Need a good set of circumaural headphones

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Looking to spend around $50. Priorities would be.

1. Sound quality
2. Durability (won't break when sat on!)
3. Light weight and comfortable

I've been looking on B&H and there are soooo many to choose from. I mainly plan to use these headphones for listening to high bit rate mp3s at the computer.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MinusTheBear]

Welcome to audioholics.

Are you looking for an open or closed model? IMO there is not a lot of bang for buck in the $50 range. There are a few good headphones out there but they are not necesarily circumaural. If you can boost your budget up to $100 or even better between $100-$150 you will have many more quality headphones to choose from and imo get better value in performance for your money especially if you are using them for critical listening of music.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Not to highjack the thread or anything...

...but I am looking to buy my Nephew a good set of cans in the $100-$150 range so let's hear what you got.

Welcome to audioholics.

Are you looking for an open or closed model? IMO there is not a lot of bang for buck in the $50 range. There are a few good headphones out there but they are not necesarily circumaural. If you can boost your budget up to $100 or even better between $100-$150 you will have many more quality headphones to choose from and able get get better value for your money especially if you are using them for critical listening of music.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Not to highjack the thread or anything...

...but I am looking to buy my Nephew a good set of cans in the $100-$150 range so let's hear what you got.

Alessandro MS-1 (My favorite headphone that I have listened to)
Shure SRH440/SRH840
Grado 60/80/125
Audio Technica ATH-AD700/900
Beyerdynamic DT440

 

[Alex2507]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259625227&sr=8-8

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SNYMDR7506

They are supposedly the same headphones in a different wrapper.

 

[njedpx3]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259625227&sr=8-8

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SNYMDR7506

They are supposedly the same headphones in a different wrapper.

Do these have active noise cancelling ?


Thanks,

Forest Man

 

[Alex2507]

Do these have active noise cancelling ?


Thanks,

Forest Man

Nope but they're well regarded by WmAx and Jamie amongst others. Amazon had a NC subsection you could pull up though but I have never heard anybody say that a pair of those sounded great.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Do these have active noise cancelling ?


Thanks,

Forest Man

No. They are closed back circumaural. Like any closed headphone they would isolate very well in a home or studio. They might not isolate excessive noise well on a plane.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Are these the ones that Andrew did the mod on?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259625227&sr=8-8

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SNYMDR7506

They are supposedly the same headphones in a different wrapper.

 

[Alex2507]

Are these the ones that Andrew did the mod on?

Nope. Those are too much of a PITA for normal people requiring a mod and an amp. These are just suppose to be the best sounding headphones ever. I have never heard them but I have been paying attention.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Are these the ones that Andrew did the mod on?

I sort of remember a post by him mentioning a pad mod to attenuate the high frequencies. If I recall correctly it was one of the higher end Beyerdynamic headphones he was referring too.

 

[Alex2507]

I sort of remember a post by him mentioning a pad mod to attenuate the high frequencies. If I recall correctly it was one of the higher end Beyerdynamic headphones he was referring too.

Read All About It !!!

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39706

 

[WmAx]

Nope. Those are too much of a PITA for normal people requiring a mod and an amp. These are just suppose to be the best sounding headphones ever. I have never heard them but I have been paying attention.

I think your talking about the 2003 edition Beyerdynamic DT880. But best sounding ever???? It is the most neutral phone with the highest resolution I have ever found, with the mod, but not best sounding. However, it responded superbly to a nice EQ like the DCX or DEQ 2496 Behringer. The 'nicest' phone I have ever found overall is the Stax Omega II. They did superbly over a huge range of music genres - and without any modification or EQ, they provided a very natural sound with no noticed resonance(s) or any frequency response anomalies that were annoying. Unfortunately, they defeated the primary purpose for most people to use a headphone: they were not practically portable. They required a very high bias voltage supply and no portable amps are available off the shelf of which I'm aware that would operate it optimally. You would need a custom made unit with a very considerable (and heavy) battery bank if you wanted any extended portable use. In addition, they are not intended for portable use - and rain/water exposure could result in possibly severe damage to the phones and/or possibly a not-so-friendly electrical shock to the user.

-Chris

 

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I ended up ordering the Beyerdynamic DT 235 headphones. They looked really comfy and I figured the sq was going to be pretty equal among brands for what I was going to spend.