[ScottDoom]

I'm looking to buy some new head-phones in a price range of $0-$100.

I will be using them to play video games, and listen to a lot of music on my computer.

Recently I was using Sony MDR-301 head-phones, which are the most expensive (at a whopping $15, I think) and best sounding head-phones I have heard. When I first got them, I wasn't impressed by the bass. All of my prior head-phones did not have bass, so when I listened to the MDR-301's I didn't like the sound. It felt muddy, and seemed to overwhelm all the other sound. After a while, I believe the break-in period made them sound a lot better. I enjoyed using them with my selection of music on my computer, until eventually the pieces inside of the head-phones started to vibrate, normally with deep bass. Also, the head-phones only produce sound through one side now because I accidentally chewed on the wire.

Now I would like to purchase more expensive, better sounding head-phones. I really like to listen to a lot of music, and I like to hear the "little sounds" that are not usually heard with speakers. I also like a lot of bass sound. So I'm looking for some head-phones that provide good bass that doesn't flood over other sounds, and head-phones that provide clear sound so that I can distinctly hear all of the sounds in the recording.

I don't really care about sound leakage (unless it hurts the overall sound quality), as there is no one around to complain about the volume. I also don't care about noise cancelling or anything like that, as there isn't any local noise except for my table fan and computer.

I suppose comfort would be important. I wear the head-phones for long periods of time, and I don't want to have a headache or ear pain after I remove them. Currently I've never had a problem with this. Only on certain days after 10 hours of use, I have had a slight pain in the ears after removing the MDR-301's.

In summary, I want some head-phones under $100 that are somewhat comfortable, provide clear sound, and deep bass that doesn't flood after break-in. Also, it's important that the standard cable (or cheap extended cable), is 5' so that it can reach my PC case on the floor up to my head.

So far the only head-phones in my list are the Grado SR-80's. They're $95 at GoodCans.com with free shipping, even to Hawaii. I was also looking at the Koss PortaPro's, until I saw the cable was only 4' and that wouldn't reach my ears.

Sorry for the long post, I just wouldn't be clear as possible so you experts could help me out.

Also, I am sorry for my poor English. It's not my first language.

 

[AIM9x]

hmm....

0-100$
lots of base
open


sounds like a portapro victim to me...

i'd rather get the ksc-35s, but depending on if you want overpowering bass (portapro) or just strong bass (ksc-35).... either one should fit the bill.


OR... if you're a bass-fiend and think it's more important than something sounding good... i'm sure somebody here will start recommending the V6s. They have really heavy bass that extends pretty damned low, but they sound like crap otherwise. They're great for rap, movies, and games... but not much else.


edit: just read about the 5' cable. I haven't made any measurements on the cables of any of these cans... you'll have to look up manufacturer specs. ksc-35s and portapros can be found at koss.com and the V6s are the Sony MDR-V6.

 

[blessingx]

Welcome to Head-Fi.
You can deal with the cord by an extension.

You may want to take a look at this thread.

If you want to grow with a future amp the Alessandro MS1's may be the way to go. I believe they are $99 shipped. Like the normal Grados they have an eight foot cord. Be aware though some don't find the Grado comfortable. The Senn 497's are another possibility with free shipping from some sites.

Good luck.

 

[ScottDoom]

As I mentioned, I looked at the PortaPros but they come with a 4' cord which isn't long enough for my use. Unless I put my PC case on my desk next to my monitor (which isn't really possible), I won't be able to use them. Also, the KSC-35's I had also heard of, and I just looked at them and they also come with a default 4' cord. The Grado SR-80's, on the other hand, come with a 6' cord. The Sony MDR-301's that I have now have an estimated 5'6" or 6' cord, which has around 6 inches of slack.

 

[ImMersion]

Quote:

Originally posted by blessingx Welcome to Head-Fi. You can deal with the cord by an extension. You may want to take a look at this thread. If you want to grow with a future amp the Alessandro MS1's may be the way to go. I believe they are $99 shipped. Like the normal Grados they have an eight foot cord. Be aware though some don't find the Grado comfortable. The Senn 497's are another possibility with free shipping from some sites. Good luck.

What the heck are Alessandro's?????
they look like Grado's, but what is the difference?

 

[ScottDoom]

Quote:

Originally posted by blessingx You can deal with the cord by an extension.

How much are the extension cords, and how long are they? I don't need 15' of extra wire, because then I'd have it all over my ground and roll over it with my desk chair.

 

[AIM9x]

you can probably pick up a 6' extension at a basic electronics store. you're using a computer as a source, so sound degredation (i probably spelled this incorrectly, don't care) won't be too big of an issue.

 

[ScottDoom]

Quote:

Originally posted by AIM9x you're using a computer as a source, so sound degredation (i probably spelled this incorrectly, don't care) won't be too big of an issue.

Do you say this because computers produce low sound quality or because they produce such high quality sound that it wouldn't be noticeable? Heh heh.

Also, I have an Audigy X Gamer sound card, and I was thinking of getting an Audigy 2 if it would improve the sound quality in my new head-phones at all.

