[PSB]

Hi everybody,

I very recently became interested in purchasing headphones a bit better than the $25 Panasonics I'm using now. It didn't take long for me to find out that this was a good place to come for friendly advice on this subject. I have done some research of my own, and I've read some of the posts on this forum, but I feel that without being able to try any of these out

I'll try to keep this concise and business-like to avoid wasting people's time, so, without further ado, here are my criteria for headphones, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.

1) Price. My ideal price range would be $100-120, but I am willing to fudge that a little if there is a very obvious benefit to going another $10 or $20.
2) Comfort. I am going to be wearing these for potentially hours at a time while studying, writing, IMing, all those typical college student activities. Cans that feel too heavy on my ears, press down too hard on my head, apply too much pressure to my earlobes (instead of going comfortably around them), or cause my ears to sweat like mad after long use are considered sub-optimal.
3) Low impedance. I'm not prepared to use headphones that absolutely REQUIRE an amp to function properly, although I am prepared to accept small reductions in performance associated with refusing to use an amp, if there are some good headphones in this price range that might benefit from an amp but don't absolutely need it. This is mainly because I am always going to be using these headphones with a laptop computer or portable devices, and because I don't want to spend the time/money/effort to buy or build an amp.
4) Sound quality. I suppose this seems like a "duh" statement, but I would like my sound to be as good as I can get for this amount of money. Clarity of sound and proper differentiation of instruments/voices seem important here. I will be listening from the output on the on-board sound card of my Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop, and my music sources will mostly be MP3s of varying quality. I should mention my general music preferences lie in pop, softer rock, orchestral (both classical pieces and movie scores), and Indian (film songs as well as classical/Carnatic). There is a smattering of dance/techno, hiphop, punk, country, video game music, and a few other things in my collection, but it is mostly what I mentioned first. Some representative artists, at least on the Western side of things, might be Coldplay, Enya, Counting Crows, Michelle Branch, Evanescence, 10000 Maniacs, Guster, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin...and gotta love the LotR, Matrix (well, parts of it), and Braveheart soundtracks. A wide frequency response tends to be necessary for the Indian music, which often mixes deep bass percussion with soprano voices and the equivalent of an orchestra of accompanying instruments.
5) Availability at a reliable, reputable online dealer. The best example, to me, is Amazon, but their headphone selection is pretty scant. I'm willing to try another vendor known for selling good headphones if they have a half-decent return policy and get a lot of positive feedback from the denizens of this forum.
6) Convenience. It would be nice to have headphones that fold for easy travel, or that have a nice, long cord so I can move around a little while I'm listening. These are relatively lower priority concerns though.

I will be using these almost exclusively in a dorm room, but I don't consider this to mean that I should obviously get closed headphones. If a unit of the open variety is better for the criteria I've listed, that's preferable. It seems from what I've heard/read that open cans are better for comfort during prolonged use, which is important to me.

Incidentally, it seems that one recommendation that's often made in this price range is the Sony MDR-V6/7506. I tried those on the other day (those were one of the few pairs actually available at the local guitar store I was able to check out) and found them very uncomfortable. My frames of reference on that judgment, as far as "nice," i.e. more than $30, headphones that I've tried, were the Sennheiser HD500 and the AKG K240, both of which were far more comfortable to me than the 7506.

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I think that I've basically given all of the information that I intended to give. I hope that I'm not being excessively redundant and that I posted enough for people to make good recommendations for my personal tastes.

Thanks a lot for all your help!

PSB

 

[Welly Wu]

Why did you not use the search function or read one the sticky threads in the headphone forum before posting your first thread?

To be sure, there are a lot of different headphones that fall within your specified price category. You should specify whether you want new / used cans, the amount of sound isolation given your listening environment(s), and how fast you need another pair of cans.

