Need of assistance. $100 headphones or less with great performance per value.

[ChoosyPickyMe]

Hello. My current headphone died and I was looking in the market for a new one. I would like to have your expertise/opinions on buying a new one. Currently I am looking for one that around $100 or less, but at the same time offers great performance per value. Another point is that they should look stylish enough to be worn outdoors. These two peaked my interest but I don't know anything about them. The only thing that I liked about them is how they are designed. So yeah, I really have no clue about this kind of stuff. Audiophiles I need of assistance. Cheers!

http/www.amazon.com/AKG-240-Semi-Open-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0001ARCFA/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-4&keywords=earphone
http/www.amazon.com/Numark-Professional-Over-Ear-Headphones-Rotating/dp/B004M13GA4/ref=sr_1_11?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1410722977&sr=1-11&keywords=earphone

EDIT: If I am in the wrong forum/area please redirect me to the right place. Thank you.

 

[ssddx]

one of the better headphones for around that price are the audiotechnica ath-m50s (available quite often as new but open box on ebay for $100).

for the price they have good quality sound and they fold up which makes them good for travel.they are a bit on the warm side (bassier) and are of closed design for sound isolation.

the one negative is that they have an extremely small soundstage which some people do not like but that is more of a personal preference. since you did not list any requirements on sound profile i threw them out there as an idea.

if you wanted a more open pair of headphones with wider soundstage but less bass you might want to look at the sennheiser 558 which are available for $100 on amazon (+ $10 shipping).

if you wanted cheaper... i've heard the creative aurvana live's were fairly decent. of course there are a few other good choices available as well depending on the type of sound profile you wanted.

akg headphones tend to be rather treble focused and bass light. i cannot be sure of that particular model without research but that is generally the case. i havent heard of numark before.

 

[Oakley999]

What does sound stage mean exactly? And are the m50's good for gaming, and or music like electro and dubstep?

 

[ssddx]

Soundstage is the ability to visualize the placement of musical instruments and vocalists in a music recording. A good soundstage also allows the listener to perceive the size and space of the performance venue in which the recording was made.

in other words... headphones with a wide soundstage will sound like an orchestra playing out in a field. it will have great sense of depth and you can almost pick out where instruments are coming from.

a small soundstage is like a rock band playing in a bar room. it will be very in your face and personal and bassy but doesnt have the sense of depth that open would have.

generally open headphones are suggested for gaming (the m50 is not, it is closed) but that does not mean you can not use closed for gaming. sometimes people prefer closed for sound isolation (which open does not have)

are they good for electro and dubstep? you better believe it. i'm a big fan of such things myself and have hundreds of hours through them on such music. since they hit rather deep (sub bass levels) but still have clear highs they really bring out dubstep and electronica.

if you absolutely needed a pair of open cans... for $20 more than the m50s you could get the hd558's which are open. you will lose out on bass response but will gain on soundstaging.

 

[Oakley999]

I've always liked sennheisers, i'll look into it, thanks, im sure that better soundstaging will be a lot better for gaming, i'm not too bothered about the deep bass.

 

[Oakley999]

Also, if you dont mind replying, how do the hd 558's fair against the the m50x's in terms of sound quality?

 

[ssddx]

dont mix up the m50 (which comprises the m50 and m50s models) with the m50x. the originals are found for as cheap as $100 open box or $120bnib while the newer m50x is $150.

as far as sound quality is concerned... unless you've heard both headphones personally thats a hard call to make. i do own the m50s but do not own hd558's so i cannot really tell you as far as things like accuracy, crispness, etc are concered.

what i can tell you:

-the m50 is heavier but is built like a tank. earlier revisions of the hd558 were a bit fragile and had cracking problems.
-the hd558 will have a much larger soundstage than the m50.
-the hd558 will have better mids, however the m50 was designed in this way for the V-shape fun sound profile many like so its just a design difference.
-the hd558 is not capable of sub bass. while they have decent bass they cannot hit super low which means they arent ideal for bassheads or things like dubstep which require deep bass drops to sound ideal. the m50s are capable of sub bass.
-the m50s and hd558 both have medium sized earcups so if you have very large ears they may not work for you.
-the m50s (38ohm) are easier to drive than the hd558 (50ohm) which means even portable sources can power them to high levels fine (although you shouldnt have issues with the hd558 on portables either, they just might not get as loud)


interesting note... doubling up on the m50 earpads as http/www.head-fi.org/t/553303/ath-m50-cush-x2-mod-for-incredible-comfort-and-sound-5megapixel-photos actually ends up increasing soundstage and bass levels from stock. also shown by another guy here http/www.head-fi.org/t/550132/neil-pearts-m50-mod

as far as which is better for you... that needs to be your call. there are people who game with the m50s and there are those who use hd558. which one depends on your preferences.

 

[Oakley999]

Thanks for answering, I'll go with the hd558's because im using a pair of pc 310's which i've had for a year and a half and they're still great and they've never broke even over multiple drops, I just trust Sennheiser more, I'll be ordering the headset and a Yeti ASAP.

 

[ssddx]

a yeti mic?

i'd look into the atr2500 and at2020usb+ if you're considering a yeti.

at least worth looking at.

 

[Oakley999]

Sure thing

 

[Oakley999]

Im actually having second thoughts on the headphones, I think i wouldn't really be too bothered about the low sound stage of the m50 and the sub bass sounds quite cool, i think i'd enjoy the deeper bass more than the larger sound stage to be honest, As i don't really concentrate on game sounds particularly, where as I love bass drops in the music I play during gaming.

Also whats the difference between the m50 and the m50x? is one any better than the other?

 

[Oakley999]

Anyone?

 

[ssddx]

have a little patience.... it may take more than a few hours to get a response as we do have lives outside of the forums and not everyone checks multiple times per day

differences between the m50 and m50x...

for starters the m50 is a coiled cable. the m50s is the straight cable. personally i prefer the straight cable. otherwise the two originals are identical.

as for the difference between the m50/m50s and the m50x, the m50x has detacheable cables and comes with a coiled, a short straight and a long straight cable. otherwise the build is the exact same. i've heard there were some minor tweaks in performance but in general everyone says that they sound the exact same.

considering you can get the m50s (straight cable) for $100 open box or $120 bnib and the m50x runs upwards of $150-160 i'd say the m50s is the best deal. normally i just coil the unused section of cable up on the desk while i'm listening since the cable is long.

the price of the m50s is also good. once you start getting into the $160-170+ range then things like the dt770 start to become available.

 

[Oakley999]

Ok. thanks for answering.