[Akash Ray]

Hey All,
I'm on a buget ~ $100 give or take a few.
I'm a wannabe audiophile (If that's a thing

 ) and would like the best quality audio out of my little budget.
Well, basically I'm a schoolkid so I'd like to have the bare minimum when it comes to the world of audiophiles (for starters).
I've bought myself a FiiO x1 for lossless playback as of now and have a decent collection of lossless music which I'm genuinely proud of.
What would you suggest as the best OVER-EAR headphones at that price?

I live in India and over here there is no place where we can try out headphones before buying them. So I have no choice but decide purely on your reviews, opinions and written headphone specifications.
I listen to several kinds of music but my primary genres are Orchestral, Instrumental and Trance (Electronic).
I'm currently eyeing the following-
1.Audio Techinica M50(s/x/plain)
2.Sony Mdr-v6
3.V-Moda Crossfade Lp/Lp2.
4.Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
5.Sennheiser HD 598
6.Audio Technica ATH-AD700x
7.Audio Technica ATH-AD900x (A tad costlier though)
 
I'll be glad to receive suggestions other than the above mentioned (Open/Closed back).
Sound quality is my utmost priority.
Thanks a lot for your help! 

 

 

[KG Jag]

I would go with the AT--especially if it's the M50X.

 

[cel4145]

^^

What he said. And I like my ATH-M50 (not M50X) better than my Sony MDR-V6.

 

[zentg]

sorry to jump in here too lol, but why the m50 over sennheiser 598hd? it looks more expensive and i thought the sennheiser was much better? also whats the difference between m50 and m50x? is the x the newer model? because i cant find any m50 for sale without x. also i see that the m50x is a closed headset, i thought open was the only way to go lol.

 

[Vanbuskirk]

Hello,

There are luckily many headphones that sound amazing for less than 100. Seeing your music choices i would recommend the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO. Good bass for the electronic music but also.good treble for classical. Amazing isolation and comfortable as all hell.

Hope this helps.

 

[cel4145]

sorry to jump in here too lol, but why the m50 over sennheiser 598hd?

Did you read the OP's post? It's not in his list.

 

[Akash Ray]

@cel4145 Any particular reason why you'd prefer the AT over sony?
Where does it shine/ the latter lacks?

@zentg Thanks, it's a nice suggestion [sennheiser 598hd]. I did mention I'm open to suggestions so it's not a problem @cel4145.How would you rate it's sound over the others in the same price bracket though?

@Vanbuskirk Yeah I had seen them on many websites. IMO they're a tad too ugly such as to say than the others but they're well spec'd and widely used in studios for sure (but so are the m50s). I'd also like to add that at the end of the day, quality of sound is my priority and I'd go to the senns you mentioned if it truly does outdoes the rest. Could you tell about about it's sound quality preferably a view as that compared to the others.

I'm thankful for all your suggestions and your help. 

 

[Vanbuskirk]

@cel4145
 Any particular reason why you'd prefer the AT over sony?

Where does it shine/ the latter lacks?

@zentg
 Thanks, it's a nice suggestion [sennheiser 598hd]. I did mention I'm open to suggestions so it's not a problem @cel4145
.How would you rate it's sound over the others in the same price bracket though?

@Vanbuskirk
 Yeah I had seen them on many websites. IMO they're a tad too ugly such as to say than the others but they're well spec'd and widely used in studios for sure (but so are the m50s). I'd also like to add that at the end of the day, quality of sound is my priority and I'd go to the senns you mentioned if it truly does outdoes the rest. Could you tell about about it's sound quality preferably a view as that compared to the others.


I'm thankful for all your suggestions and your help. 

Well I have only owned the crossfade LP and the ath m-50 so I can compare only those two. The crossfade are very dark. Amazing bass but treble and miss leave a bit to be desired. If you were thinking of VModas, which are very comfortable, I would check out the m-100. It is a tad out of budget but you may find a used pair for as much. Comparing to the 280pro the m100 does it better. The m50 is very neutral sounding which is what you want for monitoring. If you want to adjust EQ for vastly different music types than I would go for that. The 280 pro has more bass and more treble but not so much that leaves the mids recessed.

