wow brutal

How did you manage to do that?

You need a new set mate!

Pro tip if you need to take the form off, put it in the freezer for a few hours and they'll slide off no bother

I was on a busy Edinburgh -> London train yesterday, took my earphones out and stood up to let the guy next to me out, and as I did so the earphones fell to the floor and I stood on them. They're only about 2 months old too.

I dropped a quick email to Shure to ask if there are any other options (the actual earphones are detachable so was thinking it might be an option just to buy one replacement one, which would be a bit cheaper than buying a full new set), but I'm not too hopeful.

Most likely I'll just have to shell out for a new set as I do really like them. Thanks for the freezer tip - have had that issue with the foam before.

no idea about shure's customer service but i wouldn't be surprised to see them tell you to send them in and they'll replace them for free or give you 50% off.

actually just found this after i wrote that:
http://lifehacker.com/200600/dont-tr...--send-it-back

good luck!

Shure's customer service is A++

Going to go through the thread but if someone wants to save me the trouble I'd greatly appreciate it. Looking for Bluetooth capable headphones, tried some cheap ones off amazon and I definitely got what I paid for, looking to keep it under $200 if possible.

where will you be using them

Primarily at the gym.

jaybird bluebuds x

Ordered, thank you.

What's a decent base level over ear set of headphones to use at home pretty much just for listening to music / movies / games at the computer? Don't need anything crazy, just want to be able to listen to tunes while I work and or watch movies without bothering the roommates. Dunno what a realistic price range is, does <$200 get me by?

Picked up Sennheiser HD598 for $190ish. They are definitely good, but they have a vintage look to them. My friends keep asking me if my dad found them from when he was a kid.

I honestly like the look, and they sound great. Would recommend for music and home use, never tried them for gaming. I use them at work. They are not noise canceling, which I like.

Great headphones but super surprised you went for an open pair if you are using with other people around

Those headphones are $156 on amazon. Bix if by 'don't disturb the roommates' you mean you don't want speakers pumping while they are in their rooms then these are probably ok. If they are going to be sat next to you on the sofa then you will want a closed pair. Open headphones leak quite a lot of sound.

Also if you are nutty about exaggerated bass then don't buy sennheiser

Nice thanks for the answers so far.
Yeah this is all I mean. Right now I have my speakers up and the whole building can prob hear me. Wouldn't be using them in common space.

I don't think I care so much about ridiculous bass, but would I be significantly better off spending a bit more? $200 was a guess - if that's a bad restraint I'm fine spending more. I just don't necessarily need anything top of the line, not recording music or anything.

Jackitos - what do you prefer about non noise cancelling?

595s are a good purchase for you. as you go more expensive and more powerful you would need to start considering amps and DACs which you don't want to get into.

sennheisers are known for having a neutral sound, i.e. you hear stuff the way it is meant to be heard. that's good, unless you like super amped up crazy bass (e.g. maybe you listen to a lot of EDM or rap).

noise cancelling headphones don't sound as good, period. and you are paying a lot of money for the noise cancelling ability (which admittedly can be great, but just get a dedicated pair for flights etc).

595s seems to be discontinued and I don't see them for sale anywhere, did you mean 598s as mentioned earlier?

yes

Awesome thanks a ton. Gonna just buy those now.

I work in a relaxed environment. My cubicle is part of the main traffic area. So people walk up and talk to me a ton or just around me in general. I can hear conversations or hear people talking to me with them on.

If I don't want to hear them, I hear turn it up. Like 50% volume on phone and it drowns everything out

Kind of grunching but I've noticed people mentioning the HD 598s and I just want to add a +1 to that recommendation to pretty much anyone starting out in headphones. If you can at all live with the open headphones (sound leaking a little bit to your surroundings) then I really couldn't recommend anyone starting out with any model other than HD 518s, 558s or 598s depending on their current deals and prices. I've owned The AT M50s, AKG K-701s, and tried many other phones in this price range, and they're imo a clear winner in every respect. The M50s get so much love on head fi and other forums but honestly their sound quality is ass compared to the sennheisers, the only thing they have going for them is that theyre closed (which kills the SQ) and the fact that they can fold up. The Sennheiser veil just doesnt exist on these phones too, it's a really nice sound signature.

Apart from the sound quality being amazing their comfort both physically (I have a huge head and the 518s / 598s are the only phones that have been comfortable for a long time), and also sound signature wise (extremely non fatiguing) pushes them over the edge. Also being low impedance they work well without an amp, and only need a basic amp to reach their full potential. EG I can use them from my Xbox One controller no problem.

Super happy with the purchase, I actually upgraded from 518s and tbh if I didn't own an amp with a great bass boost function I'd probably prefer the 518s, as they have much more natural bass. The drivers are the same in all models the sound signature only varies slightly between all 3 due to housing. For USB amp/dac I'm using the Fiio E07K andes and it's fantastic, definitely all you need to get 95%++ from the HD598s.

EDIT: ridiculous number of spelling mistakes and terrible grammar, which I'm giving up on now.

EDIT2: HATED the luxury-car/yacht esque look of the 598s at first, but it's really grown on me and I love it now.

Well... pretty excited to get these in tomorrow. Nice writeup, thanks all.

my 555s were sooooooooooo comfortable. my 600s are nowhere near as good (yet), tho not sure if that is because the pads haven't softened much yet.

Same here, getting them Saturday and I'm pretty pumped.

does this rec change if you are using them primarily on train / at work? comfort is top priority for me, i have a cheap pair of earbuds now and they feel crappy and fall out a lot. 2nd is sound quality

i'm considering going with an over-ear design instead of buds because i have found very few pairs of buds that really work for me for whatever reason

yeah it absolutely changes (the bluebuds are primarily designed for physical activities so you're likely paying for all the sweat proof stuff, and they are a hassle to put in i believe), but i don't know what to.

you def want bluetooth right? you're paying more and giving up a bit in sound quality, but obviously it can be convenient.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/bes...ar-headphones/

here's a round up of some. if you're looking for comfort, over ear >>> on ear imo. sry, this isn't really an area i know anything about.