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The best headphones under $300?

Thumbie said:
Sorry to bring up an old thread but I am in such a similar situation as the OP, and wandering what they're final decision was?

Musical taste is slightly different though. Depending on mood either electronic/EDM or acoustical/rock/vocals, but mostly newer alternative which seems to be a hybrid of the two lol :crazy:

So I guess a closed-ear audiophile headphone but with more focus on bass. I know there are a lot of choices out there for under $300. Do any in particular have extra punch and detail at the bottom end above the rest, without sacrificing too much of the full soundstage?

there's currently a nice pair of DT 770s 32ohm on my local CL for under $150. From what I've read these might do the trick...thoughts?
Click to expand...


Will you be using an amplifier?

The DT 770's have plenty of Bass if you can handle the highs that come with them (I could not). Very V shaped. An eq could take some of the bright bite away. 32 ohms easy to drive. $150 is on the High side if they are used.

The HE-4XX *HE400I'S are phenomenal! Open Back Headphones will give you more sound stage. but I recommend an amplifier to get the most out of them. Plenty of Clean non bloated bass. Best bang for the Buck.

The AKG 240's MKii will not give you the Bass your wanting.. Semi open back. Not in the same class. Good for mixing, not for listening pleasure IMO.

FWIW, I've owned all three and the only pair I kept are the HE-400I'S. The Sennheiser HD58X'S would fit the bill nicely if you are willing to go open back. Easy to drive with very nice low end. No amp required unless you want to go the next level.

I have heard good things about the Sony MDR1a but haven't experienced them.
 
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The remarkable thing about the 249 Mk all’s combined with an ASUS Xonar Essence sound card is they disappear off your head. At first it sounds like my speakers were playing and I had lift the 240’s to check.
 
I don't think anyone mentioned Grado's yet . . .
A few years ago I was curious and tried SR80e's which were only around $100 - WOW, after they broke in, they sound tremendous and I find them to be very light and comfortable. My Senn's and Beyer's have been on the shelf since I discovered Grados. It's hard to explain but they are so lively and fun to listen to. Bass is way better than I thought it could be with an open-back design. Just released the SR80x's ($125) which have a better headband and cable, and I couldn't resist trying them - love them too.
I use them with vintage amps.
Anyway FWIW I tried them to see what all the hype was about and got converted to a Grado fan. Certainly for value these have to be way up there. If you want to try open-back it's a good way.
 
fromnowon said:
I don't think anyone mentioned Grado's yet . . .
A few years ago I was curious and tried SR80e's which were only around $100 - WOW, after they broke in, they sound tremendous and I find them to be very light and comfortable. My Senn's and Beyer's have been on the shelf since I discovered Grados. It's hard to explain but they are so lively and fun to listen to. Bass is way better than I thought it could be with an open-back design. Just released the SR80x's ($125) which have a better headband and cable, and I couldn't resist trying them - love them too.
I use them with vintage amps.
Anyway FWIW I tried them to see what all the hype was about and got converted to a Grado fan. Certainly for value these have to be way up there. If you want to try open-back it's a good way.
Click to expand...
Are they better than the non-e SR80’s? I’ve had them for over a decade. I find them to be way too bright and limit my listening to about an hour. Bass is light too, being open. They do have excellent detail, and I don’t dislike them, but my Sony’s are significantly more comfy and smoother. Maybe I need to try the ‘e’ models.
 
I've had a pair of Grado SR100's for a while. After I replaced the uncomfortable OEM cushions with some from Ear Zonk. I was able to listen to them. IMO, they're OK but nothing to write home about.
 
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David_NC said:
Are they better than the non-e SR80’s?
Click to expand...
No idea on that, maybe? Two generations later!

Also the amp you use is a big factor. I'm using a Pioneer at the moment SA-7100 which is a warm, sweet-sounding vintage amp. I like the SA-7100 / Grado combination a lot. Great detail and solid, tight bass - good to me anyway. The O.P. never mentioned what they are using for an amp. I also have a Crack OTL headphone amp (I built) that requires high impedance (200 ohms or higher) headphone so I'd never use the Grado's with it (rather Sennheiser, AKG and Beyer are right for that amp).

