Good set of headphones for a beginner?

[JoeMcc]

Ive owned a pair of Sennheiser HD 202 which I picked up from amazon for about £30 and they have been brilliant until about 2weeks ago where I caught them under the door and the wire coming out of the right earphone snapped 🙁

I have had them for about 2 years and even though they are very low budget I believe there is a massive difference between these and my iphone earphones!!! Its killing me listening to my beloved EDM through these crappy ipod thingys!

So anyway rather than buying another set of HD 202's im going to take a small step up and get something a little better to see if there is any difference... My budget is anything up to £120. I understand im not going to get anything groundbreakingly good with this price range but hopefully I can take a step up from the HD 202s and a MASSIVE step up from crappy ipod (and samsung) standard earphones.

If it helps I listen to mostly Electro (Prog House, Drum N Bass, Dubstep, Trance etc...) a lot of Hip-Hop and a fair bit of chillout and ambient.

Thanks for reading hope someone can help me choose and I hope in the future I can upgrade to something even better! 🙂

 

[Ryanr1987]

Hey, at that price point you can get some excellent headphones.

One of the best closed phones I've heard are the

Beyerdynamic DT770! Full hard hitting bass, good accuracy with instruments and a wicked sparkly treble mids are detailed and not forward but they are excellent.

 

[JoeMcc]

Thanks for the reply

I have looked at the DT770 and they seem like a very good headphone for the price. I am pretty much torn between two pairs those which you have mentioned and the Audio Technica ATHM50.

The only thing i am concerned about is do I need studio headphones or are they really just for producers/djs/audiophiles? Ive read some reviews saying theres not much bass...Now Im not a 'Bass Head' but I do like my electronic music! I am assuming the bass will be enough though as overall quality is more important!

The other option I have looked at are a cheaper pair called the AKG 451's would these be more suitable for me?

 

[pauln]

I was quite impressed with the Shure SRH840 (£129) they are closed back, quite bulky so not really good for out and about. Maybe worth a look?

 

[JoeMcc]

I shall check them out now mate

 

[dalethorn]

I have looked at the DT770 and they seem like a very good headphone for the price. I am pretty much torn between two pairs those which you have mentioned and the Audio Technica ATHM50. The only thing i am concerned about is do I need studio headphones or are they really just for producers/djs/audiophiles? Ive read some reviews saying theres not much bass...Now Im not a 'Bass Head' but I do like my electronic music! I am assuming the bass will be enough though as overall quality is more important! The other option I have looked at are a cheaper pair called the AKG 451's would these be more suitable for me?

Studio headphone is really a nebulous term these days. The DT770 sounds like it has a good bass, but the M50 bass impact actually improves in the lower freq's while the 770 goes the other way. Going up through the mids and treble it's a tossup I think, since both are far from neutral, although the M50 comes closer I think to the neutral-type sound.

 

[Ryanr1987]

I've owned both for quite a few years. The M50 are ok, they are not great. The DT770 are the better headphone. The thing with the M50 is is doesn't really punch above it's weight anymore. There are headphones such as the Skull Candy Aviator, Shure 440, HM5, that compete and even exceed it and they are quite a bit cheaper.

The M50 built well, sound quite balanced with a sliglty less forward mid range, quite musical but also a tad dry with some punchy bass. The DT770 does all this better without the dryness and has a massive soundstage and some of the best positional accuracy i've heard in a headphone. The M50 lacks this!

If you can get the DT770 you are getting more for your money and I've had headphones that are nearly double the price i.e Mad Dogs, D2000 etc and the DT770 competes and holds it's own pretty well.

If you get them go for the 80ohm, reason being i've noticed with the Limited edition 32ohm set that they sound a bit dark and the bass is a bit more loose. The 80ohm and 250ohm sounded as they should but the 80ohm are a bit easier to drive.

If not half the price you an get the Skull Candy Aviator, they are excllent and have a beautiful tone and a lush mid range. No where near what the DT770 is but for the price they are the best at £60 and beat out the M50 imo.

