Decent, comfortable headphones?

Hey guys, I'm considering buying Monoprice's DJ-style headphones ( link) to act as my primary listening device when at my apartment (still using my JVC Gummies for walking to/from class). What do you guys think of their headphones, and would you recommend something else? I don't want to spend anymore than $35, including any shipping. Thanks!

 

Bump?

10 char

 

In my experience the minimum you want to spend on headphone is $40--and those are pretty much disposables. I say that because that is the cheapest I've bought from Radio Shack and they lasted about a year. I once bought cheaper but the sound was so bad they hurt and I had to throw them away.

 

Well, I've had mixed experiences with headphones in both sub-$50 and above-$50. I've had great experiences with my JVC Gummies and Skullcandy earphones, though my $50 Sony MDR-NC7 headphones are complete garbage. Read reviews on the Monoprice DJ headphones on Amazon and Monoprice, and they sounds like great headphones for the price. Not looking for audiophile headphones really, just something that's comfortable to wear for hours and has decent sound quality (better than anything found at brick+mortar stores, really).

 

Audio Technica ATH-M50 its a pretty decent heaadphone

 

That's exactly what I was looking for with my Radio Shack headphones. I needed something I could use while out riding, exercising, etc. and didn't want to spend a lot of money on them.

As for reviews, the safest ones come from dedicated magazines and websites. The personal reviews are less reliable, so you have to be a bit more careful.

I don't know about the Monoprice, but not everything they make is good. Their passive stuff is best. But my satisfaction rating for that outlet is 8 out of 10. Can you return them if you don't like them?

I have these, but the OP doesn't want to spend that much.

 

I haven't bought anything yet.

If I had a budget of $120, I'd buy them, but I don't. A friend has a pair and they're pretty decent, just not looking to spend that kind of money for headphones.

 

The m50 is an awesome headphone especially if you can get it sub 150. Studio grade at that price is a steal. Only drawback is the size.
If you want something in the sub 50usd range there is no other choice than the koss portapros.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I also use the ATH-M50. I can't recommend them enough. If you connect them to stuff with enough oomph (like an iPhone or an iPad, surprisingly) this is like having a portable club. The bass is clear, rich and bombastic, it's everything I ever wanted in a headphone.

I use it for gaming, and it gives everything an extra body and atmosphere, it's just perfect. 120 bucks is indeed a steal, I had to pay 169 Euros for these babies, and I don't regret a single cent.

I strongly suggest trying to stretch your budget for a pair.

 

I don't own one myself yet but I've auditioned the ath m50 many times and they are absolutely the best in the sub 800 usd category.
Another good thing about them as the poster above stated is, they are fairly easy to drive even with just a smartphone or mp3 player. An amp is just icing on the cake, but not a necessary accessory.
I'll probably be getting one soon myself.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I've checked out the Koss headphones mentioned, though by customer reviews they seem fragile and they have a lot of sound leak. Otherwise they look great .

Did some more searching on Amazon, and also found these Sony MDR-XD200 headphones and these Sennheiser RS 110 OpenAire wireless headphones. Sennheiser is obviously a quality brand, and I read a lot of good reviews for the Sony (and it certainly looks like a major step up from the MDR-NC7 pair I own). Any thoughts on these? And why are the Monoprice ones I mentioned in OP bad?

I'm not a major audiophile by any means. I find my JVC Gummies earphones to be good enough for me, albeit slightly lacking in mid-range bass (dubstep), and that's partly the reason I'm looking for a replacement for my current Sony headphones. All of my music is in 128- or 192-bit MP3 files, I'm not willing to convert my 1,500+ music collection to FLAC or other higher-quality codecs (I'm happy with MP3), and I'll also use these headphones with my desktop (I'm in a 4-person college apartment, so I don't want to disturb my roommates). If I wanted to spend more on headphones I'd surely go for the Audio Technica pair mentioned earlier, but I'm also looking to buy a new PSU and mid-range GPU for my desktop, so my money is already eaten up by that.

 

I'm really not trying to convince you (I can relate to budget constraints), but who said anything about FLAC conversions? We're not talking about $3000 headphones, here. The Audio Technicas handle 128bit MP3's and youtube videos just fine.

 

I picked up some Cortex CHP-2500 headphones a while back. They actually sound very good. Although they don't go as low as my ATH-M50's they still hold their own very well. I paid $25 for them but even at $50 I think they are worth it.

I also found some Incase Sonic headphones for less than 50$ the other day, though they haven't arrived every review i've seen on them said they were pretty good, even when they costed 100$ they were good for the money. I will post some opinions in here about them when they arrive if this thread is still active.

