Good cans <$70?

O

Oline61

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Aug 8, 2005
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I'm looking for a pair of decent headphones to use for listening to music on my computer. I have a small Aiwa shelf system that I feed with optical SPDIF from my computer. The headphone output on the Aiwa sounds much better than the AC97 even on cheapo headphones that came with an old portable CD player. My budget is <$70 for just the phones.

I like to listen to a lot of older country (Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings), bluegrass (Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Flatt & Scruggs), southern rock (Charlie Daniels Band, Allman Brothers), and some newer stuff (Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Audioslave). These cans will be used for music most of the time with the occasional late-night movie.

I have looked at the Sennheiser HD 465, Grado SR60, and the AKG K 81 DJ. I am not opposed to considering other models though. I am concerned about sound, durability, and comfort. I hear the Grados are uncomfortable (I also hear they have the best sound in my budget). Can someone with experience tell me to what extent, and if bending the headband to conform to your head will help (as Headroom suggests)?

Unlike so many people these days I prefer balanced sound to a huge boomy bass boost. I want strong, accurate bass from my headphones, but if I want to experience the bass I'll fire up my speakers and sub.

Thanks for your help,
Oline61
 
How about the PX-100? They look like a pair of dollar store headphones, but are well worth the 70CDN I paid for them. They're lightweight, comfortable and sound great. Best under 100$ earphones i could find.
 
i bought some px-100 (well actually pmx-100, same sound, different form factor) and they are well worth the $25 I paid for them, but i think I would want something that covers my ear for in home listening. I use my pmx-100 at the gym and running since they were cheap and sound good for the price, but I prefer larger "cans" for at-home listening.

I have the sennheiser hd-202's and the bass is overpowering sometimes, but for the <$30 price tag I really like them. I also have the eh-150 and they sound very flat to me, but I never even bothered breaking them in.
 
HD485 is a headphone to consider.

Grados aren't' really all around headphones-they sound great with rock music but they don't have very wide soundstage and won't work well for games and movies.

Actually, just look for a used HD555. I've seen them go for $60 before. From what you describe, they'd be JUST what you're looking for.
 
You can get Sony MDR-v6 for around $65 on amazon. They are a nice pair of headphones. Google them.
 
m3ta1head said:
Actually, just look for a used HD555. I've seen them go for $60 before. From what you describe, they'd be JUST what you're looking for.
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Whoa! If I can score a pair of those that would make my day. There are some on eBay for $69 right now. I'll try to land a pair of those. Thanks for the advice :D.
 
I've got a bid in on a pair on ebay. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I'm sure my stereo can drive these fine, but would there be any sq benefit in building a cmoy amplifier. I might build a really cheap one for fun anyway, but if I could get some experience with them and then move up to a better op amp would I be able to get better sq than my stereo?
 
Oline61 said:
I've got a bid in on a pair on ebay. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I'm sure my stereo can drive these fine, but would there be any sq benefit in building a cmoy amplifier. I might build a really cheap one for fun anyway, but if I could get some experience with them and then move up to a better op amp would I be able to get better sq than my stereo?
Click to expand...

There'd be a small but noticeable benefit in sound quality. Bass would probably tighten up and the cans would sound fuller. What would be much more beneficial, however, would be the learning experience of building one yourself. I can't really see the HD555 benefiting a great deal from any high end amps, but you'll definitely notice a difference if you get something along those lines.

Go for it!
 
The HD555's came today and put a big grin on my face. They sound spectacular. Much more dynamic than my old discman headphones. When I go back to the old phones it sounds like my ears are clogged with ear wax. I'll get some pictures up in the picture thread later.

Thanks for the suggestion, m3ta1head. I'll start looking at a cmoy now, although that may end up being a summer project.

Thanks again everyone for the help,
Oline61
 
Grados are VERY uncomfortable. Obviously, subjective from person-to-person, but even with bowls...blargh.

