Best headphones

[jfall]

I would like to know what your opinions are on the best headphones to be used running off a soundcard for under $100

I am currently looking at the Grado line, the SR60 and SR80 to be exact.. I have heard good things about them. I am a little worried that the SR80's won't sound good off my SB Live Value though, and no one seems to be able to give me a clear answer. Comfort isn't too big of a deal for me, as I probably will only be listening to the headphones for 1-2 hours max at any given time. Also I don't really care if they are closed or open, as I have no one to bother around me. I don't plan on using the headphones for anything else other then on my computer and I do not plan on buying a seperate amp to run them. I just want nice clean sound.

I will be listening to music and playing the odd game with them and thats about it, I will be mostly listening to Pink Floyd and other stuff like it, so i'd like ot have nice high's and be able to hear all the detail loud and clean.. bass isn't my main concern, but I would like there to be a decent amount of it and have it sound as natural as possible without distortion.

Anyone have any recommendations, suggestions or anything else to add? It would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[aswedc]

Also popular in the same price range as those Grado phones are the Sennheiser 497 or Sony V6.

Head-Fi - everything you need to know can be found in their forums.

 

[Chad]

Get the Sens 280 Pro. The can be easily driven by your sound card, very comfy, isolation is maxxed and sound quality is simply superb.

 

[jfall]

Lol too many to choose from. I will look into these as well.

About the Sen 497's I heard people saying that they are better then the Grado's IF your using an amp.. I don't know how true this is.. anyone care to shed some light?

I just want to get a nice set of headphones that will be clean/loud, I want to get the best bang for my buck. I don't want to make the wrong choice

What is suppose to be better, the Sen 497's or the 280 Pro's? Also, does anyone know of a review site that compares a bunch of headphones head-to-head and rates them all?

 

[aswedc]

The Grado SR60 is supposed to be a good rock headphone, as in the sound is colored but in a way that it sounds good to most people. The SR80's are more neutral. Both are aggressive and put the sound stage right in your face. Senns are supposed to have a more relaxed and balanced sound. All this is IIRC, its been a while since I did headphone research in this price range.

Also, there are many here and especially at audiophile hangouts such as AVS Forum who will tell you to get rid of the SB Live, but its kind of an expensive upgrade as it'll probably cost the same as the cans. I can personally state that there was a significant difference in quality when I upgraded to an Audigy 2 from the AC97 sound on my motherboard. The sound card in favor at the moment seems to be the M-Audio Revolution which can be had for $100 from Newegg.

 

[SexyK]

I'll throw in a vote for the Sennheiser HD280-Pros. Sound great off of my SB Live! and phenomenal off of an amplified source. IMO, can't go wrong for $75.

 

[Rankor]

I'm throwing in a vote for the Senn HD 497. Running a pair off of the Silverstreak rig from an Audigy MP3+ sound card. Nice headphones.

 

[Justorq]

My Koss UR-30 are cheap and great ... IMO they sound better than the low end Sen's ... on top of that, they are very comfortable...
I dunno, I did my research before buying them, and they were the ones that sounded the best for the price...


Justin

 

[everman]

I prefer closed phones myself, so I would get the Senn 280s or Sony mdr-7506 (which I currently use). A nice pro going for the sony's is that you can switch out the ear pads with higher end ones made by beyerdynamics which are more comfortable velor material ($20 for the pads, about $70 for the phones). The stock pads are nice too.

edit: Check out headphone.com for more headphone info you ever wanted to know.

 

[MikeMike]

best place to buy headphones from is?

 

[EdipisReks]

the Grado SR-60's are a ton better than the Sony V-6 or the Senn 470.

 

[Auric]

This is a repeat of a recent thread.

If you donut care about open or closed then research the open 'cause you will likely get better sound if you are in a quiet environment. Those Grado's seem to be popular with people that want open and do not mind on-the-ear.

For closed around-the-ear that can be driven off a souncard or portable the Sennheiser HD280 and Pioneer Monitor 10R are good and can each be had for $65 shipped. Newegg has the former and lgdsuperstore the latter. These are both Studio sets though with full range and very accurate. Those that do do not want to hear all the detail for better or for worse are best looking elsewhere. Likewise the Sony MDR-7506/V6, although I personally would avoid those primarly due to universal comfort complaints and they are discontinued. Don't overlook the Koss if you want to spend less. head-fi and headwize are two other good forums but be aware that they are very specialized and thus can over-emphasize differences that may not be as relevant to casual computer use.

