| Headphones (full-size) Discussion of full-size headphones. |
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View Poll Results: What is your favorite budget (under $30) headphone?
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AKG K-44 ~$29
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0 |
0% |
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AKG K-55 ~$29
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0 |
0% |
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AKG K24P ~$29
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1 |
0.74% |
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Audio-Technica ATH-M2X ~$20
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1 |
0.74% |
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KOSS KSC-55 ~$16
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2 |
1.47% |
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KOSS KSC-75 ~$13
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78 |
57.35% |
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KOSS SportaPro ~$20
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5 |
3.68% |
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KOSS PortaPro2 ~$20
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5 |
3.68% |
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Philips HP170 ~$20
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1 |
0.74% |
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Sennheiser HD201 ~$23
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17 |
12.50% |
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Sennheiser MX500 ~$18
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3 |
2.21% |
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Sennheiser HD457 ~$29
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0 |
0% |
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Sehhneiser EH-150 ~$25
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5 |
3.68% |
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Sony EX71 ~$29
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3 |
2.21% |
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Sony MDR-XD100 ~$18
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0 |
0% |
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Sony MDR-XD200 ~$26
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1 |
0.74% |
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Other (please specify model and cost)
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14 |
10.29% |
05-16-2006, 07:01 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: USA, New Jersey
Posts: 4,798
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Budget (under $30) headphone shootout!
I have lost count of the number of times a newbie here on Head-Fi has made a post asking our advice on a cheap/good pair of headphones. Perhaps some day we will be able to refer them to this post for some good advice and suggestions.
EDIT: Doesn't matter what type of headphone it is (closed, open, IEM, buds) as long as it is less than $30 USD, and has very good SQ (for the price).
Ok so on to the poll : so which set of budget cans is the undisputed champion of them all? Pick your favorite. Keep in mind I am looking only for the cheapies here (under $30 USD). Bonus points if you tell us the reasons why you like the headphone you select in the poll, along with the type of music you listen to most often.
I will get the ball rolling:
My vote is for KOSS KSC-75. The price versus performance for these bad boys is absolutely unbeatable. For $13 (or less) the sound quality of these phones approach that found in headphone models 8 times the price. Since they are so cheap, first time do-it-yourselfers can attempt a mod or recable and not be out a ton of scratch in the event they screw up. They are very compact which makes them ideal for portable use. They are comfortable enough for me to use them upwards of 4 hours or more and not even realize they are on my ears (very lightweight and 'airy' feeling). They are also a great (affordable) gift to give to a loved one who is using those stock God-forsaken iPOD earbuds!
They do justice to the types of music I prefer (metal, alternative, rock, punk, blues).
Pound-for-pound it is hard to beat what the KSC-75 offers in such a small package at such an affordable price. As for the icing on the cake: KOSS offers a no-questions-asked lifetime repair/replacement policy on these bad boys. So there is no fear in making these babies your 'beater' phones. Go on and abuse em' if you want. If they break you send them back to KOSS along with a check for $6. KOSS will repair them, or replace them with a comparable model. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other headphone manufacturer that offers a warranty quite like that!
Pic:
Your turn.
P.S. If you pick 'Other', please specify which budget headphones you prefer.
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05-16-2006, 07:06 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: San Jose CA
Posts: 12,519
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KSC75 is my fave.
Second place would be a sportapro, although its bass is a bit overwhelming IMHO.
I know graphs aren't everything.... But.....but...but...
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05-16-2006, 07:12 PM
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1000+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Derby, United Kingdom
Posts: 1,147
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by kramer5150
KSC75 is my fave.
Second place would be a sportapro, although its bass is a bit overwhelming IMHO.
I know graphs aren't everything.... But.....but...but...
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wow... according to that it's comparable to the RS1. Think I might have to get myself a pair to check out - I generally quite like a bit of bass.
BTW, I have to vote for the KSC75 too. For the price I don't think there's anything that can beat it.