 

[cel4145]

@cel4145
 Any particular reason why you'd prefer the AT over sony?

To me, the V6 is a touch grainier.

 

[JK1]

For classical music, an open Sennheiser circumaural headphone such as the HD598 or HD558 would be a great choice with nice midrange detail. For rock music though, the bass impact on the HD598 or HD558 won't be satisfying enough for many.For better bass impact, something closed  like the M50 or M50x would be better. The M50x has a detachable cable. The open Sennheiser circumaural headphones are also much more cumfortable than closed ones, however the open headphones give no isolation.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The HD 598 (or 558) easily has the best sound quality. I recommend avoiding the others (listed below from best to worst, in my experience) for the following reasons:
 
MDR-V6: Although it's slightly better (less bright and harsh, better bass) than the MDR-7506, it has the same basic sound signature, which comes off as a little tinny.
M50x: Basshead headphone marketed as a studio monitor. (proof) (Note that I have not heard other versions of the M50.)
HD 280 PRO: Weird tonality and just doesn't sound that good.
Crossfade LP: Mud. 'Nuff said.
 
Also note that I owned all of these headphones except for the HD 598/558, which I only auditioned.

 

[goodyfresh]

  Hey All,
I'm on a buget ~ $100 give or take a few.
I'm a wannabe audiophile (If that's a thing

 ) and would like the best quality audio out of my little budget.
Well, basically I'm a schoolkid so I'd like to have the bare minimum when it comes to the world of audiophiles (for starters).
I've bought myself a FiiO x1 for lossless playback as of now and have a decent collection of lossless music which I'm genuinely proud of.
What would you suggest as the best OVER-EAR headphones at that price?

I live in India and over here there is no place where we can try out headphones before buying them. So I have no choice but decide purely on your reviews, opinions and written headphone specifications.
I listen to several kinds of music but my primary genres are Orchestral, Instrumental and Trance (Electronic).
I'm currently eyeing the following-
1.Audio Techinica M50(s/x/plain)
2.Sony Mdr-v6
3.V-Moda Crossfade Lp/Lp2.
4.Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
5.Sennheiser HD 598
 
I'll be glad to receive suggestions other than the above mentioned (Open/Closed back).
Sound quality is my utmost priority.
Thanks a lot for your help! 

 

Out of that selection, the ATH-M50x is most definitely the way to go, unless you absolutely willl never have any need for isolation, and don't mind more subdued, somewhat rolled-off bass, in which case the HD598 will sound best.  Do not go with the HD 280 pro, it has a strangely rough, somewhat artificial sound, and is generally considered one of Sennheiser's less-stellar (hell, more like FAR from stellar) products.  Do not go with the Crossfade LP or LP2, they are very consumer-oriented with heavy, muddy bass and recessed mids and such, poor detail, etc.  On the other hand, the V-Moda M-80 are very, very nice, although they are on-ears. . .I have them, and love mine.  By all accounts the M-100 are quite good, although more for bassheads than those looking for accuracy, but unlike the LP/Lp2 they do resolve details pretty well.  Meanwhile, the MDR-V6 are nice and all, and used to be the best available in their price-range, but they have been around for a couple decades or something by now, and headphone engineering has progressed quite a bit since then. . .so now you can do much better than them for the price.  The bass is very rolled-off and distorted on them compared to anything being engineered these days for studio-monitor purposes, and also compared to most consumer headphones.

So yeah.  If you're going to stick with the cans on your list there, get the M50x or the HD598, with your decision between the two based primarily on whether you want a warmer (M50x) or more neutral with rolled-off bass (HD 598) sound, as well as whether or not you want isolation.  THe M50x isolate very well, while the HD598 quite obviously do not isolate at all being open-backed.  Also take a look at the V-Moda M-80 and M-100 (to get down into your price-range, you'd want to look at buying used for the latter).  A used pair of the Shure SRH-840 could also be very nice.  Wouldn't really recommend the cheaper SRH 440 as the bass is quite rolled-off (the bass is rolled-off on the SRH840, but not too seriously).  Hmmmm. . .let's see. . .maybe also look at the AKG K553, although by all accounts their treble is a bit more strident and it's a bit hard to achieve a seal if you have a narrow head.