I want some new headphones, currently using ATH-m50s, less than 150$ preferably

[IcyBaker4867]

I not terribly new the the world of HQ headphones but i just dont have the money to try anything too great. so i was lookin to get some good sounding headphones for like $100-150, i was thinkin somthing like the ATH-a700 or Grado sr-80i. somthing like that, ill probly be driving them with a headroom total airhead amp. any suggestions appreciated

[CrowdAds]

[skip252]

Welcome to ABi

Those are two very different phones you mentioned. It might be best if you narrowed the field.

Try this to get better suggestions. Just can just edit your first post.

[Satellite_6]

Do you not like the m50's?

It took me a while to appreciate them but atm I'm really enjoying the AKG K 601's I bought used for $160.

Other options that might be good are the Sennheiser HD 555's or the new HD558's, maybe the Alessandro MS1's. . . it depends what you are looking for and what kind of music you like.

[JxK]

The m50 is quite frankly difficult to beat. Its strengths lie not only in its very good SQ, but its ability to be driven without an amp. Honestly, you'd likely have to upgrade to something like the hd6xx series + amp/top soundcard to get a true upgrade.

Between the ad700 and sr80, they are both very different. The ad700 is going to have a much bigger soundstage than the m50, but have much much less bass. The sr80 is going to be more energetic, have less bass, more treble, and virtually no soundstage to speak of. Neither is going to be an objective upgrade, but if you're just looking for a different flavor then either works. Just pick the traits you most like and/or want to change from your m50.

[IcyBaker4867]

Well I'm not necisarily looking for an upgrade from the m50s, I really like them and I definitely do not plan on replacing them I just want somthing to get a little bit of variety from the same thing all the time which is why I say somthing like the sr-80s because I know they'll be a totally different sound, and I'm also not necessarily looking for a specific type of sound from some new cans I just want something relatively cheap that doesn't sound like garbage

[Jack4L]

The ATH ad700 are a nice change, but might be a big and pointless leap if your just going to be listening to the same music through different headphones. In most cases you'll have a favorite and not really want to use the other when listening to the same music. Still I find that having multiple headphones can be usefull for listening to different types of music. These days I only ever use my ATH-a900's for jazz and accoustic music and live performances, and my Denon D2000's for gaming, movies and more mainstream music.

Both the SR80 and AD700 are good, if you have an open mind to how different they will sound. Overall though I'd probably go with the AD700 because they are full sized headphones, and I really dont see any benefit to having portable open air headphones like the SR80i. They are just iconic looking.

[JxK]

^ With that I have to disagree. Grados are hardly portable. They may be supra-aural, but they are most definitely home use headphones. SQ is also respectable if you like their sound signature.