__________________
Speaker Rig LAME v3.97 MP3 -V 2 --vbr-new --> Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro --> Creative 5.1 Speakers
Headphone Rig FLAC Level 5 --> USB cable --> Corda Aria --> DT880 or A900LTD or MS1
Portable Rig LAME v3.97 MP3 -V 2 --vbr-new --> 80Gb iPod 5.5Gen LOD --> Fiio M5 --> KSC75 or CX400
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Beauregard
The mere existence of newer, better, and more expensive gear doesn't mean that your current rig sounds any worse than it did last week
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05-16-2006, 07:15 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: USA, New Jersey
Posts: 4,798
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by kramer5150
KSC75 is my fave.
Second place would be a sportapro, although its bass is a bit overwhelming IMHO.
I know graphs aren't everything.... But.....but...but...
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Ya' know I do agree with your sentiment that graphs aren't everything. But as I have recently learned: once you know the type of sound you prefer in a headphone, the graphs can be a useful tool in determining what other headphones you might enjoy. As such, you make a very interesting point with making a graph comparison of the RS-1s and the KSC-75s. I will be the first to admit I am a huge fan of the Grado sound. Very interesting indeed...
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05-16-2006, 07:24 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: San Jose CA
Posts: 12,519
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by lmilhan
Ya' know I do agree with your sentiment that graphs aren't everything. But as I have recently learned: once you know the type of sound you prefer in a headphone, the graphs can be a useful tool in determining what other headphones you might enjoy. As such, you make a very interesting point with making a graph comparison of the RS-1s and the KSC-75s. I will be the first to admit I am a huge fan of the Grado sound. Very interesting indeed...
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Yeah... The sporta and RS1 are night and day different sounding phones, in just about every aspect IMHO.
Readers shouldn't place too much emphacis on that graph, I just thought I'd post it for kicks and giggles... A $20 phone with a $700 phone.
Someone should devise a way to measure Headphone transient response. MLSSA waterfall plots for headphones would be VERY usefull to help determine the transient differences between phones. Frequency response is a VERY ( very) small piece of the puzzle, and doesn't take into account the phones' transient response. IE response over time... How quickly it reacts to input signal, and how long it resonates after signal attenuation.
Garrett
__________________
Happy Listening!
The Kramer Tune of the Day
Stone Trek, My favorite Prog-Rock FM radio show
My Gear Profile
My Feedback Profile
The Grado Labs virtual tour
Headfest 2007 Videos
-Day1-
Six Degrees of Headfest
Texas Vibe
Takes My Breath Away
Freeborn Man
-Day2- Narrated by yours truly
Day2 Part1
Day2 Part2
In my CD Player:
Dreamtheater, Queen, Rush, Marillion, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Dio, Queensryche, Kings-X, Jethro', Yes, Primus, Eric Johnson, Liquid Tension Experiment, Junior Brown, Moody Blues, The Beatles, Styx, Asia
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05-16-2006, 07:28 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 5,293
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Well, I always mused that I liked the KSC headphones because they had a similar signature to the Grado line. I think the KSC comes across as much darker though.
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I have vanished into the mists once again.
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05-16-2006, 07:35 PM
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500+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 684
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The KSC75's the obvious choice. My second favorite's the Philips HP250 ($15-20). It's really hard to drive, but a tremendous bargain. I used to love HP170 which I had (working) a few years ago. I thought the HD201's were too cold and lifeless.
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05-16-2006, 07:40 PM
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100+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 179
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Overall: KSC-75
Portable: KSC-75
Closed: HD201
__________________
Ultra Portable: Creative Muvo Tx, Altec Lansing iM716
Portable: iAudio G3, Koss KSC 35 or KSC 75 as mood suits
Transportable(in progress): DAP, CMOY amp, AKG-81DJ
Home:
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05-16-2006, 07:41 PM
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Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 37
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too obvious
The Ksc75 is too obvious the winner here .. to make it more interesting u shud separate into open and closed .. The Ksc75 is the obvious winner in the open range .. but in the closed lets say under $50 range .. with the FC7, HD 201 HD202, AT M30, M20, HP460 etc .. i dont think theres a well accepted winner ...
