Best 100$ - 300$ headphones -help

The ATH-M50 is an amazing headphone especially considering they can be found for $99 new.  I used my set for 4 years before upgrading to the Denon AH-D2000 which is a far better headphone.

I believe the HFI-780 is not as good as the 580 from what I remember and perhaps Mal will chime in here for us.

If it were me upgrading to a <$300 headphone I would easily go for the Denon AH-D2000 ( new ).  If I needed something portable with good isolation I would go with V-Moda M80 or V80 ( TrueBlood ).  Both sound amazing.  The AH-D2000 typically run up to $335 which is out of your price range until you find a sale.  V-Moda M80 run $199, but the V80 ( Which measures and sounds the same to me ) can be had for $179.  If you order the M80 you can customize the ear piece covers for a $40 charge which means you can place your own logo on the headphones.

Honestly you cannot go wrong with the ATH-M50, but if you want to keep from upgrading again as well as have a more fun sounding headphone the V-Moda M80 / V80 is the smart choice.

Get the Denon AH-D2000, if you call J and R you can get them for under 300 dollars.

Heya,

There are a lot of options in this range. It comes down to what sort of preferences you have. You seem to have a wide variety so a neutralish headphone that is bass-capable would fit the bill, and closed back would be ideal since you want some isolation. Some suggestions:

Fischer Audio FA-003

Denon D2000

Beyer DT770

Ultrasone PRO 750

AudioTechnica A900X

Very best,

HFi780 is technically definetely better than HFi580 without hesitation. HFi580 has more punchy bass.

Quote:

Normal, they are technically identical.

I hate to do this, but I'm in the same situation as the OP with three added qualifications (but I'll list them all anyway).

100-300$ price range

Teclast T-51 is the source

I listen to a wide variety of music

I don't need them to be portable

I will be using them without an amp, save for the one built-in to the T-51.

Would the Denon AH-D2000 still be my best bet here?

I have heard somewhere around $100 headphones of quality from up to 20 sources and can honestly say that the AH-D2000 is an amazing headphone.  Even more so when driven from a good source like a Benchmark or m903.

What I like about them:

Up front sound signature

Deep bass

Clear mids

No harsh highs

Easy to drive

Very comfortable

Decent enough Frequency Response for editing ( Slight bass boost )

Respond really well to good amping

Concerns:

Not the most portable as they are bulky

They may break if not treated with respect due to a single rivet holding the earcup to the headband.  I have had mine for 2+ years with no issues.

I did not suggest them primarily due to cost.  If you can find a legit pair from an authorized dealer for less than $300 shipped go for it.  You will not be disappointed.

I echo the suggestion of the FA-003. For the variety of genres you like and the fact that you want a lively bass that still won't take over the entire sound, the FA-003 is a value that's hard to beat.

Sincerely,

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssrock64 

I echo the suggestion of the FA-003. For the variety of genres you like and the fact that you want a lively bass that still won't take over the entire sound, the FA-003 is a value that's hard to beat.

 

Sincerely,

The FA-003 does sound good and is very comfortable if you like ear muffs.  The sound signature was a bit to close to my M50 which is why I do not like the FA-003, that and the obvious dip in the mids.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NA Blur 

The FA-003 does sound good and is very comfortable if you like ear muffs.  The sound signature was a bit to close to my M50 which is why I do not like the FA-003, that and the obvious dip in the mids.

I haven't found the mids too bad on the FA-003. They're much closer to the neutral than the M50 in my opinion, and the overall presentation is much better.