Best ear/head phones for under $100!

Which pair are the best? Wired, wireless, in-ear, over-head, it doesn't matter.

My budget is $100, and I want the absolutely best I can get for that price. I've been looking around, and the general consensus is that Sennheiser are the best brand to chose from. Is it true?

Help please.

Thank you.

 

I've set my eyes on Sennheiser HD-555 Audiophile Headphones. Opinions?

 

I try to adhere to the KISS-principle in all things in life –not least audio.
That means wired first and foremost –better bang for the buck, less hassle, no batteries, amplifier, and receiver in the headphones, and no transmitter on the audio player (or whatever the gadget might be). Which leaves the money to be spent on the audio playback itself, resulting in better quality within a given budget/size/volume.

All of this brings me to the HD-555 "Audiophile" headphones. To me, that's like writing "Pro Mountain Equipment" on a mountain bike selling at $100. It usually means the direct opposite of what it caims.

The HD-555 has "a special internal surround reflector which generates an extended spatial sound field". Well, to me, that's marketing speech for "We don't care about the actual reproduction of audio, instead we are introducing a bit of reverb and delays to make sure you will never get close to the audio as it's supposed to sound".

I do like Senny headphones. Until last year I used the HD25-1s for my audio work (and most of the pleasure listening as well), but I ran into some problems getting a spare part (because of a poor dealership), so I bought the same pair, only mark II (the cable is tad different) a couple of months ago. The HD25-1s are the de facto monitoring standard when out and about.

Anyway, they have a little-sister, the HD25-SP, which aren't quite as adjustable, but pretty good, nonetheless. Oh, and they're both closed headphones.

Oh, and here's something that is purely a matter of taste: I don't like circumaural headphones. They're too warm, too big and I find them way too heavy for the most part. Most of them are open headphones too, which, is really bad for monitoring/listening in a noisy environment.

 

Agreed, you need to stick to wired for the best quality. Wireless + Audio don't mix.

We need some more information besides a $100 budget:
-Where are you going to use these headphones - home, office, on-the-go, etc
-What kind of music do you listen to
-What equipment do you use now and what do you think of it

Side notes: there is no such thing as a 'best' headphone or anything like that. I tend to avoid the use of the word 'best' in any context. Also, sound equipment is extremely subjective; the recommendations you get will vary from person to person; sometimes people will have polar opposite opinions.

 

I'm no audiophile but I was recently shopping for a few headphones myself. So here's the little information I can give you.
It's all opinions, there is no best. It's like asking which computer is the best? It all depends on what you need, what you want, what you prefer. Your personal audio preferences (how you like your music to sound - for example, with a lot of bass) could be very different than the preferences of someone else.
On this message board we need a lot of information to help people pick a computer (what they want, what they need it for, etc) and buying headphones requires the same amount of input.
You can't really ask "which is best"... some people hate in-ear headphones. I use them in certain situations. You should really be more specific about what you want or need them for. Give us more information here.

No Sennheiser isn't the best brand. That's all a matter of opinion. Yes, they make great headphones from what I hear. There are also a lot of other headphone companies out there that make high quality headphones at a reasonable price.

Okay enough of my little rant.
First I'll point you in the right direction:
Headphone reviews
Head-fi forum

I've looked at the Sennheiser HD-555 when I was shopping around for headphones.
I did not buy them for the following reasons:
They are open-air headphones (have an open grille on the back of the earcup, exposing the driver to the outside and allowing sound waves to propagate away from the ear freely). So if you plan on using them in a public place, everyone else will hear your music.
After reading reviews, I heard they were not very comfortable (too tight).
Though the main reason I did not buy them was due to the fact they were open-air.

I own: Denon AHD1001K (Closed air circumaural headphones. Yes, Amazon says they are on-ear but they actually go around).
Sennheiser CX 400 In-Ear Headphone
Bose In-Ear Headphones

Both the Sennheiser CX-400 and Denon AHD1001K are good headphones (from my experience) and are at a reasonable price. Worth looking into.

 

these are very good:

http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestig...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238089094&sr=1-4

 

There you go gentlemen!

 

As far as I know, open-air headphones are fine. In fact, they can offer better sound quality than an equivalent closed headphone.
The only reason you might not like them is due to the sound leaking. But since you plan on using them at home and don't care who hears your music, then it shouldn't be an issue.
I sometimes use my headphones at work, and I wouldn't want to bother everyone around me so I wanted closed headphones. Like I said, different preferences for different people.

Well I was seriously considering those Sennheiser headphones when I was shopping around. So they seem like a good option, or look around.
Have a look at the Denon I mentioned above.

