[phat_azz]

hi guys... i'm from the philippines... unfortunately there aren't very many choices of closed cans here... and i'm on a tight budget... highest i could go is US$30 (1500 philippine pesos). so far i have narrowed down my choices; actually, these are the only choices because these are the available ones below US$30:

Sennheiser HD201
Sennheiser HD202
Sennheiser HD437
Audio-Technica ATH-T22
Audio-Technica ATH-T33

i'm going to use them mostly on mp3 player. i also heard that sennheiser cans are quite bass-heavy. i prefer clarity over bass. though i wouldn't mind moderate bass. which one do you guys recommend?

 

[funkadelic]

I have only got the HD201's from your list , but I certainly wouldn't describe them as Bass-Heavy.

I was listening to them on my iPod last night and they sounded fine to me!

Simon

 

[carlcamper]

Hey, musta? I personally auditioned the HD201 (A lot of stock inPark Square), and it's great (not as good as the PX100 though, but they cost 2.8k pesos). They are definitely clear, and bass is ample, but not over-emphasized.

 

[Razoramus]

Sennheiser cans are known to be balanced. People that like a lot of bass would usually go with Beyerdynamics or something else. The HD201s aren't bass heavy at all, although it's all there, there isn't an emphasis on it so bassheads even say "there's no bass", they are very clear, excellent phones for the price, very comfortable too.

 

[nabwong]

Fyi, the hd201 is harder to drive than most headphones. Personally, i would go with a ksc75.

 

[Fatality_]

You easily get sufficient volume out of the HD201s..

 

[Razoramus]

they are unusually hard to drive for 24ohm phones but the ksc75s aren't very easy either at 60ohms, ipods are able to drive both though

 

[RedLeader]

ksc75 arent closed guys, look at what he wants. I've only heard the 201 and 202 from that list, and I would recommend the 201, it honestly seemed overall like the better can.

 

[facelvega]

How about an Audio-Technica ATH-M20, now for sale at Amazon for $29.99? I've never heard them, but a friend reports that they're pretty good, and the little that has been said about them at Head-fi seems to be reasonably positive.

Otherwise, sticking to what I actually know first hand, I'll join the HD201 chorus. But the AT's would certainly be easier to drive, at 98dB per mW versus 92. Of course, it'd be just $20 more for an m30...

 

[funkadelic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega How about an Audio-Technica ATH-M20, now for sale at Amazon for $29.99?

The OP is in the Philipines so the cans listed in his post are the only choices under $30

 

[facelvega]

Well, if some Audio Technicas are available, perhaps the others are as well. I notice that Sony MDR-X200's have an MSRP of 1,699 Philippine pesos, and I'm sure by looking around you can find them well below 1,500. In the US now they're going for circa $20. They'd be easier to drive than HD201's, but are otherwise inferior.

The main problem with the HD201 is that they won't sound very good straight off an mp3 player. Otherwise they really are the best choice here.

 

[BennyBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phat_azz hi guys... i'm from the philippines... unfortunately there aren't very many choices of closed cans here... and i'm on a tight budget... highest i could go is US$30 (1500 philippine pesos). so far i have narrowed down my choices; actually, these are the only choices because these are the available ones below US$30: Sennheiser HD201 Sennheiser HD202 Sennheiser HD437 Audio-Technica ATH-T22 Audio-Technica ATH-T33 i'm going to use them mostly on mp3 player. i also heard that sennheiser cans are quite bass-heavy. i prefer clarity over bass. though i wouldn't mind moderate bass. which one do you guys recommend?

Koss KSC75?

 

[jagorev]

Out of those, I think the HD201 is best. It might be a little bit hard to drive, but I found it reached more than sufficient volume from any portable source. It sounds quite clean and well-balanced.

 

[phat_azz]

thanks for the replies guys... but now that you've raised the issue of mp3 players driving the HD201... i've tried using my friend's Behringer HPX4000 on my mp3 player, and unfortunately, i have to really turn up the volume on my player to get a moderate volume. and a higher volume would easily drain out the battery.

i'm sorry to say guys but Koss and Grado cans aren't available here in the philippines.

probably there are some out there, but very discreet importers. i'd also love to have some Koss cans due to their lifetime warranty, but probably there isn't a service center or distributor here that would honor that warranty.

i forgot to add AKG K55... they're also available here in the philippines for around US$30.

 

[facelvega]

When we all complain about the HD201 needing more power, we mean that more power would make them sound noticeably better, nothing more. The idea that you might miss out on this full capability makes us sad-- but it DOES NOT mean that these would sound BAD out of your player; in fact you'll probably find that they sound pretty good, especially up against the other options. And though they will use up a battery charge a little faster than the others, I don't think it will be outrageous.

For what it's worth, here is my recommendation for you:

1. check to see if the Audio-Technica dealers also have those M20 or M30 at a reasonable price. It's worth a try. Don't bother with the Sonys, the K-55, or the other ones you mentioned;

2. if the AT's aren't available, just get the HD201. Don't worry, you'll be happy with them. Until you start to think about saving up for some HD280's. Or ATH-A700's, and a CMoy, maybe...