[Music Alchemist]

Whether it's worth it is up to you. The differences between headphones are almost always immediately obvious, but the higher up you go in price, the more diminishing returns will kick in. If you want a great headphone for just $15, get the Koss KTXPRO1, and equalize it to your taste if you aren't crazy about the stock sound signature. I've owned like 50 headphones, and that Koss is easily better than plenty of headphones that cost hundreds! As for the $500 range, that's still affordable enough for me to have gotten headphones that cost that much without thinking too much about it. (Whereas when they cost thousands, I have to put more planning and preparation into it.) My favorites around or under that range are the STAX SR-207, Yamaha HPH-MT220, HIFIMAN HE400i, and Sennheiser HD 650 & HD 700. I'd recommend going to meets and shops to audition all the headphones you can before making a major purchase.

 

[EagleWings]

  Whether it's worth it is up to you. The differences between headphones are almost always immediately obvious, but the higher up you go in price, the more diminishing returns will kick in. If you want a great headphone for just $15, get the Koss KTXPRO1, and equalize it to your taste if you aren't crazy about the stock sound signature. I've owned like 50 headphones, and that Koss is easily better than plenty of headphones that cost hundreds! As for the $500 range, that's still affordable enough for me to have gotten headphones that cost that much without thinking too much about it. (Whereas when they cost thousands, I have to put more planning and preparation into it.) My favorites around or under that range are the STAX SR-207, Yamaha HPH-MT220, HIFIMAN HE400i, and Sennheiser HD 650 & HD 700. I'd recommend going to meets and shops to audition all the headphones you can before making a major purchase.

 
+1 to this ^^.
 
Is it worth it or not is a question only you can answer depending on your priorities and how much you can afford. We all have different priorities and certain things appeal to us more than the rest. For me it’s the sound and I don’t mind spending hundreds on it. Where as, a friend of mine, would never buy a headphone over $20 even though he can hesr the sound difference between headphones, but spends a lot on Video Games. My wife would not spend $10 on a set of earphones but invests hundreds and thousands in her photographic equipment.
 
For a Billionaire whose heart lies in listening to music, a $50K Sennheiser Orpheus would be worth it. For an IT guy who equally loves music but only earns $50K a year, a $300 might be worth it. But for a Billionaire who cares least about Music, even a $300 headphone might not be worth it. Like I said, it comes down to priorities and how much you can spend and how much you are willing to spend.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  For a Billionaire whose heart lies in listening to music, a $50K Sennheiser Orpheus would be worth it.

 
It's crazy how many people I've talked to who heard the Sennheiser HE 1 (they apparently removed Orpheus from the name) and thought the headphones they already had sounded better.

 

[EagleWings]

   
It's crazy how many people I've talked to who heard the Sennheiser HE 1 (they apparently removed Orpheus from the name) and thought the headphones they already had sounded better.

 
Was simply making a reference to a very very expensive set of headphones..

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Was simply making a reference to a very very expensive set of headphones..

 
Yeah, I know it was just an example. I just thought it was very unexpected that even taking price out of the equation, it still wouldn't be worth it for some people, since they prefer something else.

 

[EagleWings]

   
Yeah, I know it was just an example. I just thought it was very unexpected that even taking price out of the equation, it still wouldn't be worth it for some people, since they prefer something else.

 
Fair.. I guess I should phrased my sentence like this:
 
For a Billionaire whose heart lies in listening to music, and prefers the Sennheiser HE-1 over all the other headphones, it might be worth for the person to spend $50K on the HE-1.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I see. Well, I more or less agree with that.

What you said before sounded like you were flat out saying upgrading from his cheapo earbuds is pointless. Nothing will sound better.

My experience is that first upgrade from cheapo earbuds to $100 Klipsch is HUGE in sound. Then dimminishing returns kicks in. After the $250-$350 mark, diminishing returns is in full swing. As nice as Angie & Solar are, they are only incrementally better than my ATH-IM03. These new U12s I'm enjoying gain a little more distance from the IM03, but not by a great amount.

