Headphone recommendations

[ian147]

Hey, so I'm in the market for some new headphones. Over the ear type not buds. Would be primarily for listening to music through HI-FI set up, my PC and using to play along to/learn songs. Decent bass response is a must. Budget would be up to and around £300.00. Was wondering if any of you could give me some recommendations?  Thanks in advance

[chyc]

You'll get as many recommendations as responses I reckon. The local music shop where I live (PMT) has a selection of headphone out on display for you to try before you buy which is what I would do if I were in your position. You'd get really nice cans for £300, but there are some general principals that I look out for

 

• Open back vs closed back. All things being equal I much, much prefer open but the downside is there's a lot of sound bleeding in both directions. If you're in a quiet office you'll annoy your colleagues with open backed headphones, and if you're in a noisy office you'll get distracted with the outside noise. Bass response is generally better with closed, but I don't care about graphs: my ears tell me I prefer the open variety even for bass.
• Weight: I've tried headphones that sound great, but fatigue my neck too much when worn for extended periods.
• Comfort: For me this comes back to open vs closed. Closed headphones don't allow air to circulate and my ears overheat.
• Input impedance: Less of an issue these days but in the past some headphones would have ludicrously high input impedance. This would mean that consumer gear hifis wouldn't be able to get the best out of them. Watch out for 600Ω beasts and such cans do exist in the £300 range!
• Wireless vs wired: I am a luddite and will choose wired any day of the week.

 

If I were to choose headphones again (I have and love my Sennheiser HD580s BTW) I'd put comfort above sound quality, and they would be light, open backed, and with an impedance around 150Ω.

 

HTH

[PaulWarning]

I've had various headphones including the Sennheiser HD280's, for bass response nothing has got close to the Audio Technica ATH-WS110, I practice through my lap top, to play along to tracks, and it sounds great

[mybass]

5 hours ago, ian147 said:

Hey, so I'm in the market for some new headphones. Over the ear type not buds. Would be primarily for listening to music through HI-FI set up, my PC and using to play along to/learn songs. Decent bass response is a must. Budget would be up to and around £300.00. Was wondering if any of you could give me some recommendations?  Thanks in advance

I have KRK -KNS-8400. They have an inline volume control, didnt think they'd be good to use but I'm actually okay with them for listening and recording bass onto iMac/Logic.

[Dan Dare]

Beyer DT770 is noted for its bass response. I'm still happy with mine after many years of use. Around a third of your budget, which is nice.

[naxos10]

A lot cheaper than your budget limit but look at the Ashdown Novu-1.

[ian147]

On 04/10/2022 at 11:47, chyc said:

You'll get as many recommendations as responses I reckon. The local music shop where I live (PMT) has a selection of headphone out on display for you to try before you buy which is what I would do if I were in your position. You'd get really nice cans for £300, but there are some general principals that I look out for

 

• Open back vs closed back. All things being equal I much, much prefer open but the downside is there's a lot of sound bleeding in both directions. If you're in a quiet office you'll annoy your colleagues with open backed headphones, and if you're in a noisy office you'll get distracted with the outside noise. Bass response is generally better with closed, but I don't care about graphs: my ears tell me I prefer the open variety even for bass.
• Weight: I've tried headphones that sound great, but fatigue my neck too much when worn for extended periods.
• Comfort: For me this comes back to open vs closed. Closed headphones don't allow air to circulate and my ears overheat.
• Input impedance: Less of an issue these days but in the past some headphones would have ludicrously high input impedance. This would mean that consumer gear hifis wouldn't be able to get the best out of them. Watch out for 600Ω beasts and such cans do exist in the £300 range!
• Wireless vs wired: I am a luddite and will choose wired any day of the week.

 

If I were to choose headphones again (I have and love my Sennheiser HD580s BTW) I'd put comfort above sound quality, and they would be light, open backed, and with an impedance around 150Ω.

 

HTH

 

 

thanks for your response, I was thinking closed back but I guess like you said I should get off my derrière and go and try some but i will defo look at the other points you raised 

[ian147]

thanks for all the recommendations I will look into them all  

[StingRayBoy42]

I like my AKG K92s

They were a lot less than £300!

 

[tauzero]

Some time ago, someone on here recommended the Audio Technica ATH-M20X. I bought a pair and found them comfortable and with good quality sound, for a mere £50.

[naxos10]

You could also look at the Audio Technica ATH-M30X which is the next model up.

[Chaddy]

Used the M20X - M40x and M50X . Small fitting on the head so prolong used or while wearing specs is abit of a " headache " after a while.  
 

I personally use the M40x ATM (xmas present) in the house , and the 50's for mixing and everything else.  I've used the 20x which are just a cheap okay back up at the Studio incase someone needs. Good for the money but when you taste something other than Carling or Fosters beer - Do you ever go back?  Should I buy some Beyer's? oh no....  Probs yes! 

A review - The 50X's are the midrange flat kings, DT770's / 880's are Studio/HI-Fi closed backs and are more "lower" end heavy ( not for mixing ) IMO.  
Perhaps the DT990 open backs would be the choice, also they are like having two sheep on your head due to the comfort . Beyer's come in different OHM ratings depending on your source. The 250's are usually the sweetspot.  Available for £149.  

For pure overall quality Sennheiser upper range are the kings, You can hear a mouse fart in them they are that good. HD600's are £279.  They look cheap and feel abit like an IT call centre but man they know how to tune them good. But Q: Are they worth that extra £130?..... The DT990's start to look more appealing. 

Or.... some AKG K701



If there is anywhere to try them out before ( price match? ) worth a punt  . I would lend my 40's so you can try if you are up in the NE? 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Chaddy

[BlueMoon]

Don’t rule out a cheaper alternative.
I’ve been well impressed with the overall dynamics of a pair of Sony MDR 7506 that you can get for around €100.

I use them to listen to FLAC quality audio files. 

 

 

[three]

Some great options discussed above IMO. With the budget you’re not far off a pair of Sennheisser HD650s and could probably pick up a B stock or almost new pair for £300. I found them very impressive with a good source, though clamping pressure was a bit fierce for me. If you can, and you’re out auditioning, try a pair of Audeze magna planars (just for fun). The LCD X is about £1k so massively out of budget (and the range goes up to around £5k!) though listening to a mate’s pair changed everything for me. A moving experience. I’m saving-up. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by three

[garyt]

If you have that budget and want quality, you have to try a few out as personal choice is the main factor.  
I personally prefer open back for various reasons.  I also hate phones that alter the sound too much, such as Bose, Beats,

I’d definitely add Grados to that list.  I think the SR325s are in your budget.  

For playing bass, I actually found the Phil Jones bass headphones to be really good, but they’re not so great for music. 

[jonno1981]

Grados have stunning detail (got some 225s), but I find them fatiguing to listen to compared to my hd600s which I could enjoy all day. It’s very personal and absolutely worth a trip to a shop to try some. Any hifi retailer worth their salt will have demo pairs of these that have been properly run in to demo. You might be surprised with what you prefer! I’d add audio technica to the list as well.  

Edited October 23, 2022 by jonno1981