 

Well, if you don't care about the sound quality, you can get cheap ones. I got a Bose AE2, but lost it during a flight delay. Then I got a Samsung earphone which is pretty good. I'm planning to get a Westone TS1. I used those 10-20 dollars earphone before from my cousins, they are really crap. So put out more money to get something good. That's my advice.

 

That really sounds like the AD-700

Don't laugh at its color.

Too bad they're $90. But super worth it.

Amazon.com: Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones: Electronics

 

Thry the new Steelseries Siberia V2. Tweaktown revieved them and said they were super comfortable with decent bass on 50mm drivers.Plus they are around $100.

 

Since these are going to be sitting in your place, have you considered Turtle Beach headphones? They were designed for gaming, but I use them for music the majority of the time. I have the X41 and PX5s and gotta say they are some of the most comfortable headphones I've ever used. Obviously, these are intended to be used in your home unless you picked up the PX5s without the base station since they are bluetooth compatible.

 

I have a pair of Earforce XC1 headphones for my Xbox, though sadly the connector is Xbox360-controller-only and it's only one ear anyway. My younger brother has a pair of Earforce X12 headphones and they are great headphones. However, I **don't** want to spend $100 on a pair of headphones(!). If I had initially thought that I'd want to spend that, I would have gotten a pair of ATH-M50's and this thread wouldn't even be here. Kind of like how some new members here ask for laptops under $700 and everyone's suggesting W530's, M4700's, Sager 9150's, and rMBPs.

So does anyone have any experience with the Monoprice headphones I originally linked (or the other two I mentioned later) and can tell me if they're good *for the price*?

 

The JVC HAS600 are a decent pair. But not sure if it's a step up from your Sony MDR-NC7. If you can stretch your budget a bit, the ATH-SJ33 is a good pair to own.

 

I bought 2 pair of them a few months ago. They are great. The sound quality and bass are real good. I was quiet suprised.
I bought them to drown out the kids and they work real well. The only problem i have is they get warm i think it is because i an use to earbuds. Great buy for the money.

 

The ATH-M50's a re great I have a pair, and to that person who said they are better than anything under 800 usd, that is pushing it, there are plenty of $300-500 cans that are definitely better than the M50's

However the monoprice DJ style headphones are very good for their price. If you want to stick to that price point, they are probably one of the better buys.

 

the hd 380 pro are pretty nice too if ur into classicals / jazz
edit: but ur gonna look pretty stupid wearing them thou

 

Those are 180$ headphones...

 

well, i have not yet met a person that have regretting spending $180 for them

 

Except the OP specifically said that he didn't want to spend over $30.

 

Well, I could probably move up to $45-ish (it's sort of a "soft" budget), but I defintely do not want to spend over that amount. I fully understand the advantages that audiophile headphones provide, though I'm not looking for that (music is a background noise to me, I'm not "actively" listening to it, I guess you'd say).

I might end up ordering the Monoprice ones since they seem to be the best for that price range. Will sit on it a day or two more since I have other business to take care of in the meantime.

 

I'd say go for it. They are not bad.

Mono price also makes some pretty sweet IEM's. They are VERY cheap and VERY good for their price. I have a set of them, and use them a lot. Obviously they can't compete with $100+ offerings, but they are an amazing value for $7.11. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=8320

 

^^^ Those look pretty great. Right now I have a pair of JVC Gummy earphones for walking to/from classes, though if that breaks I think I'll replace it with that pair.

 

If you order the DJ style headphone you might as well throw in a set of those, otherwise shipping is like as much as the IEM's themselves!

 

Sorry for the wait, had a bunch of stuff to do over the past few weeks.

I went over to a local BestBuy to try out a few headphones, and I really liked how the Sennheiser HD 429 over-ear headphones sounded, as well as how they felt around my ears and head (really want a pair of headphones the completely encompasses my ear).

What do you guys think? Any others you may suggest?

 

I bought the Plantronics 780 Headset for $65, they're worth every penny.

 

Well, not exactly looking for a pair with a mic attached

Just for listening.

Also was looking at the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 on Amazon, so I'm mostly comparing that to the HD 429 right now.

 

Sennheiser HD 201: $30 (+ tax and shipping)
Sennheiser HD 201 - Full Size Headphones | HeadRoom Audio

Cheap, and sound especially great given their price. With taxes + shipping, you won't break the bank, as you're looking at about $40 all-in.

I haven't used mine in a long time as I've moved on, but they are always on stand-by as my backup headphones. And I definitely recommend them as budget headphones.

They are best when driven by an amp, but if you have an iPhone/iPod you should be OK as those devices manage to drive some med-high impedance headphones quite well (but it's still recommended to get a good amp).

