Best headphones under $150 (£100)

[yusuo]

Im looking to get a new pair of headphones to replace my sennheiser cx400 II, was wondering if anyone can lend any insight into this matter. I listen to mostly classic rock, punk rock and 70's/80's mainstream stuff (like genesis etc)

Was wondering if anyone could give me any suggestions, I've been looking at the AKG Y50's but i've heard these are a little bassy

 

[Xenon Hacks]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Skullcandy-Smokin-Buds-2-with-Mic/36277285

 

[osaka35]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Skullcandy-Smokin-Buds-2-with-Mic/36277285

You're hilarious.

Im looking to get a new pair of headphones to replace my sennheiser cx400 II

But seriously, I'm a sennheiser fan myself. You looking for headphones to replace your earbuds? I'm a fan of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A8CW2 . If you want to save some money, get these instead: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A/ and do the "foam" mod, which is basically just removing unnecessary foam to get deeper bass.

I have the older HD555 and they're brilliant for the price. Clean and accurate. I use it mostly for classic, and a bit of rock. It's not gonna go wub wub wub with over-exaggerated bass, and it's got good really good range. Basically, if you want accurate representation, this is the kind of cans you want. You can obviously drop a lot more cash, but these are a sweet spot of bang-for-buck prosumer kind of audiophile headphones.

They're open ear/back, which means others will be able to hear it slightly. Being open back means that there's air flow which translates to clean bass and more comfy ears, as well as giving the impression of having a much larger sound stage. It also fits around your ear, so they're beyond comfy and you can wear it all day and your ears won't get tired.

I really love my headphones if you can't tell haha. But if you don't like these, I'd still recommend finding open back, over the ear headphones.

Oh, and it takes a week or so of a lot of use to "break in" headphones, so when you get them just keep that in mind.

 

[Xenon Hacks]

Unless your an audiophile or plan on playing Vinyls or FLAC rips you don't need to spend no more than 30$ on your headphones

 

[yusuo]

Was hoping for serious contenders but hey ho

 

[the_randomizer]

I have a Sony MDR-XB500 I got a couple of years ago, they're pretty decent, not the best, but good mid-range sound.

 

[FAST6191]

Do you have a preference for open back or closed back headphones?

 

[Beware]

Do you have a preference for open back or closed back headphones?

This is a vital question. Audio-Technica makes great, entry-level closed back cans. My go-to open backs are my Koss PortaPros.

 

[Adeka]

I can't stand buying expensive ones. I break them so fast. Buy a $1 pair

 

[RevPokemon]

Unless your an audiophile or plan on playing Vinyls or FLAC rips you don't need to spend no more than 30$ on your headphones

Or you could be weird like me and listen to flac files on cheap Sony headphones

 

[vincentx77]

I have a really good suggestion, but depending on the current market it falls a tad outside of your current price range (about $160 - $175). If you like the IEM form factor, then the Dunu DN-1000 is amazing. It's a triple driver hybrid (2 balanced armature + 1 dynamic driver) with bass that is deep and controlled. The bass can be boosted to hell and back and still not overwhelm the rest of the music (since it's controlled completely by the dynamic driver). The mids and highs have a ridiculous amount of detail. It will go slightly sibilant if you turn the volume too loud, but I don't listen to anything loud enough for that to ever happen.
My other suggestion would be the VSonic GR07 Classic. It's essentially a $99 remake of one of the most popular IEMs to ever grace head-fi. Almost all of the IEM enthusiasts on there have (or have had) some variant of the GR07, and for good reason. It's a great monitor class IEM at a reasonable price. You can't really go wrong with this one.

 

[Xenon Hacks]

Or you could be weird like me and listen to flac files on cheap Sony headphones

Exactly it doesn't matter if you have have 1000$ headphones if the source of the audio is shit.

 

[GreenZeldaCap]

Xiaomi's mi 3, check em out

 

[sarkwalvein]

I love both my Sennheiser HD598 and my Sennheiser HDR180, but they can be a little expensive.
What kind of use are you going to give to your headphones?
If it is for portable use, I would actually recommend some standard Apple headphones like these ones, they actually sound quite good and are comfortable for going around and they are cheap.
If your plan is to listen to music either in your house or in some place where you are not moving around I would recommend the Sennheiser HD598.
Now, if what you want is an incredible good pair of wireless HiFi headphones, that are very comfortable, sound great, and is the best thing I have used along with my computer to watch movies or just to play games, Wii U included, get the Sennheiser HDR180.
I am really happy with those headphones and I would recommend them for those different use scenarios.

PS: My two Sennheiser suggestion are open back headphones.

 

[RevPokemon]

Exactly it doesn't matter if you have have 1000$ headphones if the source of the audio is shit.

Personally I feel that headphones are a waste of money for me BUT I see why people pay for it but when you do it , make sure they are not all mp3 files or else its a waste

 

[emigre]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-High-Pe...e=UTF8&qid=1430074295&sr=8-1&keywords=akg+451


I've been using these babies for six months and I'm really happy with them. Shit sounds good [particularly when I'm commuting on the tube.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Personally, I use Audio-Technica ATH-M30x headphones for home use. They sound nice and clear, and compared to my $20 in-ear headphones and especially my laptop speakers, these sound far better with an exceptionally clear difference with most of my music.

I still hold onto my in-ears for on the go simply because they fit in my pocket, but that comes down to personal preference.

 

[osaka35]

A good idea might be to find a local music store or that sort of thing that has several headphones to try out. If you can tell a difference between high-end and low-end headphones, then you'll need to look into audiophile quality stuff. You can also get a feel for open-backed and over-the-ear stuff. If it all sounds the same to you, you can buy cheaper and be just as happy. I'd still avoid brands like skull-candy or beats though, as they're 40% stylish and 60% quality.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Or you could be weird like me and listen to flac files on cheap Sony headphones

That's still a better option than listening to MP3s. While a pair of cheap headphones won't make a huge difference it's benough to hear how much better a FLAC lossless rip is to an MP3.

Edit: I've got a Seinheiser (HD201) that I bought from Amazon UK for £12 back in 2014, they're the same model as I had from 2008+. I like 'em that much!

 

[yusuo]

I tried a local store but all they had were like £200 sennheisers or the dreaded beats. Ive read some good things about the duni's, I don't really have a preference for open of closed backs but i'll mostly use them to and fro work