Headphone FAQ

What would be the best ear-bud headphones for under $50? I live in Canada (Toronto to be specific) and I'm currently using some cheap, $20 SkullCandy ear buds (that are dying), so anything is an improvement. I'd prefer noise cancelling but it's not a necessity, they will be used for sports, walking around, and sometimes sitting at my house when I need to be quiet/want quiet in the house. I wanted to get the sennheiser cx 680 but they're $70 on amazon.ca (compared to the $45-50 price range on amazon.com), I prefer this design compared to ear buds like the px 680 which go around the outside of your ear tbh. Thanks in advance!

One option for $60 CAD are the Paradigm e1 earbuds. They're rather new to market and are said to be tuned to sound similar to Paradigm's Monitor series speakers.

I did notice Bay Bloor Radio has the Denon AHC260 for $30 CAD which is the same as the American price (this is extremely rare for Bay Bloor Radio to not be overcharging as almost everything else in their store is marked up). So they might be worth a look. Here is some feedback of them on Head-Fi

I don't really have much experience with budget IEMs, so another user might have better insight.

Great FAQ - definitely handy!

im thinking of getting either Audio Technica ATH-PRO5MK2 or the Sony MDR-V55 but not sure which one to get. which has the better sound quality and is the most comfortable?

Alright, so i'm now looking for the best noise cancelling (not as important as sound quality), closed back, portable, no amp required to drive (well), closed back pair of headphones for ~$300kris9031998

im thinking of getting either Audio Technica ATH-PRO5MK2 or the Sony MDR-V55 but not sure which one to get. which has the better sound quality and is the most comfortable?

TheShadowLord07

is the audio technica ath-50 coiled version has a detachable cord? their website (link)mention it comes with 2 cords. i want to replace it with a straight 1.2m cord

is the audio technica ath-50 coiled version has a detachable cord? their website (link)mention it comes with 2 cords. i want to replace it with a straight 1.2m cord

TheShadowLord07

Where does it say it comes with two cords? I know they come with m50 coiled and m50s straight cable, also the typical mini plug + big plug adapter.

Unless they revised it than I dont think so and the reason why I got pro700mk2 before :\ I guess if you dont mind a hack job to fit a shorter cord that will work. I got a ultrasone hfi 780 before recently and they made the cords shorter so you can attach an extension cord for home use.

[QUOTE="TheShadowLord07"]

is the audio technica ath-50 coiled version has a detachable cord? their website (link)mention it comes with 2 cords. i want to replace it with a straight 1.2m cord

Bikouchu35

Where does it say it comes with two cords? I know they come with m50 coiled and m50s straight cable, also the typical mini plug + big plug adapter.

Unless they revised it than I dont think so and the reason why I got pro700mk2 before :\ I guess if you dont mind a hack job to fit a shorter cord that will work. I got a ultrasone hfi 780 before recently and they made the cords shorter so you can attach an extension cord for home use.

mentions a 4 feet and a 10 feet cable i think.

[QUOTE="Bikouchu35"]

[QUOTE="TheShadowLord07"]

is the audio technica ath-50 coiled version has a detachable cord? their website (link)mention it comes with 2 cords. i want to replace it with a straight 1.2m cord

TheShadowLord07

Where does it say it comes with two cords? I know they come with m50 coiled and m50s straight cable, also the typical mini plug + big plug adapter.

Unless they revised it than I dont think so and the reason why I got pro700mk2 before :\ I guess if you dont mind a hack job to fit a shorter cord that will work. I got a ultrasone hfi 780 before recently and they made the cords shorter so you can attach an extension cord for home use.

mentions a 4 feet and a 10 feet cable i think.

I think they meant coiled up length & maximum length.

I don't know so much before the these forums. That really great forum for me and I think also for all readers........

I currently own a pair of JVC HA-RX700 headphones, and I'm looking to upgrade to headphones in the $100-$150. I've heard great things about both the Audio Technica's ATH-M50 and the Grado SR 125i headphones, both can be found for similar prices. Does anyone have any recommendations over which one is better? I listen to everything from Slipknot, to Eminem, to Ella Fitzgerald, to Pink Floyd and I listen to both compact discs, wave files, and vinyl records. Which headphones will give me the best sound quality for $150? Other headphone recommendations are welcome. Thanks in advance for the help.

I currently own a pair of JVC HA-RX700 headphones, and I'm looking to upgrade to headphones in the $100-$150.

DarkGamer007

My friends has those rx700 since I paid him off for his ultrasone dj1 (hfi 580) so I recommend that for $120-150 range.

Good all arounder with some emphasis on bass.

