[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by five46

- Wires are of flimsy quality, fear it may get cut near the mic terminal.
- Out of stock mostly

Please feel free to ask anything that I may have missed out.

Don't worry about the wire quality, they may look flimsy but the build is really good. I own the smaller brother E10C since 2.5 years and I carry them everywhere with me in my pockets (without the case) and they are still going strong.

One of the things that I like most about the E10c is the balanced sound signature. It may not excite much if you test out a friend's pair over few songs as compared to some base-heavy or trouble heavy earphones but for listening for long duration these are very comfortable (no ear pain). I must add, I also feel that under 2k, the E10C are the best sounding earphones.

[sharktale]

[Purchase Advice]

My dad (technologically impaired) is currently using a borrowed Airpods Gen1.

I would like to get him a "true-wireless earphone" for his calls WITH AUTOMATIC SWITCHING.
He uses the iPhone, iPad and Surface laptop.
Therefore, with the AirPods, it gets really difficult at times for constant switching devices.

Ideal budget is INR 5k, can be extended to 10k. He still does not want to heavily invest in this technology.

[zaveed]

Originally Posted by sharktale

[Purchase Advice]

My dad (technologically impaired) is currently using a borrowed Airpods Gen1.

Ideal budget is INR 5k, can be extended to 10k. He still does not want to heavily invest in this technology.

I ordered "1MORE True Wireless Earbuds (Black)" after checking various reviews and feedback. Orderered Noise Shots XO first but cancelled as the feedback was not great. Waiting for it to be delivered.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Sebring]

Ordered boAt Rockerz 400 Headphones (gift purchase), giving in to good reviews by friends. Pricing was Rs.1,399 but changed to Rs.1,599, after I ordered. Waiting to try this out. https://www.amazon.in/Boat-Rockerz-4...01FSYQ2A4?th=1

[sharktale]

Originally Posted by zaveed

I ordered "1MORE True Wireless Earbuds (Black)"

Originally Posted by Sebring

Ordered boAt Rockerz 400 Headphones

I am inclining towards either Oppo W31 or Realme Buds Air. Seems like a fair deal.

Didn't like the form factor of the 1More ones. My father prefers something he can hold and feel. :P

[itwasntme]

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes. They are just not used to the in-ear (bud) headsets that they are currently using, and are complaining of ear-ache which is entirely understandable.

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes. They are just not used to the in-ear (bud) headsets that they are currently using, and are complaining of ear-ache which is entirely understandable.

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

I think it's going to be tough to get a decent over the ear headphones with a mic for your budget. The closest I can think of is the Sony MDR-XB450AP which is a little over 2K. My daughter has the XB550AP which she loves for sound and comfort over extended usage.

[adithya.kp]

I had done a bit of research since I had the same requirement. Shortlisted 4. Rejected boAt Rockerz 450 and boAt Rockerz 400 since they are not wired. ( Bluetooth). Rejected Sony MDR-XB550AP since it looks bulky. Ended up buying Skullcandy Stim Wired. ( Red color for 1099, from amazon. Now they seem to have only white color). Sound quality is average. But it looks good and very simple to use.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes. They are just not used to the in-ear (bud) headsets that they are currently using, and are complaining of ear-ache which is entirely understandable.

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

[Sebring]

We bought Boat Rockerz paying Rs. 1,300 then (now, 1600). Its wired as well as wireless. Comfort wise it's just okay. Maybe Sony is better in that department, but video-cams and headphones are all quoting a premium of late. So get one fast

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes. They are just not used to the in-ear (bud) headsets that they are currently using, and are complaining of ear-ache which is entirely understandable. Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

Check JBL infinity selling around 1600. I haven't listened to it, but JBL usually makes decent products.

[pnredkar]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes. They are just not used to the in-ear (bud) headsets that they are currently using, and are complaining of ear-ache which is entirely understandable.

