[dubfanatic]

Greetings Head-Fi,
 
I am in need of some help in choosing between 5 pairs of headphones i have selected within my pricerange which is just around $100. 
They will be plugged into my computer unamped, and wil be used for listening to primarily bass heavy music(hiphop, drum and bass, dubstep), and gaming.
It should be noted that comfort is quite important for me, because im going to be using these for longer sessions, around 4-5 hours.    
 
Koss DJ Pro 100
 
Ultrasone HFI-450.
 
KRK KNS-6400
 
Creative Aurvana Live!
 
AKG K240 Studio
 
Besides the Ultrasone HFI-450, they are all recommended in the buying guide from this site, so they should all be a good buy, it all comes down to finding the pair which fits my preferences. 
For now i have been using Grados SR-60i, but due to a loose connection and lacking build quality, i have decided to try something else.

 

[dubfanatic]

bump

 

[BrownBear]

Well, I can speak for the K240 Studio. I liked these a lot. I had SR-60's first, then got the K240 Studio and immediately preferred them. And I will say, I've always found the comfort of the K240 to be quite good. The midrange of these is what I liked best. I've found that the bass can be a bit uncontrolled, but this has never been a problem for me. And if you ever got an amp, it tightens up a bit. These are just my experiences though.

 

[Kerry56]

The K240 will be slightly better with an amp.  I'm not sure they have enough bass impact for your preferences in music though.  And the K240's have a laid back presentation, very, very different from your current Grado.  I find them comfortable, but I have the MK II version and  use the velour pads which do not come with the Studio version.
 
The CAL! is slightly warmer in tone, and should be fine for you music tastes, though it is not as bass heavy as some others in this price range.  The earpads are slightly smaller than most, and many people cannot fit their ears within the pads entirely, but the pads are very soft and few people have issues in comfort with them.  They do well in gaming.  The main drawback to the CAL! is their average build quality.  If you are careful with your headphones, it won't be an issue, but I wouldn't recommend trying to use them as portables...I just don't see them holding up to that kind of use.

 

[Cam3ron]

Sorry that I'm not very creative, but the Panasonic HTF-600s is always a good choice.

 

[Sil3nce]

Shure srh840.
Beyerdynamic dtx ( )
Alessandro ms-1

 

[Lorspeaker]

i like Creative LIVE..sounded balanced ..more thumpp than tin can-ish...
.hmmm...but doesnt block out all the outside noise..
otherwise good enough to get one mysel.

 

[Dannyy]

The koss portapros are a great pair of headphones for bass heavy songs.

I'm no expert but I haven't heard anything better than them under 100$.

 

[risenfallen]

If you can stretch your budget a bit at around $120 then I can recommend getting the HFI-580. Ultrasone comfort is never an issue for me though others have noted otherwise. If you have to stay within the $100 range I believe HFI-450 or CAL! will do well regarding your source and music genres.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Samson SR850 or Superlux HD668B.

 

[dubfanatic]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, seems alot of people recommend the CAL but i am worried about them not being sturdy enough.   
Im leaning more towards the AKG's, because they are open back and i would prefer to be able to know whats going on around me, also they seem like the most comfortable pair of the ones im considering. The only thing im concerned about is the bass, i don't need huge bass, but rather a more refined sub-bass. It's hard to explain because im fairly new to the audiophile world, but hope someone gets me  
I don't mind trying a different music presentation other than my grados, because i haven't really tried any other headphones for comparison.  
 
Regarding the Ultrasone HFI-580, i would buy these in a heartbeat if i had the money, but budget is really tight so i don't have that option unfortunately.
 
I will also take a look at the Superlux and Samson, they look alot like the AKG's and cheaper!, how does sound and build quality compare to AKG?

 

[musubi1000]

while not one of your og suggestions check out the unknown here on head fi AKG K181 DJ under $100 now. You don't want a audiophile headphone you want one made for DJs.

Imagine a 701 mother and a sub woofer father. These are like full range monitors and a 12" sub. Not overly blasting but tuned to supply an ample bass body and full thick mids yet balanced with the rest of the spectrum. I personally love em for all my electronica, rock, hip hop, alternative, classical, whatever. These are actually quite versatile performers kinda like the M50s. These have excellent resolution on par with the M50s. I can run em from my iphone but the 181s can handle any amount of power you throw at em. These drivers are so fast they can handle the big long fat bass lines while maintaining smooth textured vocal clarity even at loud volumes. The fuller mids and much bigger bass are what most will hear right off the bat. The M50s perfect treble reaches further out and is brighter but the AKG treble is less fatiguing and has a very clean toned character. Percussion sounds so natural on these. The AKGs also exibit better spacing than the M50s. The one major down side to these is the level of comfort. These have big flat bagel-like cushions that ride on ear. After about a half an hour you notice em. Even with the comfort issues these will always be one of my favorites.​

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Thanks for the suggestions so far, seems alot of people recommend the CAL but i am worried about them not being sturdy enough.   
Im leaning more towards the AKG's, because they are open back and i would prefer to be able to know whats going on around me, also they seem like the most comfortable pair of the ones I'm considering. The only thing im concerned about is the bass, i don't need huge bass, but rather a more refined sub-bass. It's hard to explain because im fairly new to the audiophile world, but hope someone gets me  
I don't mind trying a different music presentation other than my grados, because i haven't really tried any other headphones for comparison.  
Regarding the Ultrasone HFI-580, i would buy these in a heartbeat if i had the money, but budget is really tight so i don't have that option unfortunately.
I will also take a look at the Superlux and Samson, they look alot like the AKG's and cheaper!, how does sound and build quality compare to AKG?

The Cals have a nice sound, but to me the cups are a little too small and the diaphragm seems to be about 1 millimeter from my ear.
The Samson SR850 & HD668B, both made by Superlux and semi-open, are Taiwanese knock offs of the AKG K240.
Sound quality wise, all most as good, build quality, decent for Tawianese plastic headphones.

 

[dubfanatic]

Guess i'll rule out the CALs, i have rather big ears and comfort is quite important. 

 

[dubfanatic]

Just found Sennheiser 449s, HD 380 pro and 518 are also within my pricerange, anyone have any experience with these, maybe compared to the AKG K240 Studio?