 

[maximal112]

As others have said, whether it's worth the money is up to you. When I first started a few years ago I bought a Set of Ultrasone HFI can't even remember the number, set me back around $300 aud along with a Xonar STX soundcard for another $150. I could immediately hear a big difference. Over time you become accustomed to what you're listening to on a daily basis and that became the norm for me. Didn't think anything of it until I built a new pc without the sound card and a gaming headset I'd been using with my laptop everything sounded dull and muffled. So to me, the money I had spent was definitely worth it for the enjoyment I'd had until that point. 
 
At this point though I was looking for me so I went to my local Hi-fi shop and ended up walking away with a Chord Mojo and a Stax system, the Srm 353x and SR L500's. Obviously a significant step up price wise to OP's. But could I hear a difference between that and what I had been using, most definitely. Since them I have also purchased a Schiit Gungnir Multibit, and just received a set of Noble K10 custom IEMS to pair with the Mojo. Quite different sound signature to the Stax but amazing in their own way too. 
 
I guess my point is that whether something is worth the money is up to each individual, to me I don't regret a single purchase and am more than happy to have spent the money. Already considering my next upgrade. 
 
Other point as well that I haven't seen mentioned, don't neglect the source as that also makes a big difference. If you're considering $500 could always spend $300 on headphones and $200 on a Schiit Magni/Modi stack for example. I haven't heard them myself but judging from what everyone else around here seems to say very hard to beat for the money

 

[Music Alchemist]

If you're considering $500 could always spend $300 on headphones and $200 on a Schiit Magni/Modi stack for example. I haven't heard them myself but judging from what everyone else around here seems to say very hard to beat for the money

 
I'll add my two cents on that. I had a Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and Schiit Modi 2 DAC at one time. Tested it with all sorts of headphones and compared to the headphone outputs of my Alienware M11x R2 laptop. With some headphones, it was an improvement, and with a good number of others, I did not hear a difference at all! So it ultimately depends on the headphones and source components you're using.

 

[maximal112]

   
I'll add my two cents on that. I had a Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and Schiit Modi 2 DAC at one time. Tested it with all sorts of headphones and compared to the headphone outputs of my Alienware M11x R2 laptop. With some headphones, it was an improvement, and with a good number of others, I did not hear a difference at all! So it ultimately depends on the headphones and source components you're using.

Yea that's fair enough, as I said haven't heard them personally merely going from comments from others. But I agree everyone hears things differently, if someone can't hear the difference means they can save the money on that front and put it towards something else. But to some buying 3 items might seem like more value for money than spending $500 on one item, might sting a little less. 

 

[FumblingFoo]

  An Indian guy asked for a recommendation some time ago: his budget was 60$ and because of the location, the number of headphones were limited. He made a list of 5 headphones he could find and afford.
The interesting part were the answers he got: most of the people insisted those headphones were awful, other proposed 200-300$ headphones available only in the States, others simply suggest him to save enough to buy a more expensive pair...
 
Our recently registered user is considering spending 500$ on a pair of headphones, he asked: is it worth it? The answer is still no. 
 
Edit: I kept the following picture for moments like these

 
+1, I find myself sometimes preferring the sound of my Beyer T90's to the Hifiman HE-1K's. I don't have any cheaper headphones to compare, though.
 
Edit: were the HE-1K's worth it? Not at this point, I needed more headphone variety so I can appreciate their differences more.

 

[raymartin]

Well just like many other people here recommended, I too recommend you to try out the Audio Technica Ath - M50 as ur first pair.. They go for about 100$, and sound great also the built quality is pretty good.
If u then somehow feel anything lacking in them then you should buy something costlier, but as a first pair of quality headphones, I think they might suffice

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

 

[FumblingFoo]

Ok thx I'll try these out, good pair to choose to expand my collection to get a better idea of sonic qualities and differences.



Edit: Rgr that Alchemist!

 

[Music Alchemist]

Bleck. No. The M50x is a mediocre headphone, especially for the price. The Koss KTXPRO1 sounds far better and is nine times cheaper.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Bleck. No. The M50x is a mediocre headphone, especially for the price.

This is what I keep hearing by many of the more experienced reviewers. I have never auditioned them for myself, but it seems the M50 seldom impresses those who've heard a wider range of quality phones.