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The best headphones under $100?

absolut_mac

absolut_mac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 30, 2003
934
0
Dallas, Texas
I have a few cheap sets of headphones. None sound great, and all of them are falling apart, so it's time for me to splurge a little and get some decent ones so that I can once again enjoy my music, mostly classical and hard rock.

So guys and audiophiles, in your opinion, which are the best sounding ones for under $100, the Grado SR60i? Are the SR80i's worth the extra $20 that most sites charge for them? And lastly, from what I've read, none of the in-ear headphones sound as good as the larger designs, but in some circumstances are a lot more convenient. Which in-ear headphones are comparable to the Grados mentioned above?

Thanks in advance for your expert advice and help.
 
If you have your heart set on in-ear headphones, I can't help you. If you don't mind over-the-ear types, then I highly recommend the Sennheiser PX100. I think the retail is around $50, but I got them on Amazon for under $40.
 
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I got a pair of Sennheiser HD202 headphones for Christmas, the main reason was because they also work with the larger jack on older stereos (I recently began collecting vinyl). They seem to be $39.95US new from Sennheiser but I imagine you could find them cheaper elsewhere?

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/private_headphones_wired-headphones_005176

Hope this helps. I've found them to be excellent, with very warm sound and good bass.
 
klipsch image s4i

i love mine.

have had:

  • Skullcandy
  • V-moda
  • Shure
  • Bose
  • Sony
  • JVC

klipsch image s4i are my fave in terms of sound and comfort.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Ultimately I'm going to end up getting both the full sized (better sound) and in-ear (smaller and more convenient for traveling) ones eventually.

Wizard of Woz, why not just get an adapter from Radio Shack, then you use virtually any set of headphones with any input source?
 
My vote is for the the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220vi Noise Isolating Earphones w/ Microphone (Amazon link The price tends to fluctuate.).
 
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i like the in ear design. yes over-ears like the classic grados have great sound, they also are open cans and sound might/will leak out. the in ears give you passive sound isolation so you can lower the volume and still hear the quality of your music.

if you're willing to spend a little bit more on headphones you can get some quality cans. check out head-fi.org for more suggestions from audiophiles
 
absolut_mac said:
Thanks for the suggestions. Ultimately I'm going to end up getting both the full sized (better sound) and in-ear (smaller and more convenient for traveling) ones eventually.

Wizard of Woz, why not just get an adapter from Radio Shack, then you use virtually any set of headphones with any input source?
Click to expand...

Oh no no, that wasn't exclusively why I got them. I'd heard them before and really liked them, the built in ability to use the larger jack was just a bonus and one of the reasons I ended up with them :)
 
The best sub $100 earphones are the Hifiman RE0. Ask here if you don't believe me: www.head-fi.org.

Klipsch S4 is good, but detail wise they're not even close to the RE0. The RE0 has quite a bit less bass though.

The Grados are great for their price for best headphones. Also check out the Shure SRH440 and the Alessandro MS1i, both in about the same price range.

Remember that high quality headphones will eventually need an amp for best performance.
 
Muncher said:
The best sub $100 earphones are the Hifiman RE0. Ask here if you don't believe me: www.head-fi.org.

Klipsch S4 is good, but detail wise they're not even close to the RE0. The RE0 has quite a bit less bass though. [...]
Remember that high quality headphones will eventually need an amp for best performance.
Click to expand...

I guess the S4 are more suited for use without an amp... they have an 18 ohm impedance, versus the 64 of the RE0...
 
absolut_mac said:
Are the SR80i's worth the extra $20 that most sites charge for them?
Click to expand...

They're pretty much the same headphones with a slightly larger driver. The SR80 might have a little bit deeper bass but that's about it. I have had a pair of SR60's for 6 years now and I really like them, but they're fragile. They're not robust enough to be tossed in a bag daily and carried around. If that doesn't bother you, Grado is the best choice hands down.
 
I love my Seinheiser MM50IP headset--I believe the headphones without the mic are MM50. Be careful getting them off Amazon. I got a pair there from what turned out to be an unauthorized seller--as a result Seinheiser would not honor the warranty. Seinheiser has a list of unauthorized sellers you can check.
 
adk said:
They're pretty much the same headphones with a slightly larger driver. The SR80 might have a little bit deeper bass but that's about it. I have had a pair of SR60's for 6 years now and I really like them, but they're fragile. They're not robust enough to be tossed in a bag daily and carried around. If that doesn't bother you, Grado is the best choice hands down.
Click to expand...

A few other sites also mentioned that the Grado SR80i's deliver slightly more (and cleaner) bass, so I ordered them last night from Amazon. I'll let you know what I think of them after a few hundred hours of listening pleasure - just kidding.

I have narrowed down my in-ear choices to either the Hifiman REO (now called Head Direct), Etymotic ER4P, or the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 - final decision will depend on funds available at the time, or if I win the lottery!

Thanks to all you audiophiles that responded, I really appreciate your input.
 
absolut_mac said:
A few other sites also mentioned that the Grado SR80i's deliver slightly more (and cleaner) bass, so I ordered them last night from Amazon. I'll let you know what I think of them after a few hundred hours of listening pleasure - just kidding.

I have narrowed down my in-ear choices to either the Hifiman REO (now called Head Direct), Etymotic ER4P, or the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 - final decision will depend on funds available at the time, or if I win the lottery!

Thanks to all you audiophiles that responded, I really appreciate your input.
Click to expand...

Hey, all good choices. Enjoy your Grados!
 
absolut_mac said:
A few other sites also mentioned that the Grado SR80i's deliver slightly more (and cleaner) bass, so I ordered them last night from Amazon.
Click to expand...

Good choice. Grado recommends letting them "break in" by playing them pretty loudly for a few hours before listening - this makes a big difference.

As for in-ears, I've heard great things about the etymotics, but I've never looked into your other two choices.
 
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