[andreartiz05]

I’m looking for some durable headphones with a detachable cord around $250-$300 or under. What would you guys recommend? I like lots of bass & reverb music and listen to many genres. I’m considering v-moda m-100. I’ll pretty much only be using them with my laptop.

 

[cgb3]

I’m looking for some durable headphones with a detachable cord around $250-$300 or under. What would you guys recommend? I like lots of bass & reverb music and listen to many genres. I’m considering v-moda m-100. I’ll pretty much only be using them with my laptop.

I'm curious. Why do you require a detachable cord?

 

[andreartiz05]

I'm curious. Why do you require a detachable cord?

most of the headphones I’ve owned went out on one side. I drop stuff a lot or just forget I’m wearing them & get up causing cable to get yanked

 

[Alcophone]

Focal Listen comes to mind, but it has a custom locking mechanism, so you'd need third party cables with exceptionally thin connectors. Kabeldirekt cables work if you unscrew the metal sleeve on the headphone end, but are not durable, I broke two or three and am back on the original Focal cable, which still works just fine despite various involuntary yanks.

With the stock pads, I find the bass very good, better than the Audio-Technica M50x I had prior (which also has detachable cables, but is somewhat bass light and bright, and less efficient than the Focal, and the fake leather on blue/copper version fell apart after two years, and it's less comfortable because of the shallow ear cups and the headband).

There are definitely headphones with more bass, and while that can be fun with some genre it can sound unbalanced with others.

A pair of Fostex I once tried had a ton of bass that was very bloated. A pair of V-Moda that I tried had very simplistic one-note bass, which is not fun.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Meze 99 Noir

 

[Alcophone]

Meze 99 Noir

True, I tried the non-noir ones, I found the sound signature similar to the Focal Listen (at least I liked it just as much), but the imaging on the Focal is better and they fold down, which is good for a commuter headphone. The Meze look very nice, though.

 

[KPzypher]

Sony MDR-1AM2.

Budget friendly, super lightweight (<200g), fun bass, and you can drive them with willpower.

 

[andreartiz05]

Would sennheiser 650’s be good?

 

[andreartiz05]

True, I tried the non-noir ones, I found the sound signature similar to the Focal Listen (at least I liked it just as much), but the imaging on the Focal is better and they fold down, which is good for a commuter headphone. The Meze look very nice, though.

Would sennheiser 650’s be good

 

[Alcophone]

Would sennheiser 650’s be good

To me the HD 650 are the most overrated cans I know. So bad at transients I don't even consider them audiophile.

The HD 660S I do like, though. They are a bit grainy which I find annoying after a while and they can get uncomfortable during longer sessions. So can the Listen, but a brief readjustment of the headband typically provides relief for a while.
But otherwise the sound is very pleasant. Also very good for movies.

 

[Siq6Six]

The V-Moda M100’s sound like a great option for you. They’re very durable & enjoyable to listen to with a lot of music. They should have that extra bass your looking for. Most recommend getting the XL earpads, they run $20. I did the same for mine. The stock ear pads sucked IMO. They sat on the ear, which is personal preference - Definitely not my preference tho. The XL pads are a little bigger and fit around my ear a bit better, but still a little on the earlobe. However they are also very soft and don’t tend to hold form very well. I recently replaced my old XL pads w/ WC Wicked Cushion‘s XL pads. They weren’t ‘as big’ but had a little more resilience to them. They look nicer IMO as well.

Can’t speak to the other headphones suggested, but I’ve had the M100s for around 6 years and I’ve listened to a lot of music with them.

Another option is to get the Hifiman Sundara’s @ $350. They’re open back, but you’re laptop may not be able to drive them very well. I use mine w/ a FiiO M11 or now my ifi Zen DAC/CAN, but I found out real fast that trying to use them for gaming either on PC with the Sennheiser GSX1000, or on playing Xbox, plugged into the controller, were not viable options. (The M100s worked just fine)

 

[andreartiz05]

The V-Moda M100’s sound like a great option for you. They’re very durable & enjoyable to listen to with a lot of music. They should have that extra bass your looking for. Most recommend getting the XL earpads, they run $20. I did the same for mine. The stock ear pads sucked IMO. They sat on the ear, which is personal preference - Definitely not my preference tho. The XL pads are a little bigger and fit around my ear a bit better, but still a little on the earlobe. However they are also very soft and don’t tend to hold form very well. I recently replaced my old XL pads w/ WC Wicked Cushion‘s XL pads. They weren’t ‘as big’ but had a little more resilience to them. They look nicer IMO as well.

Can’t speak to the other headphones suggested, but I’ve had the M100s for around 6 years and I’ve listened to a lot of music with them.

Another option is to get the Hifiman Sundara’s @ $350. They’re open back, but you’re laptop may not be able to drive them very well. I use mine w/ a FiiO M11 or now my ifi Zen DAC/CAN, but I found out real fast that trying to use them for gaming either on PC with the Sennheiser GSX1000, or on playing Xbox, plugged into the controller, were not viable options. (The M100s worked just fine)

have you ever used hd 650

 

[HipHopScribe]

The HD650 is not a good choice if you want lots of bass impact

 

[Nickhasarrived]

I’m looking for some durable headphones with a detachable cord around $250-$300 or under. What would you guys recommend? I like lots of bass & reverb music and listen to many genres. I’m considering v-moda m-100. I’ll pretty much only be using them with my laptop.

Just so we can clear up come stuff here ans make sure we all can use our best judgement in giving you the best recommendation, got a few questions for you.

What is the use case for these headphones? Music only? Gaming? Mix of both?
Is noise isolation an issue that you have to worry about?
Do you like open backs, semi-open, closed backs?
What is the main source you are driving these from? Straight out of your laptop or with a small portable amp?
Is portability a concern?

If you could answer these I think we could all give you much better recommendations

 

[andreartiz05]

Just so we can clear up come stuff here ans make sure we all can use our best judgement in giving you the best recommendation, got a few questions for you.

What is the use case for these headphones? Music only? Gaming? Mix of both?
Is noise isolation an issue that you have to worry about?
Do you like open backs, semi-open, closed backs?
What is the main source you are driving these from? Straight out of your laptop or with a small portable amp?
Is portability a concern?

If you could answer these I think we could all give you much better recommendations

Music only. Noise isolation & portability are not really concerns. I use AirPods when I’m out. I mainly use headphones when I’m home. I have a schiit magni 2 amp