Also don't pay too much attention to the term "Studio" There's a headphone called the M-Audio Q40 which is a studio headphone and it probably is the biggest bass canon i've heard.

 

[dalethorn]

The problem with the DT770 is the midrange hollowness that the M50 does not have. The 770 also has a much worse treble spike around 9 khz or so where the M50 is not as bad.

 

[jjbomber]

Ive owned a pair of Sennheiser HD 202 which I picked up from amazon for about £30 and they have been brilliant until about 2weeks ago where I caught them under the door and the wire coming out of the right earphone snapped 🙁

If it helps I listen to mostly Electro (Prog House, Drum N Bass, Dubstep, Trance etc...) a lot of Hip-Hop and a fair bit of chillout and ambient.

Thanks for reading hope someone can help me choose and I hope in the future I can upgrade to something even better! 🙂

Given your love of the Sennheiser sound, I would start there. For Drum n Bass fans, then the HD380Pro would be the weapon of choice. They are getting on a bit now, so they sell for about 1/3rd off. that still makes them great value for money.

 

[dalethorn]

Given your love of the Sennheiser sound, I would start there. For Drum n Bass fans, then the HD380Pro would be the weapon of choice. They are getting on a bit now, so they sell for about 1/3rd off. that still makes them great value for money.

The HD380 Pro is a great choice.

 

[Ryanr1987]

I never had any of that with my 80ohm DT770 or the 250. The 32 sounded like it had more of an issue with mids not sure if it was the fake leather pads instead of the standard velour. The DT770 do have a bit of a brighter treble then some headphones but I found it to be not bad. I really enjoyed the mids on my 770 I thought they where fairly well balanced for quite a heavy bass headphone. They do have that slight syrupy sound I always describ and I probably disliked that the most. The dryness of the M50 was worse for me. The DT770 is one of the best headphones fir soundstage and that was a big thing for me being a gamer. I may pick them up since I traded my MA900 yesterday for another Mad Dog 3.2 I'll miss those Sonys!

The M50x is currently on sale on amazon for 125 which will prob go back up soon, while it's the same headphone as the M50 the upgraded pads and headband and 3 cables that are detachable makes this a bargain!!

 

[JoeMcc]

Right guys, I have looked into the headphones which have been suggested and decided I am probably gonna visit a music shop to try the m50, DT770 and HD380 as i am just so indesicive! I am kinda leaning toward the M50's and i dont really know why.

Another question guys... What about a headphone amplifier? Would i really need one? I have a cheap Behringer UCA 202 DAC which I purchased a while back for my speakers and Im not sure whether this would work for my headphones? Or would i need to fork out on a seperate amplifier?

Thanks 🙂

 

[Ryanr1987]

Depends what you are using to drive them and which headphones. The M50 are very efficient so an iPod or iPhone will be fine. If you want some extra power a fiio E5 is enough. They will also drive the DT770.

You will definitely hear a difference, less do with the M50 and 380pro. I found the Senn 200-400 series quite poor so for me it's an easier pick.

If you like the M50 take advantage of this deal http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00HVLUR86/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1394655888&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

The regular M50 haw the worse pad and headband material and the M50x improves on these.

 

[JoeMcc]

So basically the UCA202 DAC I own wouldnt make a difference to the m50s if i just plugged them straight into the laptop/phone.

If it will really make the difference I would buy one of the FIIO phone amps. So basically the DAC I have is not a headphone amp? It does have a headphone socket on it.

Sorry for the Noob questions!

 

[Ryanr1987]

double post

 

[Ryanr1987]

So basically the UCA202 DAC I own wouldnt make a difference to the m50s if i just plugged them straight into the laptop/phone.

If it will really make the difference I would buy one of the FIIO phone amps. So basically the DAC I have is not a headphone amp? It does have a headphone socket on it.

Sorry for the Noob questions!

You won't notice too much in terms of quality but volume wise you will reach higher levels. The M50 were made to be efficent and versatile with source's.

 

[dalethorn]

So basically the UCA202 DAC I own wouldnt make a difference to the m50s if i just plugged them straight into the laptop/phone.If it will really make the difference I would buy one of the FIIO phone amps. So basically the DAC I have is not a headphone amp? It does have a headphone socket on it.Sorry for the Noob questions!

