[DonGaz]

I'm looking to buy a budget friendly (< 100) headphone that can be used as an all rounder. I'm by no means an audiophile and I'm not planning to spend a lot of money on audio equipment. I'm replacing an old Sennheiser HD 477.
 
Target usage in order of importance:
Play computer games (onboard soundcard), listen to music (on both mobile and non-mobile devices), watch TV/movies.
I listen to a lot of different music styles (metal, pop, rock, dance, ...) except classical music.
Headphone will only be used indoor, but without an extra amp.
 
Things I expect from the headphone:
Over-ear type; very comfortable; some noise isolation, decent bass (but I'm not a basshead), durable (I'd like to use it for at least 5 years), at least as good as my old HD 477, >2m cord
 
At first I was looking to buy a headset that could also be used for other general usage. I was looking at headsets like Sennheiser PC 320, Steelseries Siberia v2,... But after some research I found out I was looking in the wrong direction. Instead of looking for a gaming headset that could also be used for music, I'd better spend my budget on a decent headphone and a separate mic.
 
After some research I came across the Sennheiser HD 439.
Would this be a good headphone for my intended usage?
Or are there any <100 headsets (preferably same price or lower than HD 439) that are better suited for what I'm going to use it?
In some reviews I read that for this headphone an amp is recommended, but can it be used for what I need it without an amp?
(maybe, in the future I might buy a cheap pc soundcard like the Asus Xonar DG. I heard it has a decent headphone amp for it's price)
 
Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
I would suggest something else.
 
Brainwavz HM5
Ultrasone HFI 580
AKG K271 MKII
Sony MDRZX700
 
Very best,

 

[DonGaz]

Thank you for your suggestions.
Unfortunately, the Brainwavz, Ultrasone and AKG are not within my budget (and Brainwavz is not available over here).
I'll take a look at that Sony headphone.
 
In the meantime, can you please explain me why the HD 439 would not be a good choice and why you suggest something else?
The reason I was looking at Sennheiser is because I liked my previous one and they are easy to find over here.
 
Thank you.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

In the meantime, can you please explain me why the HD 439 would not be a good choice and why you suggest something else?
The reason I was looking at Sennheiser is because I liked my previous one and they are easy to find over here.
 
Thank you.

 
Because Sennheiser has a lot of bad headphones and a few really good headphones. Their lower lines are pretty much not worth their price tags. The HD4xx series sound like most $30 headphones sound like to me. They're also built really poorly, cheap plastic feeling things with dinky little rubber cords. Some have really awful cheap pads too. Sennheiser these days is every where, they tried to flood the market with a different headphone at every $5 increment tier possible.
 
Very best,

 

[juan1894]

For my personal taste, the sennheiser Hd439 aren´t a bad headphone for 99 US Dollars.. With some time of burn in, it can be a very good balanced headphone. I dont understand why so much people has a habit of saying that the Hd 4xx series are really bad. And is a very very very comfortable headphone

 

[Kpt_Krunch]

I just ordered a pair for $49 during a 'boxing day' sale (Canada). It's funny, I don't care what the headphone is, you'll find someone complaining about it. MalVeaux - you listen in a store, or have you owned these cans and had extensive use with them? I'm just wondering what your qualifications are on this particular head phone mode. I have Grado's RS2's, I'll compare the two (the Grado's were considerably more money) and let you guys know after a few weeks of listening what I think of them.

 

[LiSAuCE]

Yeah I have the 439 and while they MIGHT look/feel cheap, they definitely don't sound like 30 dollar headphones. I've used these for a while before I upgraded and they have good clarity. The bass I thought was initially lacking, but with a very simple tape mod posted here (i'll try to dig it up), you can boost the bass in a way that does not take away from the mids or highs. The isolation is okay, so I can see where that might turn you off, but for "in the room with a roommate" or library listening, they are perfect.
 
You don't need an amp for these headphones, but you may find yourself turning up the volume louder than usual. If you take a look at these frequency graphs from inner fidelity:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD439.pdf


You will see that the frequencies actually have a universal reduction. It's a bit odd, and I thought it was a volume problem, but I suspect it's just the classic sennheiser laid back sound. You can compare the frequency graph with one of the V-Moda's, where the frequencies are boosted at certain points:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/VModaM80.pdf

TL;DR HD439 are very good headphones. Definitely a huge upgrade from gaming headsets.