Suggestions for good quality Headphones?

[Fogel]

I figure we have some audiophiles here that can offer up some suggestions.

 

I bought some Sennheiser HD 438 for $40 during Black Friday. Not bad, good quality, though definitely on the tame side. Seems like they would be better suited to smooth jaz or something. There really is no bass. They feel good around the ear, though I am definitely not a fan of the plastic design. It just doesn't seem durable even though I have no reason to doubt its durability at this time.

 

I decided to dig out my Sony MDR-V700s and listen to the same playlist. The difference is staggering. Despite how old these are the sound quality is definitely more enjoyable as it gives a more aggressive take to the music. The clarity isn't as good as the Sennheisers but the bass kicks the HD 438 in the nuts and the beats have more vibe to them. Problem is they are uncomfortable (like hurt my ears making long sessions annoying) and I am sure there is far better these days.

 

I listen mostly to Rock, R&B and House - pretty much all shades of those categories.

 

 

Any suggestions? Where as I would like to pay less than $100 I seriously doubt I would get away with it for a good quality set. Though not a hard requirement, I would love it if they could fold up like my MDR-V700 can - like this ATH-M50 can. I will say $160 seems kind of steep for me on headphones, I will entertain suggestions like that or higher. I can hold out for awhile till I can possibly earn some bonus money. Like I'm sure these would be the cat's meow. Though if I can achieve similar quality on a cheaper budget with durable headphones that are also comfortable then please let me know!

[VaporX]

Thermaltake Shock Spins are nothing short of awesome for sound and have a good rich bass to them.

[Fogel]

They look more like for gaming than for music. I got a pair of gaming headets. Besides I am a purist when I game. I don't like listening to music on the same machine I am playing games from.

 

I am looking for a pair of headphones audiophiles (though probably more on their low-mid range) would listen to for music.

[bp9801]

I like my Sennheiser HD-555s for pretty much anything. They are an open set however, so you will hear everything around you while wearing them and everyone around you can hear what you're listening to. They are extremely comfortable and have an even better sound after some burn in time, say 25 hours minimum. No way to fold them, but that is a minor problem.

 

The HD-558s are the newer version of the 555s, and at a cheaper price, well worth it. The HD-555s do go on sales fairly often, I snagged mine off Amazon's Gold Box deals for $60. The HD-518s and HD-515s are cheaper options still, but are lower-end than the HD-555/558.

 

For a closed headphone (no sound leaks out or in), there are the Ultrasone HFI-450 and Sennheiser HD-280 Pro. Both of them can fold up pretty easily and are fairly sturdy, but the Sennheisers are fairly tight at first. Some people say they are too tight at first, but you can always stretch them out some if they are.

[Stonerboy779]

They look more like for gaming than for music. I got a pair of gaming headets. Besides I am a purist when I game. I don't like listening to music on the same machine I am playing games from.

 

I am looking for a pair of headphones audiophiles (though probably more on their low-mid range) would listen to for music.

Are you willing to go to $200-300 to get them?

Your "cats meeow" is your mid range "audiophile" set-o-cans.

 

If you want low to mid range "audiophile" quality your not going to find it at $100 however you can certainly find quite brilliant quality headphones.

 

If your primary use is music and you dont need anything like surround playback I would urge you to consider in ear headphones.

 

For about $80 you could get something like sennhiser cx-300II or klipsch image s4 which both offer exceptional quality and smoother and more accurate frequency response than any over ear headphones for the same price.

 

As for comfort I wear my cx-300II for stretches of multiple hours while at work and I forget they are there. Bass you wanted it and they certainly have it in abundance and clear precise bass not muddy or dull. And portability I think you can guess how great they are.

 

Just another option. Just because the drivers are bigger in a set of cans doesnt mean they have the same quality. Or even the same bass.

[sack_patrol]

If you're looking for some good headphones for music, have a look at the Grado headphones. They're very good as far as listening to music goes, but if you need them for other things like playing games, they might not deliver since gaming headphones and music headphones are a bit different. Gaming headphones have better directional sound which means that you'll have an easier time figuring out where a certain sound is coming from. Music headphones don't have that because they don't really need it. So, what this means is that the Grado headphones are not going to be pleasant to use while gaming. I haven't tried any of them out but the reason I know is that When I was last looking for new headphones I was just about to buy a pair of Grado cans and then I stumbled upon the directional sound idea and from then on it was easy to figure out what exactly I was looking for with the help of some audiophile forums n stuff.

