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Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

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Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Old 05-17-10, 08:54 PM
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Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

I recently had a baby boy, and he sleeps every night around 8 or 9... so I thought I'd take the opportunity to watch a movie on Friday nights after he goes down. Only problem is, he's on the other side of the wall from where my speakers are, so I need headphones that I can plug into my receiver.

Yes, I'll be running a WIRED extention cord from my receiver to me... why? Just because I really don't feel like paying extra for wireless, and I think I'd get better quality with wired at this price point anyways.

Anyhoo, I found a pair of Sony's at Best Buy that were 'extra bass' and they sounded good enough for music listening, but I'm concerned the bass might reduce the clarity from the other elements of the film. I'm only willing to buy at a store near me, or on Amazon.com, and I can't really go above this price point because this is being purchased as a gift from my grandmother. So I'm not flexible on that... at least not by much.

I saw a pair of Sennheisers at Best buy for $80 and I almost bought them, but I do kinda have a wide head, and there have been headphones I tried on in the past that felt too tight on my ears for a long period of time.

I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for something that had decent enough sound for the price point, with at least SOME bass (as in, I don't want something where the bass is practically non-existant), and can comfortably fit a head that's not friendly enough with ALL the headphones out there.

EDIT: Also, I believe whatever headphones I buy, I'll need to get a 1/4" adapter for... should the extention cord be connected via a 1/8" connector and put the 1/4" adapter into the receiver, or should I put the adapter on the headphone connector and run a fat cable meant for 1/4" connector lines into the receiver?

Last edited by mzupeman2; 05-17-10 at 08:57 PM.
Old 05-17-10, 11:34 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

First be sure the receiver has a headphone jack and if so, whether it's 3.5mm or 1/4". Which cable you use depends on where it's being installed; if it's hidden and not going to be stepped on, either should suffice but I would only use a lower gauged wire if it's going in a walkway. If you're handy with a soldering iron, you might find that making a cable would be easier to suit your requirements.

As to the headphones, I can't help there.
Old 05-18-10, 12:33 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

If you go with Sennheiser, make sure they aren't an "open" design. A lot of Sennheisers are. They leak a lot of sound into the room and will disturb the baby.

Another good choice is Grado, but you won't find them at Best Buy.
Old 05-18-10, 07:37 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Originally Posted by Mr. Salty
If you go with Sennheiser, make sure they aren't an "open" design. A lot of Sennheisers are. They leak a lot of sound into the room and will disturb the baby.
Per the OP, the baby's in another room.
Old 05-18-10, 09:19 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Hey Michael, I own a pair of Sennheiser wireless headphones (RS130 I think) and absolutely love them. I can see the RS120 model on sale on Amazon for less than 80 bucks. Also, to echo what Mr. Salty said, I have heard nothing but good things about Grado's wired phones. The Grado SR60 is also on Amazon within your price range. While I don't own a pair of Grado's, if I were in the market for wired phones right now, I'd be strongly considering them. Hope your search goes well.
Old 05-18-10, 01:22 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

I'll also thrown in a vote for Sennheiser. I just picked up the EH-150 headphones for $24.99 during an Amazon lightening deal - regular price is around $36. Really great set, they almost seem like they're noise cancellation even though they're not. They handle some really good bass as well. it also does come with a 1/4" adapter, and 10' cable.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

Last edited by E Unit; 05-18-10 at 01:24 PM.
Old 05-18-10, 06:26 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Just thought I'd add that most upper class phones come with whatever adapter they need. Just check the details, anything like these mentioned should be ready for both plug sizes.
Old 05-18-10, 07:26 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Originally Posted by stevevt
Per the OP, the baby's in another room.
Yes, I can read. But depending upon how loud the OP has the volume, how close the other room is, and whether the door to that room is open, headphones with an open design could still be a problem.
Old 05-19-10, 08:06 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Quick question - With the extention cord, will I experience any audio lag depending on how long it is?
Old 05-21-10, 07:54 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Sure. But electricity travels faster than sound waves, so assuming your cord doesn't wrap around Manhatten, should be less of a problem than using speakers 10' away.
Old 06-16-10, 05:23 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

