The best headphones under $300?
- Thread starter high
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
cratz2
Addicted Member
Hrmm... the 250K version of the Beyerdynamic 990 would probably be my top choice for well produced music that has a lot of bottom end, but can be pretty harsh with poorly produced music... which most metal is. They would be my first choice for D&E, RAP, some pop and well produced metal.
The Sennheiser 600/650/6xx/58x are a great overall choice, esp for mostly acoustic music. I prefer the 600, but the 6xx/650 will probably work better for most people.
I really like the AKG K361/371 and the Sony MDR-1a are probably my two favorites for general/overall use. They are easily driven, have ample bottom end, but nothing crazy, they are super comfortable and are almost never harsh.
The Sennheiser 600/650/6xx/58x are a great overall choice, esp for mostly acoustic music. I prefer the 600, but the 6xx/650 will probably work better for most people.
I really like the AKG K361/371 and the Sony MDR-1a are probably my two favorites for general/overall use. They are easily driven, have ample bottom end, but nothing crazy, they are super comfortable and are almost never harsh.
PianotunerNJ
Well-Known Member
I admit up front I am new to headphones, I mean I’ve had a few pair over the years but I only just got a nice pair for critical listening. I grabbed a pair of Sony 1AM2 for $300 but I think just saw them on sale for $250. They took about 20 hours to break in, but they sound excellent to me. They’re not studio style headphones, they’re made for listening. Super comfy, light and they have both standard and balanced input depending on the source, they come with wires for both. I’ve been using them paired with a FiiO M11 and they sound fantastic. They also sound awesome through my SMSL M500 DAC either directly, or even through my Kenwood integrated. I’ve had several $100 and under cans that were ok, but these are special to me. If I lost them, I’d prolly buy another pair in a hurry.
Will the poorly produced music like most metal sound good on the Sennheiser 600 or 650?
PianotunerNJ
Well-Known Member
Poorly produced music will sound poorly produced in most headphones in that price range. $300 generally gets you a pretty nice pair, and they will almost universally expose poor audio production. HiFi gear is revealing by design, so music performed or recorded by a hack will sound it.
I have Sabbath “Paranoid” on BluRay and both mixes (stereo and surround) reveal the poor original recording. On one hand, it’s exciting to hear the best possible expression of your music collection, but on the other hand you will likely find yourself gravitating away from poorly recorded material out of frustration. Keep an open mind, HiFi gear can change your taste in music.
if you buy $300 headphones, have something decent to power them (big difference) and a nice DAC for source. It would be a waste of money to listen to MP3 on a cell phone or from a laptop directly with them, that would surely disappoint.
I have Sabbath “Paranoid” on BluRay and both mixes (stereo and surround) reveal the poor original recording. On one hand, it’s exciting to hear the best possible expression of your music collection, but on the other hand you will likely find yourself gravitating away from poorly recorded material out of frustration. Keep an open mind, HiFi gear can change your taste in music.
if you buy $300 headphones, have something decent to power them (big difference) and a nice DAC for source. It would be a waste of money to listen to MP3 on a cell phone or from a laptop directly with them, that would surely disappoint.
swechsler
Frog Whisperer
For open phones, I'd recommend one of the following. Drop.com sells their own versions of these that are generally cheaper than what you can find elsewhere (and they frequently go on sale):
Sennhsier HD-58x (equivalent to HD-580 and more or less to the HD-600)
Sennheiser HD-6xx (eqvivalent to HD-650)
Hifiman HE4xx planar (similar to HE400i)
For closed, check out:
Beyerdynamic DT770 pro
Monoprice Monolith M1060C planar (one of the few closed planars on the market)
I have owned all of these (or their equivalents). FWIW, when I was working in an office, pre-pandemic, I would wear the Monoliths for the entire day, with no fatigue. They are on the heavy side, but that didn't bother me.
Sennhsier HD-58x (equivalent to HD-580 and more or less to the HD-600)
Sennheiser HD-6xx (eqvivalent to HD-650)
Hifiman HE4xx planar (similar to HE400i)
For closed, check out:
Beyerdynamic DT770 pro
Monoprice Monolith M1060C planar (one of the few closed planars on the market)
I have owned all of these (or their equivalents). FWIW, when I was working in an office, pre-pandemic, I would wear the Monoliths for the entire day, with no fatigue. They are on the heavy side, but that didn't bother me.
dr*audio
Fish fingers and custard!
For classical music, folk music or acoustic Jazz if you want it to sound like the instruments are really there with realistic space around them, the Sennheiser HD580 or HD600 are what you want.
For music produced in a studio there is no way to know what it's supposed to sound like because the sound is artificially crafted in the studio, but phones that provide realistic sound with acoustic instruments should be good with anything. I have HD580's and they sound fantastic with classical music and classic rock as well. I can't speak to the other genres you listen to because I don't listen to them.
For music produced in a studio there is no way to know what it's supposed to sound like because the sound is artificially crafted in the studio, but phones that provide realistic sound with acoustic instruments should be good with anything. I have HD580's and they sound fantastic with classical music and classic rock as well. I can't speak to the other genres you listen to because I don't listen to them.
Never understand this falsity but to each their own I guess
+ 3 or wherever we are on the BD 990’s, 770’s are nice also. Open v closed... I use both.
So I should stick with lower end headphones and gear if I want to enjoy poorly produced music while listening to well produced music on higher end ones?
IMO no... I listen to your examples on decent HP set-ups and totally enjoy them. But hearing the “stuff they eff’ed up” is part of it for me
You need to do you man
That said I do try to find the best versions of a recording.
