First purchase for a superior set of headphones

[slightlyhuman]

Hey guys. Not too complicated. I have a POD HD 500(Dynamic Sound Processing rig) for my guitar. In order to truly get the desired results from the processing, they recommend a nice set of head phones. I've always bought < Turtle beach type headsets, etc. Just enough to get by, therefore I do not have the ears of an audiophile.


I'm not looking to spend $300 on a pair. I just want the cheapest pair I can find with the best quality. I'm guessing my budget is $100-$200, the lower the better.

ps-I know I'm being a cheap ass. Sorry, just the budget I would like to spend. Perhaps it will open me up to a new world in the audio department then I'll splurge down the road.

:beer;

 

[sdifox]

depends on what you like to wear no?

 

[slightlyhuman]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...B?tag=at055-20

seems to be pretty popular and commented about being sold under price..

 

[sdifox]

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-O...s=beyerdynamic

 

[ethebubbeth]

For something aggressive and forward sounding like electric guitar, a pair of Grado SR60i or SR80i headphones would be perfect. Note that the are open headphones so sound will leak out into the surrounding environment. If that is a concern, I'd go with the Sennheisers linked above. The main difference between the 60s and 80s is that the 80s have more bass presence.

 

[hans030390]

ATH-M50 at that budget.

 

[mshan]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Mo...eywords=mdr+v6

I believe they've been in production for 20 years with only minor changes, so Sony must have done something right with them.

They just sound right with mass market, entry level type outputs (e. g. headphone output of my iPod Classic), so if you are making recordings that are going to be played back on cheaper mass market speakers, etc, they might be something worth investigating.

 

[gevorg]

If you're not getting a headphone amp, Audio-Technica ATH-M50 is a pretty good choice.

 

[Pia]

The Audio-Technica ATH-M50s sounded good (great bass, especially) and had good build quality, but they pressed on the top of my head and it started hurting after a while. I ended up giving my pair to a family member who apparently doesn't suffer from the same problem.

If I had to buy another pair of phones in the $100ish price class, I'd try the Audio-Technica AD700 open-back phones. (That's just a general recommendation; I have no idea if guitar playing places some special demands on headphones.) I feel open back is more comfortable if the sound leakage isn't a problem for you.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I also have a pair of ATH-M50S. They are sturdy and sound great, although not the most comfortable things to wear.

 

[Howard]

How much do used HD-650 go for?