Which of these headphones/headsets are the best? <£100

abuja_limey

Honorable
Aug 3, 2012
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10,510
I am on the lookout for headphones for general use, which means mainly watching films/TV series, some music (so a stereo jack would be nice) and also gaming. A detachable microphone would be nice too, although I am not desperate for that.

I have little prior knowledge of good microphones so trying to find the best one which is under £100 is proving pretty difficult. However, I've made a short list and would be grateful for any comments or additional suggestions people might have:


Audio-Technica ATH-M30X £59

http://www.inta-audio.com/monitoring-c109/headphones-c110/audio-technica-ath-m30x-professional-headphones-black-p6387/s6393?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=audio-technica-ath-m30x-professional-headphones-black-ath-m30x&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&gclid=CPnL7ZOzysoCFQoTGwodqbQHKg


Sennheiser HD449 £71.99

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Ergonomic-Closed-Back-Headphones-Incredible-Black/dp/B005N8W214/ref=pd_sim_23_8?ie=UTF8&dpID=41osQRSEr6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR133%2C160_&refRID=069WP3RDFAFN95Z1A5M9


Active Noise Cancelling Over-Ear H501 £84.99 (apparently reduced from £250). Would love feedback on these!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cancelling-Over-Ear-H501-Headphones-Microphone-Black/dp/B019IMDURU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8


BRAINWAVZ HM5 £69.50

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006MA9XXM?psc=1


Hyper X Cloud II £69.99
http://goo.gl/Xz1mzJ
 
Solution
I'd preferably buy headphones, with a separate mic for the better audio quality, but the Cloud II's is a good headset .

For headphones I'd buy either the Sennheiser HD 449's or the Brainwavz HM5. I'd pass the H501's since they are not from a known brand and there isn't much out there about the headphones. If you're going to be traveling/commuting with your headphones I'd preferably buy the Sennheisers since the MH5 would look sort of ridiculous because of their large size not to mention the Sennheisers come with a bag. But if you are going to be at home, the MH5 would be a better option and also since they are more comfortable.

As for a mic, the Speedlink Spes should do the trick...
I'd preferably buy headphones, with a separate mic for the better audio quality, but the Cloud II's is a good headset .

For headphones I'd buy either the Sennheiser HD 449's or the Brainwavz HM5. I'd pass the H501's since they are not from a known brand and there isn't much out there about the headphones. If you're going to be traveling/commuting with your headphones I'd preferably buy the Sennheisers since the MH5 would look sort of ridiculous because of their large size not to mention the Sennheisers come with a bag. But if you are going to be at home, the MH5 would be a better option and also since they are more comfortable.

As for a mic, the Speedlink Spes should do the trick

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speedlink-SL-8691-SBK-01-Spes-Clip-On-Microphone/dp/B004YEWC22/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1454094313&sr=1-5&keywords=modmic
 
Solution
The Audio Technica and Sannheiser headphones are both fairly well regarded. I personally use the ATH-M30X and love it, but I'm a sucker for monitors. If you want something that doesn't have really flat frequency responses, you won't like it.
 
Thanks BlueFirez, some impressive mic knowledge there. Unfortunately that is way out of my price range for that mic so I may go for the other one.

My Brainwavz HM5 arrived today and it is great so far, and I still have to run it in for a few hours.