Do you get "downtown" deep dish or "old neighborhood" thin crust cut in squares? Malnati's does both types superbly.
Best Headphones under $100?
- Thread starter Lossless
- Start date
Do you get "downtown" deep dish or "old neighborhood" thin crust cut in squares? Malnati's does both types superbly.
Spe@kerBox
Addicted Member
Deep dish.
70's Rockfan
Rough N Ready
I picked up a Sony MDR-RF995RK wireless set at the local pawn shop
this morning. they look brand new and sound pretty good to me.
this morning. they look brand new and sound pretty good to me.
runnin'
Super Member
Ah yes, Amazon. I ordered a pair of the Grado SR80e last weekend from Amazon and they lost them. Meantime, I'd been reading up on the Grado's and thought, if the 80e is that good, the 125e, with the 8 conductor cable, should be even better. So I ordered them and got a refund on the 80e. I'll have them today, they are over the $100 limit of this thread, but the 80e is well loved by the Grado crowd.
My thing is, I've got a pair of the Nad HP50, and though nice with really good bass, is just too warm sounding. I found a frequency response graph on the HP50 and north of 2000 hz they drop under o db and meander between 0 to -4 db until 10,000 hz, at which point they drop off a cliff.
I wanted some phones that are on the forward side of things. After doing some research I became confident that my Schiit Vali 2 amp would have synergy with some Grado. Love the made in USA and hand built approach. It's quite interesting how they tune the sound in their products.
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ng0k
Well-Known Member
Nice choice. I recently purchased a new set of the 125 after a 15 year long and rewarding relationship with the cheaper 60. While known for the midrange and more forward upper mids and trebles they are very smooth. But there is something about the bass response that I love but can't quite explain why. To my ears they check all the boxes and after 15 years of Grado listening, I have never felt the need to look for anything else.
runnin'
Super Member
I just had a first listen and, just wow. What a nice engaging sound. It looks like the main difference between the 80 and 125 is the 8 conductor cable and use of high purity copper in the voice coils of the drivers, so I can see why the 80 is considered such a bang for buck option. Some don't find cable differences having any benefit, but I'm a cable guy, so to speak, and also a believer in breaking in of cables and gear.
Grado says not to break in their phones by leaving them running for hours at a time so I'm gonna just do an hour at a time or so, working my way up to 25-30 hours. But out of the box they immediately have more detail and energy than the HP50. Mind you, this is with a Schiit Vali 2 tube headphone amp and Modi Multibit. For anyone considering headphones in either the 100 or 150 range, Grado is worthy of a short list for sure.
Grado says not to break in their phones by leaving them running for hours at a time so I'm gonna just do an hour at a time or so, working my way up to 25-30 hours. But out of the box they immediately have more detail and energy than the HP50. Mind you, this is with a Schiit Vali 2 tube headphone amp and Modi Multibit. For anyone considering headphones in either the 100 or 150 range, Grado is worthy of a short list for sure.
cg123
Active Member
As someone who owns Sony MDR-7506's and Grado SR-80e's, I use the Sonys for studio stuff. I find them unbearably uncomfortable and and boomy in the bass department. The Grados are, IMO, the best $99 headphones made. Well balanced, made in the USA, easy to change out ear pads, and good for a wide range of music at moderate volume levels. Oh, and they are very light and efficient meaning, plug them straight into your phone, pad, computer. No amp needed.
cratz2
Addicted Member
I might have another 'Best under $100' option which are the AKG 361. They are similar to the 553s though they look different. Rumor is they use the same driver though the body looks entirely different. They were made because a number of users reported finding it a challenge to get a good seal, esp when wearing glasses. That seal can have a pretty radical impact on overall balance.
I've only had the 361s for two days (though I have put probably 30 hours through them) while my 553s have hundreds of hours on them so I can't directly compare them, but so far, I really like them. I think they are slightly more comfortable than the 553s and are lighter weight. Not sure how that will translate into longevity but I've never had a problem with any AKG product. I always found the 553s to be perfectly comfortable and often I would wear them for three ~4 hour stretches in a day.
There's also a very similar 371 that more closely follows the Harman curve while the 361 is more similar to the flatter, studio-like 550/553. I've always tended to prefer flatter sound (HD600 over 650/6xx and the Q701 RADICALLY over the K7xx though the Q701 is already boosted a bit over the K701... man I really disliked that K7xx!)
And since this is a discussion of budget phones, the 361 is under $80 while the 371 is $150 and the 550/551/553 are $200 though they are built to a higher standard.
To be honest, for a closed studio-like headphone under $100 new, I don't even know what the #2 spot would even go to. These are my #1 closed, studio type phone with a bullet. The HD280 and 7506/V6 have their fans and they do have their strengths but I like these INFINITELY more. No comparison!
