Best headphones for around $200

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Vash63

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Or less. I used to have a set of Grado SR80's and loved the sound, though found them a bit uncomfortable. I have Sennheiser HD 485's now, but I think I just blew the right ear, there's some rattling in the bass now. They're more comfortable but I'm considering Grado again for the more open sound... so I'm looking at the SR225's.

I should also mention I have the Asus Xonar Essence STX, so if there are some good headphones in this price range that would require an amp I'm all for that, I won't be using these portably. I'll mainly be playing games (FPS mostly) and listening to music on it.
 
Eh, not sure. If it means I could get like $400 headphones for $200, maybe, but they'd have to be pretty damn good. I'd be afraid of them being damaged beforehand, or not lasting as long.
 
I was looking at the ATH-A700's also. It's just really hard for me to figure out which ones I'll like more without a chance to test them.

Anyone have a preference between the Grado SR225's, Sennheiser HD595's and those Audio-Technica ATH-A700's? Those seem to be the top three choices.
 
Just called to get a price on their 595's and ask for some reccomendations... the guy added the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 to my list to look at. I think I want more bass than the AD500's are supposed to provide, it's going to be used for rock music and gaming, and I want the drums and explosions to sound nice.

I'm thinking it's between the ATH-M50's, the Sennheiser 595's and the Grado SR225's. Leaning towards the Grados, but I might go with the AT's for comfort reasons.
 
I would have to say to avoid the Grados for gaming due to a relative lack of soundstage. Most of the others mentioned will do fine.

Also, I would like to mention the HFI-780 which you can get used for $150 (got mine for $130). Excellent soundstage, great details, good bass. Comfort is decent (at least it's much better than Grados lol).
 
You can find the Denon AHD-2000 for close to $200 and they are outstanding.

I have a pair I use at work every day and never get tired of listening.
 
At $200, you're not looking at ATH-A700s. You're looking for A900s.

And AKG K271S.
 
Went for the AH-D2000's. Thanks guys, saw it for $200 on buy.com and couldn't pass it up. Out of stock right now, hopefully they get it in soon and honor the price.
 
They haven't been in at Buy.com in months AFAIK. Also no ETA which could mean SOL.
 
Hmm, that's unfortunate. If the date was that far off you'd hope they would remove the listing from their site, or at least make it notification-only and not let people order. I guess we'll see.
 
y0 Alai.

I see that you have a nice collection of popular headphones in your sig.

I have the HA-RX900's, and well... it's obvious that it isn't a hi-fidelity headphone, but what is your opinion of them compared to the others you have?

Do you like the 780's over the k701's? Also: How lacking is the bass on the k701's compared to the HA-RX900's? How much more bass-emphasis is there on the 780's than the HA-RX900's?

Just brief 1-10 scale numbers on quantity and quality of bass/mids or whatever else you feel like sharing would be great!

:)

My opinion: I'm using the RX900's for gaming, and they're pretty good at resolving sounds in 3d-space accurately. Low bass (below 30Hz) rolls off a little, but the detail is good for $55. Something BIG is missing, and I cannot assess what it is without measuring it. Ears are terrible devices for objective critique. I can say that the sound is not "fleshed out" - it sounds thin and anemic, as if there is a frequency response dip in a broad range somewhere in the vocal region. Midbass sounds too loud, and it may be exacerbating this effect.
 
Bbq said:
used hd 600 is that price.
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For rock music and gaming, not a good choice, especially if he's used to the Grado house sound. The Senns don't have the best 3D soundstage for FPS gaming and there are better cans for rock.

The D2000s are nice but the are majorly bloated while stock so I'd go with something like either the DT770 '05/DT990 '05 or the AKG K701s. The K701s won't pummel your head with bass but it is very well balanced, albeit a little sterile. I'd avoid the HD595 and SR225s. YMMV but the whole HD5x5 line for me was a waste of money, very little potential. They were dull, boring, and overall unimpressive. I personally love the SR225s but if the SR80s were uncomfortable, the SR225s will be the same as they both use bowl pads. You can buy HD414 pads or C-Pads to make them more comfortable but to me there's no substitute for a nice comfy pair of circumaural cans.
 
My buddy just got a pair of A-900's off ebay. They sound good. If I had the money I'd get a set of those.
 
Just remembered I've seen Beyerdynamic DT990pro headphpohnes selling on amazon.com for $200.00 while the consumer edition is a lot higher priced. The differences between the two are cosmetic and they both use the exact same driver.
 
