[dansun7]

Hello everyone,
 
I just want to start by saying how awesome and how addictive your forum is. For last few weeks I probably read more about headphones than anything else.
 
With so many headphones priced below $150 it seems its impossible to decide on what to get. Every time I think I found the right one, some other option comes up.  
 
However I managed to narrow down to some that look interesting in my eyes:
 
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ( I heard they are well built and have good bass, however some say its over-hyped) 
Bose AE2 (seems like Bose gets no love here, they seem very comfortable though, not sure how good/bad sound is)
Creative Aurvana Live! ( A lot of positive reviews, however a lot of people mention poor build quality?)
JVC RX900 ( cheapest option, looks very comfortable, but rather bulky)
Sony MDR-V6 (Not exactly sure how the sound is since they are studio headphones, lack of bass maybe?)
 
 
I mostly listen to trance, electronic, hip-hop and sometimes this and that like e.g. rock. I am planning to use them mostly at home, so portability is not that of big deal.
 
Can someone please help me to find the right headphone under $150?
 
Any other options are very welcome
 
Very best and thank you

 

[Cheerwino]

As long as you have amplification, my favorite under $150 that I've owned would be a used or refurbished pair of Beyerdynamic dt770 pro 80 ohm. They're over your price limit new but would be less than $150 used here in the classifieds section or on eBay. Not sure if used is of interest to you.
 
Very comfy, good isolation, ample bass without losing the mid and top end, IMHO. But, I'd say you need an amp to get the most out of them (I've had good success with the O2 Objective). With a vintage Marantz receiver they'll jump off your head with all the bass.
 
There are a mind numbing array of beyerdynamic dt770 versions with different characteristics and prices. But the Dt770 pro 80 ohm are the fun, bassy ones. Guitar Center usually carries them, if you wanted to try them out.
 
How would you be driving your headphones?

 

[dansun7]

Cheerwino, thanks for reply
 
i am actually planning to drive them from my laptop and/or phone. Nothing fancy

 

[Tizzi]

I got the ATH M50, since a year, it's a pretty cool headphone for electronic music. Not a basshead headphone but enough good for this price with a little EQ setting. Well isolating for my live (DJ set) and my daily itinerary in the subway.
I got the coiled version, obviously and I'm thinking to mod it to solder a removable cable

 

[dansun7]

Yes M50s do look nice and generally get good reviews. Do you by any chance know how other listed headphones or similarly priced compare to it?

 

[skyforger]

Go with the Creative Aurvana Live 2 (the revision of them), they are amazing. Seriously, much better than the m50's, they have an amazing soundstage for a closed headphone. They have improved upon everything over the original CAL's, including build quality and all the sound qualities. Very comfortable aswell, no clamp at all though sit on your head perfectly no chance of falling off.
 
Alot of other closed headphones like the beyer dt770's and the m50s suffer from having no soundstage, it just sounds like its all mashed together and coming directly at your ears. While the CAL 2's and open backs sound like it's actually playing in your head, and you are there live. The cal 2's are just so much fun aswell, very warm.
 
The premium over the original Creative Aurvana Live is worth it, as the original ones had very bad/flimsy build quality and were to small for most ears, while the new Creative Aurvana Live 2's do not suffer from any of that.
 
Listening to them as we speak, they also do very well for gaming. They are very very easy to drive for the performance/quality you get, though I am running them off of a fiio e10.