I've only had the 361s for two days (though I have put probably 30 hours through them) while my 553s have hundreds of hours on them so I can't directly compare them, but so far, I really like them. I think they are slightly more comfortable than the 553s and are lighter weight. Not sure how that will translate into longevity but I've never had a problem with any AKG product. I always found the 553s to be perfectly comfortable and often I would wear them for three ~4 hour stretches in a day.
There's also a very similar 371 that more closely follows the Harman curve while the 361 is more similar to the flatter, studio-like 550/553. I've always tended to prefer flatter sound (HD600 over 650/6xx and the Q701 RADICALLY over the K7xx though the Q701 is already boosted a bit over the K701... man I really disliked that K7xx!)
And since this is a discussion of budget phones, the 361 is under $80 while the 371 is $150 and the 550/551/553 are $200 though they are built to a higher standard.
To be honest, for a closed studio-like headphone under $100 new, I don't even know what the #2 spot would even go to. These are my #1 closed, studio type phone with a bullet. The HD280 and 7506/V6 have their fans and they do have their strengths but I like these INFINITELY more. No comparison!
Hayes
Active Member
I bought a pair of the AKG 240's a few months ago and am liking them for the price point, quite comfortable on the head. Open back lets you hear things going on around you. Like a knocking on the door or your significant other yelling at you from the back room. And we don't want them thinking we are ignoring whatever important message they have for us... do we?
KarlK
Well-Known Member
They are assembled in the US using mainly Chinese parts, good quality Chinese parts that is. They have no choice if they want to remain competitive and cater to the masses. Personally I have no problem with that, heck the phones I like most in my collection (Hifiman Sundara) are made by a Chinese company. I have Grados (SR325e) and like their sound but they aren't comfortable.
To the OP, if you can spare $30 over your budget you can get planar Hifiman HE4XX from Drop (known as Massdrop until recently). No one can beat that value. The original HE400 is still a reference for phones up to $700. The HE4XX is the same phone. Hifiman has discontinued the HE400, that's why Drop can sell it at such a ridiculously low price, same goes for practically everything Drop sells
cratz2
Addicted Member
For $130-ish, I think you can do a lot worse but that isn't a very natural sounding headphone in my opinion. It is both warm in the vocal range while also being overly bright higher up. And the bass rolls off quite a bit more quickly than what I expect from a planar headphone.
I'm not an EQ guy but planars usually respond very well to EQing.
And it still definitely needs an amp in my opinion regardless of the impedance rating.
Again, you can do a lot worse.
To be honest, it kind of blows me away that some of the phones we are talking about in this thread only cost slightly more than the 7506 or HD280 and I consider those to be very flawed and uncomfortable headphones
I'm not an EQ guy but planars usually respond very well to EQing.
And it still definitely needs an amp in my opinion regardless of the impedance rating.
Again, you can do a lot worse.
To be honest, it kind of blows me away that some of the phones we are talking about in this thread only cost slightly more than the 7506 or HD280 and I consider those to be very flawed and uncomfortable headphones
runnin'
Super Member
I would beg to differ on the idea that Grado's parts are mainly Chinese. For the headphones, all the plastic parts are injection molded in their Brooklyn factory, the plastic is a specific formula that they've developed. The tooling and the dyes they also build themselves, in house. The wood cups are also made locally by another company that has Grado as their sole customer.
I found an article that says the drivers are made by a company in Long Island. The headbands I'm not sure about, nor the cable, but that's a long way from "mainly Chinese" parts. Youtube has a couple of factory tour videos with Steve Guttenburg, you would be surprised what can be made in the USA if you've got the know how.
It's not too surprising, is it? Schiit Audio sources most of their products from American made components. The mother boards, the transformers, the cases are all made domestically. Now the chips/resistors/etc on the motherboards might be Asian made, and the metal for the chassis parts might be from foreign sources, but you can certainly be competitive with American made products if you know what you're doing.
The SR125e, btw, is really enjoyable. I don't find them uncomfortable, but that's a personal thing. My iphone drives them just fine too, because they are a 32 ohm design. At this point they are my best headphone. I'm kind of shocked that they beat out the $300 Nad and Bose cans I have, but there you go.
KarlK
Well-Known Member
It requires at least 200 hours break-in before you can EQ them otherwise you'd be EQ'ing every other day or so, with planars that evolve dramatically but take a long time to stabilize. I agree that a fair degree of commitment is required when it comes to planars and that it's not to everyone's taste to display such patience. When someone buys their first planar (or ES) phone they better make sure they already have dynamics to turn to when fatigue comes into play.
