~$100 headphone suggestions plz...

I

indokyne

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Jun 21, 2006
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i'm in the market for a set of decent quality headphones mostly for gaming and music.
i've got earbuds and 'behind the head' style headphones and now i'm looking for something more audiophile-ish for accurate sound reproduction and immersion...

from what i've read, I see that Sennheisers are popular...
any specific model suggestions?

I'd like to shoot for bang-for-buck value rather than the hardcore enthusiast sector so I'm guessing $75 - $100 is my budget...

thanks in advance
 
I have a pair of Audio-Technica A500 headphones. They run for $90 and are pretty good for music and gaming. They're also closed so they keep the surrounding noise out and whatever you're listening to in (so no sound leaks out and won't disturb anyone around you).
 
Senn HD-555's are worth the $120 if you think you can bump up your price range a wee bit. They are not noise canceling.
 
I love Sennheisers pricey open phones, but in that rante, hard to beat the ATH-500s. Bass that can kick your head in and great sound. They work well on all gear too, amped, unamped, it's all good.
 
coolxboxgamer said:
got the hd485's, there 70 on the egg, great quality.... closed also
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Another vote for the 485's but their NOT closed they are open.
 
I like the Sennheiser HD-280 Pros for closed ear cans in that range, and the mentioned HD-555s if you want open ear. The difference is in your application. I use headphones for recording and DJing, so I prefer closed ear, but for gaming and general listening, I'd reccommend an open ear approach.
 
After using even my $30 Logitech speakers, my $50 Sony noise cancellation headphones from Target are starting to seem VERY lame. Those ATH-500s are looking very attractive right about now, actually. How are they for travel? I'd wear them when walking my dog and riding in the car a lot. They're not too terribly delicate, are they? I don't manhandle things, but accidents happen...
 
Orayn said:
After using even my $30 Logitech speakers, my $50 Sony noise cancellation headphones from Target are starting to seem VERY lame. Those ATH-500s are looking very attractive right about now, actually. How are they for travel? I'd wear them when walking my dog and riding in the car a lot. They're not too terribly delicate, are they? I don't manhandle things, but accidents happen...
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They're far from delicate, but I fear you'd look rather dumb wearing gigantic DJ size headphones when you're out walking around. If you're looking for a mobile audio solution, try Shure canalphones.

Also, Audiocubes just dropped prices on ATH series. A500s are now $69+shipping and A900s are $169+shipping. Just got me a pair of A900s on sunday, can't wait :)

As for the Shures (canalphone/IEM), try the E2c's, or if you're in the market, the E3c's both have very good isolation, though the E3c is recommended, if you've got the cash. E2cs run around $70-100, and the E3c's $120-150
 
Open vs closed is just that. Open headphones have no isolation, but typically have a very good soundstage and is easy to place individual instruments or parts, but outside sounds can enter the cans and be irritating. Closed cans generally have very good isolation, but the soundstage feels narrower or closer, I can't really specify how it feels. I do prefer closed though, I hate having distractions when I'm playing a game or listening to music.
 
stormshadow said:
alright - newbtime...

open ear vs. closed ear.

wtf.
Click to expand...


Open Ear:

Allows sound to leak outside of the headphone through an open grille behind the driver. Thus, you can hear sound outside the headphones, and others can hear your music. What this does is create a more open sound environment that sounds more like a 5.1 system. This has the advantage for gaming and listening to music in places where you're not concernicus about outside noise.

Closed Ear:

Just the opposite. Closed backing on the back of the driver keeps sound inside and outside the cans respectively. These tend to be better for a balanced representation of sound, and thus are used for DJing and production, similar to what you might use studio monitors for.

I'm thinking it sounds like open ear would be more suited to your application, unless you need them to listen without bothering other people in close proximity.
 
alright. I'm thinking about going with the Sennheiser HD-485's...

any last minute words of wisdom / warnings?
 
Tytanium said:
They're far from delicate, but I fear you'd look rather dumb wearing gigantic DJ size headphones when you're out walking around. If you're looking for a mobile audio solution, try Shure canalphones.

Also, Audiocubes just dropped prices on ATH series. A500s are now $69+shipping and A900s are $169+shipping. Just got me a pair of A900s on sunday, can't wait :)

As for the Shures (canalphone/IEM), try the E2c's, or if you're in the market, the E3c's both have very good isolation, though the E3c is recommended, if you've got the cash. E2cs run around $70-100, and the E3c's $120-150
Click to expand...
Honestly, I don't mind looking goofy in supra-aural headphones. As long as they sound good, it's fine by me. I really don't enjoy the feeling or sound quality of earbuds in general. Though I'm sure the high-end pairs sound fine, I still think I'd be more pleased with headphones.
 
Orayn said:
Honestly, I don't mind looking goofy in supra-aural headphones. As long as they sound good, it's fine by me. I really don't enjoy the feeling or sound quality of earbuds in general. Though I'm sure the high-end pairs sound fine, I still think I'd be more pleased with headphones.
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Earbuds are a little different than IEMs. Earbuds usually hang off of the lip(?) of your ear, where it curves up just over the opening of the ear canal. IEMs are usually coated in a soft rubbery substance and actually stick inside the ear canal and block out sound from outside. They have good isolation and are more comfortable (and stay in better) than earbuds.
 
Orayn said:
Honestly, I don't mind looking goofy in supra-aural headphones. As long as they sound good, it's fine by me. I really don't enjoy the feeling or sound quality of earbuds in general. Though I'm sure the high-end pairs sound fine, I still think I'd be more pleased with headphones.
Click to expand...

for the ath500, take two cds and hold each of them up to your ears, thats how big they are
 
someone should make a sticky with the best headphones at each price range.........idk, just thinking because ive seen like 139502375203957 of these topics
 
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