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Best headphones for the money.

H

hypertc13

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 17, 2009
126
0
I'm looking at purchasing a pair of pretty decent headphones and was wondering what everyone else thinks. I'm looking at spending in the $200-$300 dollar range. I know most people think Beats are highly overpriced for what they are and I would tend to agree. However I work at a place that sells them so I can get them for quite a bit cheaper than retail. I have been looking at some of the Bowers and Wilkins and AKG as well.

Is there another pair that anyone recommends or a pair that I should stay away from.

Thanks in advance for any advice
 
I'm also a recording engineer, and the monitoring headphones I use for mixing music accurately is also what is recommend for listening. The Audio Technica ATH-M50. $133 on they are actually really good headphones. Not just good for the money, but just plain good.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_lE1Oub1STZ4T6
 
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
hypertc13 said:
I'm looking at purchasing a pair of pretty decent headphones and was wondering what everyone else thinks. I'm looking at spending in the $200-$300 dollar range. I know most people think Beats are highly overpriced for what they are and I would tend to agree. However I work at a place that sells them so I can get them for quite a bit cheaper than retail. I have been looking at some of the Bowers and Wilkins and AKG as well.

Is there another pair that anyone recommends or a pair that I should stay away from.

Thanks in advance for any advice
Click to expand...

Try the Beyerdynamic DT1350...the best portable headphone I've heard.

I used to own the AKG K550 and those are terrific headphones (but not quite so portable).
 
I have the current version studio wireless beats and I like them a lot. I would recommend them.

However, it depends on how you intend to use them. At this point I've had them for about a year and they are still great. I'm happy with the audio quality and they hold charge for a long time, significantly reduce background noise and take only a short time to re-charge.

The only thing is I couldn't imagine walking the streets with them on, at least in a hot climate like Florida. I use them at work, on planes, home, etc.. I still use my regular apple headphones when walking the street though. I'd just say think about that if you haven't already.
 
OneMike said:
I have the current version studio wireless beats and I like them a lot. I would recommend them.

However, it depends on how you intend to use them. At this point I've had them for about a year and they are still great. I'm happy with the audio quality and they hold charge for a long time, significantly reduce background noise and take only a short time to re-charge.

The only thing is I couldn't imagine walking the streets with them on, at least in a hot climate like Florida. I use them at work, on planes, home, etc.. I still use my regular apple headphones when walking the street though. I'd just say think about that if you haven't already.
Click to expand...

All very good points. I too had the studio wireless and loved their sound. But I would be apprehensive to wear them outside in an urban setting. I'm sure someone has had them ripped off their head somewhere.

I like the Bose QC20i in-ear but the noise canceling module at the end of the cable is hard to deal with in your pocket. OK for listening on plane/trains but inside the pocket it gets bent and can cause scratching of phone.

Hope 2015 brings some new sets to market.
 
hypertc13 said:
I'm looking at purchasing a pair of pretty decent headphones and was wondering what everyone else thinks. I'm looking at spending in the $200-$300 dollar range. I know most people think Beats are highly overpriced for what they are and I would tend to agree. However I work at a place that sells them so I can get them for quite a bit cheaper than retail. I have been looking at some of the Bowers and Wilkins and AKG as well.

Is there another pair that anyone recommends or a pair that I should stay away from.

Thanks in advance for any advice
Click to expand...

Try multiple of them on your own. I have Bose QC 15. They're great and the noise cancelling is awesome (as is the reputation of Bose). The new ones are probably even better.

Beats are pretty good, but I traveled for work when I bought my Bose and the noise cancelling on Beats are just not as good. That being said, I love bassy headphones, so I would consider Beats when I decided to replace these.
 
I love my Solo2's. But I've also head the bose noise canceling headphones (don't know the exact name of them, sorry) are very good.
 
AustinIllini said:
Try multiple of them on your own. I have Bose QC 15. They're great and the noise cancelling is awesome (as is the reputation of Bose). The new ones are probably even better.

Beats are pretty good, but I traveled for work when I bought my Bose and the noise cancelling on Beats are just not as good. That being said, I love bassy headphones, so I would consider Beats when I decided to replace these.
Click to expand...

I've got a few Bose products and they're good but ultimately they're just as overpriced as Beats (in my opinion). :p

I'd recommend a few if you we're looking for earphones, but I don't really use headphones.
 
Jazper said:
I've got a few Bose products and they're good but ultimately they're just as overpriced as Beats (in my opinion). :p

I'd recommend a few if you we're looking for earphones, but I don't really use headphones.
Click to expand...

