Good Quality Headphones

[mainyard]

I hear that Sennheiser headphones are really good?

I'm looking at buying a pair of phones that will satisfy my needs (etc. deep rich sounding music, and very high quality gaming.) Doesn't need to have 5.1 surround sound or anything like that. Price nothing more than $150-200

Thanks
Tim

 

[mkaibear]

Sennheisers can be good. It's all down to personal preference really.

If you're spending that kind of money, go down to your local hi-fi store with some CDs of music that you listen to, and find some headphones that you like. Don't listen to people saying "this brand is crap" or "that brand is great", buy headphones which *you* like the sound of!

 

[mainyard]

Sennheisers can be good. It's all down to personal preference really.

If you're spending that kind of money, go down to your local hi-fi store with some CDs of music that you listen to, and find some headphones that you like. Don't listen to people saying "this brand is crap" or "that brand is great", buy headphones which *you* like the sound of!

You know what, that's a great idea. However its hard for me to get to a large store that has a good range very often, so I guess I wanted to get some basic ideas on what people seem to like, so when I can get to the store I can pick them out as well as others and try them.

Mkaibear thanks for the reply

 

[Dr_asik]

I'm very satisfied with the Sony pair I bought for 60$ a couple years ago. With them I can hear things I never noticed with my other sound systems in the house.

 

[Centurion]

I have a pair of Sony MDRV900's. I think they are great, plus they are low impedence, so they don't need a separate headphone amp like some of the higher end ones do.

They range from $150 to $250 depending on where you get them though. I got mine for my birthday many years ago. I don't know what the new sony equivalent is.

Just stay away from Bose.

Centurion

 

[gondo]

A good set of Seinheiser can be torn apart, repaired, and rebuilt easily. Parts are redily availalble as Seiheiser is very large compnay and popular. They will always be around. I would lean towards them for this. YOu can easily repair them.

I have friend who is a Pro DJ and he swears by Seinheiser. I saw him take his heardphones apart into pieces, fix them, and rebuilt them easily. ANother company might make something that sounds a bit better, or is a bit cheaper, but does that mean the Seinheisser will sound bad? They will be good enough I garantee you that.

The rebuild factor would make me leans towards Seineisser.

 

[AdamBomb42]

I bought these about a year ago and I love them. Link

 

[apt403]

I love Sennheiser, im listening to a podcast on a pair now.

My next pair of headphones with be a pair of Beyerdynamic though, DT770 Pro's to be exact.

 

[Sickboy32]

You can't go wrong with a pair of Grado's.

I bought the Grado SR-60's this past year and I couldn't be happier. They have been identified in countless reviews as the best value, full-size headphones you can buy.

See Consumer search:
ConsumerSearch Link
or
Audio Review

 

[col-p-todd]

I have the Bose quietcomfort 2 and it is a really nice headset. Bose only makes quality, nothing bad can be said about that. But bose products just really are overpriced. You can get the same quality from some of the other brands for alot less.

Just stay away from Bose.

Centurion

 

[fjabad]

the best baby!!!
http://www.medusa-usa.com/medusa-51-pc-dvd-c-191_193_199.html

 

[pidesd]

well it is known that the best headphones for gaming/music/movies are the sennheiser hd595, beyerdynamic dt770 80 ohm and the audio-technica ath-a900. youre in luck they all retail between 170 and 200 usd. The sennheiser are the best headphones but they lack a little bit of bass (so for games and movies it s not the best) and they are open. The two other are closed so it s good for immersion and lan parties) and they are supposed to have a nice powerful bass( especially the dt770). i think you can t go wrong with any of them but i read a lot of impressions in forums and i would think your best bet would be ath-a900 as they are better all-rounders. Also if you could spring on a x-fi you d have the gamer s dream setup because of eax and cmss-3d features.

