Searching for headphones like my old favorite pair under $100 USD
**skip to the numbered points if you just want the facts and not the extra info about my history with looking for headphones*\* Quick backstory: 8+ years ago when I was still a kid I wanted headphones so I could listen to music because I had never had a pair before. My mom ordered COWIN E7 headphones from Walmart and knowing nothing about headphones I just decided I really liked them and I have used them ever since. In the last 2 or so years the paint on the leather has begun chipping off and one side has stopped producing audio more recently :( These headphones were described as "pilot headphones" on the pamphlet when I got them. They were over the ear and worked both as noise cancelling and music headphones. When I flipped the on switch for the headphones they would make a beeping noise and while turned on would cancel out almost all noise. They could be turned off while wearing them but the noise cancelling wouldn't be as effective. I'm not sure what the science behind it is but when you turned them on it would instantly get quieter. The sound (I used them like 90% for music and 10% for shows/movies) was super crisp, sounded like what I was listening to was in the room with me. So I finally sucked it up and ordered new ones, hoping they would be the same quality as the ones my mom ordered 8+ years ago. I ordered them from the exact same brand under the exact same name and tried them on. The new ones are plastic (old ones were more durable material) the audio sounds like it's underwater, and when I turn them on there's really no noise cancelling abilities at all). There were 2 different COWIN E7 brand headphones so I tried them both, neither was the same as my old ones. I even tried Soundcore Anker headphones because I'd heard they were really good and I still prefer my old headphones and the sound seems foggy on the Anker ones :/ I am at a loss, I just want headphones exactly like my old ones. Does a pair like them even exist or are they just off the market for good?
- Currency/location - I live in Washington, USA. The currency is USD.
- Budget - My budget is under $100 (willing to go slightly over if absolutely necessary)
- Source - I'm looking for BT over the ear headphones, they will be connected to my computer (HP) and my iPhone
- How the gear will be used - I use my headphones in public to listen to music in the gym and at home to listen to music while cleaning or just sitting, and while watching anime on my computer. I use them for noise cancellation regularly. Noise isolation is needed. I am not hard on gear, my old pair lived over 8 years and died of old age. Went lots of places with them too, drove hundreds of hours on hundreds of trips, flew/went through airport security several times.
- Preferred tonal balance - I don't really know exactly what this means. But I know that my old headphones had a very crisp sound, it was like I wasn't even wearing headphones if that makes sense. While watching anime or other TV the voices were very clear and the sound effects often were like surround sound in my headphones. The music I listened to sounded really clear and like how it was intended to sound, not like it was underwater like all of the other headphones I have tried after. I was really able to get into the music I listened to because it was so vivid, the bass was super strong on some songs but not obnoxiously so and I liked it.
- Preferred music genres - I listen to a lot of indie but it is more upbeat with more beats in it as opposed to slow acoustic indie. I also like a lot of early 2000s pop songs. Some of my favorites right now for example are Spirits by The Strumbellas, Hallucinogenics by Matt Maeson, Breezeblocks by alt-J, Dissolve by Absofacto, Dandelions by Ruth B. I like heavy metal (ex. pantera) and EDM (ex. TheFatRat) sometimes too. I hope this all paints a pretty good picture of what I'm looking for, sorry for including SO much information. I miss my old headphones T_T