Last edited:
IMO no... I listen you your examples on decent HP set-ups and totally enjoy them. But hearing the “stuff they eff’ed up” is part of it for me
You need to do you man
That said I do try to find the best versions of a recording.
But not all bands and artists do re-releases of demos and badly mixed and mastered material. I currently have a set of cheap Sony MDRZX110 headphones, $10 Panasonic earclips, and my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.The M50x is mostly flat and ideal for mixing and recording. I was looking for an open or closed back headphone that is more compromising with bad recordings to where they don't sound bad.
See I can’t help you because I do not understand that mindset
Good Luck!!
Edit: your explaining the “best” release thing I am talking about. For me it is what it is even on a reveling set up.
See I can’t help you because I do not understand that mindset
Good Luck!!
Edit: your explaining the “best” release thing I am talking about. For me it is what it is even on a reveling set up.
There are some songs that sound good even if badly recorded, but then there are some songs (especially rock songs) that suffer if poorly recorded or not mastered as well as it could of been.
Example:
Here's another strange experience in reverse. When I first heard Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" on MTV with a cheap television, I thought it sounded great and that the amateurish bad recording sound made it sound even better. The song sounded more seedy and amateurish (like a poor man's Casio demo).
I immediately fell in love with the song and I thought I would really love the song even more once I got my hands on the original CD recording of it, and boy I was wrong.
Even the YouTube upload doesn't resemble what I heard directly from "my volume maxed out to 100 my television set with the channel set to MTV." It sounds almost the same (but with higher quality audio), however the vibe and warmth that I felt from the MTV version is missing in not only the YouTube versions, but all of the others including the original and remastered ones.
For example, when I listened the beginning part (first 10 seconds) on my television (when it was airing on MTV), I only heard a dry piano (no audible extra effects).
But when I listened the beginning part again (first 10 seconds) on my television (when I used my television to stream YouTube of my Roku), I heard a piano with all of the detailed extra audible effects that I find annoying and off-putting.
Those audible extra effects remain on the band's original and remastered recordings of this song too. I tried to find the poor audio quality version that I heard on MTV online, but I just cannot find it.
I 100% get what you are saying. I am saying a recording is what it is to me. If a revealing system makes it sound even badderder that is ok with me.
nickrobotron
una bella tazza di caffe
HIFIMAN HE4xx and Sennheiser HD-58x from Drop are two very different headphones that are both equally wonderful.
HIFIMAN are fast and transparent with a huge soundstage. They are fun to listen to because of the detail and depth and width of soundstage. I found myself preferring these headsphones when I wanted to be blown away by the brilliance of a recorded track.
The Sennheisers are warm and buttery. They will take a little bit of the edge off of bad recordings, while still being detailed enough. These are fun to listen to because there is zero fatigue. I found myself jamming out to these more comfortably than the HIFIMAN.
You can probably afford both of these. Why not try them both? I think there’s reason enough to own and use both. But if you only want one pair, sell your least favorite. There’s not a faster way to learn your own preference and not be left wondering.
Just my opinion here, but I wouldn’t spend $300 on any one pair of headphones with those on the market. You’ll need to up your budget quite a bit to truly better those two options. There’s a reason people mention those two pairs every-single-time the question is asked.
I am currently using HIFIMAN Sundara headphones and HD-600‘s. I would be just as happy if I had the “lesser” models from Drop. My good friend has the HE4xx and they do the same magic tricks with the sound stage as my Sundara’s do. And for the Sennheisers... I had the original HD-580’s before upgrading to 600’s a while back. Didn’t feel it was an improvement back then. And the HD-58x is slightly upgraded. I’m telling you, brother, times are good right now for headphone junkies!
HIFIMAN are fast and transparent with a huge soundstage. They are fun to listen to because of the detail and depth and width of soundstage. I found myself preferring these headsphones when I wanted to be blown away by the brilliance of a recorded track.
The Sennheisers are warm and buttery. They will take a little bit of the edge off of bad recordings, while still being detailed enough. These are fun to listen to because there is zero fatigue. I found myself jamming out to these more comfortably than the HIFIMAN.
You can probably afford both of these. Why not try them both? I think there’s reason enough to own and use both. But if you only want one pair, sell your least favorite. There’s not a faster way to learn your own preference and not be left wondering.
Just my opinion here, but I wouldn’t spend $300 on any one pair of headphones with those on the market. You’ll need to up your budget quite a bit to truly better those two options. There’s a reason people mention those two pairs every-single-time the question is asked.
I am currently using HIFIMAN Sundara headphones and HD-600‘s. I would be just as happy if I had the “lesser” models from Drop. My good friend has the HE4xx and they do the same magic tricks with the sound stage as my Sundara’s do. And for the Sennheisers... I had the original HD-580’s before upgrading to 600’s a while back. Didn’t feel it was an improvement back then. And the HD-58x is slightly upgraded. I’m telling you, brother, times are good right now for headphone junkies!
Here's the low quality version of the Depeche Mode song I was talking about:
Do you hear the difference?
I'll check out those (especially the Sennheisers) around Black Friday time. If you were forced to choose, would you pick the HIFIMAN or Sennheiser? Which one is your favorite?
good luck with your search. I don’t understand what part of, I understand what you’re saying that you don’t understand.
good luck with your search. I don’t understand what part of, I understand what you’re saying that you don’t understand.
Oh no I understand what you meant by stating your preferences above. I merely just wanted to share what I finally found.
The fact that it is a Lossy Youtube stream is probably helping it out for you. A better stream could possibly reveal more of what your trying to hide.
