[Erwan]

I haven't been on this forum in a while and (unfortunately) forgot about it when I bought my last pair of headphones but I'm glad I remembered about it a few days ago.
I'm relatively new and don't consider myself an audiophile but I'll try my best to describe what type of sound I like.

My headphone history goes like this:
- Frst pair: Soul by Ludacris on-ears. Didn't want to buy Beats so I bought into this mainstream pair, nothing much to say.
- Second pair: V-Moda XS. Loved these, though a little too small for my head. Reason why I got my next pair was because these didn't have enough bass or imagining for my liking. They're also pretty beat up now after 2 years.
- Third (current) pair: Sennheiser Urbanite On-Ear. Coming straight the XS, these sounded just a little bit muffled. But I got used to them and LOVED the imaging and bass at first. Now after 1.5 years, I'm looking for more.
Now, apart from these, I had tried a bunch of headphones in stores. My favourite, as far as I can remember, are the B&W P7s (too expensive), the B&O H6 2nd Gen (also expensive) and the Sony MDR-1A (kind of in my price range at the moment). Important to note that I'm trying to transition to over-ear headphones and move away from on-ear ones.

I mainly listen to Hip Hop, RnB, Pop, but also classical music, jazz, latin jazz and some Indie music. I'll be using this as portable headphones, so at home, on my commutes to class and/or anywhere else like the train and bus so I would love to have some isolation.

So now I come to ask you guys, what headphones ($200<) would you recommend for me? I like a warm/v-shape sound that is also relaxing, has good imaging and (possibly) a nice soundstage for closed headphones. I'm a broke college student so I can't push much past my $200 budget, and my main sources are my Galaxy S8 and my laptop. I am also looking into buying a portable amp in the future.

EDIT - I will be working soon, so I believe I may raise the price to $300 and ask for help in buying both a pair of headphones AND IEMs.

 

[FullBright1]

You seem to be a bit of a bass-head.
You listed the B&W P7 as the first one you recall from your wish list.
You have $200.
You want a closed headphone product.
Ok, so, after i inserted your data into the decision module....... the answer is :

Buy a USED "mint" Sennheiser HD1.
It has the bass you like, sounds a bit like the P7, is closed, and is a very fine headphone.

Some others here would likely tell you : Audio-Technica M50x

If neither of those hit your sweet spot, then you might try finding a used P7 or BeoPlay H6 or even a Sony MDR-1A , or even an Audeze Sine, used, for $200.
Its possible.

 

[Mhog55]

Beoplay H6 every day of the week. You said you liked these, and also said you were looking for a warm, V shaped sound. This is not how I would describe them though. To me they are clear and balanced, with above average imaging and stage for a closed back. For me they check all the boxes in terms of sound, comfort and appearance. You can find them for 200 bones on ebay and in the classifieds. Just be prepared to ditch the crap cable. Unfortunately you will have to source an upgrade cable that fits the super small entrance port for these cans. Amazon has a decent one for 12 bucks.
Aside from that, check out the 1 more triple driver over ear. There is a thread in this sub section on them. I had a difficult time deciding between the two, but ended up going with the H6.

 

[NA Blur]

Audio Technica ATH-M50x would be a nice addition. Portable, good sound, closed, and built like a tank.

 

[Erwan]

Beoplay H6 every day of the week. You said you liked these, and also said you were looking for a warm, V shaped sound. This is not how I would describe them though. To me they are clear and balanced, with above average imaging and stage for a closed back. For me they check all the boxes in terms of sound, comfort and appearance. You can find them for 200 bones on ebay and in the classifieds. Just be prepared to ditch the crap cable. Unfortunately you will have to source an upgrade cable that fits the super small entrance port for these cans. Amazon has a decent one for 12 bucks.
Aside from that, check out the 1 more triple driver over ear. There is a thread in this sub section on them. I had a difficult time deciding between the two, but ended up going with the H6.

I do really enjoy the B&O H6 but I was just wondering, are you recommending the original ones or the 2nd Gens? Because I've read around that the 2nd Gens have more bass than the originals and they sound better (to some).

 

[Erwan]

Audio Technica ATH-M50x would be a nice addition. Portable, good sound, closed, and built like a tank.

I'm sure they are but for some reason I'm not really into the Audio Technica's, never listened to them though so if I do that could change my mind.

 

[Erwan]

You seem to be a bit of a bass-head.
You listed the B&W P7 as the first one you recall from your wish list.
You have $200.
You want a closed headphone product.
Ok, so, after i inserted your data into the decision module....... the answer is :

Buy a USED "mint" Sennheiser HD1.
It has the bass you like, sounds a bit like the P7, is closed, and is a very fine headphone.

