[Shipley]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for a new pair of headphones, this will be my first entry into high quality headphones and audio in general.
 
Budget: $100-$150
 
Closed back, decent soundstage, does everything at least OK (Mids, high, lows, bass, etc), great sound, easy to drive but can improve with an amp in the future, and looks cool
 
Music: Rock/Alt rock/Punk/Opera/Classical/Folk/Gospel/Christian contemporary/Independent/Pop/Reggae/Trance/Metal/Screamo/Techno (So basically everything there is. But if I HAVE to be more specific, I listen to more rock and stuff with electric guitar)
 
I want this headset to be good for movies and games as well (No need for Mic)
 
I like everything in moderation, not too much ear shaking bass and not too much eardrum shattering highs. An overall, great headphone, multipurpose.
 
I have been looking at the Audio Technica M50's mainly, and have considered Denon1000's and Beyer DT770 or DT990. (And before I decided for closed back I looked at HD595's, but I need closed back)
 
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[tzhuge]

SRH 440 can be had for under your budget, and they're moderate in everything.
 
Honestly I'm not sure what people mean when they say good for 'movies and games as well'... wouldn't something surround sound, or unencumbered by wires, instead of wired stereo headphones be good for that?

 

[Shipley]

Quote:

SRH 440 can be had for under your budget, and they're moderate in everything.
 
Honestly I'm not sure what people mean when they say good for 'movies and games as well'... wouldn't something surround sound, or unencumbered by wires, instead of wired stereo headphones be good for that?

The SRH 440's are half my budget...Half. So, I'm looking for some headphones a little more expensive Thanks for the suggestion though. What people are referring to is that they want an 'all around' good headphone. Most people can't afford headphones for music, headphones for movies, and headphones for games separately. It's better for the average consumer to have a neutral, good sounding, multipurpose headphone that can work for a variety of applications. Any experience with the Audio Technica M-50's? Those are the ones I have been looking at the most.

 

[Armaegis]

Then consider the Shure 840. They are an excellent all-rounder.

 

[JayB18]

 
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Quote:

SRH 440 can be had for under your budget, and they're moderate in everything.
 
Honestly I'm not sure what people mean when they say good for 'movies and games as well'... wouldn't something surround sound, or unencumbered by wires, instead of wired stereo headphones be good for that?

The SRH 440's are half my budget...Half. So, I'm looking for some headphones a little more expensive Thanks for the suggestion though. What people are referring to is that they want an 'all around' good headphone. Most people can't afford headphones for music, headphones for movies, and headphones for games separately. It's better for the average consumer to have a neutral, good sounding, multipurpose headphone that can work for a variety of applications. Any experience with the Audio Technica M-50's? Those are the ones I have been looking at the most.

DT250 (80 ohm version) Easy to drive and will improve with an amp.  M50 and SRH440 are around half your budget and the DT250 sounds superior in terms of balance and neutrality while having noticeably better soundstage and separation. M50 is bass heavy while having virtually no soundstage and the SRH440 is a bit too emphasized in the highs. Its bass extension isn't the best either. SRH840 might be ok too but from comparisons I have read the DT250 is more balanced and open sounding than them as well.  There isn't too much info on the DT250's here but headphones.com.au has quite a bit of info and there are some professional reviews if you search on google.

 

[kingtz]

Then consider the Shure 840. They are an excellent all-rounder.

+1
definitely consider the 840s.

 

[Shipley]

Quote:

DT250 (80 ohm version) Easy to drive and will improve with an amp.  M50 and SRH440 are around half your budget and the DT250 sounds superior in terms of balance and neutrality while having noticeably better soundstage and separation. M50 is bass heavy while having virtually no soundstage and the SRH440 is a bit too emphasized in the highs. Its bass extension isn't the best either. SRH840 might be ok too but from comparisons I have read the DT250 is more balanced and open sounding than them as well.  There isn't too much info on the DT250's here but headphones.com.au has quite a bit of info and there are some professional reviews if you search on google.

The M50 is around $106 on Amazon, so yeah it's a little less than my max budget. The SRH440's are too cheap. I'm now looking at the DT250's and the SRH840's, are there any other headphones in this range? You had the M50's in the past, do you consider them a bad headphone? Are they even considered 'audiophilic'? I'm just trying to maximize my budget here. If there is negligible difference between M50's or something similar and getting $150 phones, I'll go for it. How is the soundstage and bass on the DT250's and SRH840's? What do they compare to? Is there a large difference in quality between $100 phones, $150 phones, and $200 phones? Do they sound best amped? Am I better off going for monitoring phones for the purposes I stated? How would these phones sound connected to a Dolby headphone surround sound type receiver/simulator? Off an ipod? Laptop PC? Are they too large for public use? Do they look good? Are they portable? Do they break easy? Do the Audio Technica ATH-A700's compare to these? HD280's? HD448's? HD380's? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to be very thorough. 
 
 
 

 

[JayB18]

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Quote:

DT250 (80 ohm version) Easy to drive and will improve with an amp.  M50 and SRH440 are around half your budget and the DT250 sounds superior in terms of balance and neutrality while having noticeably better soundstage and separation. M50 is bass heavy while having virtually no soundstage and the SRH440 is a bit too emphasized in the highs. Its bass extension isn't the best either. SRH840 might be ok too but from comparisons I have read the DT250 is more balanced and open sounding than them as well.  There isn't too much info on the DT250's here but headphones.com.au has quite a bit of info and there are some professional reviews if you search on google.

The M50 is around $106 on Amazon, so yeah it's a little less than my max budget. The SRH440's are too cheap. I'm now looking at the DT250's and the SRH840's, are there any other headphones in this range? You had the M50's in the past, do you consider them a bad headphone? Are they even considered 'audiophilic'? I'm just trying to maximize my budget here. If there is negligible difference between M50's or something similar and getting $150 phones, I'll go for it. How is the soundstage and bass on the DT250's and SRH840's? What do they compare to? Is there a large difference in quality between $100 phones, $150 phones, and $200 phones? Do they sound best amped? Am I better off going for monitoring phones for the purposes I stated? How would these phones sound connected to a Dolby headphone surround sound type receiver/simulator? Off an ipod? Laptop PC? Are they too large for public use? Do they look good? Are they portable? Do they break easy? Do the Audio Technica ATH-A700's compare to these? HD280's? HD448's? HD380's? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to be very thorough. 
 
 
 

 
I preferred the SRH440 to the M50.  Haven't heard the SRH840.  The DT250 sounds relatively open for a closed phone so its soundstage is good for a closed phone (it doesn't compare to open phones soundstage though).  Bass is better extended though maybe a bit less impactful than the M50. Midrange was much better though on the DT250 imo.The quality difference between $100, $150, and $200 is there but whether its worth paying for would be up to you and whether you could hear it is another matter as well.  The DT250 (as well as the M50 and SRH440/840) wont need an amp but will sound superior with one. Almost any phone will improve at least a little with one.  Source is far more important though they will all sound ok with portable players, laptops, etc. A700's don't compare to the above models from what I have read. Same with the Sennheisers.  All of the headphones are fullsize so they will look somewhat weird in public.