Sony MDR-ZX700, Sony MDR-V900 HD, or Bose AE2?

I personally suggest against all of the above except for the XZ700. 

The Sony MDR-V900HD (AKA the 7509HD) has horrible issues rendering bass frequencies properly. The distortion levels are very high. A THD of 10 is definitely audible. The reviews raving on this site on their clarity probably only focus on the mids and highs, because the low measurements shows issues. 

As for the Bose AE2, realize that Bose gets very little love on this site. Bose tends to make very comfortable headphones, but their actual sound quality is low for the price. Realize that with Bose you are paying for the brand name when you make a purchase.

Here are a few suggestions I have:

The Brainwavz HM5: It's going for under $130, it is a rebrand of the heralded Fischer Audio FA-003, a very comfortable and high sound quality headphone. Previously, you had to order these from Fischer Audio's dealers who got them from Russia, which often had long delays. The Brainwavz will now be using Amazon's delivery system, which greatly will cut down on delivery time. An excellent headphone choice. Do note, though, their bass impact is slightly below average, but they have good bass extension, able to hit deep tones. They are supposed to have minimal clamping force. 

The Creative Aurvana Live!: It's a rebrand of the Denon D1001, a headphone that was well-liked in the $100-150 price bracket before it was discontinued. Like the M50, it has a slightly bass heavy sound signature. They sometimes can be found as low as $60 when on sale. These are probably one of the highest value headphones current out today. They also have low clamping force.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobjohnson2 

Hello,

 

I'm looking into buy headphones in the $100-$150 range. The three headphones that seem very promising are the Sony MDR-ZX700, Sony MDR-V900 HD, and the Bose AE2.  Please let me help me decide based on the following factors:
 

Comfort (I consider light clamping force to be comfortable)

Sound (Most of my music consists of hard rock, but I also listen to electronic and some hip-hop)

Value (best bang for the buck)

 

I appreciate all your help.  Looking forward for responses!

 

*feel free to suggest other headphones other than these three if you think they'd fit my criteria above

 

I recently purchased the MDR-ZX700.  I really want to like them, but I find them a little too bright for me.  I love everything else about them - good not overpowering bass, great vocals, good isolation, good cable, good build - they just have a little too much treble for me.  I also sold off some grados and DT-990's due to treble - so this may be a personal thing.  I think I am used to the sennheiser "veiled" sound.. 

Pm me if you want to buy them.

I tried the Bose AE2 and they are severely overpriced. They do not sound like 150 dollar headphones. If you are spending 150 dollars on headphones, you should look at the Sennheiser HD 555, Audio Technica ATH-M50, Shure SRH840, Grado SR125 or beyerdynamic dt 770. The MDR-V900 HD are good too. These are the headphones I would recommend for 150 dollars.