If you have an asynchronous DAC that has a headphone out, and you are feeding that DAC from a USB signal or other high-resolution digital signal, then it should sound *much* better than the laptop headphone out.

 

[JoeMcc]

Hi guys, I went with my gut feeling and bought the m50's.

I actually quite like them, but for me there is not quite enough bass. Some of the I think they are good headphones...they seem to do everything well but nothing which stands out for me. Jack of all trades master of none. although this is my first pair of headphones over the £30 mark lol so I dont really have much of an opinion.

Anyway I am really pondering over sending these back and going for the DT770 or the Sennheiser HD 380.....

Will i notice much difference or should i just save my time and stick with the M50's?

 

[dalethorn]

Hi guys, I went with my gut feeling and bought the m50's. I actually quite like them, but for me there is not quite enough bass. Some of the; I think they are good headphones...they seem to do everything well but nothing which stands out for me. Jack of all trades master of none. although this is my first pair of headphones over the £30 mark lol so I dont really have much of an opinion.Anyway I am really pondering over sending these back and going for the DT770 or the Sennheiser HD 380....Will i notice much difference or should i just save my time and stick with the M50's?

The M50 has the best bass, which *increases* as it goes deeper. The DT770 has a dark and somewhat bassy sound, but it's nowhere near what your comments indicate that you want. The HD380 Pro is a good headphone with decent bass, but again no better than (if as good) as the M50. To beat the M50 in bass and still be a good headphone, the only 2 I can think of out of the hundred sets I've had are the Philips L1 or v-moda M100.

 

[tommie_boi]

Hi. Forget about Beyerdynamics and Sennheisers. Go for something special, it is much better than Grado sr325 and B&W P7 and it only cost £120. One of the best kept secret in the audio world, Yamaha HPH-MT220.

 

[Ryanr1987]

The M50 is an entry level headphone that is balanced with a slight boost in the bass.

The DT770 is phenomenal at midfi and is also quite balanced with a bigger boost in bass. The DT770 is one of them rare headphones that has massive stage abd good imgaging while being fully closed. It's more refined, detailed and all around better then the M50 I wouldn't even consider the M50 if you can get the DT.

Oh...more importantly it's more musical!

The M50 has literally no soundstage like the M100 which can ruin a headphone for me!

 

[dalethorn]

Hi. Forget about Beyerdynamics and Sennheisers. Go for something special, it is much better than Grado sr325 and B&W P7 and it only cost £120. One of the best kept secret in the audio world, Yamaha HPH-MT220.

Good idea! I have the Yamaha MT220 and it's a great headphone with a great bass response. And the earcups are roomy and very comfortable.

 

[dalethorn]

The M50 has literally no soundstage like the M100 which can ruin a headphone for me!

Well, saying the M100, the king of headphones, has no soundstage - that disqualifies you as an advisor. It most definitely has a soundstage.

 

[Ryanr1987]

If you think it's the "King of Headphones" then that's your opinion. I think they are low to mid level in the midfi category and the soundstage is non existent in this headphone even in Dolby headphone the soundstage doesn't project at all. It's a very closed in narrow stage similar to the M50 but this isn't a bad thing if you prefer that type of sound.

Being a gamer I need soundstage and positional accuracy but I also like it in my music and neither deliver here.

 

[dalethorn]

If you think it's the "King of Headphones" then that's your opinion. I think they are low to mid level in the midfi category and the soundstage is non existent in this headphone even in Dolby headphone the soundstage doesn't project at all. It's a very closed in narrow stage similar to the M50 but this isn't a bad thing if you prefer that type of sound. Being a gamer I need soundstage and positional accuracy but I also like it in my music and neither deliver here.

Stay on topic. You said it has no soundstage. But Edd of NobleHiFi wrote his review, and also a review on Headfonia which say the M100 has the widest soundstage of anything comparable. So how do we go from very wide soundstage to no soundstage? And BTW Edd is a very credible and experienced reviewer.