking out background noise, should you accidentally not mute and goto the bathroom...

I'm happy with these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jabra-Evolve-Wireless-Bluetooth-headset-Black/dp/B00ODRSODQ/ref=asc_df_B00ODRSODQ?th=1

Decent audio for music as well.

Hair is not flat.