[redwarrior191]

hi folks, so after trying my friend's DT880 I just realised that my cheap headphones that i got for free are junk.. now i'm looking for a quality headphones but i have kinda low budget..around 100US$-ish
I will be using it mainly with my PC, no amp, integrated soundcard, however i mostly listen to .flac or 320kbps mp3s.. I usually listen to pop, rock, and classical musics sometimes.. In addition to music, I game A LOT.. that's why i want something with excellent soundstage.. movies not often, maybe once a week or two.. so do you have any reccomendation for 100$ headphones with excellent soundstage and decent bass (the bass doesn't has to be really great, just enough for me to feel the 'punch')?? if it's really not possible to find such headphone is that price range, just tell me what's the best i can have with that criteria and price..
 
your help is greatly appreciated.. 
 
EDIT: I wear glasses, so I might want something that is comfortable with it, and i don't mind closed or open back..

 

[Digital-Pride]

Welcome to Head-Fi, where wallets are never the same!  My top recommendation would be Sennheiser's recently released HD558.  It has an improved bass response and a better more 3D soundstage(crucial for gaming) over the previous HD555.  A pre-owned model will be around 100 dollars or if you can stretch your budget a bit you could get it new for around 175.  Other suggestions include:
 
AKG K240 Studio(great bass just a little harder to drive)
 
Audio-Tehnica ATH-AD700(great for gaming and music, just a bit light on the bass)
 
Beyerdynamic DTX 910, DT440
 
Sennheiser HD555, HD595

 

[redwarrior191]

wow, i've just read several posts and articles in this forum and i am amazed at how you people seem to know about every audiophile headphones.. it's like i'm being thrown into a totallly new world..
 
hmm, my friends also reccomended me about the ath-ad700 and hd 555, but after reading several reviews they say that they're lacking seriously in bass..is that true?? what if i mod hd555 into 595?? (read it somewhere here) will that improve the bass significantly?
 
i was also thinking about the akg k240 before you suggested, what do you mean by properly driven?? do you mean i need an amp for it? oh and i don't thik i'll go beyond 150US$, i'm already stretching my budget at that price, lol..
 
 

 

[Katysax]

Here is a somewhat unorthodox recommendation.
 
If you want soundstage you need an open headphone.  You'll get the most bass impact from a closed or semi-closed phone.
 
The ATH AD300 makes an excellent gaming headphone - the soundstage of the ATH AD700 but not quite the detail to the sound for music.  They are discontinued but you can find them for around $30-40.  They are better for gaming or movies than the Sennheisers.
 
The Sony XB 500 can be purchased on Amazon for $40 and is a bass monster.  They are sometimes too bassy and you need to turn down the mid bass and up the treble sometimes. 
 
This combination for $80 would give you great gaming and great bass.  It won't give you the detailed highs.

 

[redwarrior191]

Quote:

Here is a somewhat unorthodox recommendation.
 
If you want soundstage you need an open headphone.  You'll get the most bass impact from a closed or semi-closed phone.
 
The ATH AD300 makes an excellent gaming headphone - the soundstage of the ATH AD700 but not quite the detail to the sound for music.  They are discontinued but you can find them for around $30-40.  They are better for gaming or movies than the Sennheisers.
 
The Sony XB 500 can be purchased on Amazon for $40 and is a bass monster.  They are sometimes too bassy and you need to turn down the mid bass and up the treble sometimes. 
 
This combination for $80 would give you great gaming and great bass.  It won't give you the detailed highs.

hmm..actually i don't really need great bass, i just want to 'feel' that the bass do exist when i'm listening to bass heavy music..because i've never experienced that with my cheap headphones before.. thanks for your reccomendation i'll try to look into them, but i think i'd prefer just a headphone if possible..
 

 

[Acix]

You can try the Ultrasone Pro/PL-550/580 (all the Ultrasones have great bass and sound stage). The M-50 are also a nice option, and both are close design. As for open you can try the GMP 435 unamped @ 35 ohm. Just keep in mind that with the Beyer, Senn, and AKG you'll need some hps amp.

 

[TontonJoK]

wow, i've just read several posts and articles in this forum and i am amazed at how you people seem to know about every audiophile headphones.. it's like i'm being thrown into a totallly new world..
 
hmm, my friends also reccomended me about the ath-ad700 and hd 555, but after reading several reviews they say that they're lacking seriously in bass..is that true?? what if i mod hd555 into 595?? (read it somewhere here) will that improve the bass significantly?
 
i was also thinking about the akg k240 before you suggested, what do you mean by properly driven?? do you mean i need an amp for it? oh and i don't thik i'll go beyond 150US$, i'm already stretching my budget at that price, lol..
 
