Looking for well-built, closed-back headphones under $300
May 25, 2016 at 7:32 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

WilliamJ7321

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Hello,
 
I currently have the V-MODA M-100, which I have had for more than 3 years and I love them but one of the hinges broke and I don't think it is repairable so I am thinking about replacing them.
 
I am looking for something built like a tank, closed-back and under $300.
Desirable but not necessary features: decent earpads and comfortable.
 
Here are the headphones I am considering:
 
- Audio Technica M50x
- Beyerdynamics DT770 80 Ohm
- Beyerdynamics Custom One Pro
- Sennheiser HD280
- Shure SRH840
- Sony MDR7506
 
Which of these headphones would you recommend? What else other than those should I consider?
Also, the DAC/Amp I have is the FiiO E10k so will it be able to drive 80 Ohm headphones?
 
May 25, 2016 at 9:36 AM Post #2 of 11
I would add to your list the AKG K553 Pro (less portable) and/or the K545 (more portable). Both are reasonably well constructed. Also, a cautionary note on the DT770. It can tend to be a bit sibilant or peaky in the treble, so you should be fully aware of that in case you are someone who is sensitive to treble. Also, there have been a few build quality issues with the SRH840 in the past, just so you know. YMMV, obviously. Good luck.
 
May 25, 2016 at 9:42 AM Post #3 of 11
I am brand new to the audio scene but I had the Sennheiser HD280 Pro and I blew the left side out after only a week driving them on an Astro Gaming Mixamp Pro and FiiO A3.
 
I followed them up with A Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm and while I am 90% positive I got a bad pair they sounded horrible.  Bass crackled and the highs and mids sounded shrill.
 
I made my first post just a few minutes ago to try to get help finding my next pair to try.  Good luck I hope you have better luck than I have thus far.
 
Also worth noting I have roughly 80% hearing loss so I drive my headphones to max volume for extended periods of time.  So the the Sennheiser's sounded great they just didn't last with the extended high volume use I put them through.
 
May 25, 2016 at 10:48 AM Post #6 of 11
The AKGs use leatherette. Both pleather and leatherette are essentially the same thing - plastic with leather texture. Differences lie more on quality as some can be really cheap, like the ones on cheap headphones that feel more like cloth. Overall it still depends on the acidity of your sweat - my cousin had the pleathers on his Superlux start falling apart within a month. I barely used mine and replaced them with third party earpads for Beyer's DT770, and the leatherette on that hasn't started flaking yet and it's been over a year. Note that my sweat is the kind that forces me to pick cheap eyeglass frames with plastic earpieces as I've managed to destroy the pain and cause titanium coating to strip off some expensive eyeglasses.
 
If anything, it might be easier to acquire earpads that fit the AKG given they're round and not hexagonal. AKG stocks parts, or you can get third party earpads that fit, and you might even find some with velour. Or check if the HM5 earpads fit - they're velour on the side that hit your skin but leatherette around the circumference so your sweat is more in contact with the velour, but there's leatherette around it to seal it for bass (ie kind of like the tape mod and glue mod on Grado pads).
 
May 25, 2016 at 11:04 AM Post #8 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by WilliamJ7321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What do you guys think of the Sennheiser HD380 Pro?

 
If the K553 wasn't on Massdrop for $120 I'd recommend that one, and lots of alternative earpads also. AFAIK the K55x line is larger than other AKGs while the HD380 has the same oval size as the HD580(J)/6x0/5xx lines. Also the Brainwavz HM5 earpads fit these Sennheisers - you just need to gut the original earpads and mount the HM5 pads to the plastic spine - and there are several types (plus colors) of the HM5 pads. Also, the stock HD380Pro earpads look like the kind of pleather that will flake more easily, but I haven't owned one so I can't be too sure about that.
 
If you'll use them as portables though the key difference will be in how they fold and what bag you'd put them in. The K553 will occupy a larger area but it folds flat, so itcan fit in some laptop messengers or any other slim messenger (in one sleeve compartment, or put it in a padded laptop sleeve). The HD380 when folded will be thicker, so a non-slim backpack or a large messenger (like those from Timbuk2 or Crumpler made originally for bike messengers) will be necessary.
 
May 25, 2016 at 11:17 AM Post #9 of 11
Wait what? $120? Massdrop? I just went to their website and it is heaven.
What is that HiFiMan HE350 thing? It looks like a steal for $99
Is it good? I am willing to go open back if it is actually good.
 
May 25, 2016 at 12:18 PM Post #11 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by WilliamJ7321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Wait what? $120? Massdrop? I just went to their website and it is heaven.

 
Just make sure you read up on how Massdrop works and how the deals are for each product. In most cases the lower prices are made possible by a minimum number of orders.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by WilliamJ7321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What is that HiFiMan HE350 thing? It looks like a steal for $99
Is it good? I am willing to go open back if it is actually good.

 
For a start, let's go back to how Massdrop works, and the details on each product. The HE350 is a collaboration with HiFiMan and it's still undergoing testing - it won't start shipping from HiFiMan to Massdrop until a few weeks from now, and Massdrop states the expected ship date to be August 3. That assumes there are no delays in shipping them from HiFiMan to Massdrop's warehouse.
 
Now, for the headphone itself, you have to take two things into account. First, the efficiency/sensitivity. The K553 is rated for 114dB/1mV* or 128dB/1mW,** while the HE350 is rated for 93dB/1mW* or 79dB/1V.** The K553 basically can work off even any decent smartphone at that level and still not be too far off what it actually sounds like driven by a decent amplifier, while the HE350 even at moderate volume will probably get into some audible distortion off a smartphone, and will require an amp to even get loud. As much as you won't necessarily need to listen very loud, there are times when you'd want to crank it up a bit for your favorite track in one album for example, as well as have a lot of reserve power on tap for dynamic passages.
 
On top of all that the lower sensitivity, lower efficiency HE350 is open back. That means that on top of the power needed by the driver in a lab setting you will also let a lot of ambient noise through vs the K553's closed back design, which means that in a real world setting you will need higher output, which means more power, to get the output to get well past the ambient noise level. Depending on how loud ambient noise is over there it can mean the difference between no bass and audible bass given a headphone with sufficient bass response. Here 6pm ambient noise is around 48dB, but by 10pm it's down to 32dB. 
 
 
*figures published by Massdrop/manufacturers
**converted figures for comparison
 

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