If you are considering it, find a B&M that'll let you at least try them on. The biggest problem with Grados is wearing them for a few hours. E.g. I tried doing a cram session with them, and after an hour or so, my ears/head/neck were hurting. Hard to describe if you haven't worn them before, but anyone who has any experience with them will understand.
 
very tiny difference using an amp on the HD555, they are easy to drive :)
 
Oline61 said:
The HD555's came today and put a big grin on my face. They sound spectacular. Much more dynamic than my old discman headphones. When I go back to the old phones it sounds like my ears are clogged with ear wax. I'll get some pictures up in the picture thread later.

Thanks for the suggestion, m3ta1head. I'll start looking at a cmoy now, although that may end up being a summer project.

Thanks again everyone for the help,
Oline61
Click to expand...

Good to hear man-enjoy the headphones!

Oh, and if you value your wallet, stay away from headfi (you might contract upgraditis like the rest of us :eek: )
 
second vote for PX100 for a mobile unit. Cons=no attenuation of outside noise, imperfect highs. Pros= close copy cat sound of the high end sennheiser line. They get you a good 60 percent. I would avoid grados, because of durability issues. My sr200s have one ear piece that popped off of the metal rod and I had to cable tie it lol. The cords on grados are maddening to the 10th degree. They twist and turn like an ambitious politician.
 
lol he already scored a pair of 555s. Enjoy them. They are great entry level headphones for sure. Good for movies and games too.
 
I have HD 465's. I love them and they sound great, are durable as they have lasted half a year in my conditions. The HD 485's are just a little bit more.


At first they seem uncomfortable but after I have used them for hundreds of hours of use it kind of "meshed" to my head.

Amazon.com, and etc. The 465's are like $50-60 give or take $5 new shipped...the 485's were like $20 more.


I honestly can't see much of a reason to buy better speakers for home use unless you have a high income, extreme hobby. DVD's, music, games, using them for listening to output from my midi keyboard and studio use even....they rule. I wish my girlfriend got the 485's. I bet they would have even more bass.

My friend bought the "$150" pair, or got them for a present....Sennheiser RF wireless...I forgot the model and everything, but they sucked. Thats like number one rule haha.

The HD series are plasticy, I can take pic's.... also the ear muff deals you can buy new ones I think in case yours get dirty.
DJ's get funky ear's because they wear headphones with low amount of air movement, stale warm temps = yaaaah know.
These Sennheisers feel beautiful.


Go to a real home audio store that carries sennheiser and try them on. They also will probably stock Shure, and other nice home theater headphones.

Guitar Center will have a more unique selection probably. But if you go look on all the headphone sites you notice people using pre-amps, and etc. But these people have the frequency response charts of the headphones so you can read how they should perform.

You can't realllly go to a place to look at speakers, or t.v.'s without getting a fair hearing.(as if you owned it for months and read the manual for your $2300 HDTV you got for $1400). You would know the ways to make things work or look / sound better. The people at many stores can pick a certain receiver, or change to a preset that makes the midrange sound muddy. So you prefer speaker brand A. that needs to be pushed.

So when you go to circuit city and best buy and your more local shops...you don't know how it's setup so it could look entirely better sometimes. So I think listening to headphones and trying to make a comparison is almost useless.when you can read the graphs and they will tell you the real deal whats up. I say almost because the graph might not tell you if the mid's lack the warmth your looking for entirely.
It's always in the install....bring your own ipod or something to listen to them on. You own it, you know the EQ....you know what sounds good on it.

HD5xx series = more money and its high end stuff. That much investment I would surely not only try the headphones on and look at the graphs but listen to all the brands out there you can.
 
You could probably snag a pair of ATH-A500s for about $80. They're closed, comfy, and fairly lively in terms of sound, though the bass is just a little over-enthusiastic.
 
I appreciate all the replies everyone, but I've already bought a pair of cans :D.

I'm sorry I took so long to get the pictures up, but here they are.

Again, thanks very much to everyone who gave me advice. Right now I am considering upgrading hardware in my signal path upstream of my headphones including a potential cmoy project. I have definitely caught the bug after listening to my first good pair of headphones. I will try to stay away from Headfi though :eek:.
 
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