tmann
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2003
- Posts
- 177
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- 11
I posted this on another site, and after all the typing thought it would be good to post here as a summary of less expensive phones (which people are always asking about). After learning so much from others here, I figured I'd earn my keep by passing on my headphone moxie. My knowledge dates to a few months ago, so if there are any new ones on the block that compete with these please add reply:
What do you want them for? The recommedations will be very different if you will be listening at home or taking them out, and whether you require a sealed phone. I have done a lot of research on bargain headphones and have a few of the most highly regarded ones.
FOR HOME USE: I think the Grado SR-60's are certainly the best value for the money ($60-70 - definitely worth the few bucks over your limit for the huge improvement over $50 phones). They are very natural sounding with good dynamics and tight, solid bass that is not boomy and artificially bloated like many cheap headphones. If you have never heard decent headphones I promise you will be very impressed. I highly recommend trying to find a local dealer that carries these and have a listen and also see if you can live with the retro design (at home - who cares?) and more importantly comfort. I also have the (discontinued) Sennheiser HD-545s, which are certainly more comfortable and are more detailed, but not as dymamic - good for jazz/classical (originally I think they were over $100 but I found a set a few years ago on ubid for $50). These are both "open" phones meaning they will not block much/any noise in or out, esp. the Grados. Others have their favorites (certain Sennheisers - Senn varies greatly in quality model to model, AKG, Beyerdynamic), but for this price you will have a very tough time beating the SR-60s for sound quality.
Closed phones don't sound as good for the money as open phones, but if necessary many like the Sony V6/V600 [EDIT: Should read V6/V7506 (same phones) , NOT V600 - the 600's are NOT well-liked], Sennheiser HD-280, and Beyerdynamic 231. (see headphone.com) EDIT: The Phillips HP-170 has received some praise here as a good closed phone, esp. for the $20 price (forgot about that one - has been found at Target and Rite-Aid, among other places. If you need a closed phone on a budget these might be worth a try.)
FOR PORTABLE USE: The Koss KSC-35s (available only on the Koss.com site, for $30) are, for me (and many others), easily the best-sounding portable headphones. They clip on your ears, so they don't have a headband and can fit easliy in a pocket, and I find them very comfortable. HOWEVER, they are open and let a lot of noise in. Because of this I got the Sennheiser PX-200s, which are small headband-type with pads that block out a good deal of outside noise, and do not leak sound out to others. They can fold up and fit in a jacket pocket. They are the only small closed non-canal phone. You can still hear some noise, which is good - you don't get run over, but bus/subway chatter is way in the background. The thing with these is you must ensure a good "seal" to get the good sound quality (can be tested by rubbing fingers together just outside phones). In a quiet environment I think the KSC-35s sound better, but that is negated when walking/bussing/subwaying around the city. I used the SR-60s for portable use for a while but they are really too big, way too open, and the cord too thick (gets twisted easily too) for city walking. It was a relief to move on to the 35s/PX-200s for convenience's sake.
For train travel the larger closed phones above could be a consideration since size is not as much of an issue compared to schlepping around town. They do not block out as much outside noise as a canal phone (see below - small, block out almost all noise).
Other highly regarded portable phones are the Sennheiser PX-100s (which fold like the 200's but are open and compete with the KSC-35s), and Koss Porta-pros and Sporta-pros, which use the same driver as the KSC-35s but have a headband (P) and behind head band (S) which position the driver closer to the ear and have more (too much, IMO) bass which muddies the sound a little. The newer KSC-50s are clip-ons, with the same driver, but fit too loosely and don't sound as good, flop around on the ear, and are ugly.
For uber-portability the best "earbuds" are Sennheiser MX-400/500 (500 has remote), and cost around $12. Some people like the Sony 888 buds, but the Senns are generally considered the best. [EDIT: These are not to be confused with canal-phones like Shure and Etymonics. The Shure E2Cs are probably the cheapest quality canal-phone (can be found as low as $80 if you look real hard). I do not have these, but I will probably be getting them for plane travel, where closed phones are a must. They might block out too much noise for safe city walking. Koss makes very cheap canal phones (The Plug) that I currently use for plane travel, but they are not very good or comfortable. There are mods for these posted on the net (inluding here) that make them sound better, if you like to tinker. I have not tried them yet.]
