Am I asking too much for a pair of headphones?
Jun 6, 2012 at 8:02 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
J

JayNetTech5

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I am kind of on the $100 budget. I know I made so many threads for helping me find a pair of headphones, but I wanted this to be a little more clear and tell you what I am truly looking for. I know it may seem impossible, but I want to try and get closest to the sound I am looking for. I know everyone has a different preference for a pair, but why not get everyone's thoughts and opinions on them?
bigsmile_face.gif
. This is what I want in a pair of headphones:
 
 I am really looking for some nice punchy, thundering, echoy bass that does not overpower the music.
 
Nice, clear mids and highs. I want the vocals to be very clear crisp and without distortion.
 
A nice soundstage and stereo image. I really like the 3d, kinda surround sound in headphones if possible.
 
Something as comfortable as possible (probably not going to happen since everyone's feel for things is different)
 
Preferably closed back, but open doesn't seem too bad. I may want to try it since it's supposed to be more natural sounding. This is something I really want in headphones. I would love a clear natural sounding pair of headphones.
 
 
Try and give me a list of ones to look at that may fit my budget and preferences.
 
I looked at grado sr60i headphones. Those are the closest I think that fits my budget and sound preference, but people say they fall apart. 
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 8:34 PM Post #2 of 19

 
I looked at grado sr60i headphones. Those are the closest I think that fits my budget and sound preference, but people say they fall apart. 
Click to expand...

 
There are lots and lots of posters just here on head-fi who have owned their "fragile Grados" for years and years. I own three pair myself and I can tell you they aren't any more prone to breaking than any other headphone. Besides, we're talking about a $79 headphone. You get a lot of sound quality for not much money, and that's a big reason why the SR60s are on so many top ten lists at their price point. 
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 8:38 PM Post #3 of 19
Quote:
focker said:
 
There are lots and lots of posters just here on head-fi who have owned their "fragile Grados" for years and years. I own three pair myself and I can tell you they aren't any more prone to breaking than any other headphone. Besides, we're talking about a $79 headphone. You get a lot of sound quality for not much money, and that's a big reason why the SR60s are on so many top ten lists at their price point. 
Click to expand...

You think so? Maybe the sr60is aren't too bad? I heard their was a jack plug problem where it plugs in and shorts out after awhile. How long do you think sr60s last? The people said the headphones have to be super glued because the headphones fall off the metal antenna thing. Some say it feels real cheap, however i heard good things about built quality too. Are they really that fragile?
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 8:40 PM Post #4 of 19
Quote:
jaynettech5 said:
You think so? Maybe the sr60is aren't too bad? I heard their was a jack plug problem where it plugs in and shorts out after awhile. How long do you think sr60s last? The people said the headphones have to be super glued because the headphones fall off the metal antenna thing. Some say it feels real cheap, however i heard good things about built quality too. Are they really that fragile?
Click to expand...

Nope, not fragile :)
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 8:53 PM Post #5 of 19
These are a bit above your price range but I've been using the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Premium 600 ohm version for a couple weeks now and I must say, to me they seem to fit your requirements almost exactly (aside from the price of course). Great, strong bass; great resolution & detail; closed back with a great soundstage thats good for video games and movies/tv shows. In fact I prefer them to my open back Senn 600's for gaming and videos even though the 600 is overall a better sounding headphone IMO. They're also fairly well built and extremely comfortable.
 
They've been discontinued but there are a couple new ones still floating around the internets. I got one refurbished for $180 on Headroom. They've got them at ProAudioStar, they'll probably have a 4th of July sale where you can get a great price.
 
http://www.proaudiostar.com/headphones/closed-back/beyerdynamic-dt-700-premium-600.html
 
I've actually got 2 pairs right now because when I found out they were discontinued I bought that refurbished pair from Headroom only to find a brand new pair at ProAudioStar 1 week later for $230 on a Memorial Day sale. I'd sell you the refurbished pair (they're like new) but I think I've decided to give them to my dad for fathers day..
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 9:04 PM Post #6 of 19
BTW, if you don't have an amp or your plugging directly into an mp3 player you probably won't want the 600 ohm version. In that case, you'd probably be just as happy with the 32 or 250 ohm versions.
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 9:32 PM Post #7 of 19
Quote:
jaynettech5 said:
I am kind of on the $100 budget. I know I made so many threads for helping me find a pair of headphones, but I wanted this to be a little more clear and tell you what I am truly looking for. I know it may seem impossible, but I want to try and get closest to the sound I am looking for. I know everyone has a different preference for a pair, but why not get everyone's thoughts and opinions on them?
bigsmile_face.gif
. This is what I want in a pair of headphones:
 
 I am really looking for some nice punchy, thundering, echoy bass that does not overpower the music.
 
Nice, clear mids and highs. I want the vocals to be very clear crisp and without distortion.
 
A nice soundstage and stereo image. I really like the 3d, kinda surround sound in headphones if possible.
 
Something as comfortable as possible (probably not going to happen since everyone's feel for things is different)
 
Preferably closed back, but open doesn't seem too bad. I may want to try it since it's supposed to be more natural sounding. This is something I really want in headphones. I would love a clear natural sounding pair of headphones.
 
