[iAmaN00b]

I just want a decent comfortable headphone for watching movies on laptop and listening to music. I'm not an audiophile, so what would be difference between buying a  $30 vs $200+ headphone? I don't understand what could be the difference audio wise and if it's worth getting a headphone more expensive than $30.

 

[khaos974]

IMHO, $200 to $400 is the point where the point of diminishing returns starts hitting hard. The difference between a $30 headphone and a $200 one is quite spectacular.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I just want a decent comfortable headphone for watching movies on laptop and listening to music. I'm not an audiophile, so what would be difference between buying a  $30 vs $200+ headphone? I don't understand what could be the difference audio wise and if it's worth getting a headphone more expensive than $30.

Heya,
 
If you live in Florida, I'll let you check out any headphone you want and be the judge yourself.
 
Otherwise, there are essentially tiers. And it's all about what you want. It's all about refinement and having various qualities all in one headphone which is hard to get everything in one package. Consider, a 5.1 system is comprised of 6 speakers to achieve the sound field and cover all frequencies properly. A headphone tries to do it with two drivers. So what you're after matters. Quality of components, quality of build, etc. It all ties in. And the price goes up and up as you get more and more refined and it does plateau after the mid-tier stuff ($300ish range) to the point of probably insanity or novelty beyond comprehension (in which case, I'm insane).
 
I have $30 headphones and $50 headphones that honestly compare to some $200 headphones with some tweaks to EQ and some amplification to speed the driver recovery. I have some $300 headphones that blow away everything and compare to flagships in my opinion. It's relative of course and completely subjective.
 
Driving in a beater that cost ya $500 will get you from point A to B, but how well does it do it and how do you feel doing it? Stuff like that comes into play. Do you want to hear everything? Or just enough to get the idea? Do you want to feel like you have something luxurious on your head, or do you want to feel like you're wearing a cheap piece of junk that rattles instead of produces music?
 
What do you want?
 
Are you looking for justification to spend more than $30? Because I'll tell you, that's the cost of going out to lunch for me. And I do it all the time. I have headphones that were $300 that I still have, ten years later, that I still put on and go "Man, I love these." Worth way more to me than some lunch I had, 10 times. So again, it's all relative. You may think something is expensive now. But if you get it and keep it and use it for years and years, it basically becomes beyond worth it's cost. Nice headphones are an investment. They're not just an expensive trinket if audio actually matters to you. I'm treating myself to experience, to emotion, to a feeling. Something that money can't buy, but money can buy something that can actually give you a gateway to something you love. Do you love beautiful audio that is so good you get goosebumps? These are the things that make the difference between a $30 headphone and a $300 headphone, or a $1200 headphone.
 
How important, no, precious, is audio to you?
 
Very best,
 

 

[iAmaN00b]

Quote:

IMHO, $200 to $400 is the point where the point of diminishing returns starts hitting hard. The difference between a $30 headphone and a $200 one is quite spectacular.

Thanks for your post. I guess I'll have to go to a local electronics store and try out the different headphones.
 
Quote:

Heya,
 
If you live in Florida, I'll let you check out any headphone you want and be the judge yourself.
 
Otherwise, there are essentially tiers. And it's all about what you want. It's all about refinement and having various qualities all in one headphone which is hard to get everything in one package. Consider, a 5.1 system is comprised of 6 speakers to achieve the sound field and cover all frequencies properly. A headphone tries to do it with two drivers. So what you're after matters. Quality of components, quality of build, etc. It all ties in. And the price goes up and up as you get more and more refined and it does plateau after the mid-tier stuff ($300ish range) to the point of probably insanity or novelty beyond comprehension (in which case, I'm insane).
 
I have $30 headphones and $50 headphones that honestly compare to some $200 headphones with some tweaks to EQ and some amplification to speed the driver recovery. I have some $300 headphones that blow away everything and compare to flagships in my opinion. It's relative of course and completely subjective.
 
Driving in a beater that cost ya $500 will get you from point A to B, but how well does it do it and how do you feel doing it? Stuff like that comes into play. Do you want to hear everything? Or just enough to get the idea? Do you want to feel like you have something luxurious on your head, or do you want to feel like you're wearing a cheap piece of junk that rattles instead of produces music?
 
What do you want?
 
Are you looking for justification to spend more than $30? Because I'll tell you, that's the cost of going out to lunch for me. And I do it all the time. I have headphones that were $300 that I still have, ten years later, that I still put on and go "Man, I love these." Worth way more to me than some lunch I had, 10 times. So again, it's all relative. You may think something is expensive now. But if you get it and keep it and use it for years and years, it basically becomes beyond worth it's cost. Nice headphones are an investment. They're not just an expensive trinket if audio actually matters to you. I'm treating myself to experience, to emotion, to a feeling. Something that money can't buy, but money can buy something that can actually give you a gateway to something you love. Do you love beautiful audio that is so good you get goosebumps? These are the things that make the difference between a $30 headphone and a $300 headphone, or a $1200 headphone.
 
How important, no, precious, is audio to you?
 
Very best,
 

Thanks for the offer MalVeauX but I'm not in Florida. I really appreciate you taking out your time and typing this whole post up. It really answers my questions and all the points you made in there are very good. 

 

[koolkat]

It must feel amazing to put on some good headphones you bought 10 years ago, all the memories from your teenage years lol. I'm currently using headphones that cost about $80 on Amazon US, and I'm very happy with the sound but I feel like I need something more solid because I want my headphones to last more than just 2-4 years.
 
Anyways, back on topic.
 
Before getting these Sennheiser HD438s, I was using Audio Technica ONTO which were about S$30. The HD438s cost about S$130. S$100 difference in price. The difference in sound quality is worth more than that, imo. When I first got my headphones I played a couple of Angus and Julia Stone and Arctic Monkeys songs.
 
I noticed many differences to the overall sound. Everything was much clearer, the music sounded less "trapped" and the bass was existent. That annoying hiss from playing loud music was also gone. So basically I realised there was a lot more to music that just the main riff, the vocals and the guitar solos. 
 
This might seem very cliche, but it seemed like someone removed the veil off the soundtrack. 
 
 
 
It really depends on you.
 
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

It must feel amazing to put on some good headphones you bought 10 years ago, all the memories from your teenage years lol. I'm currently using headphones that cost about $80 on Amazon US, and I'm very happy with the sound but I feel like I need something more solid because I want my headphones to last more than just 2-4 years.

Heya,
 
It's wild putting on my Sennheiser HD580's that I bought in 1993. I didn't even know what I was doing at the time, other than they were supposed to be phenomenal for the cost. To this day, they're one of my reference headphones for what neutrality is in sound signature, very comfortable, and about as laid back as it gets. I've only had to replace the cables once, and nothing else. Worth every cent, and then some. Plus I can still sell these things if I want for nearly 50% what I paid for them 10 years ago, and they'd sell in a heart beat.
 
Very best,