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

I was in the same situation recently and remedied it by buying a Plantronics 628 usb headset from headphone zone for my son. The price is slightly above your specified limit at Rs. 2700. This definitely limits its usage more towards PC, specifically as this does not have the option of using it with 3.5mm jack that its costlier cousins have. On the plus side, it has a noise cancelling boom mic and inline controls for volume, mute and taking calls. I would definitely recommend this for attending online classes.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need to buy a couple of wired headsets (i.e. with microphone, preferably a good one) for my kids for their weekday online classes.

Any recommendations? Needs to be within 1.5K each (max). Bluetooth would be a nice-to-have but overwhelming focus should be on comfort.

I recently bought Logitech H111 headset with boom mic. It's very comfortable, priced at around Rs. 850. Also it comes with 3.5mm jack, so suitable for laptop and mobile.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by keroo1099

The closest I can think of is the Sony MDR-XB450AP which is a little over 2K. My daughter has the XB550AP ...

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Ended up buying Skullcandy Stim Wired. ( Red color for 1099, from amazon. Now they seem to have only white color). Sound quality is average. But it looks good and very simple to use.

Originally Posted by Sebring

We bought Boat Rockerz paying Rs. 1,300 then (now, 1600). Its wired as well as wireless. Comfort wise it's just okay.

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Check JBL infinity selling around 1600.

Originally Posted by pnredkar

..buying a Plantronics 628 usb headset from headphone zone for my son. The price is slightly above your specified limit at Rs. 2700. This definitely limits its usage more towards PC, specifically as this does not have the option of using it with 3.5mm jack that its costlier cousins have. On the plus side, it has a noise cancelling boom mic and inline controls for volume, mute and taking calls. I would definitely recommend this for attending online classes.

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

I recently bought Logitech H111 headset with boom mic. It's very comfortable, priced at around Rs. 850. Also it comes with 3.5mm jack, so suitable for laptop and mobile.

Thank you all. Picked up a Skullcandy Stim in white for 900 bucks (with Citi 10% off) for now. Will try it and then take a call. The USB one with noise cancellation etc sounds perfect. Will check.

[jacobsamu]

Hello everyone,

From a teacher’s perspective what would be comfortable headphone/headset which would help in audio clarity for online classes n recording and would be in a budget of say 2500/-.

[pnredkar]

My search for a headset:
My trusty pair of Plantronics wired headset was slowly disintegrating, I needed to replace it. The replacement would be used for office calls and communication, and listening to music while I code (yes I still do that after all these years). Since I had good experience with Plantronics headsets, I first started checking their availability. Most were unavailable or ridiculously priced with long delivery schedule.

Then I started looking at other brands. I was looking for on-the-ear or over-the-ear headsets, as I am not comfortable with in-the-ear designs. I prefer wired ones because they are always available (as in no need to charge/no discharge problems), but the convenience of a wireless one cannot be ignored. Music quality should be decent (not necessarily audiophile) as I spend equal amount of time listening to music as on calls. Price should preferably be below 10k though I can stretch to 20k. And build quality is important as my last headset lasted more than 4 years, the next one should atleast last that much.

With so much information available on the internet, the way you search for anything very much determines your results. I decided that headphone zone was my reference site, I started my search. My first addition to shortlist was Meze Audio 99 Neo at about 15k. It was listed under beginner audiophile but did not require external amplification, and had good reviews not just on that site but elsewhere also. The mic and remote was available with the 3.5mm detachable cable. The only drawback was that it had to be pre-ordered with no definite timeline for delivery. I had to look elsewhere.

I then encountered Ultrasone Performance 820, a wired headphones at about 10k. It had inline mic and remote in the detachable 3.5mm cable. Moreover it had an optional bluetooth adapter, that can be purchased separately to convert it into a bluetooth headset. The headphones had good review on the site and elsewhere. Sadly, this was also out of stock and had to be dropped from my list. It however prompted me to search for headset than can connect both with wire and wirelessly.

That is when I encountered Marshall Major III headsets that were available in both forms, wired or wireless+wired. I definitely was looking at the wireless version as it ticked all my requirements and exceeded a few. I started checking the reviews online, most of them were positive. I have a few friends who are into music, so I was aware of the Marshall brand and their pedigree with guitar amps. I really liked the looks also, so I decided to buy this one. There are many videos warning about fakes. So despite it available for a lesser price on Amazon, I decided to buy it from Croma retail online for 7.5k.

