[Jacques]

K501

 

[pcf]

$150-200 headphones are not cheap.
My favourite cheaper headphones are Grado SR80. They sound good to me. I like my Sony V6 too- they are the only closed headphones I have and can come in handy sometimes.

 

[smeggy]

One of my fave phones in the universe is a modded Fostex T50RP, $75

 

[lucky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KONAKONA /img/forum/go_quote.gif Argument detected! Oh noes! Quick off-topic question to lucky, how did you mod your sparkplugs? Before I came here and got into the whole audiophile thing I used sparkplugs with duct-tape on the back to cover the holes. Things had silly emphasized mids, but that seemed to help out a good bit.

That's the mod I used! I also cut off half the length of the foam tips, so the phones are shorter in length. Together, the sound is much less bass-heavy than before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? and if you ever attempt to post a dissenting opinion like this again, I might just have to add you to my friends list

Ha, cheers to that. :O)

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of my fave phones in the universe is a modded Fostex T50RP, $75

i want one!

 

[wang228]

baby stax

 

[tranhieu]

can ep 630 be counted?

 

[ourfpshero]

senn hd565
i have probably been through 60 headphones since joining here 18 months ago (thx headfi), and these have never been put up for sale since i got them

p.s. also best headSET- steelsound 4h - lol i know, but its the best headset i have tried -even better than the senn pc350

 

[rds]

The k701 - a steal at about $250 USD new. The caveat is that you need a very nice amp and dac to make them shine.
So the headphones themselves are "cheap", but they are not suitable for a cheap rig.
For something more suited to a budget rig I'd say the se530 which can be had for about $270 USD new. These sound great right out of my ipod and also improve very nicely with a nice amp and dac.

 

[KONAKONA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's the mod I used! I also cut off half the length of the foam tips, so the phones are shorter in length. Together, the sound is much less bass-heavy than before.

Oh the bass was my favorite bit of those at the time. It had enough to take you're eardrums and thrash them about like a lorry hitting a punching bag; A rather important feature to me at the time. Problem for me was the cord would die after about 3 months, and the little black things would stop staying down so you could get them all the way in your ear. I probably had about 6-8 sets of the poor things. I also had one hooked up to a small speaker wire and wired in a way that the left and right channels both went to one driver (There was only one driver wired up), it was very good for listening to music in class without getting caught, as one ear could actually hear things, and the other one was so well isolated that I could listen at a moderate volume without anyone else hearing.

To bad they sound like poo compared to my portapros. :\

 

[lucky]

^ Oh, mine died every 3 months as well like clockwork. I probably bought at least six or seven pairs before discovering the EP630.

 

[fatcat28037]

iGrado

 

[p956lh]

Definitely a good Sextett. I go back home after a long day and listen to some Liszt through them, and everything's alright again.

 

[kg21]

if you can get it used for 150-200 definitely the dt-880. I remember I bought it for 215 new off ebay once, expecting it to be much worse than the ms-pro I had before and it wasn't really a step down just a step in a different direction. The hd600 usually goes for a little more and is also very impressive for the price all the good sennheiser qualities without the bloat/extra cost of the hd650.

 

[sonance]

For me it's the DT-880 and the SR-225. Before people jump in and say that these are not cheap enough, I've seen these go for not that much in the FS forums. I have more expensive phones that are objectively more enjoyable, but I love the SR-225s for extended TV / movie watching as much as music. I've owned almost all the "regular" Grado models - 60, 80, 125, 225, 325, RS-1, etc. and the 225's are "good enough" that I don't feel like I have to "put up with" them, as I sometimes do with worse headphones. I actually like them better than the 325i that I sold, and they are still very comfortable and light compared to say the HD650s or K700.

They are not my main music headphones, but they are very light and comfortable - the DT-880 initially feels more comfortable, but after a period of time grows heavy on your head, and you can't adjust the clamping force as easily or precisely as the 225. The 60 and 80 are just a tad too harsh for me to enjoy quite as much now, although when I was a college student they were my intro to head-fi.

It's interesting how the higher end headphones seem to grow heavier and heavier compared to previous phones (I'm looking at you PS1000), and thus limit continuous listening time for me.