Genuine question - What earphone do you guys use?

I'm about to start my FT at one of the banks and I am considering to give myself a treat by purchasing a good earphone. I am a fan of the in-ear type earphones but I heard from my friends that I did better think again as in-ear earphones blocks out all the noise, which means, I won't hear if someone is calling me in the office. May I ask what earphone do you guys use? Thanks.

 

Highly recommend Final Audio's IEM's. The Heaven VI in particular are lovely. They are certainly very isolating, however.

For less isolating and more open headphones with kickass quality, I'd look to Sennheiser. Considering buying a pair of 6XX's or (if you're really looking to splurge on the best!) 800's or 850's.

 

Noise cancelling headphones, just like wireless headphones (or worse, headphones with both) are shit. Absolute shit.

The only place where they make sense is if you're going to be somewhere with continuous, highly regular background noise. So.... a plane? Maybe?

If you want isolation, get passively isolating IEM's/headphones. I couldn't hear a damn thing with the Heaven VI on, but no sound quality was compromised. Cannot say the same of even the high-end Sony noise cancelling headphones. They're a novelty, no more and no less.

 

I never understood guys who don't want full noise blocking because they're worried they'll miss someone calling them. Like what's going to happen, you'll get in trouble bc you had headphones on? OK.

I like the Bose QC20, they are in-ear noise cancelling and they are hands-down the best in my view.

If you work in a really loud environment, you can put over-ear headphones on top of them. For a few years I worked on a loud trading floor so I'd have the QC20 in my ears and the QC35 on top of those. Two layers of active noise cancelling. Crazy but I needed it.

I hear the QC700 is a slight step up over the 35, and I hear the Sony over-the-ear noise canceling ones are also really great. Haven't had the chance to try the latest and greatest yet.

Best ones for the gym are the latest powerbeats that came out last year.

 

Worked in banking. Heard plenty of yelling. Had a few colleagues who would wear their earbuds one bud in, and the other one out, just in case someone yells for them. For me it just seems a little ridiculous, they're basically killing whatever benefit there is to the noise avoidance just in case someone yells for them and its so urgent that it really makes a difference. I dunno.

 
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You can find lots of great earphones. I agree that Airpods are probably the best for being on the go (although I have a few colleagues that use Bose SoundSport Wireless), but if you're at your desk wired ones are great. I've come across three that I love. They're in different price brackets but both are still great value for money:

  • Sony MDR-EX155AP: these are cheap AF for what you get. The sound quality is superb, they're noise cancelling (they do so with a brute vacuum effect but it really works well) and they are very comfortable.

  • Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H3: These guys really know how to do sound well. It's their main offering, and they put the quality of their speakers into their earphones. They also look pretty sleek and avoid the bulky look a lot of high quality wired earphones have.

  • Bose QuietComfort QC20: Certainly at the higher end of price ranges, but there is almost no comparison when it comes to sound quality here.

EDIT: Just saw this review for Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 and they seem to be highly regarded but haven't tried them

 

lmao who the fuck doesn’t use AirPods, Boze, or in ear Beats?

 

Controversial Opinion: airpods and wireless beats are way overpriced for what you get Currently use JBuds Air Icon Wireless and the only problem I have with them is that it's easy to accidently adjust the volume if you try to push them further into your ear.

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I have a pair of Bowers and Wilkens PX for when I need to heavily concentrate or fall asleep on the plane, but also have a pair of Airpod Pros for when I'm working out or leisurely working on the desk (the conversation-oriented mode on the Airpods is terrific). Would happily recommend both; I would listen to music all day if I could, so I believe a good pair of headphones is absolutely worth the investment.

Just remember: it's not a lie if you believe it.
 

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