Need headphone purchase suggestion! Ordered a Creative XtremeMusic card.

[xboxist]

I don't live close to many retailers so I can't really check anything out in person. What kind of quality differences can I expect between a $30 pair and a $150 pair? I don't really have a budget in mind, but what would you pair up with this new sound card?

 

[Molinjir]

Enormous differences between 30$ and 150$. I had a pair of 25$ headphones for about a year, before I got 110$ Sennheiser HD555. The difference is immense in terms of definition, clarity, balance, precision, and clean bass.

I recommend the sennheiser HD555. Best thing under 150$.

 

[xboxist]

Thanks much -- I'll strongly consider them.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

I have been doing quite a bit of research on this myself, and the HD555 aren't one of the ones I recommend unfortunately. If you bought those, you would have to get an ampifier as well, which is quite expensive. I recommend the Audio Technica A500 which can be purchased for under $100, or if the budget allows the Sennheiser HD595 or Audio Technica A900 for $179 and $189 respectively.

 

[Ika]

You can't really compare headphones based on money alone, it's mostly about 1) how well you can hear the difference, 2) what model you get, 3) what kind of sound signature you prefer, and 4) what kind of music you listen to, generally.

For a first-time all-around headphone, though, I would suggest an Audio-Technica A500, AD500, A700 or AD700 (the D versions are open headphones - this means they leak sound, but have a more open sound and a better soundstage). Most people prefer the closed versions, but it really depends on where you're going to use them, really. Audio-Technica makes fairly balanced headphones that are great for movies and gaming, as well as music.

 

[Molinjir]

Fair enough. Revison necessary.
First off, the HD555 really don't need an amp. I've used mine both with an without amp. They sound great without, powered from a computer or iPod, but they sound even better with a dedicated amp. Also, it does, certainly depend on your taste. The HD555 is a fairly warm sounding headphone, with very strong mids, clean and strong bass, but a slight weakness in the treble (barely discernable), however, the soundstage is really amazing as well, very open and expansive. Games also sound fantastic.
It's actually pretty good for the jazz and orchestral music I listen to, but of course, I'm sure it could be narrowed down even more. I used a much crisper sounding altec lansing Fx6021 system for my speakers, which I slightly prefer, but my original point was, and still is, that Sennheiser HD555 is about the best all-around set of cans you can get for that price. (at least, to the best of my knoweldge, which is fairly decent )

Best of luck,
~Molinjir

 

[Slugbait]

Sony MDR-V6 doesn't need a dedicated amp. One of the best set of cans for under $100...I have two pairs (one for work, one for home)

 

[Baked]

Alessandro MS1 for Rock and Metal. Audio-Technica A500 for everything else, especially for gaming. Both are $100. I won't go into details on why they're good, or why they're better than the phones suggested in the $100 price range, but if you wanna find out, just do some reading over to head-fi.org.

 

[450R]

Bought a set of Grado SR80's a while ago, easily the best $80 I ever spent. The clarity is incredible and everything sounds like liquid gold. No amp needed - not even for portable CD players.

 

[cessation]

Sennheiser Orpheus

Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD600

Or Grado.

Grado Reviews

Sennheiser Reviews

The prices on that site aren't very good. But the reviews are helpful.