Right now I'm pretty broke though, because I just bought a car. I only have $107 to spend on head-phones.

Also, I forgot to mention that I do not listen to rap. I do listen to metal, and some techo (very weird techno). Mainly it's German metal though, and I also like bands such as Hot Hot Heat, Radio Head, All-American Rejects, The Strokes, and Bright Eyes. So the bass doesn't need to be really powerful, it just needs to be there, and not muddy. I'd also like to set it to a reasonable level of volume without the parts inside the head-phones vibrating after extended use.

So would the Grado SR-80's be recommended or not? If not, would it be the PortaPro's, KSC-35's(?), or something else?

 

[Jasper994]

well since you're extending up to $100, I'd recommend the HD280Pros you should be able to order them from PC Mall for $69.99 or you can try printing the buy page from PC Mall that shows that price and take it into a Guitar Center. If my memory serves me correctly there are Guitar Centers in Hawaii. They have great bass extension without having overpowering bass and are very detailed. There are a couple of things to keep in mind about these though. 1) When you first get them, they are as uncomfortalbe as all get out for some people. Others don't find them quite that uncomfortable but this does change. It takes about a week or so of wearing them. After that week or so, they fit like a glove and are very comfortable IMO. 2) They require a lot of burn in. If you aren't patient and expect them to sound magical overnight, pick another headphone. From what I've experienced and read from others, most 280 lovers start falling in love with their new cans after about 40-50 hours of burn in, and the cans don't really fully burn in for at least 100 hours. Anyway, happy headphone shopping and good luck.

You might also like the rig that I'm listening to right now around $80. PX100's ($30 @ PC Mall) and Audiotrak Opto Play (Compusa $50). Sounds really good and I don't think you'll find anyone to argue that the PX100's are pretty much the most comfortalbe headphone out there.

 

[ScottDoom]

According to the Guitar Center site, there isn't one in Hawaii. Also, the HD280Pro's are $99.99 at PC Mall, and only have a 3' cord so I'd have to buy an extension for about $5.

And nobody has said anything about the SR-80's yet. The only negative thing that I see for them is their extremely low comfort level.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by ScottDoom Do you say this because computers produce low sound quality or because they produce such high quality sound that it wouldn't be noticeable? Heh heh.

Sound degradation is an issue from *any* source. If the source isn't so hot, there's even less reason to want to degrade it further afaic. An extension cable may not matter too much (that's up to the listener), but the rest certainly will.

My first amp purchase was a cheap $70.00 studio-type Rolls HA43 which seriously degraded the sound from my M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 sound card and was basically unlistenable -- big mistake. After buying a Creek OBH-11 amp and a much better regulated wall wart for it, I'm getting about the same sound I did out of the soundcard jacks (very little degradation) and the amplification is helping my headphones greatly in performing up to their potential. One may not want a pair of $1000 headphones with a computer-based source, but at minimum a pair of cans and amp that are equal to the source makes a lot of sense. With a $150 sound card, $200 amp and ~$150 headphones, things seem pretty well matched on my end and sound great.

 

[Jasper994]

click buy now and the price will show at $69.99. They are coiled and should stretch pretty far... I'm sure at least 5'


edit

I just checked, at least 8'

 

[ScottDoom]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jasper994 click buy now and the price will show at $69.99. They are coiled and should stretch pretty far... I'm sure at least 5' edit I just checked, at least 8'

Ok, that's good. The cheapest shipping to Hawaii is $17.16 though. I can get free shipping to Hawaii on the SR-80's. Heh heh. Also, on looking at the thread blessingx pointed to, I noticed that the 280's are usually ranked lower by many people. Even the cheaper PortaPro's and KSC-35's were ranked higher, and also the more expensive SR-80's.

 

[Jasper994]

sure but you said you wanted deep bass but not overpowering bass. A lot of people find the Koss stuff to have overpowering bass. If you do some research you'll find others that really love their 280's. They do seem to be a subjective can but most that keep them long enough for complete burn in love them. Others don't but that's true of all headphones... There are many that don't like the reveared HD600's which are considered by many to be the best dynamic headphone in the world. Headphones are subjective. I haven't personally tried the SR-80's so I can't say anything about them one way or the other except that some people seem to find Grado's to be uncomfortable. I can, however, share with you my personal experience with the 280's. I love them, they are slightly warm and very detailed (I find that for many situations I like them better than my HD 590's). Bass on the 280's go really really low but is not over emphasized. The response of these cans is very flat which I also find very nice. I also mentioned that I found them VERY uncomfortable at first but at about 2 weeks into owning them, they got really comfortable, astonishingly so actually.

Really though what I think you'll find is that you can't go wrong with either, or for that matter quite a few other cans that fall into your price range when comparing to what you have.

 

[ScottDoom]

Perhaps I will get the HD-280 Pro's then. The Sennheiser site has them listed as being $200, so the PC Mall's price of $69.99 even with the heavy $17 shipping is still a really good deal (bringing it to $87.15).

Still, I'd like to know if there's any other site that I could order them from with a lower price (with shipping to Hawaii calculated).