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Pair of headphones like Beats by Dre for less money, less gaudy?

D

deosaa7

macrumors member
Original poster
May 27, 2011
62
0
I tried a pair of beats by dre at the apple store but their price is just too expensive for me. My budget is <$100 so I am wondering what (preferably collapsable - I am a student on the run at all times) pair of over eat headphones has that kind of bass quality at a lesser price point? I would prefer a more subtle design too...I like the beats design but I don't like the big B plastered all over it, I would prefer people not knowing how much money I dropped (or didn't drop) on a set.

Thanks,
AKD
 
deosaa7 said:
I tried a pair of beats by dre at the apple store but their price is just too expensive for me. My budget is <$100 so I am wondering what (preferably collapsable - I am a student on the run at all times) pair of over eat headphones has that kind of bass quality at a lesser price point? I would prefer a more subtle design too...I like the beats design but I don't like the big B plastered all over it, I would prefer people not knowing how much money I dropped (or didn't drop) on a set.

Thanks,
AKD
Click to expand...

Get the Klispch Image Ones off eBay. I just got mine and I couldn't be happier switching from Bose On-Ear Triports.

Retails for about $159 but i got them for $59. They normally around $70-80 on eBay.
 
Audio Technica ATH-M50

I'm not a hardcore audiophile or anything, but I have the Audio Technica ATH-M50 and I love'em. I got them for $120 on Amazon awhile back.

I lack the audiophile vocab, but the Amazon reviews are really helpful. I have these and the similarly priced Bose AE2i, but I definitely use these for when I want a better sound experience. They're collapsible and roughly the same size as the $300 pair of Beats by Dre.

My only complaint regarding portability is the super long cord. If you're going to have your mp3 player in your pocket, you're gonna need to tie it off.
 
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You should definitely investigate alternatives. The Audio Technicas recommended above would be a good start.
 
J4M rugged by JBuds - $50

Creative aurvana - $50

JAYS a-JAYS Four - $70

Klipsch Image S2m - $35
 
BTW, I'll also add that Beats by Dre are extremely overpriced. Major retailers purchase the $300 set from the manufacturer in the low-mid $100 range (source: buddy of mine that works at a major electronics retailer).
 
Other manufacturers

I'm glad you have the wherewithall to avoid the Beats.

On-the-ear vs over-the-ear is largely a comfort thing. Open headphones are generally considered slightly better from a sound-quality perspective, but people near you will be able to hear the music. Closed designs insulate the sound better--your roommate and people at the library would prefer those.

Avoid Best Buy and the Apple Store for your purchase. Avoid Bose and anything associated with Monster--way overpriced.

As someone else suggested, read up at Head-fi.org. Also check avsforum.com

Check out these manufacturers. I'd look to eBay or something for a good price. On my budget, I've always loved my Sennheisers. I'd spring for some Grado's if I had more money. Look at used Grado's, too--you can buy parts for them.

shure.com
sennheiser.com
gradolabs.com
 
caseyh said:
I'm glad you have the wherewithall to avoid the Beats.
shure.com
sennheiser.com
gradolabs.com
Click to expand...

It is SO refreshing to see a fellow Head-fier or AVS forum user. I agree; first pair of cans I ever owned was some Senn 555s. Loved them to death. Of course, that was back in the beginning when I got a LoD for my iPod Touch and hooked them up to a 100 dollar amp.

Ignorance is bliss.
 
caseyh said:
Open headphones are generally considered slightly better from a sound-quality perspective, but people near you will be able to hear the music.
Click to expand...

open headphones aren't just slightly better, and indoors people much farther than nearby will be able to hear you, unless you like keeping the volume extremely low...and, in that case, you wouldn't be listening to music, you'd be listening to everyone else.

either way, Beats are closed headphones. no point recommending open ones since those kinda aren't the same.
 
toxic said:
open headphones aren't just slightly better, and indoors people much farther than nearby will be able to hear you, unless you like keeping the volume extremely low...and, in that case, you wouldn't be listening to music, you'd be listening to everyone else.

either way, Beats are closed headphones. no point recommending open ones since those kinda aren't the same.
Click to expand...

EDIT: *facepalm*

^Agrees.
 
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I have the Sennheiser HD595s, and I think they're amazing. The HD555s are cheaper (about $100), and there's an easy modification you can do to make them as good as the HD595s (check out youtube for this).
 
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Yup, check out head-fi. It can be a little overwhelming at first but there is so much info on there you'll be able to find anything on pretty much any headphone. The people there are pretty friendly too. Just be sure to read before posting, chances are you're question has been asked and answered 30 times before.
 
I'd never tried the Beats or anything too terribly fancy for that matter but I'd personally recommend a pair of Sony MDR V-6s. If you don't mind cheap packaging and a beat up retail box, this place sells them new for as low as $40 new. I love 'em, think they're some of the best headphones I'd ever heard and so does my mother who uses them almost daily to listen to music on her laptop.

Some people don't like the stock fake leather earpads, making a few comfort and durability complaints so if they feel a bit uncomfortable to you, you might want to replace them with velor earpads from Beyerdynamic or Pearstone for about $20 more. A couple people say the change in materials makes them sound a bit more bassy when they're known for a very flat frequency response but others don't really notice any change at all. Only issue other than that is that you may have to put the volume a little higher than you're used to with typical headphones in order to make them shine their best but only a little.

They're one of Sony's old standbys from the 1980s made for professional monitor use. They'd attempted to discontinue them once, in favor of the MDR-v600s but they'd come back by popular demand. Very popular for headphone enthusiasts looking to purchase in the sub $100 range. They're closed headphones if I recall correctly.
 
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