The other day I came across an article in a university paper (Rice iirc) written by a student who called it a "review" of the Hifiman Sundara. From a grammatical perspective it was well written but with such a degree of technical naivete it had me wonder if it wasn't meant to spoof professional reviewers but the kid was serious, and it made for hilarious statements. The first thing he said was something like "I still like these cans a lot (despite what?) but unfortunately I can't afford them and the department won't shell out a penny towards acquisition so I have applied for a loan at the SCU and am awaiting for their seal (WTF? He didn't have the good he was reviewing in hand?) because I have not received a sample from Hifiman yet (hope you're not holding your breath). We will thus begin by describing the product (followed a motley list of links to "real" reviews and a single low-res photo, seemingly forgetting that printed links can't be clicked): they are black and look fancy (they are black indeed but look very sober and unassuming), HFM says they are robust but I can't confirm that until I handle them myself (so basically he is reviewing a product that he's never heard or touched? Surreal). (Follows a rather accurate description, roughly the same found on Hifiman's online store). I now have a pair of Sundaras! The loan didn't get through but my mother loaned me the money (that a good thing but as a reviewer I wouldn't mention my mother) I have put almost 20 hours on the phones and I am ready to report. (you may be ready but the phones certainly aren't). They are brilliant (in what sense? at 20 hours they sound very clear but it's closer to a greaseless axle than to music). It has a headband (phew!) and the metallic yokes to the cups are made of metal (Really? Who would have known)
It went on like that for 3 pages that contained the same grainy picture I mentioned above. I strongly advise against reading such material in public lest you want to pass for a raving lunatic laughing his spleen to burst point sitting by himself. You may be denied boarding pass at the airport. Towards the end of the article he says I highly recommend these except if you are a student (Thank God I am not a student) but doesn't say why. My guess is financial, $500 phones are rather uncommon on campus. But to say that in a student paper is weird. Few non-students read those micro-prints
Very well indeed especially DSP EQ via usb link between your computer and amplifier through DAC /hp amp combo (vr That being said 70's vintage amps/receivers, and the few modern amps that are still wired in parallel yield superior SQ with DAC's, as odd as it sounds. I could try to explain why but it would be tad-bit longish and technical. To those interested I suggest you research the topic "Output Voltage Swing" over the Net
Oftentimes a vintage amp
Again, you can do a lot worse.
To be honest, it kind of blows me away that some of the phones we are talking about in this thread only cost slightly more than the 7506 or HD280 and I consider those to be very flawed and uncomfortable headphones[/QUOTE]
cg123
Active Member
Thank you. You saved me the effort of correcting that misinformed post.
KarlK
Well-Known Member
Mine are made mostly of metal so I wouldn't be aware of that, it is by disassembling one that I found "Made in China" stamps on cup parts but doesn't bother me.
I am surprised indeed.
This, I am not surprised of though. Most (but not all) Schitt products aren't cheap and one would expect to find domestic (or at least Western) parts being broadly used in them. For the very affordable BOTL Schitts there are probably no enough volume to justify custom-made Chinese parts (which is not as cheap an endeavor as one would think unless enough units are involved) and leftover from higher priced units is likely to be used. I would discuss this further by we're way off topic in this thread. Blame it on me
runnin'
Super Member
So here's a recommendation of what not to buy: Bose TP-1a. I bought these for my poor wife in about 2011 at a Costco because she said she wanted some headphones, and here we were in the electronics department. They were made from 2002-2010 as it turns out. The TP stands for tri port because, well, I guess you can figure that one out. So they were a 2002 design, and probably surpassed by every brand's $100 phones when we bought them at the $100 price.
As it turned out my wife can't wear any headphones that have a band and are on or around ear, they give her headaches. She tried my in ear phones and loved them. So the TP-1a sat around for years until I got curious about audiophile headphones and bought a headphone rig. They are a hard pass for sure.
So I'm fairly new to the cans hobby, having only tried Bose, Nad and now Grado. This thread is a bit of a revelation to me because it seems like you can do really well for $100 these days. I would only suggest that one needs to check on the sensitivity and ohms rating for the cans you're interested in, to make sure that they can be driven to the volume levels you want if your main source is a smart phone.
As it turned out my wife can't wear any headphones that have a band and are on or around ear, they give her headaches. She tried my in ear phones and loved them. So the TP-1a sat around for years until I got curious about audiophile headphones and bought a headphone rig. They are a hard pass for sure.
So I'm fairly new to the cans hobby, having only tried Bose, Nad and now Grado. This thread is a bit of a revelation to me because it seems like you can do really well for $100 these days. I would only suggest that one needs to check on the sensitivity and ohms rating for the cans you're interested in, to make sure that they can be driven to the volume levels you want if your main source is a smart phone.
KarlK
Well-Known Member
Would it be considered equipment-bashing if I agreed with that?
We need more equipment bashing around here. I welcome strong opinions.
The term bashing is an emotionally loaded one that implies criticism is improper behavior and that fault lies with the critic rather than the thing criticized.
