[IDREOS]

Have been looking for good isolation type headphones to be used primaily with laptop MP3 and DVD listening.
After reading many opinions that headphones below $50 are not that good was wondering if there is a quantam leap difference in sound and comfort between decent phones in the $50 class and those in the $100 class.
Taking into consideration they are being used for pc and MP3 player use, what are your experiences/suggestions for the best phones in these categories, and is there a big difference or subtle difference?
Thanks for your help!

 

[Bobes]

I get to say it now... Welcome to Head-Fi, Sorry about your wallet!
Is there a diffence between $50 and $100 headphones, that all depends on your perception. Will there be an improvement if you buy aftermarket headphones to replace your stock ones, definately.
The price range for nice phones varies greatly. You can get good Koss cans for less than $20 and bad cans for several hundred. I believe that in your range, $50-$100 you are looking at a difference in features as opposed to a difference in sound. From reports I've read here and my experience, you may have a difficult time deciding between PortaPros (about $20), PX100/200 (about $70) and Sony D66L ($100). I know that to me the PortaPros and PX200 sound similar while having different strengths, but the folder feature of the PX200s is way cooler than the bendy feature of the PortaPros. Grados on the other hand have a different sonic character and a different set of features but are excellent choices as well.
What I can say with a good deal of seriousness, when you find a set of cans you like, delete this forum from your favorites list cause the more time you spend here, the sicklier and skinnier your wallet will get!
Bobes

 

[HD-5000]

From reading your uses for them, I think you'd be happy with any $50 to $100 headphone recommended here. But, for some of us, we want sound quality that blurs the line between reality and reproduced music. At any cost. Literally.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by IDREOS After reading many opinions that headphones below $50 are not that good was wondering if there is a quantam leap difference in sound and comfort between decent phones in the $50 class and those in the $100 class.

Short answer: yes (sound), no (comfort)

I've spent some time slumming in the world of cheap closed headphones and the best I've tried are the Audio Technica ATH-M30s. (Not that I have by any means tried a majority of cheap closed cans -- there are tons of them -- but I've tried a number of the ones that have been recommended here and elsewhere.) The AT's are decent sounding (and comfortable), but there is no comparison (in terms of sound quality) between them and the $80-$100 cans that get recommended here, principally the Sony v6 or 7506 and the Sennheiser 280 Pro.

Edit: This comment refers to closed headphones only (based on your need for isolation). You can do better at $50 if you get an open-backed headphone.

 

[jfall]

You might want to take a look at the Grado SR60's .. I think you can get them for $60 or so .. they are pretty highly recommended

 

[MadMax]

However the Grado's leak a bit of noise...

 

[jfall]

Yeah, they wouldn't be the best to get if your going to be in noisy areas