Alai said:
Good GENERAL guide, but also at a massively inflated price. At the price range you're looking at, the guide shows in the supposed $150 to $300 range.
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Those are the MSRP and you have to contact them to get the actual price. I've never dealt with Headroom but I know at headfi they are well respected.
 
I actually much much much prefer my K701 over anything. The bass is not lacking at all. It is accurate and plentiful without being overbearing. In fact, what you will notice about the K701 is that the bass is HEARD but not FELT (as much as some headphones anyways like the D2000 whose bass is bloated). Also, I firmly believe that my Heed Canamp brought in the bass quantity where it was lacking before. So you need a good amp.

Anyway, my preference for the K701 is really rooted to the fact that the K701 sounds so utterly natural compared to all my other headphones that I can't even imagine anything that sounds better (although my current goal is to grab the AD2000 or W5000). The HFI-780 is actually my portable headphone because it looks cool with the metal casing. The 780 is a fairly accurate, well-balanced headphone... my only issue is that it sounds processed compared to my K701. It is still a good sounding headphone, especially for portable purposes.

To be honest, I haven't heard the HARX900 for a while since I gave it to my sister when she went off to college (she wanted a non-IEM or non-earbud headphone). But from what I remember, the HARX900 were really really good for the money. I would stick to it until you have a significant chunk of change to spend on headphones (like $500) if you can. If you REALLY feel the upgrade bug before then, I would suggest at least trying for different types of headphones like open vs closed and different brands. All of the ones listed here are fairly solid headphones.

Archmage said:
y0 Alai.

I see that you have a nice collection of popular headphones in your sig.

I have the HA-RX900's, and well... it's obvious that it isn't a hi-fidelity headphone, but what is your opinion of them compared to the others you have?

Do you like the 780's over the k701's? Also: How lacking is the bass on the k701's compared to the HA-RX900's? How much more bass-emphasis is there on the 780's than the HA-RX900's?

Just brief 1-10 scale numbers on quantity and quality of bass/mids or whatever else you feel like sharing would be great!
Click to expand...
 
@Alai

How would the K701's sound without an amp? I'm currently in the market for new headphones as my Shure 4C IEM's are sometimes not what I desire when wearing headphones (say for gaming/movie watching on my desktop). I'd probably use it on my desktop (without an amp, though I might put it on a creative x-fi pro gamer for gaming/music/movies until I can afford an amp or an HT claro) and my blackberry storm for slacker radio.
 
K701s are low impedance and do okay without amplification beyond a sound card or portable device.
 
ashmedai said:
K701s are low impedance and do okay without amplification beyond a sound card or portable device.
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No, they don't. They need a really good amp that handles current very well. They will also sound better when they have an amp that is heavy hitting and somewhat of a bass provider.

That is... to sound REALLY good, they need a good current handling amp. Headphones like the K701 and HD650 scale very well with equipment. So the better the amp/source, the better the sound you can get with these headphones. They will still play and function decently as headphones without a good amp or source, but they really really shine with these.
 
Alai said:
No, they don't. They need a really good amp that handles current very well. They will also sound better when they have an amp that is heavy hitting and somewhat of a bass provider.

That is... to sound REALLY good, they need a good current handling amp. Headphones like the K701 and HD650 scale very well with equipment. So the better the amp/source, the better the sound you can get with these headphones. They will still play and function decently as headphones without a good amp or source, but they really really shine with these.
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Quantifying "okay" is the hard part, isn't it?

Look, if you know you're not getting an amp, stick with an A900 or something that everyone agrees doesn't need it. Then there's no question of whose "okay" we're talking about. :D
 
ashmedai said:
Quantifying "okay" is the hard part, isn't it?

Look, if you know you're not getting an amp, stick with an A900 or something that everyone agrees doesn't need it. Then there's no question of whose "okay" we're talking about. :D
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Lol. True. Yeah, I agree with your recommendation there. K701, I find, is lacking without an amp. Not worth the buy.
 
