best durable\sounding cans (games) < $100

[Yossarian22]

Hey. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good set of durable headphones for less than $100 USD.

My girlfriend loves her personal audio space and is happy when she plugs in and turns on foobar2000 to listen to her favorite albums as well as when she logs in and we play Source games together.

She has a fondness for the cheaper Sony MDRs, but the problem is that every time she gets a pair, they end up broken within 6 months or less due to the plastic headband/headband-to-can construction. So by the time she accidently breaks 5 pairs, that's a $100 set of durable and good sounding headphones she could of had.

I'm curious myself because I don't know much about headphones and all I see is plastic headband construction unless you go into the $200+ range. (I sport Beyer Dynamic DT150s, this size is too big for her head she reckons).

Thank you in advance.

 

[Jospeh]

JVC HA-DX3s are pretty good at 110$. They seem pretty durable from what I can tell. You can also get the DX1s for around 80$.

 

[Impulse]

My JVC HA-RX700 seem pretty durable so far (and very comfy) and they were only $35, great bang for the buck (unbelievably so by most accounts, huge thread about 'em here and on HeadFi.org)... I've only had 'em a couple of months tho so I can't attest to how well they'll hold up over time but they seem very well constructed, almost impossibly so for the price. I'm sure the HA-DX1 would be great as well if you're willing to spend significantly more... I guess it depends on what your girflfriend is looking for, she might be put off by the size of some of these... Does she prefer an open or closed design too? I find the Senn HD-555 to be pretty comfortable tho the sound signature wasn't the best for games, bass is lacking and they're kinda laid back. Great for some types of music tho.

 

[Yossarian22]

Closed design. She doesn't like huge cups though, like the BD DT150s I have. The HA-RX700 looks nice but is that piece at the top plastic construction? I see plastic on the sides, you have to understand that I love this girl but she is a bit of a klutz. Maybe I should get her a pair AND a headphone stand.

I'll have to give em a listen. Even the cheapie Sony MDRs surprised me with the bass response but then again I'm running my DT150s straight to sound card/PC speakers, so... definition is lost there in the amplification.

Any more suggestions?

 

[Alai]

If you can stretch your budget a slight bit, you might want to check out a used pair of HFI-780. Probably one of the most sturdy headphones I've ever had. Only issue might be comfort. I am ok with the pair, especially after I got used to it, but my sister still thinks its uncomfortable.

It sounds decent for music and even better for movies and games. I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds cleaner for movies and games than it does for music. In fact, I would say it's my fav headphone for games and movies out of my three pairs (HARX900 and K701).

I got mine at mint condition for $130 shipped. Go check out the Head-Fi forums to see if someone is selling one.

 

[ourfpshero]

go to ebay -search 'dbi headphones'
there is a seller who sells the dbo pro 700 for 40$ shipped (regular price is 180)
these sound awesome, very detailed, respond well to amping. they are literally indestructable and made to be that way. the only isse is that the vinyl earpads arent very cushy to large heads

 

[undermined]

I have a pair of sony mdr-7506 headphone that i wear every day for at least 10 hours and have done so for the last 7 years with the same pair. they still sound perfect and I've dropped them at least a few times a week off my desk and they show no signs of damage.

They only now, after years of use, need new earpads and once you break them in are fairly comfortable.

I love them and since they are closed back plus low ohm they play plenty load on most any device without needing any amps.

The same couldn't be said of the sennheiser hd490s they replaced that somehow "blew out" after a few months of light use even though I never played any heaphones (or speakers for that matter) past 15% of 100% volume and the hd490s were quite a bit more at the time than the sonys were.

These might be inexpensive sony mdr headphones but they are used as the standard by a lot of people in tv/movie production because the sound good and are very durable .