Need help deciding headphones for around $200
Jun 30, 2013 at 10:40 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 27
CanUReadThis

CanUReadThis

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My main uses will be for genres such as classical, punk rock, some metal, and electronic (trance, dubstep, house, DnB, etc.). I don't mind getting a used pair of headphones so long as it still is within 20 bucks of my $200 budget. I'll also be using them for gaming, but I think almost any any pair of headphones in that price range would be good enough for that. As much as I like bass, I'm alright with compromising with bass so that I don't lose clarity in other areas such as the mids and highs. As long as the bass isn't lacking, I'd probably be satisfied. The headphones I've been looking at are the AKG K550, AKG Q701, Beyerdynamic Custom one Pros, and Audio Technica ATH A900X (Open back version). I've tried the Beyerdynamic Custom  One Pros in the past and really enjoyed them but would like to see if I could squeeze out a little more within that price range. I'm not too picky in terms of Open back vs Closed back as long as they have decent soundstage. The AKG K550 seems to appeal to me the most out of the reviews I've seen but I've heard that because of their need for a perfect seal, peoples' glasses would get in the way (I wear glasses myself). So for anyone with experience with those headphones, I'd appreciate some thoughts on that matter. If anyone has any recommendations other than what's listed, I'd love to hear what they are. Just note that I don't have an amp or DAC of any sort. These headphones are for home use off a PC so I don't expect to be powering 250 ohm headphones (I actually have no clue how much a standard PC soundcard can power so if anyone can give me a rough estimate, that'd be great)
 
Edit: Sound isolation and sound leakage aren't very important. As long as they don't leak as much as a pair of Grados then it's fine.
 
 
Cheers
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 10:45 PM Post #2 of 27
Hmm. Considering you liked custom one, Q701 and K550 might to too bass light. Unless you are used to or really enjoy bass light headphones(I do), I would stay away from those two. That being said, my rec goes to A900x, out of the four you've mentioned.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 10:46 PM Post #3 of 27
The Sennheiser HD598 is perfect the genres you listed (except EDM). It is a bit bass-light (the bass is there, it just lacks impact), but has beautiful mids and smooth highs. Those are also one of the best headphones for gaming out there. The soundstage is wide and open, with good imaging. 
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 10:52 PM Post #4 of 27
How do you think the A900X holds up against the well kown ATH M50s? And for the Q701 and K550, just how bass light are they? Because I've heard a lot of  mixed reviews on whether or not it was lacking or balanced. 
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 10:58 PM Post #5 of 27
I looked into the HD598's a while back and their great soundstage was the main attraction. But most of the reviews I've seen on it said it was a bit too lacking in bass (I'd still like for there to be some impact) so I strayed away.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 11:18 PM Post #6 of 27
My Audio Technica ATH-A900X are my #1 closed headphone.
At Digbuy for $179.99, plus tax (free shipping).
i believe the refurb is even cheaper.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 11:25 PM Post #7 of 27
Quote:
canureadthis said:
How do you think the A900X holds up against the well kown ATH M50s? And for the Q701 and K550, just how bass light are they? Because I've heard a lot of  mixed reviews on whether or not it was lacking or balanced. 
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Depends on the person. Are there any other headphones you've heard that I can use as a reference for bass? 
 
A900x are much much better than M50. M50 is bit over recommended here. 900x has much better comfort, extension, detail, sound stage, and other good things. Also, they are more balanced than M50.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 11:34 PM Post #8 of 27
Quote:
kimvictor said:
Depends on the person. Are there any other headphones you've heard that I can use as a reference for bass? 
 
A900x are much much better than M50. M50 is bit over recommended here. 900x has much better comfort, extension, detail, sound stage, and other good things. Also, they are more balanced than M50.
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Being a newbie audiophile I can't offer much. I've tried a few of the typical street headphones like sol republics or beats (I feel like saying that word around here is taboo). The bass I find on beats overpower the mids and highs too much. The sol republics were the same case but had more clarity. I use a pair of Steelseries Siberia V2's which aren't bad. The bass after a bit of EQing is decent, and for the price they have relatively good mids and highs. I just want something better. I think the Custom One Pro would probably be the best reference but seeing as it has variable bass ports it could be hard to judge. For the time I used them (I used them mainly to burn them in for about 300 hours) I left them with two ports open.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 11:38 PM Post #9 of 27
Quote:
canureadthis said:
Being a newbie audiophile I can't offer much. I've tried a few of the typical street headphones like sol republics or beats (I feel like saying that word around here is taboo). The bass I find on beats overpower the mids and highs too much. The sol republics were the same case but had more clarity. I use a pair of Steelseries Siberia V2's which aren't bad. The bass after a bit of EQing is decent, and for the price they have relatively good mids and highs. I just want something better. I think the Custom One Pro would probably be the best reference but seeing as it has variable bass ports it could be hard to judge. For the time I used them (I used them mainly to burn them in for about 300 hours) I left them with two ports open.
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Ok. K550 and Q701 will have slightly less bass to Custom One when Custom One is set to have the least bass(all ports closed). They will feel like they have no bass compared to beats or sol republic headphones. If you don't mind the bass being light, they are great headphones though.
 
Jun 30, 2013 at 11:49 PM Post #10 of 27
Quote:
kimvictor said:
Ok. K550 and Q701 will have slightly less bass to Custom One when Custom One is set to have the least bass(all ports closed). They will feel like they have no bass compared to beats or sol republic headphones. If you don't mind the bass being light, they are great headphones though.
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Hmm, that might be too light for me. Well, what do you think about the situation with glasses ruining the seal on the K550? And how do you think the A900X compare to the custom one pros?
 
Jul 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM Post #11 of 27
Quote:
canureadthis said:
Hmm, that might be too light for me. Well, what do you think about the situation with glasses ruining the seal on the K550? And how do you think the A900X compare to the custom one pros?
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K550 and A900x are both very comfortable. K550 requires a good seal, so it might be slightly less comfortable with glasses, but it will still be very comfortable. BTW, are you talking about A900x(closed back) or AD900x(open back)?
 
Jul 1, 2013 at 12:05 AM Post #12 of 27
Quote:
kimvictor said:
K550 and A900x are both very comfortable. K550 requires a good seal, so it might be slightly less comfortable with glasses, but it will still be very comfortable. BTW, are you talking about A900x(closed back) or AD900x(open back)?
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I'm referring to the open back ones but only because I haven't heard any reviews on the closed back version. That being said, if anyone knows about the closed back version, I'd be interested to hear about it.
 
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