Good headphones for under $300?
Sep 12, 2012 at 8:33 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 67

Ninjaninja84

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Hello I am pretty new around here and I was wondering what good headphones I could get for around $300 and where I could get them at. Currently I have Beats Solos that are about a year old and until earlier today I've been finding out Beats are bad headphones apparently, so any help is appreciated. Also, I like dubstep, metal, and rap so if there are headphones that are better for those genres please let me know, thanks.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 8:53 PM Post #2 of 67
Hey nice decision on having an open mind and not being stubborn unlike a majority of Beats owners. Welcome to Head-Fi. First of all, if your budget is under $300 WITH your Beats, sell them and increase the budget with the money from the Beats. Once you find anything respectable above $300, the Beats won't even compare to your shiny new cans. Is this for portable use or home use? Considering how the Solos are Supra-Aural cans, you might want the same configuration? If you want a nice portable can, look no further than a Sennheiser HD-25-1-ii, Vmoda M-80, AKG K581, Beyerdynamic DT1350, and a few that I cannot recommend because I have no experience with. If you don't mind a larger headphone, variety changes greatly with a lot of sub-categories. And if you want an Open-back/Semi-open design, there are numerous options available. However, as you get closer to the Open and some Closed Full-Size headphones, you might want to invest in an Amp as well. If you want IEMs, post in the IEM/Portable Headphone Thread. Hope this helps.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 9:00 PM Post #3 of 67
Thanks for your post, I guess I should have been a little clearer on what I was looking for, I was thinking of getting Studios so I wouldn't mind something similar to that (closed, noise canceling) also even if I should the Beats I currently own I don't think I would want to spend much more than $300 USD, I would kind of like to bring them to school but I'll probably stick more to home. I'm also not sure how these amps work.
 
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 9:39 PM Post #4 of 67
Why don't you use your Solos for portable use and get home headphones? For around $300, the Hifiman HE-400 is hard to beat as it plays every genre very well.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 10:41 PM Post #7 of 67
Well the HE-400 are $400, I wouldn't say that is around $300...
 
If you listen to music at very loud volumes you might not be satisfied with them unamped, but they don't need an amp to give them enough power to function properly.
 
Keep in mind that they are open aired too...might not be what you're looking for, as that's nowhere close to sound isolating and people in another room can hear it to the point where they can tell what song your playing at moderately loud volumes.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 10:48 PM Post #9 of 67
If there is even the slightest chance that you will want to bring them outdoors, think twice about the HE-400s. I love them, they get the most head-time for me right now, but they are slightly too heavy, and do not isolate at all. They are open-backed, meaning that sound comes out just as it goes in. You would probably need a portable amp of some sort to drive them - they're efficient, but need power to sound good. Something that outputs ~100mW/32ohms, like the Fiio E10, would be all you need really. But they really leak too much. I use them around places like the library most days, and in that case it's fine, but anywhere around school is a definite no-go.
 
It looks like you might need a closed can, even though you say you would use them at home. The Denon D2000s sound right up your alley, but I do hear that they leak a bit as well (keep in mind I haven't heard them). What kind of sound would you prefer? What kind of music do you listen to? 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AHD2000-Performance-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B000MVEC0Q. Found out on the deals thread. A bit above your price range, but still a good deal. 
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 10:52 PM Post #11 of 67
Beyerdynamics dt770 pro 80 ohms only go for about 100 used.  They have excellent bass when amped, but I wouldn't say that they are completely bad unamped.  Also I see the audio technica M-50s on a lot of threads here, but have never tried them myself.  Both are closed cans.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 11:15 PM Post #13 of 67
Quote:
I usually have my volume below halfway on an Ipod so I may need an amp but I really would prefer the noise cancellation.
 

You could get a cheap cmoy portable amp that runs on 9volts, sure that would work with beyers and the audio technicas.  These are not noise cancellation cans but do have adequate amount of isolation.  Not sure how much u are wanting and whether u want passive noisce cancellation or not.  I have never tried but some of the IEMs are supposed to be good.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 11:20 PM Post #15 of 67
Yeah I guess there is a pretty good chance I would bring them outside. Not really sure the different kinds of sounds, something that can play bass well for dubstep and stuff and for playing anything else besides dubstep pretty well.
 
 

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