OP hasn't said the kind of sound he wants to achieve which is the most important thing when deciding on headphones. K701 has it's fans but has its haters too, same with DT990pro and pretty well any headphone.
 
skyline889 said:
For rock music and gaming, not a good choice, especially if he's used to the Grado house sound. The Senns don't have the best 3D soundstage for FPS gaming and there are better cans for rock.
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I don't believe so. I have the HD600, and I do believe it's significantly better for rock. They sound much more neutral without being overly harsh and fatuiging. A more refined headphone in every way. With proper amplification, the HD600 is pretty much better in every way. I have both the hd600 (custom upocc cable, terminated in 4-pin xlr) and a modded pair of sr60's (leather headband, 26awg silver single-entry cable w/ neutrik plug, quartered 414 pads, driver damping, sr325 cups, new grilles)
The D2000s are nice but the are majorly bloated while stock so I'd go with something like either the DT770 '05
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I also disagree with this. The d2000's bass is much faster, more dynamic, and less subwoofer one-note like. The Dt770 I find has much more mid bass, no real low bass, and the rest of the sound is just recessed.

Klob said:
Just remembered I've seen Beyerdynamic DT990pro headphpohnes selling on amazon.com for $200.00 while the consumer edition is a lot higher priced. The differences between the two are cosmetic and they both use the exact same driver.
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And the coiled cable, and the headband clamping pressure.
 
Bbq said:
I don't believe so. I have the HD600, and I do believe it's significantly better for rock. They sound much more neutral without being overly harsh and fatuiging. A more refined headphone in every way. With proper amplification, the HD600 is pretty much better in every way. I have both the hd600 (custom upocc cable, terminated in 4-pin xlr) and a modded pair of sr60's (leather headband, 26awg silver single-entry cable w/ neutrik plug, quartered 414 pads, driver damping, sr325 cups, new grilles)
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I have had multiple HD580s/600s/650s and own the HD600s and the HD650s right now. I've also owned the Cardas and Zu cables in the past, auditioned the SAA Equinox, and built my own custom blend SPC version as well as a 5n OFHC copper version. They've been amped over the years with Meier, RSA, Singlepower, and Headamp gear. To me they just aren't rock cans. They're mid-range, treble balance and high frequency detail just don't define what I look for when I want to jam out to Alternative, Rock, or Classic Rock. They just don't have the snap I like for for this genre. The HF-1s, MS2is, and HP1000s are what I would consider great rock cans. The HD600s I prefer for Jazz, Hip Hop, and Classical/Orchestral music. The SR60s are good but even modded aren't on the same level as the SR225s or MS2is in my opinion. I've heard Headphile and aftermarket modded SR60s and to be honest, I'd rather have the stock MS2is or a cheap starquad cabled SR225. No Grado however, is ideal for hardcore FPS gaming hence my DT770 recommendation

Bbq said:
I also disagree with this. The d2000's bass is much faster, more dynamic, and less subwoofer one-note like. The Dt770 I find has much more mid bass, no real low bass, and the rest of the sound is just recessed.
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We'll just have to agree to disagree then. Audio is subjective so our comments will be as well. Yes, the mids on the DT770s are recessed, yes the bass is overpowering for serious or critical listening but 3D imaging is also much better than the D2000 for FPS gaming. In terms of bass, the D2000's bass in my experience is muddier than the '05 DT770, just not as loud, and overall it's a darker sounding can. Modded, the D2000s have awesome potential but stock, they just don't do it for me.The DT770s '05s are also what I'd call "fun" cans. Sure they are colored but to me they just are more of a hoot to listen to then the D2000s. I kick myself every time I think about not getting on that $106 Amazon DT770 '05 deal. :mad:


Klob said:
Just remembered I've seen Beyerdynamic DT990pro headphpohnes selling on amazon.com for $200.00 while the consumer edition is a lot higher priced. The differences between the two are cosmetic and they both use the exact same driver.
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The two sound similar but despite the use of the same drivers, they do sound different. Highs and mids have changed because of the different cups and dampening pressure. Overall, they are close though. The big difference for me is indeed cosmetic. The old Pros look like they came straight out of a mixing room in the '80s; the old cable is useless and annoying, and the new '05 edition can be had for just $180 used so to me it's worth it. If you're looking for best value however, you can save $20-40 by going with the older Pro model.
 
Hmm, I'm looking at the D2000's still, I can get them for about $250, or $200 assuming buy.com ever gets them back in stock (unlikely). Also now considering the AKG K701's, I've heard multiple recommendations there. Since I'm mostly going to be listening to rock music and playing FPS games, it sounds like the AKG's or Denon's would be a better choice for me.

Oh, and if I didn't mention it before, I do have a headphone amp. There's a TI-based one built into my sound card (The Xonar Essence STX).