 

An open headphone can give you better sound quality; a closed headphone is capable of more bass, but these are general rules and there are many exceptions. Nothing is 'for sure' when it comes to audio equipment. The opinions you get from people are going to vary widely as noted, so make sure you get a lot of opinions and try to pull out a general idea of what the headphones are like.
Make sure you do a lot of research before you spend $100. The Head-Fi forums Thibault mentioned are awesome, but they are quite technical over there and you might get lost/confused. Still worth visiting before you buy though.

At any rate, I suggest the audio technica ATH-AD700 open-air headphones. They're big, but they are awesome in terms of sound quality for the money and their soundstage (dimension, essentially). They are well-built and comfortable If you like a lot of bass, you might not like them. There is bass, but it is not very prominent.

You might be able to get a pair of Denon D1001 under $100, though I doubt it. They are a closed headphone and have better bass.

The equipment you are using now is not exactly top-notch, to put it lightly; it would be difficult to find something worse.

 

Easy (although this is not hardware):
He could be using effects and equalizers and listening to not only lossy files, but poorly ripped ones at 64kbps.

 

No, I don't use any effects or such, and more that 90% of my audio files are FLAC or APE, ripped at around 1000 kbps. The remaining arer MP3s, and are ripped at 320 kbps (they are still MP3s because I don't ever listen to them, so I haven't gotten their FLAC/APE counterparts).

 

When Chaz talks about "the equipment" I think he means that you use the laptop's earphone plug –i.e. the hardware itself.

Btw., I have a pair os Grado PS-1s and used to own a pair of Grado RS-1s. People say good things about their cheaper siblings – the SR-80s I believe. Those are - to what I hear pretty good for their price. They are supraaurals (as I like headphones to be) and open.

 

Yeah - it's a combination of both. The signal quality from the laptop is probably abysmal, as is the sound quality coming from the Creative earbuds. Unless you're a trained listener though, and sound is something you spend a lot of time with, then the signal quality doesn't matter (for you). Let's just focus on what ultimately produces the sound, the speaker.

I recently sold my Alessandro MS-1 (which are a like a hybrid Grado SR-80/SR-125). The Grado SR-80 Persnickety mentioned are very close to them. They are open but have much better bass than the ATH-AD700. They are excellent for rock music. What they lack is soundstage - they basically give the impression of being on stage at a concert, everything is in your face. The ATH-AD700 are like sitting five rows back at a concert, much more relaxed. I do not consider the SR-80 to be comfortable; in the years I owned them, I could never wear them for more than 45 minutes. You can of course mod them to be more comfortable.

I'll throw out another choice for you, the AKG K81DJ. They're not the greatest-sounding headphones but certainly better than what you have. They have a lot of bass and are closed. Also, they are well under your budget.

One way or another, I think the Denon D1001 are really what you are looking for. Unfortunately they're out of your budget . . .

Edit: Try the audio-technica ATH-A700s - note they are not the same as the A D700s. They are closed and have decent bass. See if you can find them for around $100.

 

I'd say that you should save more money and increase your budget. And as far as what Chaz was saying, he was right, the most important part is the monitors(speakers/headphones) then the source, which is your sound card, then after that the file quality. Of course thats considering you don't have any very low quality rips. But in reality, now days everything you can buy from itunes or where ever is usually pretty good quality, not as good as lossless, but definitely good enough that you have to be running very good equipment to need to upgrade the files.

 

Unfortunately, I quit my job a while back, and they don't accept handsomeness as a currency.

I'd be the richest man alive, if they did!

 

If you want the most informed answers, ask your question on www.head-fi.org... lots of serious earphone/headphone geeks over there.

EDIT: If you go there, be careful not to get sucked too deep into the audiophile scene... it is hazardous to your financial health.

 

I think it does. Lots of people bray GRADO!!!! but if you're using these in a variety of places, then an open headphone can be completely useless.

Where will you be using them most?

 

Here.



.

 

Take a look at AKG they seem to have some good stuff.

 

In general:

Open headphones would be bad if you are in a noisy environment, but they sound very natural because they are like speakers. Sound would leak out of your headphones, but sound would also leak into your headphones through the grills. Do not take these to the library!

Closed headphones isolate you from your (noisy) environment. They tend to be bassier than open headphones but may have smaller sound stage. These are headphones you can take to the library.

The Senn HD 555 are a pretty good pair of open headphones. They sound really warm (boosted mid-bass) and have great mids, but the bass is not aggressively boomy. They sound laid-back and smooth. IMHO they may not be the best for hip-hop music but they are good for instrumental and acoustics like jazz and classical. They might be okay for certain types of rock but perhaps not metal.

A lot of people's opinions of headphones are subjective so be sure to match your headphones with the right environment, type of music, and personal tastes.

 

Oh OK. Open then. I'd say go with your first choice - they're decent.

 

I'll go to the Sennheiser showroom and test a few others as well.

 

All right chaz, I've looked around and there is a Denon dealer near my place, I've contacted him regarding the price and availabilty of the headphones and he'll get back to me soon. I think I might be able to come up with some more money to buy them.

