[nanahachi]

I've been brainstorming and working with Duncan to piece together an FAQ for the headphones forum, and part of what I was imagining was a list of phones, separated by price range. Below is a list of some commonly recommended headphones. It does not and should not (IMO) name ALL phones in those price ranges. Again, they are the phones that seem to reappear again and again, in other words, recommended by consensus. However, I am sure I have left some phones out, so let us know what should be added to the list, based on that criteria (not YOUR/an individual's favorite phone, but ones that Headfier's seem to agree on).

I also created a table in MS Word, which lists these phones down the first column, with the other columns running left to right:
Open/Closed; Impedance; Home/Portable; Street Price; Used Price. However, I don't know how to insert a table into a post, so I can't show it here. hopefully Duncan will come up with some brilliant idea.

Just to be clear: THIS is not the FAQ, but rather an attempt to gather some more headphone rec.s in case I left some out. I have no idea if my list & table will actually become an FAQ of their own, but I hope that they can, in order to help answer the frequent:
Best gaming phone?
Best phone for $100?
Newbie needs phones?
etc

thanks!


Best < $100 headphones
Sennheiser MX500 – ($20)
Koss KSC-35
Grado SR-60 (no amp) www.headphone.com – ($69)
Grado SR-80 www.headphone.com – ($95)
Sony MDR-V6/7506
Sony Eggo MDR-D66sl www.audiocubes.com – ($99)
Sennheiser HD-280 www.headphone.com – ($99)

Best $100-200 Headphone
Beyerdynamic 250-80/250 www.headphone.com – ($170)
Beyerdynamic DT-770pro www.headphone.com – ($179)
Sennheiser HD-580 – ($150-200) www.headphone.com – ($200)
Grado SR-225 www.headphone.com – ($195)

Best $200-300 Headphone
Audio Technica W100
Etymotic ER-4p/4s www.headphone.com – ($270)
Beyerdynamic DT880 http://home.t-online.de/home/meier-audio/ - ($245)
Grado SR-325 www.headphone.com – ($295)
Sennheiser HD600 www.etronics.com

Best $300+ Headphone
Sony MDR-CD3000 www.audiocubes.com – ($370)
Audio Technica W1000 www.audiocubes.com – ($380)
AKG K1000 www.headphone.com – ($549)
Grado RS-1 www.headphone.com – ($695)

Some Categories:

Gaming:
HD-280
Sony V6

The “Mids”
AT W100

BASS!!!
Beyerdynamic DT-770pro

Portables:
Senn MX500
Koss KSC-35
Sony V6
Sony D66sl Eggo
Etymotic 4p

Closed phones:
Sony v6
Sony Eggo
HD-280
DT 250-80/250
AT W100
Sony MDR-CD1700
Sony MDR-CD3000
Etymotic 4p/s
AudioTechnica A/W1000

 

[Hiker]

A decent start I must say, but I would add the Senn HD 497 in the < $100 range. Otherwise nothing else comes to mind after my quick glance.

 

[JMedeiros]

Nice list....you might consider adding the Koss Porta Pros to the Portables since they seem to be quite popular with Head-Fiers.
John

 

[LobsterSan]

Also the Ultrasone 650's.

What also may be useful is some common info about headphones that are more mass-marketed, but that we here at head-fi generally dislike in favor of other models... maybe some info on the MDR-V700DJ or the MDR-V600... things like that. It might help to alleviate some misconceptions about these headphones, and about the premium pricing they often go for.

 

[Gojira]

Very nice. You might include a bass category for the DT-770s. And, why is the HD-280 listed at $99 in the $100-$200 category? You could also list the portapro and sportapro along with the KSC-35. Many of us seem to think that the KSC-35 is slightly better, but not everyone is going to like the earclip design.

 

[usc goose]

yeah, where's the portapro love at? might want to add ksc-50s to since they're easier to come by than the 35s.

might also want to add a dj category. with v900s topping the list.

also with v6, and i liked the technics 1200 headphones for the brief period i owned them. very detailed, pretty good soundstage, mids recessed like the v6 a bit but without the v6 harshness.

also might want to reccomend the er-4p with adapter to anyone who wants to get the er-4s

oh yeah, and maybe a basshead category like gojira said with beyer 770 and koss pro4aat and the caveat that both those cans need mad power. porta-pros for the bass-head on a budget.

