Excellent over the ear headphones?

[widgeon13]

What are the recommendation for good set of headphone for my wife? She doesn't want noise canceling but does want over the ears. Comfort, sound quality. Are Bluetooth models good for travel in commercial aircraft? Any recommendations. Thanks

[berettafan]

i predict a lot of bose bashing but frankly I've never put a more comfortable and pleasant sounding set of headphones on my head as the basic bose over the ear.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 558 phones. They are the best deal I've found, and all-day comfortable. My only complaint about them is the cord is a bit longer than necessary.

[widgeon13]

I have the Bose (noise canceling) and like them very much. I see all the young folks wearing Beats now. Are they as good as Bose. They look more cumbersome and not as convenient for travel.

[Cajundaddy]

These are my favorites:
Amazon.com: Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone: Musical Instruments

Very comfortable for long periods and musical with no exaggerated boom and sizzle like so many others.

[cairns]

Sennheiser. Friends don't let friends buy Bose.

[gr8fl4porsche]

Another vote for the Sony MDR7506's

Hard to beat for less than a bill.

I paid $89 a few months back but it looks like they are up to $ 99 now on Amazon.

Sony has been making them for a very long time.

[widgeon13]

Do the ear cups rotate on any of these for ease of packing in suitcase or backpack?

[Aragorn]

Patrick likes the Monoprice's from Amazon. Worth a shot for $35. His ears are better than mine when it comes to all things audio.

[widgeon13]

I got the Bose in anticipation of using them in my plane. I still expect to make that transition from the David Clark's

[ckelly78z]

I also have the Sony MDR7506 units and love them, The ear pieces do rotate so they can lay flat next to my computer and not get dust in the ear covers.

[87911jon]

Another vote for the Sony MDR-7506...

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Do the ear cups rotate on any of these for ease of packing in suitcase or backpack?

I used these for the few years I was traveling/flying a lot:

Amazon.com: ABLE PLANET NC200B True Fidelity Foldable Active Noise Canceling Headphones (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

Not fancy but I am very happy with the sound quality and comfort (and hard to beat the price).

They also fold up into a nice little package.

If these are for flying I wouldn't waste you money on expensive HIFI headphones, just IMHO.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

After re-reading the OP I realize my recommendation won't fit your wife's needs. The Senn. HD 558 model is "open back" and thus don't provide very good isolation. They're great for listening in a quiet setting, though. On a commercial aircraft she will want "closed back" headphones at a minimum. I also have a pair of HD 380 Pro phones - they fold flat into a case, have a coiled cable, and are closed back for pretty good isolation. However, they're not quite as comfortable for me as their padding is faux leather while the padding on the 558s is a softer (and cooler) velour.

[cmccuist]

If she is using them for travel, then I think the noise canceling is a must. You flip that switch and that jet noise basically disappears. The noise canceling do not have the high fidelity of the non-noise canceling though, so it's a trade off.

I have the Bose QC15. I make the trip from Saudi to TX three to four times a year (15 hour flight from Doha to Houston). I liked them so much that I bought a pair for my wife and another for my daughter.

[widgeon13]

I have Bose qC15 and like them as well, just wished the had some kind of auto off. My wife will go through batteries like Kleenex!

[scottmandue]

Just my two cents but I think it is a waste to get audiophile headphones for traveling on a plane. For one thing there is the chance of them getting lost/broken/stolen and the another thing is the ambient noise level on a airplane kinda negates any HIFI sound quality.

This comes from a guy with a HIFI in his garage that is better than most people have in their living room.

[LWJ]

Agree with scottmandue. I have some Sony over the ear headphones that set me back around $15 on Amazon. Huge value and if they break, so what? Much smaller than the other MDR-7506. Just a thought.

[widgeon13]

Sounds like cheaply is the way to go at first.

[herr_oberst]

I've got Sennheiser HD202's that I use at work. They aren't NC, but they don't cost much and they sound pretty good...

Cord is longer than it needs to be