[Moos3d]

Well soon I will have around $150 and I'm interested in getting myself some good "high end" headphones. I personally am not much of an audiophile so I don't know much about headphones and thats why I'm posting here to get some suggestions. I'm thinking about getting Grado SR60/80's but the main problem is that I will eventually need to get myself headphones for when I go out with my MP3 player. These headphones will mainly be used for listening to fast paced ska/punk/rock and gaming. Bass isn't much of a concern for me when it comes to music but for gaming I need the headphones to be able to help me hear where certain sounds are coming from. My main concerns are how comfortable they are, sound quality and looks. So, any suggestions?

 

[MD1032]

If you're going to want to have some good, isolating headphones to go out with your MP3 player, I bet some canalphones would do you nicely, like some Shure or Etymotics models, such as the E3C and ER-6/6i, which seem to be highly regarded around here.

 

[Moos3d]

Well I'm more interested in good indoor headphones and after considering everything I would prefer non earbud/whatever headphones and more so the can like headphones.

 

[Mr.Radar]

You might want to check out the Senn HD25-1. It's suppost to be a very grado-like closed headphone and it's very portable with decent isolation, and if you look around you can find it for under $150.

 

[philodox]

*philodox waits patiently for the A900 suggestion that is sure to come.*

EDIT: I guess the A500's are closer to the $150 range...

 

[Moos3d]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Radar You might want to check out the Senn HD25-1. It's suppost to be a very grado-like closed headphone and it's very portable with decent isolation, and if you look around you can find it for under $150.

Not bad but I can't find them anywhere new for around $150.

 

[skyskraper]

ok from my personal experience as a non audiophile, more from the dj angle where you have to wear a pair of cans in a noisy environment for up to 10 hrs at a time, the hd25's sound awesome. almost perfect for variable environments, but they didnt fit my head. you can drive them damn hard tho

hd280's are a bit brittle in their sound and not as "rounded" to my ears. but i still enjoyed using them, especially in the studio, but the isolation fo them in clubs is second to none. they just didnt really do it for me like they did for others.

rpdj1200a's were my next set and lacked the detail of both the sennheisers but had a nice bass kick to them, and they fit me almost perfectly. as they aged tho they did lose even more detail and the nice bass kick started to get muddy.

current cans: ultrasone hfi500 dj1's. only had em a few days so its really to early to tell. theyre just starting to get burnt in and theyre coming alive. lots of clarity and detail relative to the others states (except hd25's because its been 4+ yrs since ive worn a pair so cant say). i especially like the width of the sound. seems to leave a lot more space for each element. can see how this would be wicked for gaming. they keep pace with dance music really well, havent tested them with punk yet but might have to go dig up that old ramones ep i have somewhere... i can't see why they wouldnt keep up. comfort is high and they completely surround my ears and block out huge ammounts from the rest of the world. am yet to try them in a club though. my initial complaints about lack of volume from my ipod are starting to go away as they burn in i am feeling theyre giving more for the power fed to them. but it may just be my ears adjusting....

i will concede though that my tastes and prefference vary greatly from the vast majority of people around these parts. but my requirements and usage also vary greatly from most peoples on here. other cans ive enjoyed using have been the 7506's. wicked headphones. almost no complaints about those. but their reproduction may be a bit flat and not so smooth as most 'philes would like.

also i liked the akg 141's but havent used them much apart from in my friends studio quite smooth and rounded but my friends studio is damn clean and its possible they may not shine as well in the real world of varied sources, someone else may be able to elaborate further though....

 

[Jahn]

actually for gaming try the DT770Pro, probably the 80 Ohm. Can be had for $160 new sometimes in the sale forums, used for under that. Great gaming can and - well it has the bass regardless if you want it or not lol.

 

[Moos3d]

I think I should emphasize that it's a $150 budget and that $150 dollars is the MAXIMUM I am willing to spend on NEW headphones. That means no used and none for over $150. Also I'm looking to buy from a site such as HeadRoom and not from a single person such as on ebay. My second edit on this post, they have Sennheiser HD 555's on HeadRoom for $150 and they seem to be very good and what I'm looking for. Anything I should know about them or any downsides?

 

[skyskraper]

well if u cant find the hd25-1's around for sub 150, what about the 25-sp's?? iirc they dont give up very much to the 25-1's....

 

[BluesDaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moos3d Not bad but I can't find them anywhere new for around $150.

Try here. I don't know much about foto connection, but I did a price match with zzounds.com and they went a buck and a half lower with free shipping. Sameday Music also price matched, but was going to charge shipping (you can probably get them to not charge the shipping). I got zzounds' last one according to the website.

Edit: BTW, from what I have read here on the board, don't be too reluctant to buy a set of used cans, especially from anyone who has been around here awhile. Haven't seen anyone complaining about a deal gone bad. Just a thought.

 

[Moos3d]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluesDaddy Try here. I don't know much about foto connection, but I did a price match with zzounds.com and they went a buck and a half lower with free shipping. Sameday Music also price matched, but was going to charge shipping (you can probably get them to not charge the shipping). I got zzounds' last one according to the website. Edit: BTW, from what I have read here on the board, don't be too reluctant to buy a set of used cans, especially from anyone who has been around here awhile. Haven't seen anyone complaining about a deal gone bad. Just a thought.

Not bad but I still think I would prefer the HD 555 over them. Also about the used headphones, I've just never been someone who has liked to or does buy used stuff even when it's from commercial places. This of course excludes stuff that you can't find new.

 

[skyskraper]

the one things the 25's have over the 555's and the reason i spieled about dj cans was the fact you said you were going to go portable with them in the future. obviously this puts a lot more pressure on the construction of the headphones. in this case the 25's may be a better choice then the 555's, not having experienced the 555's i can't say for sure. the 25's are tough as nail and each and every little part on them is replaceable. big PLUS in my books for them. but it would not be a good idea to buy either without trying them out

i just wish my head was smaller so i could use 25's

 

[Mr.Radar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyskraper well if u cant find the hd25-1's around for sub 150, what about the 25-sp's?? iirc they dont give up very much to the 25-1's....

The SP's are very inferior to the 25-1. Don't get them if you can get other options.

 

[skyskraper]

its been a while since ive listened to both, so my memory is hazy and i wasnt paying a huge deal of notice. would you care to elaborate?