Best Budget Headphones?
- Thread starter ajwiberg
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cratz2
Addicted Member
Hrmm... You love your 701s but you don't think the 240s even qualify as 'good'?
Interesting.
I've had various AKGs for ~20 years so I clearly buy into the AKG design priorities. I have had the 240s for about four years and currently have them and the Q701s. Maybe my ears are broken but I simply can't fathom someone loving one pair and disliking the other.
For roughly one third the price, I definitely feel for a detail fiend that isn't bass crazy, the 240 (not the Mk II version) is the best $100 headphone I've ever heard. Definitely a step up in terms of detail and lack of grain or harshness in the mids and treble compared to the HD280s or ATH-M50s and radically better than the V6. Of course, all of those have a more prominent bottom end.
cratz2
Addicted Member
The standard 240 Studio. The Mk II is exactly the same product with different cosmetics and more 'goodies'.
Swapping the pads between the 240s and the Q701s, the 701s always sound fuller, but a part of that is the better seal that comes with the softer and bigger pads.
I've said that the Qs sound like the bigger, more accomplished brother of the 240s: they do everything a little bit better and with more ease but they sure sound pretty similar to my ears.
It's all good though. To be honest, I have no doubt that the Senn 202 Mk IIs would make more people happy at 1/4 the cost of the 240s and for roughly the same price as the 240s, I'd have to recommend the ATH-M50s over the 240s for most people unless they specifically were seeking less bass and more midrange detail than the ATs offer.
It's great to live in a time with this many quality options in headphones for pretty cheap prices. Some might balk at $100 (or $200 or $300) headphones but amortized over even just two years, that's $4 (or $8 or $12) per month and I know I get probably a minimum of 30 hours a month use out of my headphones which reduces the per hour cost of even $200 headphones to absolute chump change.
cratz2
Addicted Member
I've turned into a bit of a headphone junkie of late. I wouldn't mind getting a pair of Grados, probably the 125is, if I could find a used pair. I'm more familiar with the original 60 and 80, not the improved models. My recollection was I quite liked them with rock... Classical and jazz less so. That was a deal breaker but now I would object to having a pair dedicated to certain genre. I'll have to do more reading though.
RamblinE
(╯°□°)╯彡┻━┻
My Grado SR60i's are great at rock and other fast paced music. I think they shine with acoustic music as well but fall flat the most with electronic music. Just what I've observed. I have no problem using the Grados out with my cellphone but not during the winter... too cold.
lini
just me...
Regarding the discussion about the K240S, one should consider that it belongs to the headphone models that show quite a change in sound (mainly) depending on the output impedance. Personally I like the sound of the K240S very much, when it's driven by a headphone amp with pretty low ouput impedance - whereas I wouldn't really recommend it for use with typical receiver/integrated amp headphone outs (i.e. powered by the power amp section via resistors). But of course that's just my taste with my ears - someone else might perceive that just as well the other way round...
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
Mozart1220
Active Member
FWIW I just purchased a pair of the HD280's....will report back impressions. I have heard they get better as they "break in"...not sure that's for real or not
Just spent about an hour listening to a few LPs through my little tube amp and the sound is impressive right out of the box. "Sonic Accuracy"...it's got it for a bargain price. There is a seller on eBay where you can snatch these up for a song.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SENNHEISER-...adphones&hash=item1e764e5c43&autorefresh=true
I just got a pair of those same phones. Compared to the "cheapies" I had they are WONDERFUL. I've been all over the place looking at reviews and everything I see is good. I've got about 3 hours on them so far. Brian Wilson's "Smile" is AMAZING. If it's true what I hear about "burn in" periods I can't wait to hear what they sound like then.
