Budget Headphones

[mbryant]

So I'm tired of the built in speakers on my ultra wide. I'm looking for some decent headphones for gaming and editing so they can't be sub par. I DON'T want a headset.

 

I don't know much about headphones so without a recommendation I'd be buying blind.

I'm willing to go up to $150 for something really amazing, but I'd prefer between $50 and $100. I can support 3.5mm to 1/4" 

[bgibbz]

I have heard great things about the Audio Technica ATH m40x and ATH m50x.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

Grado Labs SR60e. bang for buck headphones

[MrMcMuffinJr]

$80

[Aytex]

Cant go wrong with DT770's 

[Eclipse_]

Check out massdrop. They always have great headphones up. I believe they have a drop for some right now.

[Dackzy]

4 minutes ago, mbryant said:

SNIP

Open or closed?

[mbryant]

Just now, Dackzy said:

Open or closed?

oh good question, I haven't knowingly used either so I dunno how to compare lol

[Dackzy]

Just now, mbryant said:

oh good question, I haven't knowingly used either so I dunno how to compare lol

Open headphones will leak sound (in and out), but they also have a bigger soundstage

[mbryant]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Open headphones will leak sound (in and out), but they also have a bigger soundstage

I really just want something with great mids and lows but I don't want to drown in bass

[MrMcMuffinJr]

whatever you do, don't buy Beats. if you decide to, you should burn them just for fun. and then smash them with any tool you want.

[Dackzy]

Just now, mbryant said:

I really just want something with great mids and lows but I don't want to drown in bass

well the SHP 9500 is a good pair of entry open headphones

[MrMcMuffinJr]

Grado's are very well balanced. great mids and marginal bass

[mbryant]

1 minute ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

whatever you do, don't buy Beats. if you decide to, you should burn them just for fun. and then smash them with any tool you want.

lol I've been aware of that since day 1

[MrMcMuffinJr]

Glad we had an understanding

[Guest]

I love my Sennheisser HD 280 pro studio headphones. 

 

It has pro in the name so you know it must be good. 

[mbryant]

7 minutes ago, fpo said:

I love my Sennheisser HD 280 pro studio headphones. 

 

It has pro in the name so you know it must be good. 

2 words: macbook pro

lol

[KaminKevCrew]

2 hours ago, mbryant said:

2 words: macbook pro

lol

Nah bruh; Mac Pro

[spwath]

4 hours ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

Grado's are very well balanced. great mids and marginal bass

Ha! Grados balanced?

Not even close. Bass and treble are very emphasized. Mostly treble. A lot.

I like them, but they are certainly not balanced.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, spwath said:

Bass and treble are very emphasized.

 

[kokakolia]

4 hours ago, spwath said:

Ha! Grados balanced?

Not even close. Bass and treble are very emphasized. Mostly treble. A lot.

I like them, but they are certainly not balanced.

Grados are tuned like garbage. 

 

The have no bass, lots of mid bass, lots of upper mids and uneven treble. The result is a very bright and fun sound that will make you deaf. 

 

IMO, just get the Philips SHP 9500. You can buy these blind. They sound excellent and are super comfy. You can also add a boom-mic later on if you want a gaming headset. And they only cost $75. 

[iTzPrime]

If you dont want to use them on the go, but rather for home use, i would recommend AKG halfopen Studio Headphones. They are the standart headphones for studios (cause you can exchange everything from them, even the drivers - for dirt cheap without knowing a lot of tech) , and they sound really good. They come in priceranges from 60€ to about 1000€ and everything in between (i like the AKG K 240 a lot)

[spwath]

1 hour ago, kokakolia said:

Grados are tuned like garbage. 

 

The have no bass, lots of mid bass, lots of upper mids and uneven treble. The result is a very bright and fun sound that will make you deaf. 

 

IMO, just get the Philips SHP 9500. You can buy these blind. They sound excellent and are super comfy. You can also add a boom-mic later on if you want a gaming headset. And they only cost $75. 

Its personal preferance.

 

But not a safe bet for the OP to buy.

 

I seconds your recomendation of the SHP9500

[KaminKevCrew]

16 minutes ago, spwath said:

Its personal preferance.

 

But not a safe bet for the OP to buy.

 

I seconds your recomendation of the SHP9500

I third the SHP9500 recommendation!

[FoxyOrange]

11 hours ago, mbryant said:

I really just want something with great mids and lows but I don't want to drown in bass

I hear great things about the SHP 9500. I've used Sennheiser HD 558s and I'd say they fit that sound preference nicely too, some people describe the SHP9500s as being a bit brighter than the 558s so I guess it depends on how warm you want to go. The Philips are probably a little easier to use with portable devices if you're on the go. Both have a replaceable cable but the Philips uses are regular 3.5mm aux jack while the Senns use a weird 2.5mm proprietary connector on the headphone end. I hear there are adapters but it's just another thing to keep in mind.

Reading this, I'll say that you should avoid the M50/M50X like the plague, has murder bass which will drown out everything that isn't a high hat or vocals. Okay I'm exaggerating but I've heard them and taking into account what you want I would say with confidence they wont fit in line with that. Some people might like their sound but seeing the kind of listening experience you like, I don't think the M50X is for you. 
I don't know any closed headphones that fit that description my self, I'm actually searching for some that serve that kind of sound up. Reading online I've seen that the Brainwavz HM5 / NVX XPT100 (they're the same, just different branding afaik) may deliver that but those are other people's words, not mine. I can't back that up.

I'd go opens anyway, noise leak is really not an issue. You have to be playing sound dangerously loud for anyone to hear anything unless their head is pressed against yours. Ambient noise in your room will just get tuned out or is usually quiet enough to be muffled by the sound of what you're listening to (we're talking things like computer fans here) but just make sure you can still hear someone talking next to you with them on, otherwise they can be at dangerous volumes.