 
Try and give me a list of ones to look at that may fit my budget and preferences.
 
I looked at grado sr60i headphones. Those are the closest I think that fits my budget and sound preference, but people say they fall apart. 
Click to expand...

 
Heya,
 
Having a clear natural sounding pair of headphones with "thunderous bass" is a tall order for $100.
 
I would explore:
 
Sony XB500 - Equalize the mids/treble up 3~4db and you're good to go.
Panasonic HTF600 - Ready to go stock.
M-Audio Q40 - Ready to go stock, but benefits a pad swap or pad-stuffing.
Shure SRH750 DJ - Ready to go stock.
 
Very best,
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 9:35 PM Post #8 of 19
Looking at some of the things you say you want in your headphones, "nice soundstage, 3D sound,  preferably closed back, natural sound"...not much of that fits the SR60i.  I like the Grado quite a lot, but it is completely open, has a very close-in soundstage, and is definitely biased towards the upper mids and treble end of the spectrum.  The Grado's aren't really all that fragile.  I would think their bright sound and intentionally shallow soundstage would be more important caveats for you .
 
Under $100, you might want to consider some of these:  AKG K240 Studio, Creative Aurvana Live!, and Sony ZX700.
 
The AKG K240 Studio is fairly neutral, good midrange, very comfortable and a semi-open design.  Soundstage is good but not what I call extremely expansive.
 
The CAL Is closed back, with a warm tone and very good bass.  Midrange is very slightly recessed, highs have some sparkle.  The pads are slightly smaller than many, but very soft.  One of its shortcomings is poor isolation from outside sound however.  Soundstage is quite good for a closed set.
 
The Sony ZX700 is a nicely balanced set regarding sound.  Not a set for someone looking for an excessive amount of bass, but you don't seem to be one of those.  Some find it a bit boring, but I didn't get that impression.  The pads are a bit small and shallow. 
 
There are a fair number of other headphones to consider in this price range of course.  Have you looked through the Budget and Entry level headphones in this guide?  http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 10:23 PM Post #9 of 19
Hi Jaynet,
 
What music genre do you mainly listen to?
 
Perhaps read up on:
 
  1. Fischer Audio - 003/011 (If these sound right to you then you can get cheaper versions as well to fit in to your budget!)
  2. Grado sr60i/80i or Alessandro MS1 (I hear they aren't the bassiest headphones at stock?!)
  3. AT M50's (Perhaps refurb to fit in to your budget)
 
What can's do you have now?
 
Kind regards,
 
Jun 6, 2012 at 10:35 PM Post #11 of 19
Jun 6, 2012 at 11:10 PM Post #13 of 19
If you already made a ton of threads, what can we tell you in this one that we haven't said already?

$100 is not going to get you the ideal pair of headphones (imo $40,000 isn't going to get you the ideal pair of headphones either, they simply don't exist). The best you can do on that budget is probably a modded pair of Fostex T50RP - but you will have to mod them, they don't sound too great out of the box. There are lots of threads here already about how to do that.
 
Jun 7, 2012 at 8:52 AM Post #14 of 19
Quote:
catscratch said:
If you already made a ton of threads, what can we tell you in this one that we haven't said already?
$100 is not going to get you the ideal pair of headphones (imo $40,000 isn't going to get you the ideal pair of headphones either, they simply don't exist). The best you can do on that budget is probably a modded pair of Fostex T50RP - but you will have to mod them, they don't sound too great out of the box. There are lots of threads here already about how to do that.
Click to expand...

Gosh, I'd hate to do modding. I remember my brother had a pair of lightweight pharmacy type headphones that sounded very good and had a nice 3d soundstage. It had the headband adjusters similar to the portapro I believe (I think could've been a different pair). It might even been a koss headphone. It was 2005 I think. Unfortunately, I cannot find it. It's long thrown out I think. Boy! Those were some good cans. Cheap headphones even sound good! Generally, you get what you pay for. I'm probably just confused. There are thousands to choose from, and I know at least one of them has the sound I'm looking for.
 
The sony xb500s are nice and look to be very comfortable with those truck tire pillows on each ear, but seem too bassy for my taste. I want nice thuundering bass, but i don't want my ears to blow, or even my head to blow off XD
 
The ultrasone HFI-580 seems to be a good upgrade, and has that proper built quality I'm looking for, but the displaced drivers kind of ruin the volume and intensity of normal headphones as with my current 450s. It's not a bad idea, it's actually fairly smart, and can protect your hearing.
 
The AT AD700s have almost no bass as most people say, but looks very robust and well built. I've heard many complaints about it being too loose on their head, though the thing looks massive! Looks like you are wearing a tank on your head! Not too crazy about the purple grills on a beige pair of cans though (not a big deal though)
 
 
 
I am not sure if you can get a great soundstage without the drivers being displaced. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I want to make sure I get my money worth. I feel that even the $80 i spent on my 450s was too much to spend on a pair of headphones, and those headphones don't even sound that great. I feel like I payed more for the built quality, since those ultrasone's are built like a tank. If it isn't displaced drivers that can give you good soundstage, then what is? Especially in those cheap headphones from a long time ago?
 
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