[BizioAlba]

Hi guys, I'm new to this world, so I don't really know how to choose my first set of headphones. I have a budget of 150€, but I can go up to 200€ if it's really worth the extra money. I was looking around on Amazon and I found two over ear headphones that interested me: the Sennheiser Momentum 2 AEI(189€) and the Audio-Technica M50x(150€, heard lots of good reviews about these). Which should I choose? I need something with a closed back(I want to use them in public, especially in really silent places like the university, so I need isolation and the least sound leakage possible). Any suggestion is appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[IkSak]

Hi. What kind of music do you listen to? If you're buying new, consider the ath m50x and the Sennheiser hd569

 

[BizioAlba]

Oh yes, I forgot about that in the first post. I listen mainly to hip-hop, rap, trap and LoFi, and sometimes jazz, so I want some bass but not to the point where they are too overwhelming. And yes, I'll be buying new.

 

[Wiljen]

The venerable Sony 7506 is worth a look too and considerably below the top end of your budget.

 

[BizioAlba]

I've seen some reviews of all of the three headphones, and I'm considering either the Sony or the M50x. Now, is the M50x worth the extra 40€? And how do they sound?

 

[IkSak]

One of the things you'll find in this fascinating world of headphones is that given a group of good cans, the best one depends on your preferences. The first step is finding your personal preference in sound, i.e. some people prefer warm headphones, other neutral and so on. My recommendation is that if you can, listen to the recommendations you're given and then choose. If not possible, tell us which music do you listen, perhaps this can help people provide a better recommendation

 

[BizioAlba]

Well, as i said in a reply before, i mostly listen to hip-hop and rap music, so I'd like a good amount of bass, but not the amount of bass provided by Beats, for example, which i find almost uncomfortable for sessions longer than 10 minutes. Other than that, i'd like a neutral headphone: as a beginner i think it's the best way to see what i like or not in decent cans.

 

[Wiljen]

I think with the budget constraint, you will find that every possible option has flaws and imperfections. The question becomes what do you want out of a headphone and until you try a few, you probably really don't have a solid feel for that. My advice would be start with the least money you can spend and learn what you like about that headphone and what you don't. Take the lessons learned from that experience and buy your next headphone (while selling the previous on the classifieds here to help fund the new one). This will become a repetitive pattern until you find a pair you are happy with and get off the wheel at that point. If you are lucky it will only take a couple of trips around the wheel, if not it may take a few more than that.

 

[serman005]

I agree with the approach @Wiljen has outlined. One good starting headphone that I think could really work for you is the Superlux HD681 Evo. It has very solid bass reproduction for hip-hop and rap and otherwise is just a very musical headphone. It is quite affordable. Maybe read about it and see what you think. If you do decide to go the route @Wiljen has charted, the HD681 would be an excellent starting point for your genres.

 

[BizioAlba]

They are semi-open, it means that i won't have the same isolation that i'll have on closed-back headphones, correct? In that case i don't know if they're suitable for my use, since i need something with good isolation(from a sound leakage point, since i'll be also using them in my university's library when studying). In any case, before buying anything, i'll try and go to a music store in my city, that does hopefully have some headphones in store, so i can have an idea of what i want to buy.

 

[serman005]

Ah, gotcha. Yes, they are semi-open. It sounds like they would not work for you in the library.

 

[IkSak]

Why don't you buy a second hand NAD Viso HP50. They can be had about 200 and they're a very neutral headphone

 

[Wiljen]

Not sure super neutral is what I would look for if hip-hop and rap are the standard listening materials. Something with a bit of a V would be more typical for the genre.

 

[onevstheworld]

Go try out the HPs before buying. Popular consumer ones like the M50x or Momentum are usually available to demo at large electronics chains (in Oz, I'm presuming there are similar stores elsewhere). A specialist audio store would be even better (larger selection, niche brands, quieter listening conditions)

I'm fairly reluctant to buy without demoing first. Case in point: M50x... despite its good reviews, I was not impressed when I actually tried it myself.