[jruser]

Well, I have a feeling everybody has been here. I put on my favorite cheap, generic headphones the other day only to realize that the right ear no longer works. So them I decided to search and find something durable with good sound quality. After getting lost in these threads for hours, I quickly realized that I had no idea how many different dimensions people can here in a simple sound, and how hard it is to pick out headphones.

Anyways, I need some closed headphones to keep from disturbing a sleeping roommate. I am in college so need something durable, and of course sound quality. Most of the time these will be used with my Audigy 2 ZS for music/movie/games, and occasionally a Sony discman. $60 is about my max budget and $50 would be much better.

Here are the contenders:

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro - I decided against these due to the cracking headband issue. All of the used pairs I found for sale had the cracking headbands.

Sennheiser PX200 - very mixed reviews on sound quality. Supposedly a hassle to position right. (They do not look durable, although I have not heard of any problems.)

Beyerdynamic DT231 - I hear that they leak sound quite a bit...

Sennheiser HD25-SP - Seem to be OK for all categories, except price! I found the British Airways version on ebay cheap enough, but I have read that these are actually lower quality.

Sony MDR-V6 - Very mixed reviews. Questionable sound quality according to many; great according to many. On the graph I saw the high's were truncated, moreso than the rest of these (which are by no means stellar).


Anyways, I am leaning towards the MDR-V6, but if anybody can help me change my mind, I am not opposed. I am open to suggestions on other brands/models that are in my price range, but do not want any in-ear phones.

Also if anybody knows sites with low prices on these (esp the HD25-SP) please link. I have checked eCost, amazon, Headroom, and Newegg and none of them really had stand out prices. I would like to avoid auctions, as I would like to order something tomorrow, but I have a feeling that is something I will not be able to avoid.

 

[kramer5150]

MDRV6's have very harsh upper midrange from 3-4khz, treble is a bit bright too. Some like it others dont. I dont really care for it personally for music listening.

I havent found a closed sub $60 can I like.

Garrett

 

[fewtch]

I heard the MDR-V6 (7506) at a meet, and really liked 'em for fast, aggressive music -- the fun factor is high, if your ears aren't overly sensitive. For other stuff (particularly classical/acoustic), I'd personally go for something more refined, natural and balanced.

One of the nice things about the V6 is that they're likely to last you 10 to 20 years with reasonable care. No surprised they're used so widely in studios of all sorts.

 

[chadbang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 MDRV6's have very harsh upper midrange from 3-4khz, treble is a bit bright too. Some like it others dont. I dont really care for it personally for music listening.

Yeah, ditto. I never liked the V6s, aside from pretty good build quality. I'd say get the best Sennheisers you can afford. Sonically the 280s are supposed to be the best of the lot. How bad is the cracking?

 

[saint.panda]

The Sonys are a great value imo. For $50 street price you'll get a closed headphones that is fairly small, foldable, durable, stylish and with tons of bass. The upper midrange can be a bit harsh and the sounds feels like having pressed the 'rock' preset button on your car stereo but the sound is definately fun. It's a good portable headphone imo and the price is okay, too. The HD 280 Pro sounds a bit better mainly due to a better soundstage and a more balanced sound. For isolated indoor applications I'd go for the HD 280 Pro but I'd never ever wear them in public. The Px200 plays in a league below the HD 280 and I've never heard the DT 231. The latter ones are said to be very good though.

 

[RMgX]

I have the 7506 and I like them, I have compared them somewhat to the 280 and with the music I listen to ( I mainly judge by how well it plays electronica ) they are "better", for instance the first track on FSOL lifeforms disc one in the beginning there is this bass sound that is just not loud enough to be heard clearly with the 280 on what I consider good volume.
Especially in somewhat noisier environments the somewhat louder bass compared to 280 is a good thing. With other types of music in a non noisy environment perhaps the 280 would work better but I lost parts of the music with 280 compared to 7506 with some songs I really like a lot.
Another upside for me is that I found the 7506 comfortable and well built, also they are circumearal and block quite a bit of noise which I am not so sure the all the others on your list do.
Yes they do have some harshness with some sounds this is ok and perhaps even good on the go, but perhaps annoying when in a quiet calm environment I am used to it and don't mind so much.
My main complaint with them is that they pick up the sound of the wind passing the earcups quite a bit and that there is very little soundstage compared to some other headphones.
If you can get them for $ 60 in good condition I think it is a good buy.

Notice that the above opinions are just that, they relate to how I listen to music I like, my sources ( mainly Ipod mini and some onkyo cd player to headphone out of integrated amp A9511 ), and eq setting off and my volume levels, there is also some difference in sound depending on how I position the headphones on my head.

 

[DMOS]

I'm a fan of the V6. Used it in high school for some DJ work, and all through university. They were great there thanks to the folding to put in a backpack or satchel, and can basically be powered by anything. I'm absolutely certain there are better phones for listening to better sources, and better environments. But when dealing with roomates, they will appreciate the fact that you are bothering the hell out of them when listening to tunes while studying at 3am...

They do get warm though, and have a very "in your head" sound stage. I think these are pretty much standard closed headphone issues. Don't want to drive your cube farm crazy? Doesn't leave much for options. Eventually I'll get a pair of open phones for home listening... but i figure if i can play music where anyone else can hear, I'll put it on my speakers.

For the V6, there's probably a few in the for sale area of this site.

 

[jruser]

Well, I got the HD25 SP1 (used, retail boxed) off of ebay for $50, so I hope I am not disappointed. Most of you would probably agree that anything would be better than my previous headphones (http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16836401016).