I haven't looked into the Beyer's yet, guess that's the next stop.
 
skyline889 said:
The HF-1s, MS2is, and HP1000s are what I would consider great rock cans.
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Never heard an HF1, but I can say that the MS2 is pretty much my favorite in the current lineup short of the RS1. Never heard an HP1000, either.

The SR60s are good but even modded aren't on the same level as the SR225s or MS2is in my opinion.
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With all the stuff i have in it, I like it much more than the sr225. It's not as fatiguing, and more balanced. Not as good as the MS2, though.
 
My Ultrasone HFI-780 died over the weekend. :( I liked them, but they're not the most comfortable set of cans. Gaming and music are my priorities, so I'm looking at the D2000 and K701, too.
 
I've owned the DT-770, K-701, HD-595/600/650, and various other headphones. After auditioning them all I ended up with the Denon D2000s at work and the Ultrasone Edition 9s at home.

The DT-700s are the worst of the lot for music listening, for reasons already mentioned. I don't game with headphones so I don't know about the spatial imaging. The are extremely comfortable to wear if that matters to you.

The K-701s are nice headphones. The size of their soundstage is as big as it gets with headphones, and the mids and highs are great. The bass is there, but just not enough to get me to keep them and tweaking them with an EQ just couldn't make up the difference. They are also very comfortable.

The HD-595s are disappointing with no real bass and anemic highs. Other Sennheisers mentioned cost much more than $200 but are much better headphones.

People keep saying the D2000s have bloated bass, and they do have more bass than I like, but a tweak of the EQ around 150-250 Hz to dim that a bit makes them just right to my ears. They give you great bass without sacrificing any of the rest of the sound spectrum. They are also the most comfortable cans I've had on my head.

Another issue to consider is between "open" vs. "closed" headphones. I have no use for open phones that leak sound, so I only consider closed cans that block sound in and out. It depends on where you'll use them if leaking sound matters. The Beyers and Denons are closed, and the Sennheisers and AKGs are open.
 
I just decided on the D2000's, got a nice deal for $250 shipped tomorrow. Better than waiting until whenever for buy.com.

From what headfi was telling me, the K701's aren't the best for rock.
 
I think the K701s are supposed to be great for classical or some such. I kind of just blew off that tier and got some used electrostatics and I have somewhat diverse musical tastes to start with, so my memory regarding genres is a bit fuzzy. :D
 
skyline889 said:
For rock music and gaming, not a good choice, especially if he's used to the Grado house sound. The Senns don't have the best 3D soundstage for FPS gaming and there are better cans for rock.

The D2000s are nice but the are majorly bloated while stock so I'd go with something like either the DT770 '05/DT990 '05 or the AKG K701s. The K701s won't pummel your head with bass but it is very well balanced, albeit a little sterile. I'd avoid the HD595 and SR225s. YMMV but the whole HD5x5 line for me was a waste of money, very little potential. They were dull, boring, and overall unimpressive. I personally love the SR225s but if the SR80s were uncomfortable, the SR225s will be the same as they both use bowl pads. You can buy HD414 pads or C-Pads to make them more comfortable but to me there's no substitute for a nice comfy pair of circumaural cans.
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Ugh, finding the DT770 '05s new (or old even) became retardedly more difficult in just 2-3 months. They were all over the place just before Christmas.

I would probably go for the D2000s as well.

In either case (DT770/990 '05s or D2000), I suggest anyone looking for them buy sooner rather than later if you see them for a good price. The more you wait, the harder and more expensive they become.
 
Vash63 said:
I just decided on the D2000's, got a nice deal for $250 shipped tomorrow. Better than waiting until whenever for buy.com.

From what headfi was telling me, the K701's aren't the best for rock.
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K701 owns at rock. Most people who have the K701 don't have the proper amp to drive them, IMO. At least, I like the K701 with rock. ACDC, check. Pink Floyd, check. Led Zepplin, check. Buckcherry, check. Goo Goo Dolls, Incubus, Guns N' Roses, 3 Doors Down... Love them all on my K701. Classics and jazz are great too, of course.

Also, I think alot of people complain about just how transparent and amazingly detailed the K701 are. That's why it's "bad" with rock because you can hear all the bad studio/recording work and the grittiness of the electric guitar. But to me, that's a boon. I love rock WITH all its flaws as well as its positives. However, if that's a problem, grab well-produced rock music? KTHX.
 
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