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looking for headphones under $100

M

Max-Powers

Gawd
Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Messages
558
I had some crappy wallmart headphones, but it broke. So whats a good set thats under 100? be very cool if its under $50. i play games, watch tv, and listen to music on my computer.

msi k8n neo4 onboard sound.
 
Senheisser HD280 Pro headphones. Either that or Grado SR-80s. Grado is hard to find and Sennheisser is a lot easier to get. DIfferences are the Grados are open type and Senn's are closed type.

Open: Speakers are open so the air around the speakers can flow with the atmosphere around you.
Pros: Possibly better sound, you can hear things around you.
Cons: Everyone can hear what you are listening to, Bass is usually not good.

Closed: The speakers are sealed in the headphone body, so air is kept sealed inside the headphones.
Pros: Good sound, excellent bass, closes you off from the outside world.
Cons: Dangerous if you are outside because you literally cannot hear things around you, crappy sealed designs create horrible headphones.

Sennheissers are excellent cans and are considered the brand to get for under $100. Grado is very respected and if you can get a pair I would test them out as well. By the way, both headphones have low impedance. What does this mean? It takes less power for the reciever to make them loud. In other words, portable music players won't have trouble getting them loud. Does that answer your question?

Your soundcard is a realtek ALC850 chip, which isn't amazing but not bad either. If you are serious consider picking up a sound card that uses the VIA Envy 24 chipset. The headphones should be bought first though.
 
I would not recommend Grados for gaming. They have absolutely no soundstage, so you wont be able to hear things around you very good. Most Sennheisers have a good soundstage, including the HD280 which is in your pricerange. For onboard sound, I would recommend a pair of Sennheiser HD497s and a sound card...
 
I suggest taking a look at Headphone Reviews to help narrow down your choices. If you want a more specific recommendation from us, then you'll need to tell us what kind of music you listen (among other things).

Do you need/want the headphones to block ambient noise? If so, then you'll want to look at closed (aka sealed) headphones, or possibly even canalphones. Open headphones aren't good for isolation, since you can hear everything around you easily (and the people around you can often hear your headphones). Unless your computer is very quiet, then you will hear it easily through open cans. Sealed headphones will help reduce the amount of fan noise that reaches your ears, but often at the cost of some sound quality.

There are other considerations as well, but answering the above questions should help narrow down the choices quite a bit.

If I had to make a recommendation based on what little info you gave us, I'd have to say that the Sennheiser HD280s would be a good choice. They are relatively inexpensive at $100 (or less) and they sound good even without a headphone amp. However, one of the the most important thing about the 280s is that their sealed design helps to reduce computer fan noise.
 
i listen to lots of rock music. i love bass. i play CS:S, warcraft 3, cnc generals and talk to friends online while playing all the time. (just use a desktop mic) watch tv alot too (good sound quality for that isnt important. ) closed sounds like what I want, so I dont have to listen to my room mate. the 280s are a little expensive. is it worth it compaired to the 497?
my speakers are z-5500. what sound card would you recomend? under $125 my speakers sound great, but prolly because I have never had better.
 
If you love bass the 497 aren't for you from what i've heard. I'd give the 280's a try they have a pretty good bass response that goes deep.
 
Look up the deal on HD-497s from Amazon that is posted in the Hot Deals section. I just picked some up and they are very nice for the price....I think they are about $38 shipped.
 
If he wants to seal out noise, the HD280 is really the best bet at this price level. Ask my cube mate. My current phones, Ultrasone HFI 650s (also closed), attenuate a good bit of noise, but the HD280s were much quieter. He had to e-mail me whenever he wanted my attn.
 
GodsMadClown said:
http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~463755.asp

Dynamic HD280 Professional Closed Circumaural Headphone Reconditioned by Sennheiser

Price : $57.94 Add another $6 for s/h.
Click to expand...
I'd say that this is preferable over the 497s. I've owned both the 497s and the 280s and, personally, I think the 280s sound considerably better. They seem more balanced and have a good bass extension, though bass impact is a bit on the lean side. The 497s sound 'muddy' in comparison and the mids recessed.

The 280s are not as portable, but I find them more comfortable since they are a circumaural design (the padding doesn't rest on the ears) and the sealed design is a huge plus for noise-reduction. They do put a bit of pressure on the sides of your head; some people might be put off by it. The 280s are less durible than the 497s; my 280's headband is starting to crack after a month of heavy usage. Some people don't have this problem, but it's common enough to comment on. Nothing a piece of duct-tape can't fix though.