From a head-fi review:ATH-M50 is no slouch either and I think it's a great value at a bit over $100 but my ears have been too "fouled" by 8 years of SR-80 listening to I am going to keep my HFI-580. I will be wearing these every day so I am hoping the pads will wear down and soften up over time (otherwise I will have to get new pads)

[lol, at the last comment]Now, if anyone is interested in a virtually brand new ATH-M50S, let me know ;)

sauce to headfi review

I currently own a pair of JVC HA-RX700 headphones, and I'm looking to upgrade to headphones in the $100-$150. I've heard great things about both the Audio Technica's ATH-M50 and the Grado SR 125i headphones, both can be found for similar prices. Does anyone have any recommendations over which one is better? I listen to everything from Slipknot, to Eminem, to Ella Fitzgerald, to Pink Floyd and I listen to both compact discs, wave files, and vinyl records. Which headphones will give me the best sound quality for $150? Other headphone recommendations are welcome. Thanks in advance for the help.

DarkGamer007

Has anyone heard of or tried the Monoprice 8320? Apparently they're really good for budget ear phones at $10 after shipping. Do you think its worth it or are there other cheap earphones (under $55 CDN) that I should look out for?

Here's the link to the monoprice: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2

Has anyone heard of or tried the Monoprice 8320? Apparently they're really good for budget ear phones at $10 after shipping. Do you think its worth it or are there other cheap earphones (under $55 CDN) that I should look out for?

Here's the link to the monoprice: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2

CrysisHeir

Lol, didnt know ultrasones made these o.o Im guessing if the hfi 550 aw sounded like mines than them aw fanboys are in for a treat.

Anywhom still waiting for my first couple paycheck to get my pro 900 ultrasone :\ The thing I want is better mids/soundstage which most headphones can provide but at the cost of bass. I came to my realization that I am a basshead in the hp world so eh. Hfi 580/dj to pro 900 seems like the natural progession choice unless someone on here can prove me otherwise.

Ultrasone and Alienware, eh? I wish Ultrasone had better distribution support so I could actually try a pair. It's tough to find them retail, even from boutiques, and I've been looking. Happy gaming, BozBozanimal

Amazon.com plus return policy!? What reason may it be that you prefer to buy retail?

Im pretty bummed that there isnt even any headphone store around my area anyway, local guitar center doesnt allow demo, and dxc store in culver city closed. Closests thing is this sony style store that had like 20 of their headphones to test out.

I am getting a set of headphones soon andI have narrowed it down to 2 options because I can get them relatively cheap and I would like your opinion on them

The corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1 set at 78 euro

OR

Sennheiser PC 333D Headphones at 120 euro

I am getting a set of headphones soon andI have narrowed it down to 2 options because I can get them relatively cheap and I would like your opinion on them

The corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1 set at 78 euro

OR

Sennheiser PC 333D Headphones at 120 euro

seanmcloughlin

Sorry this became my $120 holy grail so I got to spread the love.

Lol, didnt know ultrasones made these o.o Im guessing if the hfi 550 aw sounded like mines than them aw fanboys are in for a treat.

Anywhom still waiting for my first couple paycheck to get my pro 900 ultrasone :\ The thing I want is better mids/soundstage which most headphones can provide but at the cost of bass. I came to my realization that I am a basshead in the hp world so eh. Hfi 580/dj to pro 900 seems like the natural progession choice unless someone on here can prove me otherwise.

Bikouchu35

You need to put the HD600 somewhere in there. Many people consider it do be better than the HD800.

You need to put the HD600 somewhere in there. Many people consider it do be better than the HD800.

Wolfetan

I'm looking for a new headset to use with my Astro 5.8 Mixamp. I currently have the Astro A30s but the boom mic on it is pretty terrible and makes the voice cut in and out. The speakers themselves work fine but its a pain having to switch to a different headset when I want to play games with my friends.

Anyway, I would like to keep using the Mixamp, so a USB headset won't do. I'm looking for a headset in the $120 range primarily used for gaming but also for listening to music. I noticed the Sennheiser PC161 in the OP so I've been looking at those. Anyone else have any other recommendations for that would fit my criteria?

Edit: So after looking around and reading reviews and such, I decided to buy the PC161's. Amazon actually has one of the most expensive prices on the web for them surprisingly. I was able to find them for $90 with free shipping. They should be here by Thursday.

I'm in need of some recommending. I'm looking for an Xbox 360 headset, and the most important thing next to quality for me is ease of use. Price isn't much of an issue for me, but the less figuring out how to setup or whatnot I have to do the better as I'm not very knowledgeable on headsets/headphones. Right now I'm kind of leaning towards Trittons, but if anyone has any recommendations based on my prerequisites, I'd appreciate it.

So I got the Sennheiser's today. While the sound from them is very good (better than the Astro A30s from my comparison), the mic is still really choppy like the Astros were. I thought it was just a bad mic on the A30s, but this mic works fine on my laptop. I have tried plugging it in to both the Astro MixAmp and the headphone/mic jacks on both the front and back of my case. When I do this, sound only comes from the left ear, but the mic does work. If I plug it into the MixAmp, the sound is perfectly fine but the mic is unbearably choppy.

Does anyone know what could be causing this?

I would add such headphones as the AKG K240, Audio Technica AD700, Beyerdynamic D880 (there are many more I can think of, but this should suffice for now).

Also Head-fi.org is an amazing resource for headphones and other devicessuch as amps or dacs.

NVIDIATI

nice! cheers