I need help choosing between multiple headphones under 300$
Aug 16, 2020 at 11:31 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 23
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ConfusedNoob

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I've been looking for the best headphones for my budget and have found quite a lot and I have no idea which to choose :

Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7NC ; Sennheiser Momentum 3 ; V-MODA Crossfade II Wireless ; Sony WH-1000XM3 ; Meze 99 Classics ; Philips Fidelio X2HR/00 ; AKG K371 ; AKG K712pro

My budget is around 300-350$ and I plan to just plug the headphones into PC or phone. I'm only going to use them in my home, so I don't care too much about noise cancellation, though I do live with other people, but it's not too loud usually.

I want a pair of headphones that I can use for everyday use at home - listening to music, playing videogames, watching movies and videos etc. I listen to pretty much everything, from EDM and psytrance to jazz and pop (I mostly like Japanese 80s pop, example : ) and future funk so I'd like something that can sound really good for all of those, have pretty good bass but also good mids/highs.

If there are any headphones that you think would be better and I haven't mentioned them above, feel free to suggest them, I'm not experienced with this at all so I'm really having trouble choosing, any help and discussion is greatly appreciated.
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 8:28 AM Post #4 of 23
As a general rule noise cancelling headphones will have worse sound quality than comparably priced non-noise cancelling headphones, so I would just eliminate any noise cancelling headphones from your list unless you really need to sacrifice sound quality to reduce noise. The Meze 99 Classics seems like a good buy, though if you want wider sound stage an open headphone like the X2s are a good option also, they have enough upper bass that they won't feel anemic even though the lower bass rolls off more
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 8:36 AM Post #5 of 23
HipHopScribe said:
As a general rule noise cancelling headphones will have worse sound quality than comparably priced non-noise cancelling headphones, so I would just eliminate any noise cancelling headphones from your list unless you really need to sacrifice sound quality to reduce noise. The Meze 99 Classics seems like a good buy, though if you want wider sound stage an open headphone like the X2s are a good option also, they have enough upper bass that they won't feel anemic even though the lower bass rolls off more
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Thank you. So far I'm mostly considering ATH-MSR7b, Philips Fidelio X2HR, AKG K371 and ATH-M50x.
X2 is open, does that mean that sound leakage could bother someone in the room next to me?
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 8:39 AM Post #6 of 23
ConfusedNoob said:
Thank you. So far I'm mostly considering ATH-MSR7b, Philips Fidelio X2HR, AKG K371 and ATH-M50x.
X2 is open, does that mean that sound leakage could bother someone in the room next to me?
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They probably won't bother someone in the next room over, but you might be able to hear someone in the next room over when listening at moderate volume, so closed headphones still might be better to get a little isolation
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 9:36 AM Post #8 of 23
ConfusedNoob said:
If they're the best sound quality, I wouldn't really mind no isolation.
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I prefer open headphones to closed, so I'd go with the X2s, but with that said you'll get a little more detail and clarity in the upper mids and highs with the ATH-MSR7b I think
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 12:34 PM Post #10 of 23
ConfusedNoob said:
How is the bass on the Msr7b? Also are there any differences in sound quality between them and MSR7NC or is it just noise cancelling?
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The bass is quick and snappy, not rumbling or thumping. If you really like bass, these are probably not the best option. I'd follow the other members advice about noise canceling headphones. If you like a more prominent bass, the 99 Noir is the better option. As for the Sennheisers, you need a decent amount of power to really make them sing and get full potential. For what it's worth, I never cared for the X2. I think it's over hyped for what it is. I much prefer the Sennheiser 58X - it's really good. Anyone in the same room as you will hear most open back headphones, to the point where they will know what song you're listening to... Especially at high volumes. They will however be better for gaming in most cases. It really comes down to figuring out exactly what you want from a headphone, and then narrowing it down from there. How do you like your lower, mid and high frequencies to be presented?
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM Post #11 of 23
ConfusedNoob said:
How about HD600 or HD650? I've heard they're also good open backs, are they any better than X2s or even MSR7b?
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Yes. But you need a real amp or they will sound thin and lifeless. And anyway, they are not bass cannons. The thing about the 600 is the amazing smoothness and balance.
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 1:05 PM Post #12 of 23
Mhog55 said:
The bass is quick and snappy, not rumbling or thumping. If you really like bass, these are probably not the best option. I'd follow the other members advice about noise canceling headphones. If you like a more prominent bass, the 99 Noir is the better option. As for the Sennheisers, you need a decent amount of power to really make them sing and get full potential. For what it's worth, I never cared for the X2. I think it's over hyped for what it is. I much prefer the Sennheiser 58X - it's really good. Anyone in the same room as you will hear most open back headphones, to the point where they will know what song you're listening to... Especially at high volumes. They will however be better for gaming in most cases. It really comes down to figuring out exactly what you want from a headphone, and then narrowing it down from there. How do you like your lower, mid and high frequencies to be presented?
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Equally, I want them all to sound good. I don't want for them to sound "muddy" on higher frequencies or to have piercing highs, but I also don't want them to have weak bass. So something that could be used for literally every type of music and it sounded good without any noticeable flaws would be perfect for me.
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 1:05 PM Post #13 of 23
Eliminate the Sony XM3, you don't need that one at all. Sound quality is crap too and the high price is only because of the excellent ANC.

Sennheisers you mentioned needs a real amp like the others said.

You shouldn't pay much attention to closed and open-back headphones. For example the Meze 99 Classics is closed-back and sounds are very nice and boomy bass.
Some closed-back headphones blocks noise very good like the DT770 and some doesn't block the noise like the Meze 99 (Classics).
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 1:13 PM Post #14 of 23
CTR640 said:
Eliminate the Sony XM3, you don't need that one at all. Sound quality is crap too and the high price is only because of the excellent ANC.

Sennheisers you mentioned needs a real amp like the others said.

You shouldn't pay much attention to closed and open-back headphones. For example the Meze 99 Classics is closed-back and sounds are very nice and boomy bass.
Some closed-back headphones blocks noise very good like the DT770 and some doesn't block the noise like the Meze 99 (Classics).
Click to expand...

Do Mezes also sound good overall? How are their mids/highs?
 
Aug 17, 2020 at 1:17 PM Post #15 of 23
ConfusedNoob said:
Do Mezes also sound good overall? How are their mids/highs?
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They don't cause piercing pain and I'm sensitive to painfull "S". The treble is silky, not fatiguing too.
 
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