New Headphones/Earphones

[Aleatoire]

Hi there. Today the left side of my Sennheiser cx 300-II earphones stopped working. Now I need a new pair! I don't really know where to start looking. I don't know if I want earphones or headphones. I like the convenience of earphones but I've heard that headphones have better sound quality (of course it depends on the pair).
So could someone recommend some good earphones/headphones I should take a look at? Nothing overly expensive, around the $100 mark maybe. Sound quality is of course what I'm after along with durability. I like a good natural sound.
Thanks in advance.

 

[TheViper]

You will need to purchase the wireless base to work with those headphones as the 2 components are sold separately. The base can cost as much as the headphones themselves.

Try the Sennheiser HD 448 for $99.99 instead.
http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/sennheiser-hd-448.php

 

[Aleatoire]

Thanks for the help. Problem is I don't actually live in the US so any of those special deals are out of the question sadly.

 

[TheViper]

That always makes things a bit tougher. What country do you live in?

The Sennheiser 280 and HD 555 can also be found for ~$100 but who knows what they sell for outside the US.

 

[Aleatoire]

I'm in New Zealand. $100 US is about the same as $133 NZ. Things are slightly more expensive here. The HD 448's are about $170 NZ which is about what I'm wanting to spend so that sort of level of headphone seems about right.

Also, I'l be using these with an MP3 player. I hear some headphones need an amp to power them so they wouldn't really be any use to me.

 

[TheViper]

Very true. But the HD 448's are 32 Ohms with SPL of 114 dB so no pre-amp needed.

 

[Aleatoire]

OK that's good to know. I'm liking the look of the HD 448's but any other suggestions?

 

[Aleatoire]

Looking at reviews I've seen that the HD 448 have poor bass articulation. Is that true?

 

[TheViper]

Actually, the bass is very representative of where it should be. Many headsets overcompensate the bass and that can distort the rest of the sound. The HD 448's produce a very clear bass that isn't too low or to high.

Besides, if you need more bass, tweak the EQ settings if you can.

 

[Aleatoire]

Thanks, cleared that up. I think I'll go with the HD 448's. Thanks for the help!

 

[TheViper]

Glad I could help. Enjoy the headphones.