Headphone recommendations at ~$150

Snowdensjacket

Snowdensjacket

Limp Gawd
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Apr 10, 2017
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Looking for a wired set of headphones, wired, no mic, in the $150 range. Noise cancellation would be a plus, but not a huge one.

Thx guys for your help.
 
Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones, Semi-Open
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-Professional-Studio-Headphones-Semi-Open/dp/B0167XM092/

Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones - (Certified Refurbished)
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-T50RP-Professional-Studio-Headphones/dp/B01MZWZ5IZ/

Same headphones just one is refurbished. New is $159 and refubs are $127. Those would be my next purchase if something were to happen to my current headphones. I have not heard these headphones myself, but reviews seem to love them. Hopefully the guys here that have owned a set will describe how well built they are and how they sound. Have fun headphone shopping!
 
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cageymaru said:
Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones, Semi-Open
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-Professional-Studio-Headphones-Semi-Open/dp/B0167XM092/

Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones - (Certified Refurbished)
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-T50RP-Professional-Studio-Headphones/dp/B01MZWZ5IZ/

Same headphones just one is refurbished. New is $159 and refubs are $127. Those would be my next purchase if something were to happen to my current headphones. I have not heard these headphones myself, but reviews seem to love them. Hopefully the guys here that have owned a set will describe how well built they are and how they sound. Have fun headphone shopping!
Click to expand...

I heard this headphone needs a good amp because they are harder to drive.
 
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Needs a strong amp and has a small soundstage. Really great sounding but small, heavy and power hungry. If you want a cheap pair of good headphones try the Samson SR850.
 
are you going to be using these headphones near others? / are you going to be traveling with them..

open or semi open headphones are going to leak sound out and in.... so others near by may be distrubed by your headphone and you may be disturbed by whatever they are doing / talking about..etc..

if you are needing isolation / noise cancellation you may want to look at closed headphones.. the ATH-M50X's come to mine.. these are quite popular headphones and do not require an amp.. they are reasonably comfortable and are my work / travel headphones.

at home I mostly use beyerdynamic DT770's which you can get ~near your budget but you'd need an amp...
 
What are you using them for? I'm guessing if NC is a plus you need good isolation? (I.e. open is out?)

No noise cancelling but try Beyerdynamic DT770 or DT 880 if you need closed. Don't get the 600 ohm versions and you will be OK without an amp.

For noise canceling there are some good deals on the old Bose QC25 for $150 right now. I think it's a permanent price drop as that model gets phased out. But I wouldn't recommend them for anything other than when you really need ANC.
 
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DT880 are semi open and leak a lot of sound out..

I own the DT880 250's and the DT770 Pro 80's both of these headphones benefit greatly from a decent amp... for the most part I won't use either of these without an amp..

w/ the 250ohms DT880's they don't do well with my FiiO E07K /E09K combo (imho under-powered)... but are decent with a vintage Kenwood receiver I have on my desk and my Darkvoice 336SE tube headphone amp.

If you don't need portability the DT770s are a great headphone decent sound stage for being closed back and very comfortable.. but they suck for mobility being bulky and having a fixed 3m cable... and really needing a amp.
 
If you're going to use them "away" from others you may want to consider open headphones. The Audio Technica AD700x are great in the low $100s:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B009S33...liid=I375AB3CD1MMF9&colid=1J0LEBUSP27M5&psc=1

Another option is the Sennheiser 598:

https://smile.amazon.com/Sennheiser...qid=1514856261&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+598

I myself have spent most of today researching open vs closed for gaming and music, and both are overall crowd pleasers with great reviews - just be aware that open headphones may not have the strongest bass, if that's something you're after. Personally I'm after bigger soundscape while gaming and an upgrade from my old Corsair Vengeance headset.
 
Holy cow thank you guys for so many recommendations!

I'll have to look into them all in a few weeks.
 