 

Eventually I got the headphones I have right now which are the audio-technica ATH-AD700. They cost about 130$ new from ebay. I got these because they have good directional sound and also deliver excellent quality music since they are studio headphones first and gaming headphones second.

 

I wouldn't go for any of the sennheiser cuz they aren't as good as one would think. You'll probably need to get an amp for them. I haven't read up much on headphones but I remember that this was an issue. Some headphones needed extra equipment to draw out the sound or whatever. It's like a driver for a piece of computer hardware where the driver is the amp, and the hardware is the headphones.

 

In conclusion, I would probably suggest the audio-technical headphones if you wanted something that's all around good, and the Grado headphones if you were looking for something that's more specialized for music.

 

Ultimately, you could visit Head-Fi.org which is a forum that specializes in everything that is sound. You'll probably get some decent suggestions there if you tell them what you're looking for and how much you're willing to spend.

Edited December 16, 2011 by sack_patrol

[bp9801]

I wouldn't go for any of the sennheiser cuz they aren't as good as one would think. You'll probably need to get an amp for them. I haven't read up much on headphones but I remember that this was an issue. Some headphones needed extra equipment to draw out the sound or whatever. It's like a driver for a piece of computer hardware where the driver is the amp, and the hardware is the headphones.

 

Have you actually used Sennheiser headphones? The only ones that need an amp are the HD 600 and above series. All of the ones I listed are 64 ohms and under, which do not require an amp at that impedance.

[Fogel]

Before I get into replying - it appears these are highest recommended cheap set of cans - Panasonic RP-HTF600-S ~$30ish

 

I like my Sennheiser HD-555s for pretty much anything. They are an open set however, so you will hear everything around you while wearing them and everyone around you can hear what you're listening to. They are extremely comfortable and have an even better sound after some burn in time, say 25 hours minimum. No way to fold them, but that is a minor problem.

 

The HD-558s are the newer version of the 555s, and at a cheaper price, well worth it. The HD-555s do go on sales fairly often, I snagged mine off Amazon's Gold Box deals for $60. The HD-518s and HD-515s are cheaper options still, but are lower-end than the HD-555/558.

 

I would definitely prefer a closed set, though I have heard good things about that line of Sennheisers - mostly see the 558 mentioned. Though I am still not a fan of their design. Though I will say my 438 is definitely comfortable so I am sure those are on par if not more so. Definitely a great price on those 555s. But traveling on planes and such I'd rather not have too much leakage.

 

For a closed headphone (no sound leaks out or in), there are the Ultrasone HFI-450 and Sennheiser HD-280 Pro. Both of them can fold up pretty easily and are fairly sturdy, but the Sennheisers are fairly tight at first. Some people say they are too tight at first, but you can always stretch them out some if they are.

 

Those 450s just do not look comfortable at all, I don't know what it is about them that just turns me off. Do you own both or have used both? I will start there before i ask a ton of questions.

 

Are you willing to go to $200-300 to get them?

Your "cats meeow" is your mid range "audiophile" set-o-cans.

 

Like I said... my expectations are significantly less than an audiophile's.

 

After reading some posts on Head-Fi.org it seems like the best set of cans for my needs (outside of double d's) would be the Ultrasone PRO 900. Obviously there are more expensive out there but then it just gets stupid in pricing. Not sure I want to spend $300 on a set on cans but evidently these were like $500ish a month or two ago. So I guess these would be my cats meow now. The a Panasonic would be my cheapest option. So now I need a good in between option before I pick. Luckily for me the options you two are giving me fall into that category.

 

If you want low to mid range "audiophile" quality your not going to find it at $100 however you can certainly find quite brilliant quality headphones.

 

If your primary use is music and you dont need anything like surround playback I would urge you to consider in ear headphones.

 

For about $80 you could get something like sennhiser cx-300II or klipsch image s4 which both offer exceptional quality and smoother and more accurate frequency response than any over ear headphones for the same price.

 

As for comfort I wear my cx-300II for stretches of multiple hours while at work and I forget they are there. Bass you wanted it and they certainly have it in abundance and clear precise bass not muddy or dull. And portability I think you can guess how great they are.

 

Just another option. Just because the drivers are bigger in a set of cans doesnt mean they have the same quality. Or even the same bass.