I've found vintage receivers / integrated amps make nice headphone amps, my opinion, and maybe that's a nice match for Grado's if they are "bright". I think finding the right combination is part of the challenge and when you do it's magic, and you know!
 
I couldn't use my SR-80's for more than hour or risk getting "ear-burn." They were okay for listening to rock music, but could also be painfully bright. Now that I've experienced what planars can do, don't think I'll ever be tempted to try Grado's again.
 
Had read some great reviews on the Anker Q30's...and under $100. Noise cancelling as well.

If they match some of their other products, then they've go another great build.

They look on the clunky side, but for a secondary pair, they might fit the bill.

The Anker support system is second to none, and the techs seem to want to help with any problem.


Hope someone chimes in on this entry level HP if they have a pair.

Q
 
DavidZak said:
Will you be using an amplifier?

The DT 770's have plenty of Bass if you can handle the highs that come with them (I could not). Very V shaped. An eq could take some of the bright bite away. 32 ohms easy to drive. $150 is on the High side if they are used.

The HE-4XX *HE400I'S are phenomenal! Open Back Headphones will give you more sound stage. but I recommend an amplifier to get the most out of them. Plenty of Clean non bloated bass. Best bang for the Buck.

The AKG 240's MKii will not give you the Bass your wanting.. Semi open back. Not in the same class. Good for mixing, not for listening pleasure IMO.

FWIW, I've owned all three and the only pair I kept are the HE-400I'S. The Sennheiser HD58X'S would fit the bill nicely if you are willing to go open back. Easy to drive with very nice low end. No amp required unless you want to go the next level.

I have heard good things about the Sony MDR1a but haven't experienced them.
Click to expand...

I'd like to avoid an amp but not completely opposed to a good travel-friendly one. But the whole travel-friendly thing is why I'd like to stick to closed....it's hard to decide man

transmaster said:
The remarkable thing about the 249 Mk all’s combined with an ASUS Xonar Essence sound card is they disappear off your head. At first it sounds like my speakers were playing and I had lift the 240’s to check.
Click to expand...

Ok I haven't actually checked these out yet....research time!

Hobie1dog said:
I've got my HiFiMan HE400s headphones on now. One of the best ways so far in my life to spend $140
Click to expand...

The amount of recommendations I have heard for these headphones, perhaps I should just go this route and get a separate pair for travel, like some Bose QC or something.....


I think I will keep an eye out of all the recommended above on craigslist/audiogon, etc. and try them all. Go with whichever pops up. After all, they are all good headphones, right?

I figure buy used -> sell used I am not loosing too much $$ :D


I totally threadjacked from the OP, sorry, but thank you all for this input. Appreciate the suggestions, gents.
 
Update: a pair of Denon AH-D2000 headphones popped up on local CL for under $300. Decided to splurge a little and picked 'em up last night. Very nice! Only had ~30 minutes to test them before bed time but lots of good detail and bass. I can tell when they get way low down in the bass range, the "punch" really drops off. But at some point they are headphones and that's all you can really ask from them. And also I listen to a lot of electronic which has all sorts of different bass levels thrown in.
 
I like my 598 series Sennheiserss for extended long term listening. The bass if fairly flat and the high end relaxed a bit. The 650's which our more than your budget and more critical and that sometimes makes for un-relaxed long listening periods. Of course my Stax and Signet Electrostatics are just superb . But they are tied to their amps and cant be used with different sources easily. So I use the 598's connected to my iPhone the most when I am out waiting and don't feel like reading or listening to some else's back ground music and annoying PA Pages.
 
twiiii said:
I like my 598 series Sennheiserss for extended long term listening. The bass if fairly flat and the high end relaxed a bit. The 650's which our more than your budget and more critical and that sometimes makes for un-relaxed long listening periods. Of course my Stax and Signet Electrostatics are just superb . But they are tied to their amps and cant be used with different sources easily. So I use the 598's connected to my iPhone the most when I am out waiting and don't feel like reading or listening to some else's back ground music and annoying PA Pages.
Click to expand...

That is also a good choice!
 
swechsler said:
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.
Click to expand...
It looks like the HifiMan Sundara have come down to that budget price or less. Heard a lot of good things about them.
 
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