Buying 300$ range over ear headphones - Page 2

I would say Sennheiser Momentum, Sony MDR-1R, or V-Moda M100 as the best closed portable headphones you can get in the $300 range. They are definitely the most highly reviewed ones at least. Since you don't know what sound signature you are looking for and you can't demo it for comfort, just buy whatever you think looks better lol.

 

I think electronica and music by Hans Zimmer, the M100 would give you a lot of legit bass impact without adversely affecting the mids/trebles. M100 has a bass emphasis (the bass is very well-done) so it will excel for that kind of thing. I personally would say at least try the M100 as vmoda & amazon both have great return policies. If it is too bassy for you, then you will have a better idea of what sound signature you want. I really think you should try these first, because I really loved the sound signature of them personally.

 

The MDR-1R & Momentum are more mid-centric so audiophiles like TheReem who appears to like more flat sound would probably recommend those. I would imagine Shure SRH940 is even flatter. MDR-1r is supposed to be mid-centric with warm bass and the Momentum is often described as technical and balanced throughout. Slightly more bass than normal sennheiser sound though, but less than many competitors.

 

I wouldn't get the AKG K550 for portable use as it is pretty big and the wires are non-detachable. AKG K551 is basically the same thing but detachable cables. AKG K550 also has a very weak bass compared to what an average consumer would want. For producing/mix, the less-emphasized bass is great as you can hear the treble detail better, but for portables you probably want more bass to help isolate noise & you need it emphasized to hear it over road noise. In my personal opinion, Mad Dogs won't be very portable (bigger than others) and they sound best with a amp, which would be annoying to carry around. Beyer DT880 will also look really crazy big on your head & probably won't be comfy to wear around your neck.

 

I personally think the M100s would be the best choice for you as the extra tight bass impact might not be great for TheReem as he wants really flat sound, for most average people, u-shaped sound signature is sounds really nice for their music. You will legit feel like you are watching the movie again listening to Hans Zimmer on the M100s :)

 

Happy Headphone Hunting & I hope you find what you are looking for.

Edited by money4me247 - 3/3/13 at 2:01pm

I have heard the fostex T50RP unmodded and was rather disappointed. Very mid-centric and bass-shy. Haven't heard the AKG 550 or the Mad Dogs so can't compare. I use the Sennheiser Momentums for my commute and am really happy with them. They are robust, light, easy to drive and sound quite balanced with maybe a little bass-emphasis. However they are not very big so if you have big ears there might be a comfort issue.

Why can't you get Mad Dogs?

Too bad you can't get an open headphone, HD600 or DT880 beat the pants off any closed headphone on your list (haven't heard the momentum, can't speak to those).  Heard the others and Mad dogs & K550 are the best on your list imo.  Both are very good for closed headphones but flawed.  K550 are fairly well balanced but have slightly weird/fake treble.  Modded T50RP are a very interesting option.  Some mods can measure perfectly.  But I heard one modded set that were all lower mids and bass with no sub-bass & no treble, music sounded like it came out of a long tube.  Mad Dogs were much better (but mods are proprietary and unknown) but similarly had too much mid-bass & weak mids & treble to my ears.  Despite this, they are the best closed headphone I've heard < $800 (or whatever LA7000 cost lol).

The dollar is worth less than the euro, did you factor that in already?

 

Overall, I much prefer the Soundmagic HP100 to the AKG K550.

The HP100 are not weak on bass, nor are they bright.

I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and other than my Sony Z1000's they are my top closed headphone.

In fact I sold my Denon D2000's last week, and they are also very good.  I'm not saying the HP100's are

better than the Denon's, I'm saying I like them more.  All around greater clarity and a more comfortable fit.

 

The K550's are, to me, a project in flux trying to be everything to everyone and not fully succeeding.

I cannot recommend them.

 

Out of all the headphones you listed, my top choice are the Beyer DT880's which are, of course, semi-open.

Consistently terrific sound though, across many genres.  They do need an amp.

 

I have not yet heard the Mad Dogs or V Moda 100's.

Ignoxio, do you already have an amp to go with your headphone purchase (whatever it may be)? Paying more for a headphone does not automatically translate to a better choice - in your list the Vmoda M100 has a bassy presentation, the K550 more analytical presentation, the Fostex has a different presentation and so on.... So don't worry about spending less than what you expected, invest the rest in a good amp. Pretty soon you will be spending more than you can afford..

 

IMO it's not 'overkill' at all for those headphones.

 

In fact, for a portable I think it's a very good match.

Have you tried the E17 w/ the K550? How would you say the amp improves the sound & how significant is the improvement?

 

Is it like switching to a different pair of headphones or is it just like EQ the music or is it just emphasizing the sound signature of the headphones?