Looking for good headphones

ccard3dev said:

I am looking for a good pair of around/over ear headphones for under $120. I want them to be large, comfortable, closed-back, with amazing sound & THUMPING bass. ...

Sony MDR-7506

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The MDR-7506 is the standard headphone used for location recording, likely for a reason. Sound is flat and they fold up and last forever.

I'm a fan of AKG, but you can't get into their better closed back headphones for $120. The above Sony is the best deal about for about $90. They are used in the industry but home audiophiles don't like them because a $90 headphone does not give good enough bragging rights.

Do you mead an exaggerated bass or an accurate bass?

At 120 you can get the M50, it goes very low. You can also get the Creative Aurvana Live.


The iTunes EQ works rather well at bumping the bass up providing the headphone naturally has an easy time going low. Just make sure to always EQ negatively or lower your preamp to compensate for your highest raised bar so your music never clips.

You do not want the Sennheiser 558 and 518. They are open-backed and don't have the natural ability to extend very low like open planar magnetics do.

I've heard the HD 280 Pro has a decent bass. I'd stick to Creative Aurvana Live though.

If you want as much bass as you can get from a headphone then get the XB500 or XB700.


Otherwise stop looking around and get the Creative Aurvana Live. Are you hell-bent on not taking others' advice?

Which Sonys are you going for? The XB500 isn't too terribly big, the XB700 will most likely fit around your ears comfortably.

The 7506 is anything but bassy.

ccard3dev said:

maybe the XB500s. I am still deciding. I have heard bad reviews on the newer XB800s about the sound quality. The XB500s look pretty big.

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The XB500s will certainly meet your comfort and bass requirements, sound certainly isn't amazing across the board though, as with most bass-oriented products they're relatively dark and muddy from the midrange upwards.

Have a look for some Denon AH-D1100, here in the UK they quite often pop up at as little as £45 despite being a very nice basshead headphone all the way up to their £119 RRP.

If you think the D1100/Creative Aurvana Live will be too small for you then the XB500 will be too small for you. Get the full-sized XB700 instead.

ccard3dev said:

Only problem with the XB700s is they are waaay beyond my price limit of $150 (even on eBay). What I am looking for is the best pair of around/over ear headphones with booming bass and clear mids/highs for under $150, while being comfortable enough to wear for hours without tiring the ears. I am deciding between the AKGs (271s/99s), the Audio-Tecnicas (M40s/M50s), or the Sonys (XB500s/XB800s). Which ones would best meet my requirements?

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M50s get my vote out of that bunch, always a good bet for entering into the high end headphone hobby. They are intended for studio monitoring so have a relatively flat soundstage but they're certainly no slouch bass-wise and respond very well to EQing if you find you want a bit more presence.

Ick, there was a time when the XB500 was only 50 dollars and the XB700 70 dollars. Prices sure do hike when the lineup is discontinued.

Truth be told I wouldn't get the XB500 for the 110usd that it's selling for on Amazon either because it doesn't sound that good, it's literally just a wall of bass. If you can find a deal that's under 60usd or so, then XB500 is a viable option.

ccard3dev said:

I am looking for a good pair of around/over ear headphones for under $120. I want them to be large, comfortable, closed-back, with amazing sound & THUMPING bass. Any suggestions/recommendations based on experience?

This is the list of headphones I have my eye on:

Sennheiser:
HD 429
HD 558
HD 280 Pro
HD 518

Sony MDR-7506

Audio Technica ATH-M30

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How important is accuracy (a flat eq curve), imaging, and transparency in your choice?

ccard3dev said:

What about the AKGs or Audio-Technicas? Those are the ones I am starting to side with.
EDIT: How are Sony MDR-XB800/XB500s?

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My AKG K240 has very good bass. Price is just about $100. But again they are designed for audio recording engineers to use in the studio. If you want them to be bass heavy you will need to apply some serious EQ. The AKG line is very accurate. But they have accurate bass down to below human hearing and can reproduce anything you graphic equalizer and headphone amp can though at them.

If you want a thumping kind of bass don't look for pro audio or HiFi gear. Look at what is being marketed to kids: Beats by Dr. Dre. Buy them at Target of Best Buy. They come in cool colors too.

ccard3dev said:

.
• AKG K99
• AKG K77
Which ones are best?

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I'm a big AKG fan but you have to move up to at least the K240 before they are really great. The K240 cost $100

I have some K77 I use for electric guitar and digital piano practice. They are OK but no match for the K240. But the K240 have open backs and leak sound in both direction.

It is hard to describe the difference between K77 and K240 but I'll say the K240 are transparent in that they don't sound like you have headphones on, You del it because there is pressure from the headband. The K77 sound like headphones, not bad but obviously the sour is coming from the headphones. But the K77 are better at blocking external noise from (say) a TV in the other room. And they contain the noise I make