My short review of Marshall Major III bluetooth:
I received the headphones three days after I finished my order. The first thing I did was the check for the genuineness of the headphones. I removed the right ear-cup, scanned the QR code and matched it to the serial number on the box: perfect match. The next thing was I paired it with my son's Nokia 6.1+ as that was the only one with aptx audio codec support: it showed aptxHD. Convinced that this was a genuine pair, I proceeded to pair and test it with other devices.

Before I go to performance, a note about aesthetics. They have modeled the headset after their guitar amp and have a similar black grain finish. The brass rivets and the hinges are sturdy. The joystick also has a brass finish with circular grooves and made to look like the control knobs on their amps. Classy indeed! The retro looks here will definitely stand out amongst the modern look of contemporaries. Since I had an old case it does not affect me much, but it would have been nice if Marshall had included a carrying case alongside.


You can find the above photo and more at:
https://www.marshallheadphones.com/i...bluetooth.html

The positioning of the joystick is also ergonomically spot on, and the single button control for power-on/off, volume up/down, track next/previous, track fast-forward/rewind, bluetooth pairing mode, starting Siri is easy to master. Probably this is the most intuitive implementation of a single button control. The 3.5mm spiral cable (when did you last see such a cable on a relatively budget headphone) is detachable at both ends, has a mic and single button remote on it. Unfortunately, this single button can be used to play and pause music, but not to mute the microphone. The usb to micro-usb cable that is provided for charging also has a good build.

I tried some calls on PC using Teams and Jabber using wired connection first and then with bluetooth. In all case, I could hear the other side clearly and they replied that they could hear me clearly also. I also tried some calls from my iphone via bluetooth. The call quality is clearly good. I did not encounter any issues. On phone, all controls to receive and stop calls worked as expected. On PC with bluetooth, I could control the volume from the joystick but nothing else. On PC with wired connection, I had to use software controls as the single remote button for wired connection did not work to mute the microphone.

Next was listening to some music via bluetooth from my phone. I fired up apple music and listened to a selected set of songs at highest quality to gauge the sound. The EQ setting on iPhone was set to Off. The sound is definitely superior to my earlier pods. The bass was deep but not overbearing or boomy. The vocals and treble were clean and will not cause fatigue. The sound is warm with decent soundstage, but I wish the separation was better. Still overall a decent pair of listen. All controls from the joy-stick worked as advertised.

Then I tried firing up some music on PC via iTunes and listened to the same set of songs via bluetooth. The setting was set to flat with no equalization. The bass was again deep and the vocals and treble were clean. However, it sounded a bit flatter and veiled as compared to what I heard when paired with iphone. The sound stage did not sound as wide. This sounded inferior to the same songs that I had heard with phone. Also, the joystick here only worked for volume up and down.

Finally I tried listening to the same music on PC via iTunes using the 3.5mm jack. The sound settings were set to flat with no equalization. The soundstage seemed to have opened up and the veil seems to have been removed as compared to my previous listening. The bass was deep with no bloom, voice and treble were clean. Music was more enjoyable. While I liked the sound from the iPhone + bluetooth combination, I really enjoyed the wired sound from my PC. This was the best sound of all the three settings.

I can definitely live with this sound. It is not as great as the Marantz Amp + Quad speaker combo that I have at home, but then I can always crank this up without annoying anybody. I assume it would perform better with higher quality input (like some flacs that I have ripped from CDs myself), but this is adequate for my purpose.

The only gripe that I have is that the headband is too tight. You have to remove the headset every hour to relieve the pressure. Despite this minor drawback, I definitely am happy with my purchase.

Pros:
- Looks and finish
- Sound quality
- Wired and wireless connectivity options
- The control joystick

Cons:
- Headband is tight, cannot wear more than couple of hours at one go
- Connects to single device via bluetooth at a time
- No carry case included

I would recommend this to anyone looking at a decent sound at a budget.