Yup, I picked up my HD599 for just a shade over USD$100 (factoring in exchange rate) and it's a solid pick at that price. I also picked up my Beyerdynamic DT-880 / 600 for less than $100US and I consider it to be an absurdly good bargain ... assuming you've got the amp to drive it.
The biggest problem with the sub-$100 bracket is not that good stuff doesn't exist within it, because it definitely does. But rather, the problem is that SO MUCH GARBAGE also exists in that bracket and finding the few diamonds in that enormous rough can be daunting. A lot of times it's just easier and cheaper to move up a bracket where the hit rate is higher than experimenting and slumming in a bracket full of too much trash.
I have kept and listened the cheap HD-25 light for a long time and I can't say its sound is cheap. Although it build with plastic material and looks cheap and really light, it still have some kind of nice Sennheiser sound.
Koss Porta Pro feels premium for the bass but not so much for the treble. And they stay on your head while running. Don't discount a snug fit if you're using them to work out.
I see that almost here we don't talk about headphones under 100usd. Even if it's used, does cheap mean it's bad? Are we only talking about expensive things here?
Not bad, but a waste of time, IMHO. I spent many years playing with entry-level and medium quality headphones and speakers, thinking that the sound from these sources was good enough. I was mistaken, and I think I was wasting my best years of listening. If we are in this forum, it’s because music and sound are our main hobby, and we are lucky because with a relatively small amount of money, you can have maybe not the best, but a reference sound in your home.
It’s not like cars or other items where you need an insane amount to have the best. The entry-level is a Fiat 500, and no one takes that car into consideration in a forum talking about Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
My advice, as I said, is to not waste your hearing capabilities with mediocre stuff because you will never hear better than today, and our hearing is a treasure that deserves the best.
Price is an indirect guaranty of 'goodness' vs 'badness'. More important is suitability. Does a headphone check off the 'requirements' on your list? Yes: good; no: bad. This can occur across price levels.
I knew a few producers who were signed at record labels who had a pair of cheap ass AKG 240 in their studio. It's why I bought it based on their recommendation as my 1st headphone.
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