Good headphones under 150$?

S

SBaker34

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
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Every pair of headphones/earbuds etc ends up dying on me in 6-10months either they get quiet or go dead in one ear and if I buy cheaper ones they sound like crap so I think it "may" be time to buy something nicer I mostly listen to hardrock and other stuff but almost never rap so what are some good headphones for me? I prefer on the ear or over the ear to clip on and earbuds but anything that lasts a while and sounds good is fine.
 
GF has about 3 years on some Grados - she's broken 3 ? 4? portable CD players in that time. 35 year fan of their phono carts - SR-60's phones are pretty darn good.
 
SBaker34, I have played drums for over 40 years of my young adult life. I have used Sony headphones for the last 18 to 20 years. The current pair I have is the Sony MDR-V600 studio model. I listen to mostly Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Humble Pie, Hendrix, Dio, Led Zep, 'Floyd, etc. These are excellent for just listening or when I am practicing. They pick up all the ranges & clarity is great. Excellent headphones & pretty reasonable also.
Good hunting.
Be safe.
 
If you want to go nuts researching headphones, just go to head-fi.org. I actually found bladeforums from there, as the level of obsession is the same.

I have a similar taste in music and budget. On my list to try are:

Audio-Technica ATH-M50
Shure SRH840
Grado SR125

Each can be found in the $100-$150 range.
 
I don't need to develop two obsessions, so little money, But I do want something comfortable so I don't get headaches and something "sharp" my logitechs made the electric guitars sound like they were played though pillows. any listed will probably do it for me.
 
Check out the Koss KSC75. I have some and they really are pretty darn good for the price. At ~$15.00 you can tear them up and not feel bad about it and they sound great.

I also have some Audio Technica ATH-a900's and some Shure E2C's for comparison. But the Koss phones sound as good as either. I don't really like the E2c's and after using them for a few years I think they may have resulted in some hearing loss. The A900's are GREAT cans, but too large for use anywhere but the house.

Good luck, and +1 on the head-fi.org. They will school you about quality products and options you have in your price point.

Billyp
 
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Really depends on what you use them for, but I love my Sennheiser 555's. :)
 
Usage will be on my computer home only for listening to hard rock and metal mostly As they will be used at home I don't care about size unless they are so big they give me neck problems as I listen to rock and metal I like sharpness too which most cheaper headphones do not have. I am close to ordering the Sennheiser HD280 would they work fine for rock and gaming?
 
SBaker34 said:
Usage will be on my computer home only for listening to hard rock and metal mostly As they will be used at home I don't care about size unless they are so big they give me neck problems as I listen to rock and metal I like sharpness too which most cheaper headphones do not have. I am close to ordering the Sennheiser HD280 would they work fine for rock and gaming?
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I actually have a pair on the way, so I will comment later when I get them if you bug me.

I will say that the 555's are probably the best priced (try Amazon) entry-level high end cans. You don't need an amp or any special equipment and they make everything sound much better then standard fare.
 
audiopile said:
GF has about 3 years on some Grados - she's broken 3 ? 4? portable CD players in that time. 35 year fan of their phono carts - SR-60's phones are pretty darn good.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Grados. Sound good, wear well, and don't cost a fortune.
 
Ping Pong said:
+1 on the Grados. Sound good, wear well, and don't cost a fortune.
Click to expand...

The Grados bleed noise though, and are not very comfortable. As least compared to my Senns. Some people find them [Grados] comfortable, most don't.
 
I don't mind sound bleeding much, I listen at reasonable volumes I just don't want something that mutes guitars and blows my eardrums out with bass. And confortable
 
I have a pair of Skull Candy earbuds. I like them a lot and they come with different sized rubber ends so you can pick the size that's right for you. I like classic rock, blues, classical guitar, etc. and these sound very good to me and are inexpensive at under $20. I got mine at TJMaxx for $10-12 but Target has them as well.
 
I found the sound of the Grado's put that same S$%t Eating Grin on my mug that their incredibly cheap phono carts caused thru the decodes from the 70's on. Not saying these are the be all and end all - just a lot of musical headphone for the bucks.
And I personally found them uncomfortable. SWMBO wears them for hours on end with out complaint. Never mentioned they were uncomfortable to her and they aren't - to her. Sold headphones for decades - comfort was definitely a YMMV situation - regardless of brand/design.
 
I will probably either get the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 sennheiser 555 or maybe a grado sr80i all would probably be miles above anything I have heard before but I don't have an amplifier I will just be plugging it into a realtek HD sound card with a 3.5mm jack and using it for general listening, metal though youtube to gaming. any of the 3 means I cannot get a busse but I will use headphones a lot more. Now just to decide which my computer can handle and which won't give me a headache. most my cheapy headphones were used half extended so I guess I have a medium sized head?
 
You seem more interested in headphones than in-the-ear, but just in case- I just did a totally ridiculous amount of research on IEMs and came up with Head Direct Re0s as my choice. Strengths are supposed to be extremely accurate reproduction, clarity, flat response and comfort. Weaknesses are that they won't make make big bass fans happy- the bass is supposed to be there in good measure, just not over boosted. They are supposed to be as good as anything under $300 for $79 at Amazon. I'm waiting for mine to arrive.

I would definitely spend some time on head-fi before spending my money. Let us know what you get and how you like them!
 
I spent bout 3 months last year trying to compare before I invested, just like you.
This is what I came up with.
If you want to spend the money, Klipsch image s4. $80ish.
For a cheap price, and great isolating sound, I'd say Skull Candy. $20ish
A lot of people complain about the bass, but thats what equalizers were made for, to tune to ones ear.
 
Josh K said:
I actually have a pair on the way, so I will comment later when I get them if you bug me.

I will say that the 555's are probably the best priced (try Amazon) entry-level high end cans. You don't need an amp or any special equipment and they make everything sound much better then standard fare.
Click to expand...

+1 on the 555s, I love mine.


trugracie said:
I spent bout 3 months last year trying to compare before I invested, just like you.
This is what I came up with.
If you want to spend the money, Klipsch image s4. $80ish.
For a cheap price, and great isolating sound, I'd say Skull Candy. $20ish
A lot of people complain about the bass, but thats what equalizers were made for, to tune to ones ear.
Click to expand...
I also own the S4s, I bought them because they're portable. I think they're very nice headphones, but I'm not a huge fan of in-ear headphones. if I could only have one, and portability wasn't a concern, I'd go with the 555s.
 
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