Best Open-Back Headphones $300

[saladcrack]

Hello audiophiles!  I need some help.  So I want to start really experiencing music and am looking for the best pair of open-back headphones for around $300.  I looked up on Google the difference between closed and open-backed and I really want that wide open soundstage that you get from open-backed headphones.  I found the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x and they look really nice and seem to be perfect for what I want but on Amazon, they are $350 which isn't a huge deal I can stretch my budget but I am wondering if there are any other options?  Also, any advice on how to get the best audio experience possible would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[ryanmmax]

Amp?  If you don't have one the Philips Fidelio x2 are supposed to be top notch...  if you do the HD650... 

[nobelharvards]

I personally found my ATH-AD700 in an eBay auction for $60 AUD. I got the winning bid at $64 AUD. It was in the same city, so I picked it up one afternoon. The earpads were flat and made my head itch. I ordered some cheap ones from China and shaved my head. Great pair of headphones, especially considering the original price and the price I got it at.

 

You could also try the Massdrop AKG headphones that go on drop fairly regularly. ~$200 USD + shipping to your country. It is Massdrop. Shipping times on par with most of those Chinese companies offering free shipping. ~1-2 months.

 

Full black.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones?mode=guest_open

 

Black with red accents.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition?mode=guest_open

 

HiFiMAN HE-350. Supposedly an "entry level" open back headphones. Forgot what the dropped price was.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350?mode=guest_open

 

Quote

Best of all, we’re able to offer the HE-350 at an even more accessible price point. How accessible? We’re talking $99.99 shipped to your door in the United States.

 

[saladcrack]

2 minutes ago, ryanmmax said:

Amp?  If you don't have one the Philips Fidelio x2 are supposed to be top notch...  if you do the HD650... 

I don't have an amp.  And the ATH-R70x need an amp?

[tiberiusmoon5]

Not having a amp is like running a under preforming cpu with a GTX 1080,

you wont hear the details unless you give the headphones the power it needs.

 

I have a asus xonar stx soundcard with in built amp paired with a sennhieser HD600,

best way to make the most of your purchase is to split your budget in half and get a amp-dac and headphones.

 

or by everyone's suggestion there could be a awesome cheap amp-dac and spend the rest on some good headphones,

the reason why i say amp-dac is because a high quality amp needs a high quality DAC instead of the mobo headphone connection,

but to get around this you can get a amp-dac combo in the form of a box or get a sound card with a inbuilt amp.

 

My friend brought this card: https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475892532&sr=8-1&keywords=soundblaster+z

He has nothing but positive remarks for it in sound quality and it has a 600Ohm amp bult in to handle any headphone,

with the nearly 1K reviews so does everyone else.

 

Headphones are a personal pref if the reviews mention a warm feel then they refer to the lower to mid tones,

if you dont know what termanology they refer to in tthe reviews read here: http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary

 

P.S. Once you have brought your headphone and amp, whatever you end up choosing, look up the term headphone burning in and lossles audio codec.

[WayneMakesThings]

I have the AKG k240 mkII. They cost me ~$200 used, and they are my favorite open backs I've used (except the dt880's which are semi-open, but amazing). But the ones I own have such an extremely large sound stage, but the bass is tight and balanced which gives much more immersion. I love listening to jazz and indie, or anything with a ton of real instruments going on, because you get thrown right into the middle of it all. Also I love gaming with these because of the same reason. I also own the ATH-50x's that are more suited (for me) for monitoring and production. Anytime I need critical work done I reach for the ATH's, but my "play" headphones are the AKG's. I will say that the AKG's are also exremely neutral and I used to work on them, but I found a closed back better for work so my AKG's have moved to my audio lounge. 

[KaminKevCrew]

2 hours ago, TiberiusMoon said:

Not having a amp is like running a under preforming cpu with a GTX 1080,

you wont hear the details unless you give the headphones the power it needs.

 

I have a asus xonar stx soundcard with in built amp paired with a sennhieser HD600,

best way to make the most of your purchase is to split your budget in half and get a amp-dac and headphones.

 

or by everyone's suggestion there could be a awesome cheap amp-dac and spend the rest on some good headphones,

the reason why i say amp-dac is because a high quality amp needs a high quality DAC instead of the mobo headphone connection,

but to get around this you can get a amp-dac combo in the form of a box or get a sound card with a inbuilt amp.

 

My friend brought this card: https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475892532&sr=8-1&keywords=soundblaster+z

He has nothing but positive remarks for it in sound quality and it has a 600Ohm amp bult in to handle any headphone,

with the nearly 1K reviews so does everyone else.

 

Headphones are a personal pref if the reviews mention a warm feel then they refer to the lower to mid tones,

if you dont know what termanology they refer to in tthe reviews read here: http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary

 

P.S. Once you have brought your headphone and amp, whatever you end up choosing, look up the term headphone burning in and lossles audio codec.

1. That's not true at all, especially with the current quality of motherboard sound.

2. Congrats. You have one of pretty much the only two headphones in the world that go well with that sound card (the other pair is the hd650).

3. Mobo headphone connection works just fine for an amp - see point number 1.

4. Good for your friend. Sound cards generally have crap quality compared to anything in their price range (unless we're talking $20 or less).

5. True enough, but the glossary isn't necessarily accurate. People describe the same sound differently, so there isn't really a catch all for that.

6. Burn in is a myth, for the vast majority of headphones. Typically, dynamic (In this price range, lets be honest, OP will likely be buying dynamic driver cans) drivers for headphones are made of mylar, or something similar. Those materials don't stretch and they certainly don't need burn in. Possible exceptions for burn in include electrostats, and dynamic driver headphones that use plant fiber (or fiber) based cones with rubber surrounds, such as the venerable Denon D2/5/7k, the AudioQuest Nighthawk, and presumably (although I haven't checked personally) the Fostex TH 600/900 and Massdrop THX00 series. As for lossless, beyond low bitrate mp3, there isn't much to be had in terms of sound quality. The only thing that will really make a difference here is the quality of the mastering, which is completely separate from whether or not it's lossless.

[xtroria]

Try to find some HE-400i below 350. It simply performs above most headphones in the price bracket