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

Thinking about when my Q30 phones die (hopefully never, they’re good enough for me) and wondering about the aiaiai wireless option. I’ve read about hissing issues using their W+ Link tech, though I suppose the Bluetooth wouldn’t be a problem in that way. The sustainability angle really appeals to me.

Or get some Sony 7506s, they last for yearsss and all that needs replacing is the ear pads.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/sony-mdr-7506-review/

I have the wired version so can't comment on the wireless+ or Bluetooth option, but I suspect they do a good job. the attention to detail on the design is really good.
I've had similar headphones to the Sony's before and they always break. either the cable inside the headband or the shitty brittle plastic earcup connections, at which point they become landfill.

Cheers

Did you get wired or wireless? I've been considering replacing my HD-25s for production and mixing, they're really DJ headphones and definitely bump the bass

Edit: Oh just spotted your reply above! Wired.

yes wired, because I hate charging stuff and especially stuff like headphones when I might not use them for a while. I only tend to use the aiaiai's in the house so the cable isn't a big deal for me.
mine are a few years old and have the s-04 speakers which aren't available any more.
I guess for production you'd get the s-05 speakers which have quite a flat sound profile looking at the website, but I've not used them so can't really comment.
I've got the alcantara over ear pads which are super comfortable but don't have the best isolation.
the good thing is if you don't like the sound signature you can always replace the speakers or pads without replacing the whole headphones.

I've also got a set of krk kns-8400 that are a lot more neutral sounding, but I guess it's good practice to listen to music on as many different speakers / headphones as possible when you're doing music production.

I want to get some kids headphones for my daughters to use with their iPads. Probably wired, cheap and over-ear. Any recommendations?

I ended up getting the JBL Jlab audio wireless ones for £30 from John Lewis for my daughter.

Elsewhere, v.tempted by these B&W ones for me..

https://www.johnlewis.com/bowers-wilkins-px7-s2-noise-cancelling-wireless-over-ear-headphones/navy/p109213625

how old are your kids?
if they're under 10 it's worth getting some headphones with a built in volume limit to avoid them damaging their ears.
that's what I did for my kids when they were smaller anyway.
the headphones weren't great quality or sound, but if your kids are anything like mine were, they will break them.
also try and get some with replaceable cables as in my experience that's the first thing to break

i have the 1st gen of those.

B&W build quality is solid, better than Sennheiser I'd say. they sound decent, but not amazing. Noise cancelling is very good. i find the headband a bit uncomfortable but they may have fixed that with the next gen.

I got these for mine.

Wired plus Bluetooth. Wired uses standard size cable so can be replaced.
https://amzn.eu/d/frLSjpD

i find the headband a bit uncomfortable

Reviews suggest comfy (I have Marleys wired which are great for 5 minutes then like torture) but comfort is a big deal in the decision. I can't really wear multiple pairs for hour at a time in store to make the choice though so it'll remain a gamble.

Ta for the info around build & sound quality too.

They look cool, if the jbl Jlab ones aren't right I'll check these further thanks.

Mine both had the Sony WH-CH510s which have now been superceded by the 520s. Cheapish, fairly robust (depending on child, it's true) and sound perfectly acceptable. The 520s get very good reviews.

The kids earphones are Jlab not JBL, edited my posts. 10yo loves them and is so far just using them wired as she CBA'd to charge them.

I did take a punt on the B&W's and they're very comfy. The Noise Cancel isn't to complete silence but makes a huge dent in it, and the sound quality is very good. They also pair to 2 devices simultaneously, which is great as it suggests I can listen to stuff at work on my phone, but this will be paused and allow me to take and make calls on my work laptop without having to tinker.

Maybe one for the turbo trainer thread but my girlfriend got me some lovely noise cancelling Sony WH-1000XM4 over ear headphones and they've been a revelation for watching movies whilst using my old noisy trainer. However i'm finding mixed information on them being water resistant (definitely not waterproof) but i'm inclined to think me sweating into them is a bad idea. At the moment i'm doing light training sessions and giving them plenty of time to dry but should i be looking for something more robust? If so any budget recommendations?

Can't imagine using over-ear on the trainer. I'd go with any in-ear headphones that you can put foam tips on. Am using Shure 215 which are also not sold as sport/water resistant but a headband and towel keeps them dry. Paired with Comply foam tips and the trainer noise is nothing more than a minor hummmm.

I started off with a set of old, very much non-waterproof, wired kids £20 cast-offs that a relative was going to throw out - expecting them to last maybe a week on the turbo. I treated them with utter contempt - including leaving them to 'dry' on the washing line for months at a time while they got pissed on. Incredibly they ended up lasting nearly 3 years despite being perpetually wet/disgusting for nearly all of that time. They even still 'work' now but all the non-plastic parts have degraded and/or fallen off.

By contrast I bought some 'top-rated' (but still only £50) 'waterproof' BT replacements and they are starting to physically degrade within a month (albeit the electrics seem ok). I'm guessing they won't last a year though.

Unfortunately I suspect the IPX ratings can be taken with a pinch of salt.. as it's not going to replicate filling them up with corrosive salty water every day/week - but my own experience suggests the electric bits suffer less than I'd expect, but the rest falls apart slowly anyway. If you care about the ones that you have, I'd suggest you don't use them as you will eventually become disgusted by them (unless they are for the Turbo only or you use MEGA-FANS from all angles!).

My next purchase will probably be another kids (I have a small head) Argos special that are light and cheap enough to be considered almost disposable.. (I also prefer over-ear, to drown out other noise and in-ear never seem to fit/stay in properly)

Thanks that's good insight. Yeah i'm like you and don't get on with in ear stuff and am really enjoying the noise cancelling feature. I haven't done higher intensity longer sessions in a long time but am trying to claw my fitness back up. I may just use the Sony's for spinning my way through a movie with the fan on and use my trusted bone conductors for sweaty blasts.

I've recently bought a PC that doesn't have bluetooth built in (shown by the number of adaptors the new keyboard, mouse and wifi needs).

I've got a pair of Soundcore headphones at the moment - can I just buy one more bluetooth adaptor to pair them up, and have the mic to work as well?

Maybe this is one for the PC/Gaming/WFH thread.

You can. Although Bluetooth is finicky so I'd probably go for a manufacturer I'd heard of rather than random eBay.

This kind of thing
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/tp-link-ub500-nano-bluetooth-50-adapter-20m-range-black

I've had to stop using earbuds with any kind of rubberised cup things as my ears now react very badly to them. Can anyone recommend some bluetooth buds with foams or just hard plastic (not Apple).

You can buy foam tips to use with your choice of normal ear buds

My B&W's are great at sound quality & noise blocking (not 100% silence but close) however they're huge fail on calls in open areas as they pick up and amplify ambient voices to be louder than mine I'm told. A bit annoying.