I will add, I ended up going for the Philips SHP 9500S (link) which go for about $70, but I didn't mention them earlier because you were looking for something around $150. That said, after 30+ video reviews on Youtube, it seemed pretty clear to me that most people liked the Philips better as a more neutral approach on highs/mids/lows, whereas the Audio Technica had weaker bass and the Sennheisers are, well twice the price. If you're not focused on a specific price tag, the Philips may be worth your consideration (this review is hard to argue with, Z Reviews is very well known). Mine arrive tomorrow :)
 
The Phillips are great for the money. I go for a larger soundstage bc of gaming. If you ever want to get gaming specific headphones. Try an akg 700 series.
 
I love the turtle beach stealth 450 that I bought! They do not sound bad at all and pretty decent for gaming!
 
I got the Audio-technica AD700X and love them. Huge sound stage and imo sound natural. I read a lot of complaints about the 'lack' of bass, but to me they sound more natural.
 
cageymaru said:
Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones, Semi-Open
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-Professional-Studio-Headphones-Semi-Open/dp/B0167XM092/

Fostex T50RP MK3 Professional Studio Headphones - (Certified Refurbished)
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-T50RP-Professional-Studio-Headphones/dp/B01MZWZ5IZ/

Same headphones just one is refurbished. New is $159 and refubs are $127. Those would be my next purchase if something were to happen to my current headphones. I have not heard these headphones myself, but reviews seem to love them. Hopefully the guys here that have owned a set will describe how well built they are and how they sound. Have fun headphone shopping!
Click to expand...

EvoFreak said:
I heard this headphone needs a good amp because they are harder to drive.
Click to expand...

I owned the Fostex T50RP MK3 for a while -- they are a lot of fun once properly modded (the earpads, while perfectly fine IMO, can be changed out for Shure 1540 pads with better bass -- which is what I did after a week).
The build quality on the Fostex is quite solid and sturdy -- they DEFINITELY need a strong amp, though! No compromises there, otherwise you'll be very disappointed with what comes out of the Fostex.
They're a nice start into planar magnetic headphones (also known as orthodynamic).
However, if you can get a HiFiMan HE-400s or HE-400i for under $200, those are the next level up from the T50RP MK3 (in terms of planar magnetics) -- 400s for warmth (and with Focus pads, smooth listening), 400i for detail. The 400s was a bit more comfortable (over 3hr period) than the 400i.
I used to own the 400s, and still have the 400i (as my backup to my Beyerdynamic Amiron Home), and was able to make comparisons between the T50RP MK3, the 400s, and the 400i (all at the same time).

Edit: Tyll Hertsen's lists are nice ways to go, too:

 
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Just adding my 2 cents about Fostex T50RP.

I have a set of Massdrop x Fostex T-X0 which is essentially the Fostex T50RP MKII with some minor enhancement.

This headphones do indeed need an amplifier to drive it. I am driving this headphones using Sound Blaster E1. It is advertised as a DAC/Amplifier combo by Creative. I got an used one for about $23 on EBay. They are between $20 and $30 for a used or reimbursed one.
 
euskalzabe said:
I will add, I ended up going for the Philips SHP 9500S (link) which go for about $70, but I didn't mention them earlier because you were looking for something around $150. That said, after 30+ video reviews on Youtube, it seemed pretty clear to me that most people liked the Philips better as a more neutral approach on highs/mids/lows, whereas the Audio Technica had weaker bass and the Sennheisers are, well twice the price. If you're not focused on a specific price tag, the Philips may be worth your consideration (this review is hard to argue with, Z Reviews is very well known). Mine arrive tomorrow :)
Click to expand...
I’m not generally a believer in letting speaker drivers break in, but I didn’t like the philips at first listen. I let them play the radio for a day or so unused and came back to them and I’ve liked them ever since. They hit way above their pricepoint!

I’ve listened to a lot of different headphones - at audio trade shows, and local enthusiast audio meet ups, and just in buying my own stuff.
 
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Great thread!! Found lots of great recommendations!

Thank you to all who contributed!
 
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