[craig134]

Hi,
I'm wondering what headphones are going to give me the best bang for my buck unamped for $200 or less? At the moment I'm not interested in getting an amp but may get one down the line,nonetheless I want a headphone that will sound great unamped for the meanwhile. I've compiled a list of the headphones that have been mentioned the most and would appreciate some input to narrow down my list,or add some suggestions. The headphones below are the ones that I've narrowed down that seem to be the best around that price range.

AKG K501
Sennheiser HD-590
Audio Technica ATH-A900

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I'd replace HD-590 in your list with HD-595.

 

[ReDVsion]

UNamped? A900. I don't think the others even fit in that category (not sure about the HD590/595). I know the K501s are said to need good amplification.

$200 or less... let's see...

Audio-Technica ATH-A500/A900
Alessandro MS1
Beyerdynamic DT250_250/80
Beyerdynamic DT440
Grado SR225
Sennheiser HD25-1
Ultrasone HFI-650/700

I attempted not to go below $99 for the above. I'm sure i've missed stuff.

 

[craig134]

^^
You own the Audio Technica ATH A-900s and Sennheiser Hd-595's;Which one do you think is better? I would love it if you would do a short head to head comparison.

 

[craig134]

Alessandro MS1-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones?
Beyerdynamic DT440-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones?
Sennheiser HD25-1-Sennheiser HD-595's are supposedly better,I think?

narrowed down Headphone list:
senn hd-595s
Audio Technica ATH-A900
Grado SR225
Ultrasone HFI-650

 

[Steve999]

For my personal taste, Grado SR-60s (~$70) & Sony MDR-CD780s (~$70-$100). There's not a whole lot more performance to be squeezed out of two bills, IMHO. Get one or both and spend the rest on some music.

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig134 Alessandro MS1-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones? Beyerdynamic DT440-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones? Sennheiser HD25-1-Sennheiser HD-595's are supposedly better,I think? narrowed down Headphone list: senn hd-595s Audio Technica ATH-A900 Grado SR225 Ultrasone HFI-650

The Ultrasones are not ideal for home use because they're quite uncomfortable. Sound is definately not neutral but exciting.
I personally wasn't impressed by the Grado 225 in comparison with a Grado 125. The highs are quite pronounced. Nevertheless, all Grados have a really nice midrange and good highs. Bass is existent but not one of the Grados' strenghts.
Never heard the Sennheiser 595 or Audio Technica.

 

[divad6719]

I'd second the Grado SR-60, excellent headphones. Even better, IMHO, with the coin mod.

Save your cash for when/ if you get an amp.

 

[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig134 Alessandro MS1-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones? Beyerdynamic DT440-from what I've heard not as good as other high end headphones? Sennheiser HD25-1-Sennheiser HD-595's are supposedly better,I think?

MS1s are $99, and they apparently compare favorably with the Grado SR-125.
DT440s are kind of portable groovalizers, from what I've heard. Unfortunately not many people on this board own them, so it's hard to get a very good impression of them.
HD25-1 is supposed to have a more grado-like sound. Of course the 595s are probably going to sound better, but they're more expensive.

OK, search is down, I've never tried the HD595, how much of an amplification requirement do these headphones really have?

The "bang for your buck" factor is probably going to increase as the price decreases. Also, what are your music listening preferences? What we all decide as the best headphone in your price range (right... like we at head-fi could ever come to a consensus

) will be irrelevant if it doesn't have a great sound for the type of music you typically listen to.

Edit: I MISSPELLED SOMETHING! Someone shoot me.

 

[craig134]

Well the headphones are going to be used for video games,movies,and music. For music I kind of tend to lean towards the alternative Perfect Circle,Violent Femmes sort of groups. Going to be branching out into more diverse genres soon but basically these headphones have to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all......Got to love subverting those cliched sayings

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig134 Well the headphones are going to be used for video games,movies,and music. For music I kind of tend to lean towards the alternative Perfect Circle,Violent Femmes sort of groups. Going to be branching out into more diverse genres soon but basically these headphones have to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all......Got to love subverting those cliched sayings

alternative rock? go grado! the sr60 is mighty nice and very inexpensive used. the sr80 will give a little more bass, but they come with the bowl pads and you'll have to spring for flats or senn/vwaps. i personally like the sr60s over the 80s. the grado comfies modded are pretty sweet.

 

[KJ869]

You just need to let the clamp of hfi-650 to loosen. just but it between books ,or wear it for sometime. Its not uncomfortable for me at all.. the first 2 weeks were somewhat hard because I weared them and let the clamp lose only that way. Concidering the stuff you want to use it for i would say go for hfi-650 instead of 650de/700. www.meier-audio.de sells em for good price.

 

[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig134 Well the headphones are going to be used for video games,movies,and music. For music I kind of tend to lean towards the alternative Perfect Circle,Violent Femmes sort of groups. Going to be branching out into more diverse genres soon but basically these headphones have to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all......Got to love subverting those cliched sayings

For games and movies you'll probably want a little more low-end in whatever headphone you choose. That aside, I've never heard the Violent femmes, but I prefer a more laid-back sound to my APC than what you get with Grados.

And I disagree... I think the 700 model might be better for his purposes. 'course I'm getting a pair in a few days, so I might be a wee bit biased

.

 

[craig134]

The grados are probably also ruled out due to the fact I'll be using these headphones for long periods of time and grados are notorious for being pretty uncomfortable.

All of these headphones are highly acclaimed;How am I going to make a decision?

further narrowed list:
Sennheiser HD-595s
Ultrasone Hi-Fi 650
Audio Technica ATH-A900

 

[ReDVsion]

the ATH-A900s are probably the most highly-regarded headphone for unamped usage. You could go against the crowd on this one... but I wouldn't.