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05-16-2006, 07:42 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: San Jose CA
Posts: 12,519
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Has anyone here actually HEARD all these phones?
I voted for my fave.... but in hindsight I have to admit I have only personally heard a few on this list????
Garrett
__________________
Happy Listening!
The Kramer Tune of the Day
Stone Trek, My favorite Prog-Rock FM radio show
My Gear Profile
My Feedback Profile
The Grado Labs virtual tour
Headfest 2007 Videos
-Day1-
Six Degrees of Headfest
Texas Vibe
Takes My Breath Away
Freeborn Man
-Day2- Narrated by yours truly
Day2 Part1
Day2 Part2
In my CD Player:
Dreamtheater, Queen, Rush, Marillion, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Dio, Queensryche, Kings-X, Jethro', Yes, Primus, Eric Johnson, Liquid Tension Experiment, Junior Brown, Moody Blues, The Beatles, Styx, Asia
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05-16-2006, 08:03 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: USA, New Jersey
Posts: 4,798
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by kramer5150
Has anyone here actually HEARD all these phones?
I voted for my fave.... but in hindsight I have to admit I have only personally heard a few on this list????
Garrett
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Same here, I have only actually heard 1/4 of the phones in the list. My goal was to see if there are any other opinions for cheap-o headphones other than the models that are most often suggested here at Head-Fi. Although I had a feeling that KOSS would be the winner in the sub $30 category, I don't like to assume anything.
As for the guy who suggested comparing them to phones in a higher price category: although I firmly believe that the KSC-75s sound as good as some phones costing upwards of $100, I just don't see how it can be a fair comparison. Not to mention I am looking for a champion of very low-end cheapie headphones, so I limited the choices to sub $30.
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05-16-2006, 08:15 PM
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Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Espoo, Finland
Posts: 45
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I voted PortaPro, simply 'cause I own and love them, even though I payed a good deal more than $20 for them. I also own the HD 201s but they can be a bit boring... Good for the money though. But then again, I've only heard ~1/3 of the 'phones listed here...
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05-16-2006, 08:19 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: EU, Western Teutonian low mountain range
Posts: 3,216
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I really adored my KSC75s. They start collecting dust since I have the K81 though.
__________________
♥ MS Pro"Ultimate", DT880'2005 (600Ω closed back), DT880'2005 (250Ω), K271, PK1, ANC7----₪ Rockhopper Millet, DIY-Cmoy
Gone: MS1000, CD3000, MS2i, DT990 (~1990), DT770'250(2003), DT531, HD595, A900, K81, PX100, KSC75, Portapro, EP630, pimped BTech
Meet Junky----Adored: MS Pro "Ultimate", AD2K (cotton mod), CD3000, PS1000, K701, W5000, HD800, SR4070, MS1000----Liked: PK1, Lambda Pro, DT880'03, DT880'05, MS Pro, SR404/303, K271, A900TI, W100, US E9, MS1, PS1, MS2i, HD650, SRH840, GS1000, K601, W2002, W10, DT770(2005), D2000, ANC7, PK2, MB Quart 400, ES7, DT531, PX100, SR202----Accepted: HD600, K1000, DT770(2003), A900/950LTD, DT990, HD25-1, SJ5, W1000, SR225, D1000, K24, K401, SR325, Proline 900, HFI 680, K530LTD, K240 Sextett MP, CD480, KSC75/PP----Disliked: AD2K (stock), SA5000, SR007, HD5*5, V700, EP630----Hated: DT770M, K240M, K26/27
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05-16-2006, 08:29 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: USA, New Jersey
Posts: 4,798
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by nickchen
I really adored my KSC75s. They start collecting dust since I have the K81 though.
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One might expect that considering the fact that the KSC-75s are $12 and the K81s are ~$69. Perhaps a new POLL for the king of the $31 to $99 price range headphone is in order.
Having said that, I would like to try the K81s one of these days, there seems to be a good buzz going on in favor of them...
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05-16-2006, 09:21 PM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: NYC
Posts: 3,299
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KSC75 landslide so far. 
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