 

That's a pretty good website there

Do the 201 earcups completely surround the ear? And how do they sound over a range of music (I listen to everything from dubstep to acoustic guitar)? Only one's I've tried on in person are the HD 429 headphones, so I'm trying to figure stuff out. Speaking of which, I did a comparison between those two and stock Apple earbuds (couldn't find my JVC Gummy nor Sony NDR-NC7 headphones, but I've had Apple ones), and I have no idea what this graph is telling me:

 

Yeah I like them. THey're pretty professional in how they approach their reviews. Both objective and subjective.

They've also got fantastic prices, for an online outlet (ignoring bulk sellers like Amazon, NewEgg, Monoprice).

Yes, but it depends on the person. Folks with larger ears may find that the earpads may rest on the edges of their ears. These are circumaural so they're meant to surround the ear, but YMMV.

I think they are good all-around headphones.

I don't listen to dubstep, but acoutisc/bootleg albums and tracks sound pretty good with these. Depending on the mic used to record the track, some acoustic guitars (if vinyl strings instead of steel) may sound a bit bass heavy.

Again, disclaimer: they're really great headphones for the $30 range. You'll likely get better quality from the 429's, but you're paying twice as much. You're not going to get twice as good sound quality for twice the price, mind you, but the difference in sound quality will be noticeable.

The different freqs depict how the headphones "sound". So the higher the dBa, the more sound is produced by that the respective headphones. Higher/lower doesn't necessarily mean better, like a computer benchmark. Instead, the "whole picture" is kind of the unique sound signature of that headphone.

This is very, very, very general breakdown and isn't totally accurate. It's just layman-ised as best as I can:

X-axis: represents the different "parts" of what you hear
Y-axis: represents how "much" of those parts that you hear

0-100: This is the bass that you hear: Music that makes your molars rattle in your skull. Lower frequencies mean more skull rattling.

100-1000: Still bass, but more along the lines of bass that naturally comes from say the strum of a vinyl guitar string or a very hard "P" sound from the vocalist's lips. I think this also includes stuff like drums.

~5000-7000: vocals and voices. Sometimes the vocals have that really sharp "hissssss" or crackle, that happens in this general range.

1000-10000: mish mash of everything from vocals, instruments, doors slamming shut, kids screaming, airplanes flying overhead, etc.

10000+ stuff like "sharp" sounding percussion. Cymbals and high hats. Maybe sounds like glass shattering.

Again, the above explanation is really generalised, but I think it generally explains the graphs. Hope that helps.

 

I would suggest Koss Portapros for affordable, portable headphones with amazing sound quality. I have sennheiser hd414 pads on mine and I love them.

 

They are circumaural. The 201's sound like they're priced - $20 street closed phones. No giant-killers.

What impressed the hell out of me, with my industrial designer hat on, was the design and construction. You can see how they got it down to ~$30 retail, but you can also see the real attention to engineering detail they lavished on these. IMO the 201's look good on the head though as well. If you want a budget 'don't care if lost' set for mainly semiportable use, it's not altogether a bad thing to have floating around.

As a sane audiophile I have to say that soundwise you can do better even in the price range, though they're either open (not that the 201 provides any hugely significant degree of isolation) or bulkier.

 

What would you say for that price range then, Vogelbung? Something in the ~$60 region, now that the HD 429 went up on Amazon. I really liked how they wrapped completely around my ear, and I'm not sure if the ATH-M30 headphones do that. Checked out the Koss Portapros but they don't look all that comfortable (or particularly durable, imo, but I could be wrong). Also glanced at the HD210 headphones and read reviews about how uncomfortable the cloth earcups are on the skin.

 

I guess it depends on what sort of sonic signature you're looking for. There are e.g. a few HD280 Pro's around that price used on Amazon, though I'd personally be wary of buying these particular phones used - but they are popular in monitoring and for good reason - they're accurate if a little 'boring'. The 280's have if not the highest, then at least very high passive isolation and are fully circumaural. They do look a little stupid on the head though IMO if you're planning to use them outside, and 'droning' sounds like airplanes will actually resonate inside the housing, making them more discernible because you get passive isolation of ambient sound plus engine noise.

The HD429 may not be a bad choice even with the price hike, though the MDR-ZX700 is IMO worth a look too (though these definitely aren't 'Dre-style' phones in terms of sound).

 

Ended up getting the HD 429. Went up slightly to about $63, so I figured I better order before it gets any higher...

Thanks for the help guys!

 

Hope you enjoy them! They sound like they're pretty good.

I only recommended the 201's because it was precisely in your original budget range, and for that price range they're phenomenal.. But like Vogelbung said, you can definitely get much better headphones.

My 201's were precisely for the fact that I could beat them around and not worry about losing or breaking them. They're constructed absurdly well, so my only problem would have been losing them.