Headphone.headroom.com and head-fi.com are the best headphone references.
Thus concludes todays bargain headphone primer.
What do you want them for? The recommedations will be very different if you will be listening at home or taking them out, and whether you require a sealed phone. I have done a lot of research on bargain headphones and have a few of the most highly regarded ones.
FOR HOME USE: I think the Grado SR-60's are certainly the best value for the money ($60-70 - definitely worth the few bucks over your limit for the huge improvement over $50 phones). They are very natural sounding with good dynamics and tight, solid bass that is not boomy and artificially bloated like many cheap headphones. If you have never heard decent headphones I promise you will be very impressed. I highly recommend trying to find a local dealer that carries these and have a listen and also see if you can live with the retro design (at home - who cares?) and more importantly comfort. I also have the (discontinued) Sennheiser HD-545s, which are certainly more comfortable and are more detailed, but not as dymamic - good for jazz/classical (originally I think they were over $100 but I found a set a few years ago on ubid for $50). These are both "open" phones meaning they will not block much/any noise in or out, esp. the Grados. Others have their favorites (certain Sennheisers - Senn varies greatly in quality model to model, AKG, Beyerdynamic), but for this price you will have a very tough time beating the SR-60s for sound quality.
Closed phones don't sound as good for the money as open phones, but if necessary many like the Sony V6/V600 [EDIT: Should read V6/V7506 (same phones) , NOT V600 - the 600's are NOT well-liked], Sennheiser HD-280, and Beyerdynamic 231. (see headphone.com) EDIT: The Phillips HP-170 has received some praise here as a good closed phone, esp. for the $20 price (forgot about that one - has been found at Target and Rite-Aid, among other places. If you need a closed phone on a budget these might be worth a try.)
FOR PORTABLE USE: The Koss KSC-35s (available only on the Koss.com site, for $30) are, for me (and many others), easily the best-sounding portable headphones. They clip on your ears, so they don't have a headband and can fit easliy in a pocket, and I find them very comfortable. HOWEVER, they are open and let a lot of noise in. Because of this I got the Sennheiser PX-200s, which are small headband-type with pads that block out a good deal of outside noise, and do not leak sound out to others. They can fold up and fit in a jacket pocket. They are the only small closed non-canal phone. You can still hear some noise, which is good - you don't get run over, but bus/subway chatter is way in the background. The thing with these is you must ensure a good "seal" to get the good sound quality (can be tested by rubbing fingers together just outside phones). In a quiet environment I think the KSC-35s sound better, but that is negated when walking/bussing/subwaying around the city. I used the SR-60s for portable use for a while but they are really too big, way too open, and the cord too thick (gets twisted easily too) for city walking. It was a relief to move on to the 35s/PX-200s for convenience's sake.
For train travel the larger closed phones above could be a consideration since size is not as much of an issue compared to schlepping around town. They do not block out as much outside noise as a canal phone (see below - small, block out almost all noise).
Other highly regarded portable phones are the Sennheiser PX-100s (which fold like the 200's but are open and compete with the KSC-35s), and Koss Porta-pros and Sporta-pros, which use the same driver as the KSC-35s but have a headband (P) and behind head band (S) which position the driver closer to the ear and have more (too much, IMO) bass which muddies the sound a little. The newer KSC-50s are clip-ons, with the same driver, but fit too loosely and don't sound as good, flop around on the ear, and are ugly.
For uber-portability the best "earbuds" are Sennheiser MX-400/500 (500 has remote), and cost around $12. Some people like the Sony 888 buds, but the Senns are generally considered the best. [EDIT: These are not to be confused with canal-phones like Shure and Etymonics. The Shure E2Cs are probably the cheapest quality canal-phone (can be found as low as $80 if you look real hard). I do not have these, but I will probably be getting them for plane travel, where closed phones are a must. They might block out too much noise for safe city walking. Koss makes very cheap canal phones (The Plug) that I currently use for plane travel, but they are not very good or comfortable. There are mods for these posted on the net (inluding here) that make them sound better, if you like to tinker. I have not tried them yet.]
Headphone.headroom.com and head-fi.com are the best headphone references.
Thus concludes todays bargain headphone primer.
