Hallo floks, I seek your guideance and wisdom.
I’ve now been looking for some cans to have in my everyday life, when university, train, walks …etc.
What headphones do you like for ~100$??
I’ve tested a lot so far but was never quite satisfied.
Sony MDR 7506: My best option so far, the cable sucks tho & sometimes treble hurts
Mackie 150: Great, but that high peek uff
Status-Audio CB1: to analytical, thery were good but simply not fun
DT 770 (32 Ohm): somehow don’t go loud on my phone and still leak a lot of sound (music is very
hearable from outside)
Sivga 006: Awesome sound, low impedance but they leak way to much sound both ways
And so the seach goes on. I’d love to hear your recomendations.
Important for me is mostly comfort and sound in witch i prefer somewhat mostly flat but a bit warmer, softer with a some boost around the base (eg. sony, DT 770) because they are supposed to be for fun not for analysis.
If they look any more fine than HD 280 Pro im good with that, even if they are for public usage.
I’m assuming in-ears aren’t an option, or you don’t prefer them?
If you need them closed-back just so they don’t leak sound, I’m quite confident the the budget koss trio (ksc75, porta pro, kph30i) don’t leak much despite being open-back. They’re a little hard for you to hear when it gets too noisy (like loud speaker music in a mall), but I run both the kscs and porta pros in the library and in trains, and nobody’s complained yet. The porta pros are pretty bassy to me and are as comfy as they get (ksc75 are even comfier, but have brighter sound)
Just voicing the alternatives I know. I’m sure the others have better suggestions for you.
I am not against in ears, I just never imagend that any offer me qualty sound that could compete with over ear headphones. Can they actually compete within the same price range?
Can you recomend any?
At the <100$ range there may be contending IEMs. Blon 03s, Tin T2s, to name some. The Moondrop Starfield, is 110$ I think? But pretty highly regarded.
I only have the Tin T2s on double-flange tips but they’re my best-sounding gear. Nice, clear, neutral. The Porta Pros sound warmer and has a thumpier bass (kramer modded).
But that’s not comparing them directly to headphones. Someone with a good collection of both could tell you better, and that’s not me haha. I’m on a relatively tighter budget.
Do you have a reference headphone / sound signature that you prefer?
For in-ears, I haven’t tried a whole lot, but I have a set of KZ AS10s (https://amzn.to/3aprAiQ) that I enjoy, and those were only $50. I’d recommend those any day over the Porta Pros (unless you’re going for style… in that case Porta Pros with orange Yaxi pads (https://amzn.to/2xarTjd) win every time).
Thanks for your contrubution, interesting point on the IEMs - now I gotta check them out as well…
@MrAyrit interesting collection, I’ve stumbeld over some of them aswell.
I had the M40X once for testing, somehow I remeber them not convincing me but now I am not sure anymore (same for the Yamaha MT05, that are very similar!) my taste in music changed since I started listening with my DT 990 at home. How neutral/flat would you dicribe them, are they like the Cb-1? Those were still a bit to plane for my taste.
Same question regarding the Monoprice with are supposed to be very good! Also are they super fat/bulky (compare maybe to DT770)?
Refrece… Mhh… hard to say. I enjoy my DT 990 with an EQ that kills the nasty highs, same for MDR 7506. The 660s I liked a lot when listening to them in the store.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and updates. Thanks!
Perhaps look into the akg k371 if you want something very solid overall, fairly neutral sound with a slight subbass boost and a bit of warmth, great comfort and build, can recommend.
If you wanted something pretty v shaped and fun, the 1more triple driver over ear are pretty nice (the silver ones, the gold ones sound different), although they are on ear (contrary to what the name suggests lol)
yes thanks, I just came across the AKGs, they seem to be nice. But I’ve heard about the K361 beeing overall better, can you say something about how they compete?
I personally don’t agree with this imo, the 361 is more mid centric and also not as capable technicality wise from my experience, I much prefer the 371. If you really wanted something that focuses mainly on mid-range it’s not a bad choice, but if you wanted something more neutral warm the 371 makes more sense imo
If you wanted something fun with great bass and a punchy and smooth sound, the creative aurvana live is pretty great sound wise, although the build is a bit cheap
If you want any comparisons with anything just ask
Yeah, the K371 has a better bass response too.
Also, if you are looking at IEMs, the Guideray Gr-i are great for the price. Comfortable as IEMs go, and a good overall sound.
I think the K371 is probably what you are looking for here.
To be honest, I have owned all of those types of headphones and if I were to go running (everyday), I don’t think you can beat the convenience of true wireless. Of course, my IEMs sound slightly better, but the fuss of a dangling wire and messing with all of that stuff would be annoying to do every day if I am trying to be active.
With that said, I think Galaxy Buds sound pretty good and is well under your budget, especially with the new version out.
If the k371 fits your budget it’s a no brainer imo… if its not I’d suggest the cal if you’re careful because build isn’t great or takstar pro82… I havent heard the k361 but if that’s in the budget and sounds better than the pro82 then that’s probably a good option as well
I didn’t find the 006 to leak sound at all. I would turn the music quite loud and ask my GF to make sure and she couldn’t hear it. I also used it at night and it never woke her up. It’s not HD280 shooting range tier of noise attenuation but pretty darn close imo
IEMs can compete with headphones pretty dang well. And when it comes to gear under 150-200 dollars there are IEMs way under that that outperform most stuff. Specially since greats like the open back 58x are out of question IEMS are phenomenal when having tighter budgets. I would say the TIN T2s I had and blon o3 compete rather impressively with my headphones and sound better than the Beyer dt770 32ohms and other stuff
Still working on all of my thoughts on these. Here’s what I can tell you so far.
I don’t see the m40x as neutral, bass is definitely boosted and a bit loose, but not unpleasant. The pads that come on them are unacceptable (terribly stiff and uncomfortable), so that’s another $20 on top of purchase price.
The sound and comfort of the Monoprice are pretty darn good for $50. However, I can’t recommend them due to the build quality–it really is quite poor. My first set broke with very minimal use, and I am going to send my second pair back for a refund, because I feel it is just a matter of time before they follow suit. They are also quite large, not subtle at all–I wouldn’t want to wear them around in public, and I don’t think they’ll last if you’re traveling with them.