So it is Sennheiser HD-555 vs Denon AH-D1001.

The thing is, if I do spend more money and buy Denon, and they don't turn out to be what you're making them out to be....I'd look over my shoulder for the rest of my life if I were you!

 

If I didn't think Denon was good, would I have recommended them? You can see my setup in the attached image. I use a pair of Denon D2000s with my setup, which I am going to get upgraded with a new cable soon. Trust me, Denon is good quality sound equipment.

 

Holy crap!

Also, you have Denon D2000, and you're recommending me Denon D1001 (which is almost half of what you have)? Let's see though. I'll be calling Sennheiser tomorrow, just to have another option open.

 

Weird, in that picture they almost look like CNC'd alu.

 

The D1001s have a similar sound signature. They'll sound nice.

Make sure you get the Denons from an authorized dealer, otherwise you won't get warranty support.

 

LOL, you know, it's a question of diminishing returns. One can easily recommend a cheaper sibling as they often times will have some of the same qualities. Go check the prices of the Grado SR-1s I recommended, an then put that against the (no longer owned by me) RS-1s (yup, not a typo - they're different) and my currently owned PS-1s (also from Grado).
http://www.google.com/search?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&q=grado+PS-1

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=60733
(No, it's not my post - mine aren't for sale. Ever. Well at least it's not likely in the near future).

When you get "into" headphones you will realise that it is a cheap(ish) way of enjoying great music without having to fork out say, $30.000 for amplifiers, speakers and so on. Compared to that, it's cheap.

However, it's still a very big question of diminishing returns.

 

Agreed, diminishing returns are the question. From my experience in headphones, it happens right after you overstep the $100 - $150 mark. From there on up you will spend a lot more for a smaller gain in sound quality. My Denon D2000s were twice as much as my audio technica ATH-AD700s, but they aren't twice as good. However, that doesn't deter me from upgrading, because I like any improvement.

Sound quality as I noted is almost entirely subjective . . . so you will get varying opinions from whoever you talk to, regardless of their audio background.

 

Jesus guys, I was goofing (read "which is almost half of what you have")! Take it easy!

Where do I find speakers and an amplifier for $30?

 

I completely agree, with the exception of the price. My idea would be just uner double that, but that has more to do with the exchange rate and the fact that we have a sales tax (vat) of 25 percent in this country

 

I don't know about Denon D1001 but AudioTechnica ATH-AD700 >>> Senn HD555. I had both at one point and gladly ditched the HD555. The AD700 is better in nearly every area.

 

We are taking it easy. Both of us are pretty relaxed (well, Chaz seems as relaxed as me if not more), and we were merely explaining something. You know, audio aren't really an area where snake oil salesmen have been weeded out, nor an area where most know even the basics. Anyway, from the looks of it, we're both just into headphones and like good stuff. And that's it.

It's the non-US way of representing numbers – hence the 3 (three) ciphers after the period.

UK, Denmark, Germany, et al: 30.000 = Thirty thousand
US: 30,000 = Thirty thousand

UK, Denmark, Germany, et al: 30.00= 30
US: 30,00= Thirty.


Notice that you can always tell by the amount of ciphers after the punctuation. Just like everything else in the metric system. Oh wait!

 

I love it how you think non-US = only Europe!

 

I don't. And it's way more than "Europe" – that was what the "et al" was for.

In fact, I find it much more funny that you didn't even recognise that people from other countries used the period instead of a comma. But hey, I can't read japanese, nor chinese or any other language not based on the kind of letters you see here. At least I am not dumbfounded by someone using a period instead of a comma

Anyway, if you don't like us talking about headphones or are appalled by it somehow, you're more than welcome to put me on ignore – assuming this board allows for it.

 

What?

 

I think it was just a misunderstanding, let's pick up the conversation where we left off.

 

Deleted by author ...

 

Simply put, I would go for the Grado SR60 or Grado SR80.

 

1) They're not available here.

2) They're uncomfortable.

 

So, it looks like it is Sennheiser HD 555 then, which are being sold at $150! I might take a look at Sennheiser HD 485, which are being sold at $100.

 

I'm a huge fan of shure's.

 

Can't you order from teh_internets? I'd try them out in a store then get the off the net, if possible.

 

No, I'd rather not take a chance.

 

What chance?

 

Of them going crap after some time, and then having to ship them back (God knows where), and then waiting for them to be delivered, only to find out that something else has gone wrong in the process.

 

lol.. get the HD555, they are WAY better than the HD485... I can't even stress the world of difference in them in words.

You will be most happy with a pair of HD555's.

 

Shame that you can't get the Denon D1001.

Have you looked for the audio-technica ATH-A700?

 

Had the HD555 and wasnt too happy with it. To each his own I guess.