Good headphone recommendations

I'm looking for a good set of headphones for around $100. I was looking at the sennheiser HD 555 and the grado sr80. I plan to get the Creative ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook so that i could get better sounds from the headphones. Are there any other good recommendations?

 

the Fatal1ty from creative is good and so are the logitech ones along with the bose lineup. the bose is the best of the best.

 

That is generally wrong. Best of the best come from companies like Sure, UltimateEars, and Etymoics(sp?), Sennheiser, etc. I personally went with UltimateEars, but they are all in-ear models, which some people don't like.

 

Definitely get the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They're really comfortable, they sound amazing, and they have an incredible 3D soundstage.

 

lol, funny how you mention those two companies, If you ask me, then those are the two I'd say to avoid, Bose is over priced for sure, and Creative just doesn't have it anymore. Even with Creative's sound cards I'm starting to steer away from them. For around 100$ I'd look for some Beyerdynamic DT-770's but its pretty hard to find them under 150$, but if I was going to put any money down on some headphones, I'd go for the Ultrasone HFI-780's which cost 200$.

 

I like my Alessandro MS-1s. You might look at those if you were considering SR-80s.

 

Equation RP-21 or RP-22x if you want to stay around $100, preferably to ATH-A500. Grados will do the trick best if you want to listen to rock/metal (the sr-60 and sr-80 models), but they will not cut it if you are looking for other genres. DT770 is optimal closed headphone if you game, and enjoy lots of bass. Stay away from Sennheiser HD555 in general - it may seem good because the models above it are very good, but that is one of the misleading points about Sennheiser's audio line up.

Cheers.

Ignorance. You don't even know 1% of the headphone market.

 

I'd say go with the SR-80, mind you the Equations are nice too. The Grado'll last you a lifetime. They make rugged as hell headphones. My sr-60s have been through backpack hell and back and are still kicking strong.

 

haha Creative Headphones is an oxymoron.

although Creative soundcards are great for consumer level listening.

For headphones go ahead with Sennheiser HD555...they have a huge soundstage.
make sure u buy the 50 Ohm model which is easier to drive without an amp.

Best of luck!

 

Sorry, but this is completely wrong. Bose is generally poorly regarded when compared to "real" headphone companies like grado, sennheiser, beyerdynamic and AKG to name a few. Also creative headphones are not the best either, thier sound cards, however, are decent, but there are better ones like the chaintech av710 and offerings from maudio and emu.

 

i'm most likely going to go with the MS-1. I heard that the HD555 aren't all that great. Is the Creative ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook the best soundcard for laptops?

 

Do you mind external usb soundcards?

 

no i don't mind. i'm just looking for the best soundcard.

 

Yeah, it's the best, by far. Sound Blaster X-Fi cards improve music and games by a nice amount.

 

Just check the nominal impedance no matter what headphones you get. If the headphones impedance is too high your laptop won't be able to provide it enough power without some help. Check to see what over members have to say about this though.

 

Audio Technica A700's are what I use and my laptop can power them fine, having a low impedance was a big part of when I picked them out because I didnt want to buy 200$ headphones to then turn around and buy a 500$ amp for them.

 

I agree about the bose and creative not being the best. I used to use Sennheiser's and they are awesome. I now use in-ear ones for my ipod and i also have skullcandy's which arent bad

 

The MS-1 is only 32 ohms. I shouldn't have any problems with it right?

 

Should i get the x-fi soundcard or a usb dac?

 

Koss Portapros.

 

Depends on how much money you want to spend. I personally wouldn't go for the creative, because lately all their products have disappointed me. If I was going to get what I really wanted then I'd get the Pico with DAC, but that will run you for 500$.

 

i'm looking for a usb dac for about $100-150. I was looking at the Fubar II for about $137 which looks pretty good.

 

EMU 0202 or EMU 0404 are damn popular among people on Head-Fi..

EMU 0202 is less than $100 so give it a look.

 

I most likely going to get either the Fubar II or EMU 0202.

 

It is not likely you'll need either. Unless the headphone output of your laptop is noisy, don't worry about it. Even with much better equipment than people talk about here for audio, I don't get much out of upgrading an audiocard.