I use Sony MDR-V600 headphones. They're professional, studio quality headphones. They're comfy enough to wear for more than a movie and they're an over-the-ear design so they're not too loud for people in neighboring rooms.
Originally Posted by mzupeman2
Quick question - With the extention cord, will I experience any audio lag depending on how long it is?
Make sure you don't cheap out on the extension cord. And buy an extra, too- It sucks to sit down to a movie at the end of a long day to have one channel in your extension cord crap out. I've gone through 6 of the cheapie monoprice 25' extensions, they don't last long. If you're handy with soldering, you can probably fix them, but I'm not.
Old 06-16-10, 01:52 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

i have grado sr60's and they leak a ton of sound. they sound great but not really the best choice if you are trying not to disturb people.
Old 06-17-10, 10:25 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Wow, I would hate to have to worry about waking a baby while watching movies because, let's face it, while they're sleeping is typically the only time you get free time to watch movies! Bad planning on where to put the baby's room? One thing you could consider is using a white noise maker like a sound machine in the baby's room. Our kids have slept with one since they were born and hardly any sounds ever disturb their sleep. Newborn babies actually love white noise because it mimics the sound inside the uterus. I can't even imagine small sounds leaking from headphones could possibly wake the baby in the next room. I've noticed that parents who are the most careful and meticulous about keeping ALL sounds eliminated while baby is sleeping have the lightest sleeping kids of anyone.

But anyway sorry for the tangent.


These got excellent rating from cnet reviews...

Koss PortaPro - $29.99
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/k...-32897197.html


More pricey but also excellent rating...

Sennheiser HD280 - $94.99
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/s...-30235462.html
Old 06-17-10, 08:26 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Originally Posted by taa455
These got excellent rating from cnet reviews...

Koss PortaPro - $29.99
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/k...-32897197.html
I have these and they're amazing. I can't believe the sound that comes out of this little headset. They also have a lifetime warranty.
Old 06-17-10, 08:35 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Sennheisers felt like they were squeezing my head a little bit. Not too bad, but enough to get uncomfortable over a long period of time. I've tried on a lot of headphones, and I hate to say it, but I settled on BOSE. It was out of my range a little bit, and I would never, ever, EVER go to them for my surround sound home theater needs at all... but I'll be damned if they weren't the better sounding headphones out there for me, which actually feel comfortable no matter how long I wear them.
Old 06-17-10, 10:25 PM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Originally Posted by mzupeman2
I recently had a baby boy, and he sleeps every night around 8 or 9... so I thought I'd take the opportunity to watch a movie on Friday nights after he goes down. Only problem is, he's on the other side of the wall from where my speakers are, so I need headphones that I can plug into my receiver.
I'm in the same situation as you. I live in NYC with neighbors above and below and sleeping wife and child in other rooms. I had to get wireless headphones for night movie/tv watching, and they have worked perfectly. If you want wireless buy:

Sony MDR DS6000 wireless 5.1 headphones

Check out my home theater photos if you are curious: http://www.blu-ray.com/community/gal...ber=toddly6666
Old 07-21-10, 11:52 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

Anyone have any recommendations for headphones that can accept an optical/digital audio connection? My tv doesn't have a headphone jack or RCA audio out, only the digital audio out. And I don't have a receiver. I've seen a few headphone models that seem to have an adapter that accepts the digital connection... one was a Pioneer wireless and the others were high end gaming headsets from Tritton and Sharkoon. I was looking at some of the Sony wireless models as well, but I've been reading those are incompatible with plasma screens due to an interference issue.
Old 08-13-10, 06:47 AM
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Re: Headphones for Late Night Movie Viewing ($50-$80)

You could get a headphone DAC/amplifier and then plug in your choice of headphones. One example is the iBasso D10 it has optical, digital, analog, and usb inputs.

http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=39

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