Well, im a huge audiophile, which is why i own a Zune in the first place.
Zune 80
9312 Songs.
What im wondering is...
Is there a good pair of headphones, for under 100$?
Not just a good pair of headphones, but a pair that would stand up to the scrutiny of a pretty big audiophile.
Over the next few weeks ill be sharing my quest to find a nice pair of headphones for under 100$ sets i test, and then ultimately, which ones i buy.
Here are my guidelines:
must be portable, durable, have enough power to satisfy.
Cannot be in ear headphones, as they do not deliver enough bass to satisfy this audiophile.
oh yeah, and you cant look ridiculously dorky wearing them.
I really like Beats by Dr Dre (Monster) but i don't like the price. and it doesnt fall into the 100$ price limit. So moving on:
Amazon has a lot of Audio Technica studio headphones marked down in price. unfortunately, being studio headphones they usually require an amp to get the best sound.
Bose is out of the question, since they dont even have a single pair of headphones under 100$ Not to mention they are an over rated company who uses marketing to sell their product, and not quality. /opinion.
Location: Under a bridge, attacking goats that try to cross.
Posts: 281
I just got the Sennheiser HD 555 headphones. They are definitely worth it. They are my favorite cans at the moment. They deliver great sound that I think that an audiophile like you would enjoy.
__________________
I live for music, and music lives for me.
I don't think they fulfill the serious audiophile's ear, but I use them with my Zune 30 and I think they sound very good. I eventually had to replace the earpads with velour pads, as they WILL eventually disintegrate. Actually, I think velour pads actually make them sound better.
I also own the Sennheiser PX 100's, and the Sony's are a significant improvement over them. The PX 100's sound hollow, in comparison. EDIT: These are studio headphones, but I've never felt the need to use an amp on them - I'm using them right now at 50% volume, and it suits me just fine. I have a FiiO E5 amp, but I only use that on my Gigabeat.
funny you should mention the mdr v6.
ive been looking for some mdr 7506's for the longest time. but they are impossible to find anymore.
i was just looking at the MDR V6 on buy.com Studio Mntr Headphones - MDRV6 - Buy.com
because i couldnt find them on amazon for some reason.
amazon, yet again. cheaper. even if its 4 dollars.
im not looking for the best headphones in the world. because clearly, i wont find them for under 100 dollars. I'm looking for something that an audiophile would not listen to for 2 minutes, and then chuck them off a cliff.
oh and btw. i tried the Sennheiser HD 555's.
and they sound no different from the hd 515's which are cheaper.
if i was going to get sennheiser for under 100$ id probably go for the HD 280 pro.
even though they would crush my head.
i will admit though, the sennheiser hd-555, and the 595, are probably the best looking headphones ive seen in a while.
I've read reviews that the V6's and 7506's sound very similar. And obviously the look is very similar, as well. Good luck!
They are pretty similar.
both have 40MM drivers,
MDR V6 Frequency range: 5hz to 30,000 hz.
MDR 7506 Frequency range: 10 hz to 20,000 hz.
the only other differences are that the 7506 has a gold plated jack,
has a better warranty,
and is marketed to professional DJ's, and sound mixers. (hence the "Professional" sticker on them.)
Just an update, my Sony MDR-V6 came in the mail today. ive yet to burn them in completely, but i made the right choice.
Enjoy them! I hope they last as long as mine have.
Again -- keep in mind that the ear pads will probably flake off, in a few years time. I replaced mine with velour pads, which are actually better than the original pads (imo).
I'm glad I came in this thread, I am in the market for some new headphones. Goood info. Not sure what a audiophile is though. Sounds familar, I got a letter in the mail telling me one just moved in down the block.
there are no headphones really that you dont look dorky walking around with especially higher end cans. I have some entry level cans and soem more expensive ones and i wouldnt want to walk around with them on a regular basis anywhere mind you i drive so i dont walk much. For under 100 bux i would recommend alot of different cans then you looked at. Sennheiser 500 series are crap i have the 500s and the 555s and the 595s they all get used for computer gaming which is probably their only strong suit. I would recommend Grado sr60 or 80s, or even the igrados if you want to look less of a dork. AKG 240s are around the 100 dollar mark and are a VERY neutral audiophile can, suprise suprise since they are one of the most popular studio monitor headphones, honestly sennheiser doesnt really make a good can under 100 cept maybe the hd212 course not great on the slick looking factor either. Ultrasone makes some descent cans in that price range and also a ipod behind the head version called the icans which are really neat looking. IEMS are your best bet if your looking for looks, but like you said no bass in the sub 100 range really. I have the beats by dre IEMS and they arent worth the extra dough so pat yourself on the back for not buying them. Great sounding IEMS but the premiums that cost a fraction of the price would do that job marginally as well. Unfortunately for any real audiophile headphone your going to be in the 250-500 dollar range for entry level up to thousands for high end stuff, and quite frankly theres not many pretty ones out there. Ultrasone ED9 comes to mind in slick looking cans for about a grand but there is very few.
Audiophile on the cheap?
Beats by Dr Dre 
