[catchm3ifyoucann]

Guys,

Need recommendations for over the ear headphones (wireless preferably) under $500.

I don't know much about headphones so any input would be great. So far people have told me:

- HiFiMan HE400s
- Beats
- Bose SoundLink

what else?

[Banana Hammock]

I'd take Beats and Bose off your list.

What kind of music do you listen to? Your taste in music will help decide what style of headphones you should be looking for (Open back vs Closed).

Open backs have great sound stage and is great for vocal and orchestra type music. They have an airy feel and will make it seem like you're listening from a concert hall. Downside to these are that they don't isolate outside noise and usually can't compare to closed back in terms of bass.

Closed backs offer grea sound isolation so you're in your own little world while listening. They usually offer much better bass than the open backs and are great for Rock, Hip Hop and other types of low end heavy music.

I don't know much about wireless headphones but a great place to get your feet wet is Head-Fi. http://www.head-fi.org/f/

[gtron]

All you need are some Sony Studio Monitors. It's what's been used in studios around the world for decades.

I normally swap out the default pads with some velours for some extra comfort over long periods of time.

The Beats and Bose are just advertising candy.

[aloksatoor]

Amped I would go for a HD6/7* series phone with an upgraded cable. That hifiman is too heavy from your list (I would buy german/austrian made at that price point), cross the other two out not in the same league.

Unamped IMHO, I would not spend half a grand on phones. But the momentum series from Sennheiser and the NAD HP50 are solid. Check out this site for reviews

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content...ggtLMPl7w1S.97

[catchm3ifyoucann]

Thanks for all the input gentlemen.

Maybe this will help in terms of recommendations. The type of music I listen to:

Majority:
- EDM
- Hip / Hop

Every once and a while:
- Classical
- Dave Mathews / Jack Johnson / OAR

I know I have a wide range in taste when it comes to music lol

[insanecoder]

Sennheiser

[ScBlacksunshine]

Oppo PM-3

[PandaM3]

Grado if you don't need sound isolation

Bower's and Wilkin's P7 is my go to headphones

[Crimson92]

Originally Posted by PandaM3

Grado if you don't need sound isolation

Bower's and Wilkin's P7 is my go to headphones

I love my P7s as well.

But if the OP is looking for bass (EDM,Hip Hop), these will fall short.

[doogee]

Beats and Bose are junk!

I have a pair of HE-400 paired with a Schiit Audio AMP and DAC. Very happy with the setup.

[Spacedragon]

I just bought these Kanoa headphones and waiting for them to ship, looks cool there
Wireless and you can swim with them which is weird but I like the waterproofness
Here's the referral link:

http://www.getkanoa.com/?referrer=AjFxgGJnT50D52

[datboiroy]

Bowers and wilkins p7, sennheiser momentums

[Xenny]

sennheiser hd650's when they price drop on amazon

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Sennheise...uct/B00018MSNI

[CazuaLLUK]

I use Beyerdynamics for monitoring/editing and for music I use VMODA M100's

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by aloksatoor

Amped I would go for a HD6/7* series phone with an upgraded cable. That hifiman is too heavy from your list (I would buy german/austrian made at that price point), cross the other two out not in the same league.

Unamped IMHO, I would not spend half a grand on phones. But the momentum series from Sennheiser and the NAD HP50 are solid. Check out this site for reviews

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content...ggtLMPl7w1S.97

^This on the statement about using a headphone amp or not. Most devices with a headphone jack have a woefully inadequate amp. To spend $500 on headphones while using a subpar amp is a waste of money.

I have a set of Grado's and love them. The only thing about them is the headband and stock foam pads will get uncomfortable after some time on your head. Bending the head band and buying a different set of foam pads made the headphones much more comfortable.

If I get the upgrade itch I might try the Oppo headphones.

[kunzjob]

Get yourself a set of these:
http://alclair.com/
custom in ear monitors. They will blow your mind based on what you're looking for. I have a set of the Reference Triple and LOVE them. Great company, made in the US, awesome to deal with.

[///Mik3]

I've got my ATH-m50x's that i love. they're widely regarded as the best set you can buy for less than $250 and they cost significantly less than that. I'm sure there may be better things in the $250-$500 range, but if you're looking for bang for the buck, i'd highly suggest them.

[overcoil]

Obviously you need to listen - I went with Grado - not only sound but comfort

[Cloud9blue]

Best as in what?

Honestly, if OP considered Bose and Beats and wireless headphones... I don't think he can't tell that much of difference anyway...

[GeorgeR]

I went through this recently and ended up getting OPPO PM-2, they were reconditioned from the Oppo store at right around $500. They are very efficient and can be driven easily by my iPhone. I'm sure a headphone amp would make them even better but I don't seem to be missing much.

I am not a Bose fan but one thing they do well is noise canceling headphones. I fly a lot and the Oppo headset just doesn't work on the plane so I also have recently picked up the quiet comfort and the noise canceling does work very well

[hongsc]

Best bang for your buck to me are the Audio Technica A900 or AD900x. I think the A900 are discontinued, which is what I use at home. If you look at the higher end stuff, you will probably need an amp to drive it. Denon is another option as well.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Xenny

sennheiser hd650's when they price drop on amazon

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Sennheise...uct/B00018MSNI

I have this. Listening to Andrea Bocelli or Frank Sinatra on those cans is like heaven.

OP- keep in mind you would need a nice portable amp/dac to power the headphones so budget for that as well.