 

I owned hd 595 and if it's not powered by an amp some people could say it lack bass
My opinion is that they are great for gaming and music listening and have enough bass
The sound improved with correct amplification
Don t know about hd 558 but if moding a hd 555 into 595 works then it is a good choice

 

[Digital-Pride]

Quote:

wow, i've just read several posts and articles in this forum and i am amazed at how you people seem to know about every audiophile headphones.. it's like i'm being thrown into a totallly new world..
 
hmm, my friends also reccomended me about the ath-ad700 and hd 555, but after reading several reviews they say that they're lacking seriously in bass..is that true?? what if i mod hd555 into 595?? (read it somewhere here) will that improve the bass significantly?
 
i was also thinking about the akg k240 before you suggested, what do you mean by properly driven?? do you mean i need an amp for it? oh and i don't thik i'll go beyond 150US$, i'm already stretching my budget at that price, lol..
 
 

 
While the HD555 has a bigger bass response than the AD700 they are by no means bass monsters.  Stock you'll probably be satisfied with the supplied bass, the foam removal mod does add a better bass response and a larger soundstage.  While an amp does improve the sound quality these 'phones, they do not need it as they sound great without it.  The K240 you might need an amp for them as they are harder to drive so something like Fiio's E5(only 20 dollars) would be sufficient.

 

[redwarrior191]

Quote:

 
While the HD555 has a bigger bass response than the AD700 they are by no means bass monsters.  Stock you'll probably be satisfied with the supplied bass, the foam removal mod does add a better bass response and a larger soundstage.  While an amp does improve the sound quality these 'phones, they do not need it as they sound great without it.  The K240 you might need an amp for them as they are harder to drive so something like Fiio's E5(only 20 dollars) would be sufficient.

hmm..Ok so i think i've narrowed down my choices into either K240 or 555(with the possibility of modding it). How is the stock bass of 595 compared to K240?? and how is the soundstage of K240 compared to 595?
sorry for the very detailed questions, i'm really a noob about this and i want my first purchase to be the best for my need and money
 

 

[abhisheknath]

The one caveat to the hd595 is the soundstage if you ask me. It often doesn't feel as spacious as I would like. If you can live with that then they have a really sublime mid range that will provide hours of happy listening .

 

[Hayang]

I would go for the HD558s.  I have owned both the HD555 and the HD558, and I THINK the HD558 has more bass when modded.
 
If you want soundstage, look no further than the 558... it is so heavenly.  They compete very well with higher tier headphones in this area.
The bass is present, and in bass-heavy tracks you will definitely feel some punch.

 

[redwarrior191]

 
Quote:

I would go for the HD558s.  I have owned both the HD555 and the HD558, and I THINK the HD558 has more bass when modded.
 
If you want soundstage, look no further than the 558... it is so heavenly.  They compete very well with higher tier headphones in this area.
The bass is present, and in bass-heavy tracks you will definitely feel some punch.

really?? hows the soundstage compared to ad700?? and how much did you pay for 558??
 
EDIT: I've just checked the price of hd558.. unfortunately i think it's above my budget, do you think the hd 555 soundstage good enough for gaming?? i am really torn between hd555 and akg k240 now..
 

 

[redwarrior191]

Quote:

The one caveat to the hd595 is the soundstage if you ask me. It often doesn't feel as spacious as I would like. If you can live with that then they have a really sublime mid range that will provide hours of happy listening .

is it that bad?? before, i had the impression that the soundstage of hd555 is only slightly worse than ath-ad700.. it seems that i was wrong

 

[Digital-Pride]

Since this will be your first pair of open-air headphones, I wouldn't worry too much about the soundstage as you don't have a personal reference.  So any of these choices will have an impressive soundstage(they're actually pretty good) to you.  To answer your question- the HD595 has a better bass response than the HD555, but the K240 still eclipses it in that area.  The sounstages of both are similiar with the K240's being slightly more 3D.

 

[redwarrior191]

Quote:

Since this will be your first pair of open-air headphones, I wouldn't worry too much about the soundstage as you don't have a personal reference.  So any of these choices will have an impressive soundstage(they're actually pretty good) to you.  To answer your question- the HD595 has a better bass response than the HD555, but the K240 still eclipses it in that area.  The sounstages of both are similiar with the K240's being slightly more 3D.

 
hmm..ok then, sorry if i'm being too picky, i just want to make sure that i don't buy the wrong item.. Ok then i think i'll most likely buy the K240, probably next week after i got my money.. thank you for all your help everyone, i'll come back and let you know once i get it..
 
btw,i'm still open for any other opinions or reccomendations if you have some for me..