[Alcest]

Alright, so, I'm new here obviously, and I been up for the past 3 hours googling and searching for a good pair of headphones in the $30 range. I've been exclusively getting all my headphones from walmart..which is a bad idea since they never have anything good except for the EarPollution Toxix I got a long time ago. I like them, comfortable, sounded great, even though I'm not an audiophile really being I know nothing about sound terms, just go by what I hear..haha
 
Anyway, I recently bought a pair of Sony MDR-ZX100 from walmart, and while they are comfortable and such, the sound quality was just..muddy and weak to me. I don't know, it just didn't seem great, so I was going to get my money back and buy a pair for about $30 from amazon or newegg or something like that.
 
I actually was thinking of buying a pair of Skullcandy Hesh or Agents, since I found a site that had them for $30, but I keep getting to "Don't buy skullcandy!" over and over.
 
Anyway, what I'd like:
 
-Listening in home only, open or closed, whatever is best sound, noise cancelling not needed, or wanted apparently after looking up info all night. Doesn't need to be portable at all.
-$30 budget
-Mostly listen to rock and metal, and watch youtube videos all day, play computer games extensively. All mostly at 60%-80% volume, according to my windows computer volume thing, while whatever program running is at max volume.
-Preferred to not buy any other equipment other than just the headphones
-Size doesn't matter, however, I don't want in-ear, I don't want behind the ear or neck, I personally enjoy having over the ear..the ones that wrap around your ears, I read that that's sound isolation or whatever, but even if the case, I like how it feels, it's just personal preference.
-Not a bass-phile, while decent bass is good, I'm not all "MUST HAVE BASS" or anything.
-Don't know much about drivers, but 50mm seems to be good, and I'd like it to have that I guess?
 
Anyway if more info is needed, I'll give what's asked, but before I get flammed for being a "noob" and so on, I did search, for hours on google and other sites, and I've been redirected here many of time, so I finally decided to just ask here hoping to get suggestions. I've narrowed it down to these right now by looking at what people recommend around here and so on, but I keep getting mixed answers everytime...so maybe you guys can help me out?
 
Top choice: Monoprice 8323 (Good price, good reviews, and the removable cord may help my current cord getting caught on my computer chair often)
Other suggestions: Panasonic RP-HTF600, JVC HARX700, Incipio NX-103 f38, Sennheiser HD201, and some Superlux ones I forgot the number too, didn't write it down when I wrote the other.
 
So any of those I get it narrowed down to, or something else entirely?

 

[hartlocker]

I think the monoprice are your best bet. To look for more reviews on it google the kicker hp541s. The monoprice 8323 are rebranded kickers. I ordered mine recently and am excited for their arrival!
Make sure you take more opinions from others, as I am still inexperienced.

 

[MattTCG]

I would go buy a pair of panasonic htf-600 for $30 shipped from Amazon and be done.
 
gL!!

 

[tdockweiler]

You should just save up another $20 and get the DJ100. Around $50 on Amazon shipped.
 
I can't think of many headphones under $50 I could suggest. HTF-600 is OK for $35.
 
If you want a balanced sound signature, that's not a good choice.

 

[Dyjon54]

I thought DJ 100 were only good with an amp?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I thought DJ 100 were only good with an amp?

 
They're just a bit picky with sources. They're good enough to be suggested for use with a Sansa Clip or Ipod Touch.
I would say they benefit from even a $20 Fiio E5 too.
 
Even a decent soundcard should drive them decently. Now a laptop's soundcard..probably not a good idea.

 

[Dyjon54]

Quote:

 
They're just a bit picky with sources. They're good enough to be suggested for use with a Sansa Clip or Ipod Touch.
I would say they benefit from even a $20 Fiio E5 too.
 
Even a decent soundcard should drive them decently. Now a laptop's soundcard..probably not a good idea.

