$100ish Headphone Recommendation

[Ultimate Viking]

As the title states. Headphones are one thing I don't have, that I would like to get. I'll start out cheap for now, not knowing if I'll even like them. I was reading over at head-fi some recommendations in the $100 range, and these were some named:

Audio Technica M50's
Sony MDR-V6
Grado SR-60i
Alessandro MS-1

Any of these any good? Any others you would recommend?

BTW, I listen mostly to rock, with a little country in the mix. Comfort important, obviously. I like a detailed sound, with a more punchy type bass. Am I asking too much for $100, lol?

[CrowdAds]

[Satellite_6]

Are you looking for open or closed cans?

Another pair of cans everyone seems to love in this price range is the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s.

P.S. I'd stay away from the Grados as FWIR my HD 485s are better and can be had for $50 now.

[Ultimate Viking]

I don't care if they're open or closed, just as long as they sound good.

I guess it really makes no difference, I'll mostly be using them here at home, so outside noise really isn't going to be a factor.

[Satellite_6]

Well then, go for open cans because they are the best invention evar.

[The DarkSide]

ATH-M50's are a great deal, and the bass and general SQ is quite good. I owned a pair myself, they're missed. I put Bayer Dynamic DT250 pads on them - quite comfy!!!

The Sony MDR-V6's (I own a pair as still) are good, but the bass is lacking, and the high's are a bit harsh. I didn't sell them as I only paid around $65.00usd for them, not really worth my while (but they are comfy - I put Bayer Dynamic Velvet pads on them too).

As for the Grado's, Marvin LOVES THEM, so I'd see if his input later on might be helpful to you. They're open tho, and leak sound like crazy - the 2 I spoke of already are closed. I prefer closed, as I need the isolation to help block out noises around me, as well as not bug my family or coworkers.

[Ultimate Viking]

Do you lose a lot of bass on open cans? It seems like that would be the case. And, how much sound do they actually "leak"? Is it enough to annoy the living shit out of those around me?

[rickysio]

My PortaPro's did annoy the living shit out of those around me, but that can be attributed to my higher than normal hearing volume due to my deafness.

[The DarkSide]

I've been driven crazy on the train in NYC by people using PortaPro's, Grados, and Senns - they leak sound like a MOFO. That's why listening conditions are always a factor when getting HP's. I always go w/closed, as I need the quiet - for me as well as those around me.

[rickysio]

Or IEMs. There is a reason why I only use IEMs now.

@UV - Out of curiosity, are you planning to use them while gaming?

[Ultimate Viking]

Closed may be my best bet then. No gaming, music only.

[rickysio]

Well, seems that the M50s are the only ones in your budget. Might have to look into it myself.

[Ultimate Viking]

It's not really in my budget, I can afford more, but as my first pair, I wanna make sure I even like wearing cans. It may bug me half to death. It took me a bit to get used to IEM's. Now I don't even realize they're there.

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Viking

Do you lose a lot of bass on open cans? It seems like that would be the case. And, how much sound do they actually "leak"? Is it enough to annoy the living shit out of those around me?

NO.

Neither my HD 650s nor my HD 485s can be heard from a distance at normal listening volumes. My dad's hearing sucks and when he listens to the 650s at high volumes I can hear them from across the house, but that's different.

[rickysio]

http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57183

Perhaps consider what dfkt has to recommend in this thread, then? The Beyerdynamic DT770, Sennheiser HD25, Ultrasone HFI780/PRO750/PRO900?

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by rickysio

http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57183

Perhaps consider what dfkt has to recommend in this thread, then? The Beyerdynamic DT770, Sennheiser HD25, Ultrasone HFI780/PRO750/PRO900?

These are all rather expensive.

[rickysio]

No free lunch in the world.

[Ultimate Viking]

Perhaps not, but I did $100ish.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Viking

Perhaps not, but I did $100ish.

Don't suppose there's any stores near you where you could audition any of these suggestions, is there?

[The DarkSide]

TBH the dt770's and the hfi-780's are worth the extra cash, as either would be a wise purchase.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Viking

Do you lose a lot of bass on open cans? It seems like that would be the case. And, how much sound do they actually "leak"? Is it enough to annoy the living shit out of those around me?

No … I agree with satellite 6, only wanted to add that the open design headphone gives you a wider soundstage and less resonance because it allows the air to drift/surge freely around their driver. This isn’t the case with closed headphones, as they may be subject to distortion as a result of this resonance, especially in the cheaper ones that are poorly designed.

Another point not mentioned in this thread is comfort and I really think that too many people don’t pay enough attention to this until it’s too late and they notice after the purchase. Personally I prefer circumaural headphones which encompass the whole ear and are more comfy and enhance the listening experience for me VS the supra-aural design like grado uses, which have the pads that sit on top of the ears that really bothers me.

As far as bothering others around me with open phones, I’ve never had that issue. I listen to them in bedroom while my wife or kids are next to me on many occasions and they don’t even notice or complain of bothering them.

Originally Posted by Ultimate Viking

Closed may be my best bet then. No gaming, music only.

I'd think this through and try to test some different models out if possible.