[Ryker]

Hi guys, I'm looking for ~$60 headphones for home use on a PC without a dedicated sound card. I'd use them for listening to music (mostly hardcore, but I listen to all kinds of crap, including stoner metal, hip hop and indie rock, i.e. a wide variety of sounds) and watching sports broadcasts/documentaries/TV shows. Do you have any recommendations?

At first I was looking at $40 headphones, and I figured these might suffice for my needs. So in that range I was kind of deciding between AKG K44/77, Sennheiser HD 419/419, JC HARX 700, Panasonic HTX7 and Philips Citiscape Downtown.
 
But then I started looking around and though why not shell out $20 more bucks if I'd get a lot more. So now I'm also looking at Koss ProDJ100, CAL!, Sennheiser HD 518 and AKG K99. I'm not sure if there are other good ones in this price range.
 
So, yeah, based on that, what would you recommend I go for and why?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Gemini HSR-1000, $47 at Amazon.

 

[Sonic7381]

Aiaiai capitol, if you can handle it being pretty uncomfortable. They will sound great though. Maybe a goldring? Look them up. Probably not helping by giving you more suggestions, but these are two that perform well out of their weight class when it comes to price

 

[Ryker]

Why would those two you guys recommended be better than any of the ones I listed? Serious question, I'm open to all suggestions.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Philips SHP9500 can sell on eBay for as little as $50.
Only heard good things said about them.

 

[Ryker]

  Philips SHP9500 can sell on eBay for as little as $50.
Only heard good things said about them.

Refurbished though, eh?

 

[Ryker]

Damn, it seems like I just missed the $45 deal for Philips SHP9500 over at Newegg. I haven't decided on a pair yet, so if anyone has any further input, please go ahead. But now I am kind of just waiting for another sale where I could get these ones for ~$50, new and not just refurbished.

 

[Armaegis]

I recently reviewed the Rockmaster OE which at $30 fits easily in your budget (review in my profile) and your music/tv habits.

 

[Ryker]

Hmm, I'm now also heavily considering Senneheiser HD439, since you can get them for $35. Would these be a good option, especially if I did the mod?

  I recently reviewed the Rockmaster OE which at $30 fits easily in your budget (review in my profile) and your music/tv habits.

 
For some reason I wouldn't want to go with those, especially with the above-mentioned Sennheiser price now, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Armaegis]

Personally I'd prefer the HD449 over the 439 just for the more even handed sound, but really it comes down to which one you can get a better deal on.

 

[Ryker]

  Personally I'd prefer the HD449 over the 439 just for the more even handed sound, but really it comes down to which one you can get a better deal on.

 
Yeah, if I buy the HD439 today, it's because of the price. If I don't buy these, then I'm probably not even going to consider them or HD449s, since I'd go for the aforementioned Philips pair instead.

 

[Ryker]

  Personally I'd prefer the HD449 over the 439 just for the more even handed sound, but really it comes down to which one you can get a better deal on.

Ugh, I missed out on the HD439 deal, so now I am considering HD449s. Care to give me a bit more detail on how good they sound? I'm now debating between these for $43 and Philips SHP9500 either refurbished for $50 or waiting for a deal.

 

[Armaegis]

I haven't heard the SHP9500 so can't offer any comparisons there. I've heard the Cityscape Downtown and thought it was nice and mellow, and really comfortable (which counts for a lot in my book).
 
The HD449 is basically more balanced compared to the 439.
 
It's been forever since I've heard the CAL! but I remember liking it and thinking it was really good for the price.

 

[Ryker]

  The HD449 is basically more balanced compared to the 439.

 
Could you be a bit more specific in terms of what you mean by balanced? Also, I've seen a lot on modding HD439, but is this possible and recommendable with HD449, as well? From what I've seen HD449 namely has even less bass, and the mod is also supposed to improve the sound in other aspects. I'm just not sure that's true for the HD449, too.

 

[Armaegis]

Just a more even handed frequency response (ie: less bass hump) and perhaps cleaner sounding up top.
 
I haven't tried modding either of those, so can't offer any experience there, sorry.