[cardboardhome]

^Same. I am looking to buy over-ear headphones for $100 or less. Mainly looking at 
comfort
aesthetics
sound quality
durability
Also, I'll be using my samsung galaxy s 4g, or creative zen (old model) to play music, so if I need a better audio output please tell. 
I'm not really sure whether I want open or closed either, so if you could give one suggestion of each, that would be great. 

 

[dorino]

Quote:

New Head-Fier here, and i'm looking for advice to get an understanding about the quality of headphones in terms of pricing.
 
for different price ranges, for example $100-200 and all other ranges, what quality of headphones can i expect?
 
i'm looking for over-ear headphones for general use.

"budget" audiophile. Extremely good headphones for their price, since this is a price-point that's very competitive. You'll have a lot of choices, and a lot of really good ones. It's a good price to start out at - M50's, anyone? V-Moda M80's are another contender.
 
Quote:

^Same. I am looking to buy over-ear headphones for $100 or less. Mainly looking at 
comfort
aesthetics
sound quality
durability
Also, I'll be using my samsung galaxy s 4g, or creative zen (old model) to play music, so if I need a better audio output please tell. 
I'm not really sure whether I want open or closed either, so if you could give one suggestion of each, that would be great. 

 
For under 100, you can't be too picky, IMO. Grado SR-60i/SR-80i is your best bet, I'd think. They don't need an amp or anything, and they're 80 and 100 dollars respectively. Pretty durable (my 80i's got tossed in a bag for a year along my school books without damage), and they sound great. Not for bassheads, but bass is there. Some people have issue with the comfort, though.

 

[GL1TCH3D]

New Head-Fier here, and i'm looking for advice to get an understanding about the quality of headphones in terms of pricing.
 
for different price ranges, for example $100-200 and all other ranges, what quality of headphones can i expect?
 
i'm looking for over-ear headphones for general use.

100-200$ is entry level quality... the most popular in that range is the audio technica m50. 150$ new and around 100$ used, they're pretty decent all around.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

New Head-Fier here, and i'm looking for advice to get an understanding about the quality of headphones in terms of pricing.
 
for different price ranges, for example $100-200 and all other ranges, what quality of headphones can i expect?
 
i'm looking for over-ear headphones for general use.

From $100-200, you can expect headphones that will blow the stuff at a brick-and-mortar store out of the water.
From $300-500, you can expect headphones that perform a cut above the $100-200 headphones, although they're not worlds apart. Headphones above $300, especially the ones you would never wear outside, usually like a bit of amplification.
From $600-1500, you can expect world-class sound, and you'd be hard-pressed not to get an amp to get the most out of these headphones.
Headphones above $1500 are few and far between, are plugged into amps that cost at least as much as the headphones themselves, and are usually slightly better than the ones mentioned above. But if you ever find yourself paying over $1000 for headphones, you're probably too far gone anyways.
 
"Over-ear headphones for general use" are a dime a dozen. MS400, SRH840, KNS-8400, ZX700, M50, K271, HFI-780, Q40, HD598 and much more. Name your budget and preferred music, and although it's great to ask questions, don't be afraid to go ahead and just buy if you're torn between two choices.

 

[silverwhiskers]

Hello all!
 
I'm glad I found an active thread on choosing headphones because I really need some help on deciding which headphones I should get.
 
I came upon the idea on getting a decent set of headphones for my boyfriend for his birthday for his classical music listening, and boy was I overwhelmed with all the choices and technical details about them. I want it to be a surprise for him so I'll have to depend on you guys on some advice on which ones to get.
 
I know he doesn't have any decent headphones right now. He's usually listening out of his MacBook Air or this JBL iPhone dock or something. He loves listening to classical music. Beethoven is one of his many favorites. He has roommates but I suppose if listening from his Air or the iPhone dock has no problem, then he should be okay with either open/closed headphones. (I hope I get this right, I read that open ones are better for classical music than closed ones... is that correct?)
 
