Best buy for 100$ headphones

[pemike1973]

Looking for 150$ max pair of headphones

Hi any suggestions on headphones that fit the 100 $ price btracket,some suggestions:

Grado sr-60
Grado sr-80
Sennheiser hd 280
Sony mdr 7506
Beyerdinamics dtx 900

Any suggestions or review on the above models ?

Thanks in advance

 

[markw]

They are all good.

I'd go for the SR-80's as opposed to the 60's. Aside from that, I'd say they are all worthy contenders.

But, personal preferences rule here. One man's "detailed" might be another's "bright". Someone's "Smooth" might be "lifeless" to the next guy. One guy's "muddy" will be someone else's "warm". etc.. etc... etc...

You're asking us if you would prefer a blonde or a brunettte. In either case, the same advice applies. Give 'em a try yourself and see what you like.

 

[nm2285]

Are you willing to go used? As much as I don't like a lot of the advice they give there, www.headfi.com has a great classfieds forum where you can get some great headphones for cheap. My highest reccommendation would go to the AKG K501 because you can find them for around $120 used there. They're great stock and wonderful modded (compressed pads). However, if you need a lot of bass or listen to a ton of rock, thats not the ticket.

I think of those you listed, the MDR-V6 are the best, but ONLY if equalized. Without equalization, I found them almost unlistenable sometimes. With equalization, they're very nice cans.

Those 2 from the Grado line are good choices as well. There are VERY slight sonic differences between the 60 and 80. I don't believe the 80s are worth the extra cost.

 

[Snap]

I have 2 sets of the HD 280's I tried the AKG's but I liked the 280's better. But like another poster already said. Another man's smooth.....etc etc.

I love Sen headphones. How ever the AKG's are super nice as well.

 

[agabriel]

I'm not sure if you like ear buds or not but I picked up a set of Bang & Olufsen that I really like.

Anthony

 

[j_garcia]

Sennheiser fan here too. The 60s and 80s sound fine, but I didn't find them very comfortable, and the Senns sound just as good.

 

[AFJumper03]

Just like others have said, everyone is a little different. I used to LOVE sennheisers, and I still do love their sound, but I can't recommend them based on the fact that the last two pairs I have bought have gotten steadly worse with use and my last pair of HD490s are pretty much unusable now. The wire connection points would always become very jittery and I would have to hold the wire in a certain to avoid static. I contacted customer service and basically got the run around. Kinda a raw deal since these were $100 cans when I bought them. I'm in the market myself, let me know what you find.

 

[j_garcia]

I had the same thing happen to one of my sets (forget the number, 400 series), so quality is not 100%. I've been using my current pair for over 4 years now without issue though. This particular pari I bought factory direct refurbished from Sennheiser and they've worked great. You can always consider opening them up and dabbing some solder on the connection, it's most likely just a bad solder joint. Some of their phones are designed so you can open them up and easily replace the wire yourself. You could also tie-wrap or tape the wire to the cups to strain relieve the wire, if so inclined.

The SR80s can be had for $95 with a 12 foot extension cord included and FREE SHIPPING here. I've bought from these guys before. Great customer service.

 

[superjohnny]

What do you need headphones for? Are you stationary at home/work or are you on the go?

For home I like my AT A900 closed cans. Not too much isolation (pisses off my wife ) but they still sound great. At work I like the SR60's for comfort and sound out of the ipod. On the go or when I don't want to hear my co-workers I use the Shure ER4c. They're fantastic IMO and offer great isolation.

 

[matthewraz]

i have the sr80s and the hd280 pros. the grados reveal all so are great with well recorded stuff, but i find them unforgiving with my ipod and they aren't comfortable enough for extended listening (i do recommend them to people all the time as an intro to great sounding headphones). i use the sennheisers for recording purposes and LOVE them but they are very isolating for casual use and are a bit on the big side to be mobile. i bought used sennheiser hd560s years ago (higher end open phones) for late night music and movies. for mp3 type listening i've been very happy w/my koss portapros - less than $50 for warm fun lower fidelity great sounding phones.

 

[JGS4]

Ultrasone

I am looking for full size headphones in the $100 price range too. I am very fed up with earbuds, the ones i've had just don't seem to last and I find them uncomfortable. They also have mediocre bass, which is not curable with a large price tag. Anyway, I've decided that I want full size cans that fold up preferably.

I've heard a lot about Ultrasone headphones. I found a pair of HFI-700's for $100 on this website: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/240534?src=3WPG4HG
Is this too good to be true? Everywhere else on the web sells them for $250.
Are these good cans for listening to mp3 players? Can you suggest any alternative headphones before I buy these? Thanks.

 

[WmAx]

I notice that the version on musiciansfriend.com is followed by the letters DVD. You should e-mail Ultrasone and ask them if this is the same as the normal version.

As for $100 range headphones, I will probably always suggest the Sony MDR-7506 as first choice. You will not find a better constructed headphone for this price range, nor actually in much higher price ranges[stainless steel headband structure, stainless steel primary pivot joints, alloy metal outer shell for the actual headphone shells, double-stiched thick padded headband, hi quality durable metal plugs, oversized and durable wire]. It is an industry standard monitor headphone that will provide an overall even tonal response and plenty of deep bass response. It is very efficient, therefor it will work fine from nearly any portable audio player. This headphone folds up if needed.

If construction quality or an even tonal response is not important, please check out other phones referred to in this thread such as the Grado SR-60, Grado SR-80, Sennheiser HD-280 and others. Note: the Grado units are of especially low build quality.

-Chris

I am looking for full size headphones in the $100 price range too. I am very fed up with earbuds, the ones i've had just don't seem to last and I find them uncomfortable. They also have mediocre bass, which is not curable with a large price tag. Anyway, I've decided that I want full size cans that fold up preferably.

I've heard a lot about Ultrasone headphones. I found a pair of HFI-700's for $100 on this website: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/240534?src=3WPG4HG
Is this too good to be true? Everywhere else on the web sells them for $250.
Are these good cans for listening to mp3 players? Can you suggest any alternative headphones before I buy these? Thanks.