Basically, I will only comment on the cans that I have listened to or owned: Etymotic ER-4S, Grado RS-1, Sennheiser HD600 with Cardas cable, PX100, MX500, and MX300. Since I am studying for my GREs, lets do some process of elimination. Scratch out the Grado RS-1 cans; they are too expensive for your specified budget. Do not eliminate either the ER-4S or HD600s (without the Cardas cable) because they are viable candidates that generally fall within your price category if you can increase your budget.

The ER-4S is an amazing earphone: high resolution coupled with amazing sound isolation in a small package. However, some people have difficulty obtaining the proper seal or adapting to the whole in ear canal feel. Some prefer a wider soundstage as well.

In general, the HD600s are very good cans and they can be yours if you stretch your budget. They reproduce sound in a most unnervingly natural and accurate manner. It is a very precise listening tool. Bass is deep and punchy. Mids are a bit recessed and "wooly." Highs are sparkling and clear. There is a bit of incoherence in the transition between bass, mids, and treble (in my opinion). Some fall in love with the HD600s (and eagerly look to the forthcoming HD650s) while others find that they are not their cup of tea (as was the case with me).

That leaves the PX100, MX500, and MX300 cans / earbuds. The PX100s are good headphones for the money but they are overtly "dark" and I consider them to be a bit thick and heavy in the bass region. However, they do have a decent mid range and clear trebles. The MX500s and MX300s are the lesser of all the aforementioned cans. For earbuds, they are pretty decent but they are not in the same league as all of the aforementioned cans.

I hope this helps you. Let us know what you decide and post your impressions / review. That is the fun part of Head-Fi!

 

[Wodgy]

One additional question: do you plan on ever upgrading your source? (e.g. Perhaps an external USB sound card.) The Dell Inspiron series has relatively poor sound (even compared to other laptops). Low bass in particular is weak, as are the highs. The reason I'm asking is because I usually recommend Etymotics to students (in your price range, that would be the Etymotic ER-6) because of their isolation and portability. The isolation alone will change your life (and possibly improve your grades) if you have to work in noisy computer labs, etc. However, Etymotics have relatively insubstantial bass compared to larger cans, and this combined with your current source wouldn't be a good combination.

If you're planning to stick with your current source, the Sony V6 is your best bet. It has slightly boosted lows and highs, and these qualities will balance out your laptop's weaknesses. They also isolate relatively well. The stock V6 pads are pleather and so they'll get sweaty if you wear them for too long, but you can replace the stock pads with Beyerdynamic DT250 velvet pads for about $15. These will keep your ears relatively sweat-free and comfortable for long listening sessions.

 

[LobsterSan]

I'm going to back Wodgy on the MDR-V6/7506 suggestion, with the Beyerdynamic 250 velvet pad replacements. The V6/7506 will probably fit the bill, and I also agree that if you decide to go this route you will also want to consider picking up an external soundcard (m-audio sonica or USB audiophile 2496 should fit the bill). I say this because on my Dell Inspiron 8500, I can hear all sorts of noise when I plug my MDR-V6 in. The V6 has a peculiar way of amplifying any and all extraneous noise coming from the headphone output of a source, perhaps because it is an extremely detailed and merciless in-your-face presentation headphone. They are also closed-backed and will offer reasonable isolation. I can't say I would recommend any open headphones for college usage, knowing the need to keep external noise out and your own noise in.

As well, I'm fairly confident in saying that you will find the MDR-V6/7506 much more comfortable with the Beyerdynamic pads on.

 

[Tom M]

try the beyerdynamic dt-250/80

 

[ph0rk]

if you can find a used pair, Sennheiser HD590's.

very efficient, and VERY comfortable. (They are open though).

A bit cheaper are the Senn HD570's, also comfy and open, they have some bass emphasis, which might compliment your laptop well.

Circuit City usually sells one or both of the above, and keep stock in brick and mortar stores (i.e. you can go there and buy them, then return them).

If you dislike the comfort of the v6 and want a closed headphone with nice low end extension, i would recommend the Senn HD280, though i do not know how it would sound on your laptop. (Sounds great powered by my thinkpad, but thinkpads have really good headphone jacks)

Good luck