I think a reasonable budget for quality and what I can afford is between $200-300. So far I have these on mind after some research:
 
Audio Technica ATH-AD900
Beyer Dynamic DT 880 (I don't know how to choose between the 32 or 250 ohms)
Sennheiser HD 600 (I've read the HD 800 are even better but that's way out of my budget)
 
Please help! Thanks!

 

[7Karma]

related to question to the above post:
 
is DT 880 better than DT 990? I checked their site and 990 is the newest ones but I see so many saying they're trying to get 880.
 
what are the differences? and why do people prefer 880 over 990?

 

[12345142]

Quote:

Hello all!
 
I'm glad I found an active thread on choosing headphones because I really need some help on deciding which headphones I should get.
 
I came upon the idea on getting a decent set of headphones for my boyfriend for his birthday for his classical music listening, and boy was I overwhelmed with all the choices and technical details about them. I want it to be a surprise for him so I'll have to depend on you guys on some advice on which ones to get.
 
I know he doesn't have any decent headphones right now. He's usually listening out of his MacBook Air or this JBL iPhone dock or something. He loves listening to classical music. Beethoven is one of his many favorites. He has roommates but I suppose if listening from his Air or the iPhone dock has no problem, then he should be okay with either open/closed headphones. (I hope I get this right, I read that open ones are better for classical music than closed ones... is that correct?)
 
I think a reasonable budget for quality and what I can afford is between $200-300. So far I have these on mind after some research:
 
Audio Technica ATH-AD900
Beyer Dynamic DT 880 (I don't know how to choose between the 32 or 250 ohms)
Sennheiser HD 600 (I've read the HD 800 are even better but that's way out of my budget)
 
Please help! Thanks!

Get the AD900s. The DT880s (even the 32 ohm version) and HD600s would be better served with a headphone amp, which he doesn't have. Just so you know, open headphones don't block any noise whatsoever. But if you're already aware of that, he'll probably enjoy the AD900s.
 

 

[12345142]

Quote:

related to question to the above post:
 
is DT 880 better than DT 990? I checked their site and 990 is the newest ones but I see so many saying they're trying to get 880.
 
what are the differences? and why do people prefer 880 over 990?

http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more#post_6938759
 
Also, in general, a headphone's age is nothing to worry about. The Sennheiser HD25s and Beyerdynamic DT48s are two examples of decades-old, yet loved headphones here on Head-Fi.
 
 

 

[7Karma]

for dt 990 600ohms can Xonar essence run it ? I mean xonar says it can handle up to 600ohms but can it really handle it consistently?

 

[GruGruxKing]

New here.
Looking for a new pair of headphones.
Budget-$500 for amp and pair of headphones, if an amp is absolutely needed.
They will be used for minor gaming, mostly for music. The thing is that I listen to almost everything. From Dave Matthews to In Flames, Tech N9ne to KoL, Tupac to Ben Harper. 
Basically looking for a good all around headphone.
 

 

[dorino]

Quote:

New here.
Looking for a new pair of headphones.
Budget-$500 for amp and pair of headphones, if an amp is absolutely needed.
They will be used for minor gaming, mostly for music. The thing is that I listen to almost everything. From Dave Matthews to In Flames, Tech N9ne to KoL, Tupac to Ben Harper. 
Basically looking for a good all around headphone.
 

 
My reading on a good all-arounder led me to preorder the HE-400 and a FiiO E17 amp/dac - 561 dollars with an L9 LOD for the E17 (if I ever use it with my iPod) and a Grado 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. Bit over budget.

 

[ARaees]

Quote:

I know nothing about the Beyer DT235.
I own both the CALs (Creative Aurvana Live) and the Superlux HD668B, both are broken.
The HD-668B is a fine set of cans, but semi-open, so not something for use in public, unless you like to hear cars coming at you as you can get out of the ways.
CALs are a nice set of cans too, closed, cups are on the small size, barely fits around my ears.
Right now I'm more of a fan of the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, it's only $25 for Velour ear pads for them.
 