Some others here would likely tell you : Audio-Technica M50x

If neither of those hit your sweet spot, then you might try finding a used P7 or BeoPlay H6 or even a Sony MDR-1A , or even an Audeze Sine, used, for $200.
Its possible.

Hey thank you so much for the advice, I've been looking up used/refurbished pairs on Ebay and Amazon and as you said they are there. I might end up going this route. The Sennheiser HD1s seem very tempting.
I was also wondering if you knew anything about the B&O H7 (the wireless equivalent of the H6)?

 

[FullBright1]

Hey thank you so much for the advice, I've been looking up used/refurbished pairs on Ebay and Amazon and as you said they are there. I might end up going this route. The Sennheiser HD1s seem very tempting.
I was also wondering if you knew anything about the B&O H7 (the wireless equivalent of the H6)?

Hey.

I cant speak for all listeners, but regarding my ears...."wired" always sounds better then wireless.
Other will shout me down, but, ....... thats my impression of sound, when comparing W <> BT

Also, the Bang & O's that you are talking about, have a slightly bright tone, sound good, and have fairly shallow ear-cups.
They are a good set of headphones, but, when found "mint" - "pre-owned", they are even better sounding......

Happy hunting,


fb1

 

[Mhog55]

I do really enjoy the B&O H6 but I was just wondering, are you recommending the original ones or the 2nd Gens? Because I've read around that the 2nd Gens have more bass than the originals and they sound better (to some).

Gen 2. I don't think they have shallow ear cups as stated below.... For what it's worth

 

[FullBright1]

Gen 2. I don't think they have shallow ear cups as stated below.... For what it's worth

They are certainly not as shallow as say......Audeze Sine's, or Yamaha MT8's, or OneMore H17017's.
What i noticed about them was that the proximity of the speakers to my ears, seemed closer then i like.. But that's just me.....
-
-

=

 

[bcaulf17]

The H6 Gen 2 are great, although they might not be bassy enough if that's what you're looking for. They have great sub-bass impact (try listening to a subwoofer test with these things), but the mid-bass isn't as strong. They are very neutral sounding indeed with nice balance, as they are not super bright, but the treble extension is nice, without being sharp. I find them to be fairly transparent; if you listen to a dark recording, they sound dark. If you listen to a bright recording, they'll sound bright. But they're smooth and don't feature much of the grain of more analytical headphones, making them better for pure listening. They can be had for $250 or so now I believe, maybe even less if you shop around.

Another headphone that seems to be liked around here is the Meze 99 Neo, which is apparently very warm and bassy but in a good way; I don't know how the sub-bass extension is compared to the H6 but the mid-bass is pretty big. Those sell for $200.

 

[metsat]

Buy a USED "mint" Sennheiser HD1.
It has the bass you like, sounds a bit like the P7, is closed, and is a very fine headphone.

I would also recommend the Sennheiser HD1. It's a great HP and it's not picky about source and genre. Almost everything sounds good on it. I believe Amazon sells it new for 175 dollars at the moment.

 

[zazex]

The ATH M50X are a solid choice in the price range, and even somewhat above it.
Personally, I like the ATH MSR7 more.
Sonically a bit more balanced; less of the "tank"-like build of the ATH M50X (though
still very nicely made). To me they're more transparent and detailed without being
"bright" in any kind of bad way.

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/9f55d2de9afd8f31/

MSRP is obviously higher than you're looking to spend, but of course
if you look around you can find them for less. Not long ago, for instance,
Amazon had them for weeks at about $180. Also, they're available in
various color schemes of which some typically are priced less than the
others.

 

[Mhog55]

The H6 Gen 2 are great, although they might not be bassy enough if that's what you're looking for. They have great sub-bass impact (try listening to a subwoofer test with these things), but the mid-bass isn't as strong. They are very neutral sounding indeed with nice balance, as they are not super bright, but the treble extension is nice, without being sharp. I find them to be fairly transparent; if you listen to a dark recording, they sound dark. If you listen to a bright recording, they'll sound bright. But they're smooth and don't feature much of the grain of more analytical headphones, making them better for pure listening. They can be had for $250 or so now I believe, maybe even less if you shop around.

Another headphone that seems to be liked around here is the Meze 99 Neo, which is apparently very warm and bassy but in a good way; I don't know how the sub-bass extension is compared to the H6 but the mid-bass is pretty big. Those sell for $200.

That's a really solid description of the H6. I'm not as seasoned at describing what I'm hearing as most of the folks on this forum. I agree with everything stated here.

 

[Mhog55]

They are certainly not as shallow as say......Audeze Sine's, or Yamaha MT8's, or OneMore H17017's.
What i noticed about them was that the proximity of the speakers to my ears, seemed closer then i like.. But that's just me.....
-
-

=

That's a somewhat frightening picture. Not the route I'd go if I were in advertising lol