Good mid priced headphones? (1 Viewer)

[Matt_Briol]

I found a good price on the Sennheiser HD600s so im going with them. To bad ill look like a recording studio guy wearing them.

 

[Patrick Bennett]

Definitely don't forget to check out AKG as well guys.
I don't remember the last time I saw a musician in the studio that wasn't wearing AKG's.
The last pair I had lasted 13 years, and I recently bought a pair of 501's which have been excellent (and comfortable).
Make sure they're part of your list of headphones to audition.

 

[RichardH]

Audio Advisor is running a promo on the 580's where you get a free pair of wireless phones too!
HD-580

 

[Jeff Kohn]

That's good, because I definitely wouldn't recommend paying actual money for the Sennheiser wireless cans. I made the mistake of buying a pair, and they're complete junk. Sound quality is terrible, range is terrible. I even had trouble with static/noise when I was in the same room as the base-station. Even if you don't have reception problems, the sound quality of these things is not much better than the headphones that come with a cheap walkman.

 

[RichardH]

Hmm, didn't realize they were so bad! I bought my 580s a number of years back, and I can vouch for them. Ultra comfortable, and quite nice sound too. Best w/ a dedicated headphone amp or a headphone jack that's not just a cheap IC.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Richard,

Re-read the post directly above yours:

I definitely wouldn't recommend paying actual money for the Sennheiser wireless cans.

This user was knocking the Sennheiser wireless headphones, not the 580 headphones.

 

[Russell _T]

I've been trying out my new Senn HD 280's that I got to travel in the car with. They sound pretty darn good for $80.00, but the dork factor is overwhelming.

 

[Andrew Walbert]

Well, while cleaning up around the house, I uncovered a pair of old headphones - HeadGear HG-101 to be exact. They're designed for use with a guitar, as they even have a built-in amp. I got a 1/4"->1/8" adapter and hooked 'em up to my computer to give them a try. Pretty decent sound overall, though the bass is definately lacking compared to the better Sennheiser gear. To be honest, I don't even know how old these things are, and I couldn't find any information about them on the web.

 

[Mike Improvius]

Grado SR-60 and Koss SportaPro are my bread and butter. For their price, the SportaPros are far better than they have any reason to be. Last time I was in Best Buy they were around $25. They can easily compete with headphones costing 3-4x the price.

-Imp

 

[Jonathan T]

The 280s are very "flat". They have a very linear frequency responce, thus they aren't great for listenin to popular music such as rap, pop, techno and so on. You really need to boost the bass on them to get good responce with certain music. I have the 280s and I'm dissapointed with the bass but I LOVE the midreange and trebble.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

I received the Grado SR-60s as a Christmas gift. I spent nearly an hour listening to them before deciding they were the headphones that I wanted to own. Needless to say, now that I have them and am able to listen to them on my system, I am slightly disappointed in their performance. The are very clear and accurate. However, the bass is clearly lacking. :frowning: - I've wanted these headphones for over two years and now I feel a bit let-down.
I was bumming around the various audio shops today and had an opportunity to audition some Sennheiser headphones. The headphones were connected to a portable CD player - which as we all know can be quite a weak source of amplification for headphones. However, I really liked the Sennheiser 212 Pros - even when compared to the HD-580 headphones, I liked the 212s - which were 1/5th the price. The 580s were $249 at my local "full price" audio dealer.
I then thought I would stop by my local Guitar Center and much to my amazement, they had some Sennheiser headphones. The 212 Pros were only $39.99. Plus, there is a $5.00 mail-in rebate that expires today - 12/31/2002. At $34.99 (after rebate), these headphones probably don't qualify as a "mid-priced" headphone, but rather a "low-price" headphone. However, the bass & treble are both very outstanding on these headphones. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say they put up some good competition to my Grado SR-60s. In fact, my SR-60s might be returned - depending on the return policy which might not allow returns from the way I read it.
The only complaint about the 212s is that after listening to them for over an hour, I do feel some strain around my ears where the pads sit. Plus, the pads are vinyl covered - so, one might tend to sweat a little when using these. However, for $34.99 + tax, I'll give the following rating:
[Edit]: I just took a quick keyboard break and decided to try the Grado SR-60s again while listening to some Steely Dan. I could only handle about 1 minute of them because the sound was so weak. I plugged the Sennheiser 212s back in and - Wow! I feel like these things have built-in subwoofers.

 

[dave ratcliffe]

I swear by the $25 KOSS Headphones as Best Buy..Go buy them and try them out, you dont have anything to lose, you can return them easily, and if you like them you'll save tons of money.

 

[Chris Strnad]

Also for the budget-minded:
Koss KTX Pro
These are/were also sold through RatShack under the name Pro-25.
When compared with my roommate's Sennheisers, the only noticeable difference was slightly muted vocals

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Also for the budget-minded:
Koss KTX Pro
These are/were also sold through RatShack under the name Pro-25.

When compared with my roommate's Sennheisers, the only noticeable difference was slightly muted vocals

The Pro-25s are actually some great headphones. Initially, mine created a lot of ear pain from the pressure that was applied to them. I made a slight modification by openining up the headband a little bit. This made a real improvement - and the headphones are no longer uncomfortable after wearing them for extended periods.

I just picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD-212 Pros a few days ago. They are "closed" headphones and sound fantastic. The MSRP on them is $79.99. My local Guitar Center was selling them for $39.99 and I was able to get a $5.00 rebate dropping the price to $34.99 + tax. These headphones are awesome! Lots of bass, great highs, etc. I'm currently nearing my 24th hour of breaking them in by playing music through them along with my new Grado SR-60 headphones. Once the break-in process has been completed, I'll provide an update regarding how the two compare.