 

I'm not a fan of earbuds like that. I tried some cheaper ones and a friend's better quality ones to see if I could deal with the feel and I really couldn't get used to it. My friend didn't like me trying his earbuds but I am glad he caved in. I am gonna link those as I will consider those as the portability of earbuds is hard to beat - cx-300II. Though I have to say I prefer the ipod style earbuds as they feel better even though they don't provide the sound quality.

 

I think I honestly need to feel a pair before I can commit to buying those style of earbuds again.

[sack_patrol]

Have you actually used Sennheiser headphones? The only ones that need an amp are the HD 600 and above series. All of the ones I listed are 64 ohms and under, which do not require an amp at that impedance.

No I haven't but I was considering them when I was buying mine so I had to do research. I guess I just forgot some of the stuff I knew back then.

 

I still don't like the sennheisers tho... I think that better quality could be found for the same amount of money. Also I would suggest looking at stuff like comfort and how well the headphones are built. It's one of those things that depends on personal preference but if a bunch of people are saying that a given model breaks easily or isn't comfortable then I'd probably look at something else with less complaints.

[Fogel]

Eventually I got the headphones I have right now which are the audio-technica ATH-AD700. They cost about 130$ new from ebay. I got these because they have good directional sound and also deliver excellent quality music since they are studio headphones first and gaming headphones second.

 

Ultimately, you could visit Head-Fi.org which is a forum that specializes in everything that is sound. You'll probably get some decent suggestions there if you tell them what you're looking for and how much you're willing to spend.

 

Already went to Head-Fi.org

 

I didn't see any posts on there that led me to believe they would entertain my post so I didn't even bother trying to post there. So I just poked around on their forums to see what others are using. The Grados don't seem to fall in my music category, despite being highly recommended.

 

What do you think of the bass on the ATH-AD700s? Is it more of the mid-range bass or sub-bass? Have you had them for awhile now?

[bp9801]

Those 450s just do not look comfortable at all, I don't know what it is about them that just turns me off. Do you own both or have used both? I will start there before i ask a ton of questions.

 

I only own the HD 280 Pros, but I tried the HFI-450s before I settled on the Sennheiser. My issue with the Ultrasone HFI-450 is the size.. it's a bit small for me. I know I have a large head, but the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros fit a lot better. I can wear the HD 280s for ever, but the interior of the earcups is a bit close to your ear. You don't notice it much, but the edge of your ears can touch the interior of the HD 280s. The newer HD 380s do not have that issue (my PC 350 headset is based on them).

 

 

Also, both the AD700 and A700 are available at Amazon and cheaper than the $130 on eBay mention. The AD700s are an open set while the A700s are closed. The wing design for the headband on both can give off some noise whenever you move, but you can tune that out after a while.

 

The majority of the headphones I've listed are pretty neutral on the EQ, meaning you'll need to adjust the settings on your sound card/music player in order to get some more bass.

[sack_patrol]

Already went to Head-Fi.org

 

I didn't see any posts on there that led me to believe they would entertain my post so I didn't even bother trying to post there. So I just poked around on their forums to see what others are using. The Grados don't seem to fall in my music category, despite being highly recommended.

 

What do you think of the bass on the ATH-AD700s? Is it more of the mid-range bass or sub-bass? Have you had them for awhile now?

I've had them for about a year and as bp9801 said, they are open so people around you are going to hear the sounds a little bit. It's doesn't reach the point of being annoying though. I listen to a lot of dubstep so a lot of bass music and I'd say that they deliver, as well as in all other genres of music. Sorry if I can't be more specific and give more detail but I'm not too sound savy. XD I just compare them to other headphones I've owned or tried. Also I go to dubstep parties where they have the big subwoofers so I compare them to that a little bit too, of course keeping in mind the size difference. I can hear the 20 hertz and up which isn't that noticeable when listening to music but it's still a decent accomplishment for a pair of headphones. Though 20 hertz isn't something that you hear as much as you feel it so obviously it has nothing to do with the real thing, but it's close enough imo.

 

Directional sound is also good so you'll be able to use them for games n stuff too. I have no trouble pinpointing where sounds are coming from.

 

Finally, I spend a lot of time on the pc and a lot of time listening to music so I have them on pretty much all the time and they are comfy and don't make my ears hurt like other headphones have.

 

Overall, I'd say they are pretty good quality for the price.