Regardless, either one will be considerably better than your old Wal-mart headphones, so you really can't go too wrong with either. There are also many other headphones that are possibly worth considering such as the Sennheiser HD201, Audio Technica A500, or the Grado SR60, but I can't really comment on them since I've never heard them. However, the 201s seem to be quite popular as a killer bargain headphone.
 
sounds like ill bounce for the HD280. on newegg they are $99. the one at eCOST is a refurb. dont really care for refurb. thx for the help, guess I will start my newegg shopping cart
HD280 $99
corsair 512-3200xl (to go along with the same stick I got a month ago) $98
sound card?
 
I don't have any experience with refurbished Sennheisers yet (my refurb 600s should arrive today, yay!), but I have heard that they are pretty good. I'd imagine most of them were returns after a bit of light usage (or no usage).

Regardless, make sure you burn-in the 280s before passing judgement on them. They need considerable burn-in before they sound their best and they will sound like crap when you first start using them. They will sound considerably better even after an hour and a day of using them.
 
saturnine2 said:
I would not recommend Grados for gaming. They have absolutely no soundstage, so you wont be able to hear things around you very good. Most Sennheisers have a good soundstage, including the HD280 which is in your pricerange. For onboard sound, I would recommend a pair of Sennheiser HD497s and a sound card...
Click to expand...

Can you clarify what you mean by "absolutely no soundstage"? I have the Grado SR-80 and I use it for gaming but I'm not sure if that's any worse than any other headphone with "soundstage".

-J.
 
SockMan! said:
Regardless, either one will be considerably better than your old Wal-mart headphones, so you really can't go too wrong with either. There are also many other headphones that are possibly worth considering such as the Sennheiser HD201, Audio Technica A500, or the Grado SR60, but I can't really comment on them since I've never heard them. However, the 201s seem to be quite popular as a killer bargain headphone.
Click to expand...

Sennheiser HD 201

Our jaws just dropped when we first heard this headphone. You have to understand how bad cheap, big, sealed cans usually sound, but Sennheiser got it amazingly right with the sound of these cans. Sure they are a bit uneven, but they just sparkle and sing in an unusually good way. These are the perfect headphone to give as a gift because the reciever will always be amazed at how good they sound; and they are the perfect headphone for comercial uses like museums and dental chairs first because they are cheap, and then because your clients will appreciate the pleasant experience of good sound.

This inexpensive plastic headphone is rather plain looking, but beneath its utilitarian exterior you'll find a build quality that will withstand the rigors of being beat around the home/office for a very long time. The black and silver plastic earpiece has a circular pleather earpad that surrounds the ear. The earpiece attatches to a very traditional bail that tilts and swivels a limited amount, and slides up and down on into the connecting headband to adjust for fit. It has a ten foot cable that connects in a "Y" to both earpieces, and terminates in a mini-connector. An adapter to 1/4 inch plug is included.

-Quoted From headroom.com.

Since you are coming from a crappy Wal-Mart headphone, this is THE headphone to get for your budget. Don't worry about the other kinds, just go for the 201's. I've heard them and they sound great, especially for the price. Only $25 dollars or less.

-J.
 
From what I can tell from reading online, the 280s sound quite a bit better and attenuate outside noise better than just about any other full-sized headphone; 201s included. Whether or not it's worth the additional cost is up to you.

Like I said, I've never tried the 201s out personally, so I can't really comment on them. But if they're really that good, then they might be a good alternative to the 280s for those on a much more restricted budget.
 
I'm sure that there are about 10 different $25 headphones that can beat his walmart things, but regarding bang/buck, you can't beat refurb Sennheiser deals. I've seen outstanding ones at Amazon and Ecost.

I'll say it again, if he is looking to seal out noise, the HD280 phones are superb. The fact that you can get them for ~$65 shipped also makes them ideal for the OP's price constraints.
 
My Senn HD600 refurbs from Amazon came with no physical blemishes at all. It came with the box, papers, everything. If it didn't have the refurb sticker on the bottom of the box, it could probably pass for new.

I'm thinkin about picking up those HD201's just to try out/play with. Probably order them in a couple weeks. I'll let you guys know how they sound.

Edit: I'm a gud speeler.
 
I own a pair of Sony MDR-V6's, Grado SR80's, and Sennhesier 497.

I personally prefer the 497's at the moment - the MDR-V6's are getting old and the 3.5 connector results in some static, and the Grado's aren't as comfortable - this might change if I bought new earpads for the cans though. I kind of like the senn's "newer" look, but the Grados classic look is also nice.

The above three all have great audio fidelity.

the MDR-v6 is hard to find now, except on ebay

the SR80is available at most audiophile stores

the senn 497's are available everywhere.
 
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