 

Thanks to all head-fi'ers.. who helped me decide to buy good headphones under $100, i ordered Creative Aurvana Live on Amazon for $70. and Koss KSC75 as back-up.

 after getting more recommendations for these. as i can use them at home also on outside with iPhone...

. BTW PurpleAngel how did your CAL & HD668B broke? i heard if you take proper care CALs last for many years.. they are best BANG FOR BUCK IMO...

  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..!!!
 
 

 

[satanigatan]

Thanks for this!
 
I'm thinking the HE-500 probably sounds like a good pairing then. I really wanted to try the LCD-2s, because I heard they had a really silky/smooth natural sound. And to me, that sounded less fatiguing. But if the bass is really a hard hitter, it could fatigue me.
 
Thanks for your input on the HD-800. I think I'll pass on that, because a lot of the music I listen to will probably sound like ****. While I do listen to a lot of classic rock, I also listen to a lot of modern rock (especially Indie). And a lot of the mastering/recording is awful. So I can only imagine the HD-800 would obliterate my library. 
 
Quote:

From what I know of those (the only ones I've heard are the HD800s), you'd probably prefer the HE500s.  The HD800s are super-comfy with their wide cups and light clamping force, but they're also hyper-revealing.  Not really a problem if all of your recordings are well-mastered, but heaven forbid if they aren't.  When I listened to them, albums that I previously thought sounded good sounded terrible because every little flaw was picked out, which really ruined the listening experience.  I don't know too much about the LCD-2s, but most people who own them call them the audiophile's basshead can.  Everything sounds good, of course, but the bass is emphasized.  If the bass on the PS500s was fatiguing, then the LCDs might have too much for you.  The HE500s, on the other hand, have been described as an excellent all-around easy listening headphone, which is what you appear to be looking for.  Just be aware that they take a good bit of juice to sound their best.
 
If you really liked the SR80s, you could also consider some of the higher-end Grados.  The PS500s are completely different from the standard Grado sound signature, which has the same general character from the SR60 all the way up to the GS1000.  Maybe the RS1s?
 

 

 

[Grybpjovys]

still hoping if someone could help me
 
Quote:

heya. i have limited amount of money, and i can't decide if i can pay more for better headphones (i mean, is it really that worth to pay more for better headphones?) i am buying from this store (this is my native store, so i translated site with google translator): http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=lt&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hifipasaulis.lt%2Findex.php%2Fkatalogas%2Fbrowse%2F14-ausins%3Fsef%3Dhc&act=url (btw, they translate price, for ex. 240 LT (litas, my native money), so they put price 240 £, just in case)  so i would want to fit in 200, or if it's extra worth in 300. and if there's ennourmosly big difference between those cheap headphones, and for example ath-m50 (those cost 500, if they're soo much better than other ones, i might consider these, because i read a lot of reviews, ath-m50 is just for me) i want closed btw.
so i'm mostly listening dubstep (well, not total fanboy, because famous artists are ruining real dubstep), some beats, dnb, well, i just want headphones with punchy bass (not really on that bass from which my head would shake , but still, bass is requirement), crisp highs, overall balanced sound. should be durable, broke few cans before.
btw, i heard about ultrasone hfi series, but i can't find to buy them in my country (lithuania), but maybe i will go to vacation and grab those, what you think about ultrasones?

thanks in advance

 
 

 

[silverwhiskers]

Thank you. I just ordered the AD900s as per your advice. 

 
I do know open headphones don't block any noise but his room is rather quiet so I'm guessing it should be okay.
 
Quote:

Get the AD900s. The DT880s (even the 32 ohm version) and HD600s would be better served with a headphone amp, which he doesn't have. Just so you know, open headphones don't block any noise whatsoever. But if you're already aware of that, he'll probably enjoy the AD900s.