Best ear/head phones for under $100!

I did, chazster, and there's nothing but Sennheiser available here, and they have all the shebangs like a showroom, a repair center, and an administrative office located near where I live. So I think the safest bet for me would be to buy Sennheiser HD 555. I was very happy with the crap I had, so I think the difference between these and Denons wouldn't be a difference to me at all, if you smell what I'm cooking.

 

Well if you're not willing to buy online and the only thing near you is Sennheiser, then go for it!
I don't see any other options really.

 

Sennheiser is great... denon's aren't necessarily better... it all depends on price and who's listening.

If you were happy with a pair of crappy ipod earbuds... then HD555's are kinda outdoing that by a LONG shot. Denon's, in the same price range aren't necessarily better but they would have a different sound signature.

 

Sounds like that is the safest way to go then . . . I never listened to the HD 555s so I don't have any experience with them. But hey, they should most definitely be a huge upgrade from what you had. Report back with your findings.

 

i love my skull candy full metal jackets, best earbuds i ever bought, only cost 24 bucks at TJmaxx

 

Without question, the best buy is the Grado SR60. The Sennies are very good too, but the Grados outclass them. They're supercrisp, airy, and yield an oh so sweet mid-range that is unmatched under $100. At $69, these can't be beat.

The reason these bad boys aren't well known is that the Grado company relies entirely on word of mouth advertising by rabid fans (like me) and would rather sell only to well informed buyers. If look around on high-end audio forums, you'll quickly realize that these Grados are one of the best deals out there in electronics.

Edit: Read that you 1. can't find them in a brick and mortar 2. don't like their earpads

1. Grados have a strong reputation for being reliable products. If you'd still like strong support, buy from a reputable seller listed on head-fi.
2. The SR80 has nicer pads some say. You could always carve the foam to fit as you'd like them to on the SR60, though I'd understand how this would drive you to a senn instead.

 

The SR60's also have a pretty good reputation for being lacking in the bass department, I cannot say for certain as I have not actually used them myself. But from all the people I've talked extensively to about sound equipment they say they don't have as much bass. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a different sound than what some want.

 

As far as earbuds go, I like the V-Moda Vibes. Not the greatest sound quality, but they look fantastic and work well with iPhone.

 

if you fancy saving some money, have a look at sennheiser cx300 earbuds. they are similar to your old creative ones, and are pretty cheap.
the 555's have had some good reviews too, but i wouldnt go any less than those.
or koss porta pros. since your not too bothered about upgrading too much and just want bank for buck, these are good headphones and very cheap. saves you $70 getting them. ive had mine 4 years now and show no signs of weakness.

 

lol, how dare you even say the CX300's up against the 555's. Honestly, the CX300's are JUNK if you ask me. I use them for headphones that I absolutely intend on breaking. Yes they are nice for the price now, but still, that doesn't mean that they absolutely get crushed by other headphones. Get the 555's.

 

The CX300 have less detail then the 555. I have the "better" CX400 and they sound inferior to the 555. They are decent for "budget" IEMs, but they are not better than the 555.

 

Thats right... you'd have to spend a hell of a lot more for a pair of IEM's that sound better than a pair of HD555's.

 

i have http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=11038874

they are pretty nice sounding, i use them alot when working out in the gym or listening to music when someone is watching tv, they are a bit pricey because its sony but if you have a sony outlet around you, you should beable to get them for about $69.00

 

I'll say ER4P is the best earphone I used so far.

 

$24?!?!

Why in God's name would you pay that much for Skullcandy headphones?

 

I picked these up for $80 on boxing day, haven't even thought of switching to another pair ever since:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10091641&catid=24921

 

Look into a pair of Etymotic ER6is. They sound better and have 1000x better isolation for $85 US.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/shops/stor...placeID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sellerID=A2O3JFH4USKZJE

Legit or no?

 

Yeah that seems legit.

 

Between the D1001 and AD700, I much prefer the D1001. AD700 has an anemic bass.

 

Might as well add that perhaps picking up a Fiio E5 for $20 or so to add on isn't a bad idea neither.

 

What's that, and how will it help me?

 

Its a headphone amp and it makes headphones sound better. It makes them louder and the Fiio E5 also has a gain switch, which adds more bass.

 

The grado's are a great bang for their buck, but i wouldn't say they're better than senns 595's, nor would i really compare them. it's like apples and oranges. Grados just go for a different sound signature than sennheisers, so it's really preference. I use grados for when I'm listening to rock/metal/what have you, while i listen to my sennheisers for acoustics/vocal bands.

but the other thing to keep in mind that these headphones used to be pretty high end cans until technologies improved. i think 595's used to be 300ish? now you can nab them for half that. They weren''t an entry level audiophile headphone like the grado sr60's were and are, though now that's how they are perceived now. They are pretty underestimated IMO.


plus it depends how long you want to have a listening session. grados aren't the most comfortable thing in the world. Sennheisers though i can wear for hours. though the summertime is coming up, and velor + heat will be cookin my head haha. thank god for central air.

 

+1

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18350


My E4's sound delectable with it

 

I have got a E3, I wish I had waited lol! I don't really want that much bass.

 

sorry for going OT, can you share your experience with the E3?

 

Bass, too much for me. I used it with my Giggabeat T400 with Westone UM1s. I am sure bass lovers will love it, but its abit too much for me and the types of music i listen to. Hence I would like to try the E5.

 

thanks! i might give it a go.

 

i would agree with you about er6i sounding better in the upper region, but bose isn't all that bad at 80dollars...

but ety does provide a much better insolation.

my bose OE sounds better than er6i but that's not a fair comparison anyways....

 

by bose in ear head phone i bought those and the on ear the bass is deep and its 2.1 channel surround sound amazing bose in ear 90.00 bose around ear 130.00 bose on ear 179.00

 

if you are still looking for headphones, i suggest you head over to head-fi.org and ask those people.

but for a $100 budget there are really only 2 headphones to consider
ad 700 and hd555's
ad700's - comfy, clearer bass, better details and better soundstage but it looks very alien like
hd555's - more "fun" because it has more bass. a little less details, and a little less comfy but still rather comfortable

 

I own both the Bose in ear headphones and the Sennheiser CX-400.
Out of the two I prefer the Sennheiser's. In my opinion they sound better than the Bose (and are a lot cheaper) and they actually stay in your ear.
What I hate the most about the Bose in ear headphones is that they do a terrible job at actually staying in your ears. If you're going to use them for any physical activity they will fall out.

 

I had the HD555s at one pt and while it may have a bit more bass the bass goes no where as deep as the AD700 making it sound very hollow.

 

The HD555 has a nice range of bass, but not a lot of bass quantity. The HD555 are more suited to classical or acoustic track vs. the latest club/dance song.

 

Update -

I have bought Sennheiser HD 555, and man, THEY ARE AWESOME (could do a bit better with bass though)!

The man at the store said they'll take some hours to get to their best performance.

Now I need a good amplifier, the one Chaz has!

 

it's called burn in. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/headphone-burn-faq-56744/
you can always tweak the eq to get more bass.

 

How?

 

on your media player, find the equaliser settings and just move the lower spectrums up a little.