Interesting. Well If I don;t like my new sony's I will give them a go then. Although I am hearing good things about the 

[size=1.7em] Sony MDR-MA300[/size]

 

[Alcest]

Thanks for the suggestions, sadly I won't have anywhere near enough to up to 50 bucks, but at least 2 vote for the HTF600 over the Monoprice I guess I'll lean towards such for now unless I get more suggestions before I can get said headphones at the end of the week.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

HTF600? As much detail as possible? You best be joking -- I like my HTF600s, but they're, as I've heard them called before, "forgiving of source." That means "undetailed, but I like it, so I'll phrase it like a good thing." 
 
Incipio Forte F38s are, in my opinion, the best resolving sub-$30 headphones. When I compared them to the 8323 and the HTF600s, I felt they were the best at detailing. That said, they do have a more v-shaped FR, but you can't expect the world for detailed, neutrality at $30. 

 

[Dyjon54]

Incipio Forte F38 while nice are very uncomfortable. With that said Incipio Forte F38 get my vote they are only 26.99 on amazon.

 

[Alcest]

Well when I said detailed, I mostly meant my post was being detailed as I could get it to help find good $30 headphones, however are the Incipio better than the HTF600? If so I may grab those then, especially if it's 26.99, but I'm having trouble finding said headphones on Amazon, I see a bunch of Forte's for $41 though. Unless the Forte F38 is the NX 103/104? If you could link the headphones from amazon that'd be great!
 

 

[RobustOrange]

Superlux HD681, they're about $33 on amazon. Not sure on shipping though. Excellent headphones, they have the right amount of treble for the genres you gave.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

Quote:

Well when I said detailed, I mostly meant my post was being detailed as I could get it to help find good $30 headphones, however are the Incipio better than the HTF600? If so I may grab those then, especially if it's 26.99, but I'm having trouble finding said headphones on Amazon, I see a bunch of Forte's for $41 though. Unless the Forte F38 is the NX 103/104? If you could link the headphones from amazon that'd be great!
 

 
They're all the same, just different colors.  This was my comparison to the HTF600.
Quote:

Superlux HD681, they're about $33 on amazon. Not sure on shipping though. Excellent headphones, they have the right amount of treble for the genres you gave.

These are also phenomenally good for the price.  I loved my HD681, but they were too trebly for me. 

 

[Alcest]

Nice comparison thread, it helped alot, and I didn't know they were all the same, the different numbers NX 103/104, and so on threw me off. I looked at those Superlux HD681 though, and the black and red coloring and look is really nice, and they sound like their great, I may bump that up my list then, it'd be about $36 with super saver free shipping it seems from what I saw. I could possibly add that little extra if it means good bang for the buck. But the F38s are only $30 and sound similar? Unless the Superlux is better? That's the hard part about this, getting all these suggestions, but rarely getting matching opinions, haha, but that means I have it down to between the F38 and Superlux more than likely.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

Quote:

Nice comparison thread, it helped alot, and I didn't know they were all the same, the different numbers NX 103/104, and so on threw me off. I looked at those Superlux HD681 though, and the black and red coloring and look is really nice, and they sound like their great, I may bump that up my list then, it'd be about $36 with super saver free shipping it seems from what I saw. I could possibly add that little extra if it means good bang for the buck. But the F38s are only $30 and sound similar? Unless the Superlux is better? That's the hard part about this, getting all these suggestions, but rarely getting matching opinions, haha, but that means I have it down to between the F38 and Superlux more than likely.

I'd give a comparison between the two, but I sadly sold my Superlux to a friend a few months back. My gut-feeling between trying to remember how good they sounded is that the Superlux had a higher fidelity, but was significantly brighter in the treble. It was one of the only headphones that really got to the point where I felt the need to EQ down the treble ( I am a fan of bright headphones ). Regardless, if you were fine with applying a treble reducing equalization, I think the Superluxes are the better headphone in terms of sound quality. The F38s are significantly more portable, however.