They re other headphones in this price range that are good but they lack the exceptionnal 3d positionning which is essential (well the more the better) when you game.

i recommend you to visit www.head-fi.org as it has millions of threads on that

if youre really tight on your budget i d reccomend the cheapest of the three plus an x-fi( i saw one one of them for 60$ somewhere) and i d buy used if you can t break the 200$ mark

 

[mainyard]

Hey everyone that posted, thanks heaps. I will definately check out the sennheiser hd595 and beyerdynamic dt770, ill just have to write down a list of all you suggested so i can check them all when im at the shop.
I didnt know about the sennheisers ability to be stripped and rebuilt, sounds like a really handy feature if they go bad on you.

Thanks again
Tim

 

[pidesd]

should you for the beyerdynamics just make sure it s the 80 ohm version because the 250 ohm ones will probably be underpowered without a seperate amplifier. their full name is beyerdynamic dt770 pro 80 ohm (it think) and you can choose between the open or closed version. if you re not much of an audiophile an gaming is your priority than id let aside the sennheiser hd595 as they lack bass(which is nice for explosions and such) and you probably wont notice much difference in sound quality with mp3 s. but as i said, you cant go wrong with any of them. good luck

 

[mainyard]

Also just wondering, should I completely avoid USB connected phones? Because I want to try a wide range and I want to just make sure that I wouldnt be compromising the experience through easy connectivity

 

[pidesd]

well i dont know about usb jacked heaphones but you probably refer to usb amplifiers/dac or maybe there is a special adapter for heaphones jack i dont know of? i would think though that sound quality trough usb shoulb be fine for what you intend to use your headphones for. But some picky audio pros might notice a difference. i never used usb connected phones so i cant say.

 

[Mobius]

You'll be wanting some "Stax, Electrostatic Ear Speakers" then.

Mine rock the world.

Expect to pay anything from $1,200USD to $19,000USD.

 

[billdcat4]

Yea, Im a full-out Sennheiser Fan. Ive got 3 pairs of HD212 headphones (got one years ago for $100 and 2 more for the theater for $45 a pop), one pair of ummm... damn uh some other Big Sennheiser one that I got for $200, and a pair of PX100 portables. I also recommended the company to a friend who got the HD202.

I had to return my PX100s to Sennheiser to be fixed once, while it was within warranty. I got a brand new pair only 3 days after I mailed out the broken ones. One great thing about the big Sennheiser phones is that they all have removable cables. This is very important because its the most easily broken part of a pair of headphones. My original pair's cable broke after the warranty was over and I ordered a replacement from Sennheisers website for $8.

Overall I have had only good experiences with Sennheiser. I would strongly suggest going for the HD212 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106324

Its too bad that they are 60 bucks now, but what can you do? I bought three of them and they are superb with deep bass and accurate sound. Im no audiophile, but these headphones are all the audio quality I need.

good luck with your decision.

 

[gondo]

Well it's nice the sennheiser has replacable cables. Other high end phones from Grado, etc... might be rebuildable as well, but Sennheiser is big, will never go away, and will always have replacement parts. They have excellent service.

For the difference in price and sound quality I would go Sennheiser without even comparing to other companies. I'd get the set I like from them. And the sound quality should be good enough, unless your an audiophile and pick every octave and frequency apart.

 

[billdcat4]

Well it's nice the sennheiser has replacable cables. Other high end phones from Grado, etc... might be rebuildable as well, but Sennheiser is big, will never go away, and will always have replacement parts. They have excellent service.

For the difference in price and sound quality I would go Sennheiser without even comparing to other companies. I'd get the set I like from them. And the sound quality should be good enough, unless your an audiophile and pick every octave and frequency apart.

Yea, just go for the HD212s theyre great and much cheaper than the DH595s.

 

[mainyard]

Ok Guys, all your suggestions have been greatly appreciated and I thankyou once again for the responses.
I'll let you know how I go, but it might be a while so dont leave the lights on .

Thanks
Tim