This is a common sentiment, but most reviewers (myself included) mention that the Bose noise cancelling is easily the best among its competitors. For a traveler, this is key.

It depends what you value.
 
AustinIllini said:
This is a common sentiment, but most reviewers (myself included) mention that the Bose noise cancelling is easily the best among its competitors. For a traveler, this is key.

It depends what you value.
Click to expand...


They do make the best noise cancelling headphone, but they are somewhat overpriced and the build quality of their products is not very good.
 
Elvergun said:
They do make the best noise cancelling headphone, but they are somewhat overpriced and the build quality of their products is not very good.
Click to expand...

Oh for sure. I agree. My choice was based on noise cancelling.

Personally, I'd go wired for the headphones, by the way. You can always get a better set of wired headphones for the price than the wireless equivalent. Now, with ear buds, I get why you would want something wireless. With the big clunky headphones, I don't quite see the point of wireless because I don't walk around with them on.
 
+1 for the Bose QC20i. I just got a set for Christmas, and the noise cancellation is fantastic. They have a setting that reduces the cancellation for greater awareness, and it's easy to understand why they'd need it!

It takes 2 hours to fully charge the built in battery, and it yields 16 hours of use, and they perform as regular headphones when switched off, all good things IMO.

I think the sound is very good for an in-ear solution, and they are comfortable to wear. There are 3 sizes of silicon ear gels included, and they secure them nicely in your ear.

There's an included carry pouch, and micro-USB charging cord.
 
skiltrip said:
I'm also a recording engineer, and the monitoring headphones I use for mixing music accurately is also what is recommend for listening. The Audio Technica ATH-M50. $133 on they are actually really good headphones. Not just good for the money, but just plain good.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_lE1Oub1STZ4T6
Click to expand...

I'm in the market as well, and this is what I'm hearing as well (pardon the pun). If there's too much bass, try one model down, the M40.
And yes, get the X-model with the detachable cord.
 
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Although I don't yet own a pair myself, I've listened extensively to the B&W P5 headphones, and for the money I think they are some of the best headphones you can buy. Very comfortable, made of high quality materials and the sound quality is very, very good.
 
I got a pair of Powerbeats 2 Wireless for Christmas and I LOVE them. Great sound, great bass, they fit my ears well and they aren't gonna fall out when I workout. Great pair of wireless earbuds.

I also have a pair of the Beats Executives...love those cans too. Noise canceling is great (they do have a "hiss" in the background when no sound comes through...but I can't hear that when music/movie is playing) and the metal build quality is just awesome. To me, they're the Studio's made from metal...better build. Also, since they're discontinued, you can pick them up for a GREAT price right now!
 
beats actually made awesome strides in sound in the last year. i love my solo2.

for $200 though, my picks would be:

Grado Sr80e for opens (at home)
Shure Srh840 for closed (at home)
Beats solo 2 for closed (travelling)

depends what you want to use the headphones for.

Notable mention would be the ATHm50 or the Sennheiser momentums (on ear)
 
I won't use BlueTooth headphones, due to the sound degradation. I have the music on my iPhone and iPad encoded at 320K MP3, which is theoretically indistinguishable from uncompressed to the human ear. With a small, battery powered speaker, you probably won't hear the difference, but with a good set of headphones, it's very likely that you will.

Also, if you plan to use them while flying on a commercial airline, they won't let you use wireless headphones.
 
KenB said:
I won't use BlueTooth headphones, due to the sound degradation. I have the music on my iPhone and iPad encoded at 320K MP3, which is theoretically indistinguishable from uncompressed to the human ear. With a small, battery powered speaker, you probably won't hear the difference, but with a good set of headphones, it's very likely that you will.

Also, if you plan to use them while flying on a commercial airline, they won't let you use wireless headphones.
Click to expand...

They let you use Bluetooth just fine...used them while flying just last week.

...and you really need to be an audiophile in order to distinguish the difference in music like that. That's fine if you can distinguish that...but for most people, Bluetooth is great.
 
I have multiple wireless sets in Beats, Bose, Sony, and Parrot Zik. Beat in the new Solo 2 wireless, the Studio wirless, the older original solo wirless, and the new Powerbeats. Have both wireless Bose sets...new one is actually very good....so ridiculously light, great travel pair. All pretty decent, but most, except for the newer Beats models do not have strong enough volume for me. Bose are good, but just not a bold enough sound for me. When you want some volume, nothing compares to the wireless Beats Studo...I've tried them all. Sony is soft. Zik has nice features and good sound, just not big sound...which is what I like. Again, it's a very personal experience for each of us. Definitely not a one size fits all.

EricE
 
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