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Advice on headphones under $200

post #1 of 5
Thread Starter 

Hey there Head-Fiers, I've lurked these boards for a couple weeks and have finally decided to make the leap into the magical world of sonic bliss and am looking for some quality headphones. tongue.gif

 

Budget: Under 200 USD if possible, 250 max excluding tax+shipping.
Genres: Rock (Pink Floyd, Incubus, Rise Against), Rap (Nas, Aesop Rock, Jay-Z), Pop (The Beatles, Third Eye Blind, The Wonder Years), and some House/Dubstep as well as Acoustic. 
Form Factor: Probably closed just to avoid sound leakage otherwise it's unimportant.  Definitely need to be portable.
Source: Cowon S9 and iPhone

Isolation: I don't need them to be completely silent but they shouldn't be horrendous either.

Comfort: I won't be listening to them for more than a few hours at a time so.....


What I really need are some do-it-all headphones that perform reasonably well in each of the above genres; I don't want headphones that blow me away in one area but struggle so severely elsewhere that listening to my music becomes hit or miss depending on the type of music.  I'll mostly be using them outside of my house so nothing overly bulky or fragile please.  Right now I'm considering either the V-Moda M-80 or Sennheiser HD25-1 II for their musical versatility and portability but am not sure if the M-80's will provide enough bass for my liking (I am by no means a basshead but do love for my music to have some punch when it's called for) and am worried about claims that the Senns have almost no soundstage whatsoever. I'm also considering the ATH-M50 but am unsure how it compares to the previously mentioned headphones and if the ATH would be portable enough for on the go usage.

 

Of these three, which would best fit my needs and are there any other headphones I should be looking at as well?  I'm able to order two models off of Amazon to compare if need be as there are very few audio shops in my area. Thanks in advance!

post #2 of 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by GPWags View Post

Hey there Head-Fiers, I've lurked these boards for a couple weeks and have finally decided to make the leap into the magical world of sonic bliss and am looking for some quality headphones. tongue.gif

 

Budget: Under 200 USD if possible, 250 max excluding tax+shipping.
Genres: Rock (Pink Floyd, Incubus, Rise Against), Rap (Nas, Aesop Rock, Jay-Z), Pop (The Beatles, Third Eye Blind, The Wonder Years), and some House/Dubstep as well as Acoustic. 
Form Factor: Probably closed just to avoid sound leakage otherwise it's unimportant.  Definitely need to be portable.
Source: Cowon S9 and iPhone

Isolation: I don't need them to be completely silent but they shouldn't be horrendous either.

Comfort: I won't be listening to them for more than a few hours at a time so.....


What I really need are some do-it-all headphones that perform reasonably well in each of the above genres; I don't want headphones that blow me away in one area but struggle so severely elsewhere that listening to my music becomes hit or miss depending on the type of music.  I'll mostly be using them outside of my house so nothing overly bulky or fragile please.  Right now I'm considering either the V-Moda M-80 or Sennheiser HD25-1 II for their musical versatility and portability but am not sure if the M-80's will provide enough bass for my liking (I am by no means a basshead but do love for my music to have some punch when it's called for) and am worried about claims that the Senns have almost no soundstage whatsoever. I'm also considering the ATH-M50 but am unsure how it compares to the previously mentioned headphones and if the ATH would be portable enough for on the go usage.

 

Of these three, which would best fit my needs and are there any other headphones I should be looking at as well?  I'm able to order two models off of Amazon to compare if need be as there are very few audio shops in my area. Thanks in advance!


The Audio Technica ATH-M50s are great when they sell for $120, but not when they sell for $160.

 

 

post #3 of 5
Thread Starter 

I was wondering if that would be the case after their price hike.  Anyone else have any suggestions?

post #4 of 5

If you're looking at something that would do all genres well, I'd suggest the Fischer Audio FA-003 or its siblings, the Brainwavz HM5 and LINDY Premium Hi-Fi. They've got a flat sound signature that is great for almost everything, and they're light and comfy and work surprisingly well with portable sources. However, they're quite large...

 

1000x500px-2c3cddcd_front.jpg

post #5 of 5

Denon AH-D1100, closed and bassy.

only $107 at Electronics Expo. need to use the coupon code "BOUNTII".

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