JBL J88a BLK Premium Over Ear Headphones with JBL Drivers, Rotatable Ear Cups and Microphone, Black

HEADPHONE SHOOT-OUT !!!
Background: I got tired of all the mixed reviews of best "closed, around-ear" headphones fewer than $200, so I got 7 of the top recommended brands/models and decided for myself (luckily, they had a 15 - 30 day trial period). I needed a "closed" headphone so NO sound (for listening enjoyment only) could be heard by people around me. I'm somewhat of an audiophile and an ex-band director...so perfect sound is important to me (note: I listen to concert band, jazz, orchestral movie soundtracks, choral, classical, and even some pop/rock/country). My "control" for testing was music from my iTunes Library (apple Lossless files) on my laptop with advanced soundcard. I wanted to spend fewer than $200. Here are the following results:

1st place: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. (score: 90/100 points) Pros -It does a variety of tasks really good with no real weakness at anything. It's best for listening enjoyment...not professional studio monitoring as advertised. It has very warm...

Was my new favorite

Sounds great, mic works with my phone and it is so comfortable. Plus they fold up well and feel durable. The detachable cable was a nice feature, I snagged it bad and needed to replace it (pretty sure I would have taken out any other headphone cables). I wish the new cables weren't as expensive as a new headphone though. I've tried other 2.5mm jacks and no luck. I've ordered a "Replacement Audio Cable For K450 K480 K480 NC Q460 Mic Microphone Remote Control" for eight bucks and hope it works.

The Best Headphones for the Best Price
These headphones are awesome. Music through these have quite a bit of clarity. Because I think Beats by Dre are overpriced glorified headphones, I would like to add the difference in specs between the JBL J88 series and Beats studio headphones:

JBL:

Frequency Response: 8hz-24khz

Impedance: 32 ohms

Driver Size: 50 mm

Beats:

Frequency Response: 20hz-20khz

Impedance: 40 ohms

Driver Size: 40 mm

If you're unfamiliar with Impedance, a lower Impedance requires less power to deliver higher audio levels. So if you plan to use headphones for phones, mp3 players, tablets, laptops, etc, then lower is better. At the same time, studio beats are meant for...studios, not for portable devices, so they can perform better plugged into a studio amp that will push a higher voltage.

I'll start from the outside and work my way in.

The bag that comes with the headphones is perfect. It...

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