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£80 headphone suggestions....

snowflake

Former Albino Ape
Any??

I recall some manner of Beyer's were quite good........

I believe they are for a young person (bloke at werk asked me on behalf of his son)

So Imagine he listens to that music that goes thump, thump, thump, without a tune in it........

So good bass response, and over the head, not in-ear

Ta

S

(awesome - I've put this in the wrong room - wide-awake-gang-tastic could a kindly mod move it to audio for me.
 
Sennheiser HD 25 SP's can be had for that. Sounded fine to me. Closed and smaller than most - so ideal for DJ'ing and music on the move.
 
Excellent, thanks - this will do - I use the 25's myself (although I did think they were 85's!!)

And I knew there was another contender in the proice range, which was the Grado, however I thought they were Beyer's

Ta

S
 
A lot of headphones need an amp to sound at their best.
What are they going to be used with ?
 
For quiet listening without background noise i love the grado sr range great with bass although a little uncomfortable, they also look very cool. For trains and busses and busy places would suggest elsewhere......
Maybe At or Hd for now, when he grows older he may look at Grado....
 
Tried loads recently and Beyer Dynamik 880 or 990 second hand. I was looking with my Dad and he paid £135 for a new pair of 990's and they are very good indeed.

Si
 
Audio Technica ATH700 are very, very good value, but more like £100.


Hi,

I intend at some point to write a headphone review, I have a secret love of budget headphones (ones that cost under £100), and six months or so buy a pair. This may be a pair at £20, £25, and occasionally more. I just love headphones!

It is a cheap secret addiction.

Audio Technica's range of 'cans are quite new to the UK, but a leading light in Japan, where Audio Technica is almost synonomous with the word 'headphone'. The new range of AT cans have had superlative reviews, and two current pairs in the range are Stereophile class ''A'' components.

The cheapest of these is the ATH AD700.

Having tried the whole AT range in a shop recently (well I did say I love cans), I prefered the AD700's (broadly speaking) to a £350 pair of Grado's the store had on hand. THis is a useless sentence for you, as it does not specify what and how the 'cans were prefered to me, what material, what amplifiers were used etc... but nevertheless, it sets a context for the quality these headphones offer.

In summary -

the good -
* ''out of head'' soundstaging, like a pair of loudspeakers
* magnesium/aluminium construction, make them very light, and comfortable for many hours listening. Velvet pads aid this. This is a critical point for me.
* unusual headband design, means you dont have to adjust them for different head sizes
* great clarity and detail
* very efficient, can be used from a computer or Ipod. They certainly get better with a good headphone amp, as do all good quality headphones. A myth that this is not the case, a total myth.

the bad -
* they are sometimes criticised for lack of bass. I have seen plotted frequency response charts, and have heard them of course with various material. There is no shortage of bass, simply put some headphones really emphasize this part of the frequency spectrum, and these headphones don't. I prefer the overall presentation this provides, I don't like too much of any part of the spectrum thanks.. but nevertheless, some bass-heads don't like them.
* some reports of people with ''small heads'' don't find the universal fitting particularly universal. It's an ''over-ear'' design, and a close-fit isn't important for sound leakage in the same way as a closed-back can, but nevertheless, it's a criticism I have seen.
* I heard them with the Lehmann headphone amp. I didn't like the combination. You have a crystal clear amp, with crystal clear cans.. Sam Tellig liked them with the valve'd ''little dot'' amplifier, and I can see why. Be carefull with headphone amp matching.

the ugly -
* they are purple. I think it's cool. Perhaps it is ugly.
* they are huge. If you wear them outside, you will look like a tit.




I think that's it !

Oh, lastly, multi-media users and gamers often buy these can's for their soundstaging ability - locating that explosion, that sniper etc. I don't care for this, and bought them for their musical ability.

I hope this mini-review was useful to you.


My last point, they retail at £140.

I-headphones have some 'b-stock' cans in at £79. I bought these. They come in plain box packaging rather than the official AT box. The cans themselves were perfect.

http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/audio-technica-ath-ad700-b-stock.html

some pictures and details -

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Audio-Technica/ATH-AD700/2.html

Some final summary points -

With the ability to listen for many hours, and a high level of sound-quality, I would say these are the 'go-to' cans for audition if you have up to £100. Miss them from your short-list at your peril ! Sevenoaks had them on display, if you want to hear a pair.
 
* some reports of people with ''small heads'' don't find the universal fitting particularly universal. It's an ''over-ear'' design, and a close-fit isn't important for sound leakage in the same way as a closed-back can, but nevertheless, it's a criticism I have seen.

Yes they didn't fit my head or my Mum's (who I was helping find headphones), and so they went to Rob instead. It took AKG K700 to better them.
 
I like the look of the K701's. Reviews suggest they have a similar ''out of head'' signature of the Audio T AD700's.

I prefer an open backed headphone, generally... did you find them to be similar Cans Simon?
 
For portable mini cans try AKG K450's (about 47 quid from Amazon, and come with a neat case and two cable length choices) Perfect for Ipods!
 
Koss porta-pros. You just can't loose. I'm on my first pair, still after 7 years of abuse and the sound excellent though a little bass heavy :D

Porta-Pros

Bloody hell, only £12.95!!

Reviews
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I like the look of the K701's. Reviews suggest they have a similar ''out of head'' signature of the Audio T AD700's.

I prefer an open backed headphone, generally... did you find them to be similar Cans Simon?

It's been a while since I compared them but I wouldn't say similar. The K701 were a little bass light in comparison, the ADH700 are better balanced for my taste. However, the AKG K701 had a noticeably more detailed and transparent sound. Due to this better overall quality of sound, and the difference in balance, I can't call them similar. They both do have a light and easy to forget feel when wearing them though. That's when the ADH700 weren't falling off my tiny head, lol.
 
Koss porta-pros. You just can't loose. I'm on my first pair, still after 7 years of abuse and the sound excellent though a little bass heavy :D

Porta-Pros

Bloody hell, only £12.95!!

Reviews

One of my all time favourites, with caveats.

namely -
sound leakage
no sound isolation for noisy environments


Thats it though.. should be seen on a lot more ipod-wearers heads IMO.. especially for that money.

The sport versions are even cheaper, and sound similar.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.


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