 

[erikiksaz]

Repeat of countless other headphone threads. Come on now, you should know better. I'm still suprised all ya'll still care to throw in your opinion, as all of you guys had the chance to do it twenty headphone threads ago.

 

[jfall]

Really? I searched this forum for headphone and it didn't come up with very many posts at all... thanks for all the info so far... I have been looking into a lot of headphones mentioned here.. I am getting a bit of help over at head-fi .. but you are right, they do seem a little too soecilized.. they all disagree on everything lol I was hopeing that somoene would just tell me what to get and everyone would agree ahaha.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: Justorq
My Koss UR-30 are cheap and great ... IMO they sound better than the low end Sen's ... on top of that, they are very comfortable...
I dunno, I did my research before buying them, and they were the ones that sounded the best for the price...


Justin

I have a pair of these headphones, I've never had "big headphones" like these before, i usually have the kind that come in walkmans that go inside your ear. These get kinda uncomfortable for me near an hour after use, I feel like they clamp on my head, or are too heavy. It might be just me, or something I'm not used to, I havn't had these headhphones longer than a month. Performance wise, sound is great, and the price is even better. I managed to pick up a pair for less than $25 shipped. I also like the fact they cover my whole ear, not alot of noise can get in with these on. No complaints others than the fact i get uncomfortable wearing it after an hour or so.

I was thinking about the Grado-60's, but I didn't like the fact they didn't wrap around you ear, as that was important to me. I didn't want any other noise interupting me with what I was doing (Main reason for headphones was for Counter-Strike, sneaky bastards keep coming up behind me!). So covering my whole ear was important to me, and since I didn't wanna spend alot of cash on this stuff, I picked up the best bang for the buck combination.

I think you're better off getting a new soundcard, and a decent pair of headphones rather than extremely expensive ones with your SB Live. I was in this dilemia within the past month. I picked up a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz for $42 shipped in retail box (used), and the Koss UR-30 headphones brand new for $25 shipped. $67 is cheaper than you would spend for 1/2 the headphones listed on this list, and probally sound better as a combination. Though if you had the money, go Audigy2, with either the Sen's or Grado line. If you wanna be a little cheaper on the Sound Card, the TBSC is a great alternative, and many agree a better card than the Audigy1.

 

[KickItTwice]

I went to a Stereo specialty store to check out the head phones so I could try them on and listen for myself. None of the headphones there were really expensive which was kind of a disappointment because I wanted the whole price range to compare. So it boiled down to their 2 top headphones they had there. A pair of Sennheiser headphones, something like the 570's, not really sure, and a pair of Sony MDR-V600 headphones. The Sennheisers had a more refined sound to them but they completely lacked any kinda balls to them. The base sounded weak and distant. The midrange was flat, but seemed accurate but yet weak. Now I was getting these headphones for gaming, so I need powerful base and midrange capability that can duplicate a rifle shot of a 3006 at close range. The Sony's beat out the Sennheisers by a long shot. Not even close. But my purpose was for gaming headphones. The Sony MDR-V600's also are very confortable because they go around the ear. I've noticed that no matter how confortable a set of headphones are, if they press against the ear they will make the ear cartilidge sting with pain after long time use. I know a lot of people will rip on those Sony's, but I compared and they best fit my purpose. If anyone knows of a closed type of headphone that has very powerful base and midrange that has balls to it, and excellent high end, let me know.

 

[Goi]

From what I've read, for under $100, the Grado SR60s and SR80s are your best bet. Above $100, Sennheiser puts up a fight. Sony's not bad too, but aren't as good as Grado/Senn.

 

[Boogak]

Can't go wrong with the SR60's for $60. I owned a pair for a year and they have excellent high's with very clear sound. Bass isn't boomy and sounds pretty natural. I ended up selling them though since they leaked too much noise.

 

[jfall]

Ok, based on reading like 100 reviews and visiting many forums to get peoples opinions I have placed an order for Grado SR80's, the store I bought them from is going to break them in for 40 hours using a high quality Grado Headphone Amp before shipping them out to me. Thanks for everyone's opinions/suggestions/comments, I will be sure to let you know how everything works out!