[freezebox]

Hi guys,
In a bit of a dilemma. my old pair of headphones broke and my dad said he would purchase me a new one but they couldnt be over £20. I have found both of these headphones (Sennheiser HD-201 and Sony MDRXD200) for £19.99 and was wondering which one would be the best. There arent really any other threads like this on the internet or on these forums (i've searched) so i was wondering if you guys could help me. Also I like to listen to extreme drum and bass and heavy rap music. I'm assuming that the sony may be better due to the frequency range and the general look of it however i have heard that the sennheisers are the underdogs. Please advise ASAP? i'm going out for them in about a day or two.
 
P.S. If you have any suggestions to other headphones under £20 that would be suited to my needs please share. Online links would be appreciated. Also all my music is 320KBPS encoded.

 

[Czilla9000]

The Sennheiser HD201s are wonderful phones, although they don't have the bass power you are probably looking for.

 

[K_19]

XD200 is actually not altogether THAT horrible for the price they're typically sold for (here in Toronto at least, you can find it for $15-20 range quite often on sale; I wouldn't pay any more than that though).  They're quite comfortable, pretty light, and does have a pretty open sound for a closed headphone.  It also has that bass boost switch if you are into that sort of thing, but I never found it to do that much.  Their build quality is questionable, however, and altogether sound exactly as much as they're worth... which is not much.  201's have better overall refinement and have slightly better build quality (and slightly more portable; XD200's are definitely not), but doesn't offer the bass switch/comfort level of the Sonys and honestly doesn't sound THAT much better (they're at the bottom of Senn lineup for a reason). 
 
IMO they both sound decisively entry level and I don't think you should notice all that much between them, so there isn't any harm going for either (they're incredibly cheap anyways).  I'd say for your tastes though Sonys may be a tad better with (slightly) better bass response.

 

[freezebox]

Thanks a lot for that info - found it very usefull. I'll most likely go for the Sony's unless anyone can suggest any better alternatives for a similar price. However if I beg to my father I may be able to have up to £25-£30 lol. How are the Sennheiser HD-202's? I read they may be quite good but they make your ears hot which I definately dont want.

 

[earerror]

If you are a basshead, get the Sony MDR-XB300's. 

 

[freezebox]

Thanks for that - just checking it out now however it only has 30mm drivers - arent these sorta inferior?

 

[earerror]

Quote:

Thanks for that - just checking it out now however it only has 30mm drivers - arent these sorta inferior?

Size its not a big deal, i have listened to them...and they deliver good bass. Despite the driver's size. 

 

[freezebox]

Oh ok. I was looking at some of the comments on the XB300's and the XB500's and they said that the amount of bass they produce can also ruin music. Is this true?

 

[earerror]

Quote:

Oh ok. I was looking at some of the comments on the XB300's and the XB500's and they said that the amount of bass they produce can also ruin music. Is this true?

Yeah, some people experience that...all you need is some eq tweaking. 

 

[freezebox]

I'm going to attempt to run up to my dad and beg him for the XB700's the reviews for that baby are immense. However I might look like a plonker with them on as i heard they are huge. I'll most likely either get the XB500's or if im lucky the XB700's

 

[earerror]

Quote:

I'm going to attempt to run up to my dad and beg him for the XB700's the reviews for that baby are immense. However I might look like a plonker with them on as i heard they are huge. I'll most likely either get the XB500's or if im lucky the XB700's

These are for people who love bass, and need something bang for the buck. 
It would be cool if you try them before buying (if you have a chance).  Good luck! 

 

[freezebox]

Yessss! Score 1 to me - I just got £120 birthday money in cash and I'm going to open up a debit account tomorrow to put it in. So that means I have around £80 max to spend on a decent set of headphones for use primarily for drum and bass and r&b. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know otherwise i think ill get the XB700's

 

[freezebox]

I've just spotted some Sennheiser HD555's for £69.99 shipped. Would these be any good for what I want if I did the 595 mod or would the Sony MDR-XD700's be more suited to my needs - they are £59.99 shipped.

 

[classakg]

Quote:

I've just spotted some Sennheiser HD555's for £69.99 shipped. Would these be any good for what I want if I did the 595 mod or would the Sony MDR-XD700's be more suited to my needs - they are £59.99 shipped.

If you love bass, the HD555's are not for you. I think the Sony's are good (under your budget)

 

[Deathz0r]

If you want bass get the Sony MDR-XD700's, the HD-555's are open ear which means the bass is dampened to some degree.