[kango]

Hi, I need a decent pair of budget lightweight headphones for Mum for use around the house (no she won't care about the technicals of sound reproduction, she just wants to listen to Michael Buble and a few audiobooks). I am right now looking at the Sennheiser HD 202 so could anyone please advise me...
 
Is there any realistic competition to these at this price?
 
Are the cups a good fit for lady ears (I don't know if earphones are generally suitable for all?)
 
Could they be too bass heavy as some people have commented?  

 

[MisterDeadeye]

What exactly is your budget?

 

[MegaMushroom]

Koss UR-40 is good pair for basic use.  Comfortable and light.  Only issue is they are rather fragile. 

 

[roma101]

Koss KSC-75s if she doesn't need isolation. They're fantastic. 

 

[kango]

Thanks for replies so far. I'd like to spend about £35, closed, on/over ear, comfortable over long periods. I don't know Koss but assume the build quality isn't that great?
 
So I'm looking at http://www.whathifi.com/review/sennheiser-hd-202 vs http://www.whathifi.com/review/panasonic-rp-htx7
 
Any other contenders?
 

 

[Kerry56]

The Creative Aurvana Live! headphones are £39.99 shipped in the UK right now at Amazon.uk.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-51EF0060AA001-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000W6Y0JY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323648343&sr=1-1
 
That's a bit over your price range, but a very nice set for music. 
 
And the Beyerdynamic DT 231:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT-231-Headphone-Closed/dp/B0002DDGFG/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323649735&sr=1-3
 
The AKG K81DJ's may be a bit tight fit and have a long cord, but worth considering:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K81DJ-Professional-Closed-Headphones/dp/B002RWSV5K/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323650000&sr=1-1-catcorr
 
The Sennheisers will be a safe choice, light and reasonably good looking...but the lesser Senn's aren't real favorites around here for sound quality.

 

[roma101]

x2 for the CAL! she'll love them.

 

[MegaMushroom]

Build quality for the lower ends are a bit iffy, but they do have lifetime warranty. 

 

[naurispunk]

Who is Michael Bubble?

 

[naurispunk]

Actually I recently had a similar problem. Wanted to buy headphones for my friend and realized that I don't really know many good headphones below $300.

 

[Blue Boat]

Quote:

Actually I recently had a similar problem. Wanted to buy headphones for my friend and realized that I don't really know many good headphones below $300.

Grado SR60/80/125/200
Sennheiser HD25 i-ii
Beyerdynamic DT770/880/990
Fischer Audio headphones
Fostex T50RP
Audio Technicas (M50, Pro700)
 
just to name a few.
 
 
Good reviews on all of them. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

JVC HAS700. Very comfy and nice. Kinda looks like the Bose AE, but better. She would love them. They're inexpensive too. For more money, I second the Creative Aurvana Live.

 

[JK1]

The JVC HAS160 is a great sounding headphone for around $10-15. It sounds very neutral, and is very compact. It is my favorite headphone under $40. The JVC HAS700 has received rather poor reviews. The HAS650 is much better than the HAS700. The HAS160 has decent bass, however its bass is more in proportion to the other frequencies. The HAS160 feels quite sturdy. I think your mother will probably like it.The KSC-75 and Portapro are too bassy and lack treble. The bass on these can also sound muddy at times. I like the HAS160 almost as much as the Sennheiser PX100. The PX100 is also much more expensive though. The PX100 has better bass than the HAS160, however its treble isn't as good.

 

[Flagellin]

No monoprice love in this thread yet?