 

[usc goose]

here's my informed beef with v600s if you need it

 

[Xecter]

Um...? HD280s should be under $100.


i got mine from newegg for less then $80 with overnight shipping.

 

[wallijonn]

HD580: Rock?

Perhaps you might want to change it to HD590.

If you are going to do rock, then why not jazz/classical, or my favourite: vocals?

you're also leaving yourself open to "open", "closed", in-ear, etc. (etc. being on the ear lobe and surrounding the ear).

there's a thread buried in here where users are encouraged to give adjectives on their sound quality, and of course the full reviews give comparisons, so I suggest they they be perused for any ideas. they should also be put in the mini-review section.

i doubt that non-favourite headphones should be included, like the K401, k501, hp890, hp910, etc. just the best sellers. the best of the best. non-available headphones should not be included, like the K340, CD1700, CD2000, etc.

of course, you can just make it a multi-answer poll, then update it as people add headphones to the list. exactly how would one position the sr60/sr80/sr125/sr225/sr325,? by price alone? this would then entail the whole community coming togethter to position the headphones which they have owned or heard, only.

so why not put up your present template? we can critique it and you can make some modifications.

 

[MusicLover]

You should put in a classical music category, with the HD600's being the leader

. Also, the HD600's can be bought for much less - around $240 on ebay and $270 at www.etronics.com

 

[Heyyoudvd]

HD600s are that cheap now?

Then isn't it about time that Grado somehow lowers the price of their headphone line?

Because the Sennheiser HD600 costs less than the SR325, yet it's in direct competition with the RS-1, a headphone that costs nearly 3 times as much.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by MusicLover You should put in a classical music category, with the HD600's being the leader . Also, the HD600's can be bought for much less - around $240 on ebay and $270 at www.etronics.com

I brought my HD600 over a year ago for $195 brand new on ebay.

 

[nanahachi]

keep the comments coming guys!

thus far, the changes I will make:
* remove HD-580 from "Rock"
* fix any pricing issues

Wally's idea to eliminate out of print headphones sounds like a good idea, on the surface; however, I am inclined to leave them. I was able to find and purhcase the CD1700s, others have too (mostly used/"pre-owned" I presume). The difficulty of finding the phones shouldn't be relevant. Just their basic characteristics, and classifications as being the best phones to buy in those price brackets ( although I do realize that price plays a role, and vice versa---hard to find often = high price). I am happy to remove any phones that the community does not feel fit that criteria.

I am not saying I get final say for this FAQ thing. This is supposed to be a resource for the community, and I expect many edits to be made. That is why I made this thread, to get YOUR thoughts

However, if you guys are going to say "make a _____ category," I will then need to be given the names of headphones that fit in that category. I don't even pretend to know how to classify the HD600s, Beyer 880s, etc. What are the commonly recommended Classical phones? I need your help with that part. Maybe I'm not a raw newb, but mostly, I just know what I use, or have considered buying. the stuff that I've researched, and researched heavilly.

Maybe I was wrong to even create a rock category. I didn't want there to be much in the way of sonic evaluations, which can be SUBJECTIVE. I wanted to focus only on the facts, like Price, Use, Impedance....

I DO want to hear what you guys have to say. But MY own conception of this FAQ was to have a short, concise classification of headphones that are commonly recommended. From this FAQ, people can see which phones lie in their budget. They can then SEARCH the forum for reviews/impressions/info on those phones.

 

[john_jcb]

I would recommend adding a category for electrostatics and perhaps the Sony R10.

 

[nanahachi]

here is a basic version of the table. it is an example only. please treat it as such. it is nowhere near a final product, nor do i have any clue how to implement a table in this forum.

I have no idea what Duncan's plans are for this list/table I made. It might be totally discarded. but, if Headfi does use it, then I want Headfi members to have been the ones to have provided the info, not only myself and my limited knowledge.

i cant get the original pic to load, its much bigger, and easier to read...silly imagestation...