[TVR_Fan]

Thats how much I am spending on my next pair of headphone, and £20-£25 is my max price. Oh and I am going to be using them when i am out and about with my PSP.

So I do not want any big can headphone types. Hope you lot can tell me some good ones by tonight, want to get them ordered before next week guys.

[stealther]

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/icm.n...twear_pxseries

Got a pair of PX100 cracking pair paid £25 For them also got a pair of sennheiser in ear headphones for use down the gym they have been for a swim with me when i forgot to take them out of my pocket and through the washing machine on more than one occasion and still sound great though not as good as the PX100

[probedb]

Have a go in the headphones forum as well....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/headphones-headphone-amps/

Might get more of a response?

[lynx]

Moving...>

[Steven]

senn PX100
senn PX200
senn mx500
panasonic hje50
koss spark plugs

When you want to upgrade a higher level consult head-fi

[NicolasB]

Need good headphones for about £20-£25

At the risk of sounding like a snob - I don't think such a thing exists. While it is true with headphones (as with any audio component) that, as you move higher up the price scale, the differences in quality get smaller, diminishing returns doesn't kick in with headphones until you hit the £80-£100 mark. There is a very big difference in quality between £20 'phones and £40 'phones, a big difference between £40 'phones and £60 'phones, and another big difference between £60 'phones and £80-£100 'phones. After that the differences start to become much more subtle.

But there aren't any "good" headphones that cost £20. £40 will buy you some "adequate" headphones. £80 will buy you some "good" headphones. £20 will buy you some "quite honestly why would you bother?" headphones.

[stealther]

Originally Posted by NicolasB

At the risk of sounding like a snob - I don't think such a thing exists. While it is true with headphones (as with any audio component) that, as you move higher up the price scale, the differences in quality get smaller, diminishing returns doesn't kick in with headphones until you hit the £80-£100 mark. There is a very big difference in quality between £20 'phones and £40 'phones, a big difference between £40 'phones and £60 'phones, and another big difference between £60 'phones and £80-£100 'phones. After that the differences start to become much more subtle.

But there aren't any "good" headphones that cost £20. £40 will buy you some "adequate" headphones. £80 will buy you some "good" headphones. £20 will buy you some "quite honestly why would you bother?" headphones.

I dont agree I auditioned the PX100's at the Sound and Vision show along with several other pairs up to about £100 and found the difference to be to marginal to warrant spending an extra £80. I dont think your being snobish its just relative to what % of your disposable income you spend. £80 is a lot of money to some people to otheres they wouldnt think twice about spending it on a night out

[NicolasB]

Originally Posted by stealther

I dont agree I auditioned the PX100's at the Sound and Vision show along with several other pairs up to about £100 and found the difference to be to marginal to warrant spending an extra £80. I dont think your being snobish its just relative to what % of your disposable income you spend. £80 is a lot of money to some people to otheres they wouldnt think twice about spending it on a night out

Well, I guess it does depend on the quality of the other components in your system, and, indeed, on the quality of the system. If you're listening to a sh*tty £40 CD player, or, God forbid, a cheap MP3 player, then it is the player rather than the headphones that is limiting your sound quality.

But given a decent source, the difference between £20 'phones and £80 'phones is night-and-day, chalk-and-cheese difference. It is not subtle.

[Reano]

Get the Sony 21's or 31's from Amazon cost less than £18 pound and beat the senn mx500 however the senn px100 are a good buy.

[SAP7]

Hello guys

(and Nic, the Slee is still singing away!)...

I'm after some cans for my impending b/d present: an Ipod video. I intend to rip at the best level I can to sacrifice space for quality. I'd rather have 1000 great quality tunes than 5000 at a poor bitrate.

The cans will be for everyday use, and I'm not hugely fussed they are top end (as my Ipod will be used with the headphone amp and decent Grado's at home for proper use).

But, I'd like durability and a good sound quality. I'm a sound snob, but it would be overkill to go crazy as the things will get bashed about and need to balance sound quality with durability and ultimately disposability!

So, expanding this post, where does the graph for cost v practicality etc. meet for everyday transient listening, to decent bitrate tunes.
I can't really do the 1 pence size discs that sit in the ear as they inflame rugby damaged tissue above the opening to the ear...

Any help (I think maybe Reano can be useful as he has tried most and isn't just speculating/promoting his own pair without any comparison). I'm sort of after where "cheap and tinny" meets "good but not amazing"!

Ta

[TVR_Fan]

Originally Posted by stealther

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/icm.n...twear_pxseries

Got a pair of PX100 cracking pair paid £25 For them also got a pair of sennheiser in ear headphones for use down the gym they have been for a swim with me when i forgot to take them out of my pocket and through the washing machine on more than one occasion and still sound great though not as good as the PX100

Too can like, or you can just tell me ear phones insted even.

[stealther]

So are you after in ear headphones then?

I have some mx500s as well there not bad for the money quite reliable to as they have been swimming with me a few times when Ive forgot to empty my pockets.

[Reano]

It all depends what 'type' you want. Also what price you are willing to pay.


WARNING LONG POST AHEAD (go get a coffee).

I'm really liking the Audio Technica 7 for in ear 'non-isolated'

see here for more details http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/he...4b8/index.html

They are good straight out the iPod and also respond well to amping especially the portable amps. The price for me was £35 but a whopping £12 postage as is was from abroad off eBay. These are very comfortable and flexible don't know about long term durability had mine about a month now but look well built to me. It beats my previous favourite the Sony 21's

The senn mx500 is 'ok' but is not that good when amped.

For in ears 'isolated' the shures are very good but go with the e3c as a minimum (again bargains to be had from eBay) I have the e5c and they are really good but at a high cost.

The Etymotic ER•4 are also good but cost is c£150. I hear the senn 300 are good but I haven't personally heard them so can't comment.

'Over ears' the px100 and px200 are good and are fine when amped as well. I personally liked the px200 more for the better bass output when listening to R&B, Rock, etc.

The full size cans for me has to be Grado's. I've got the RS1 which are brilliant again brought second hand so less than half the usual price which took it into the Sennheiser HD650 new price range. But also look at the range sr80 upwards.
I like the Senn HD600 and 650 but don't think they compare to the Grado for my ears anyway. I have just ordered some AKG701 to try and knock the RS1 off its spot.

So to summarise

if you want non isolated in ear go for the Audio Technica 7 will set you back between £40 - 50 but it has a few advantages over it's cheaper rivals one is it responds better when amped, two comfort and last and most imoportant sounds better. It will also stop you itching for something better because so far I haven't found anything for that earphone type that beats it.

If you want isolated in ear shure and the ety I can praise as I have heard but not heard senn cx300. Go the eBay route for the e3c and ensure you have proper fit in ears if wearing. Note the disadvantage of this ear phone type is if you travel a lot you can't really hear traffic sounds or people calling you etc so this is more suited to sitting down and just being lost in the music

Ok over ear I hear the koss porta pro are very good and some of there other products for overear but again I cant comment. I have heard the senn px100 and 200. The 100 leaks more sound to people next to you but the 200 do not (much). The 200 can get a little sweaty on the ear (well mine anyway).

Ok for serious listening I would go with auditioning the senn hd600, hd650, Grado 80, 125, 225 or 325, Beyer 880. <--- These will respond very well to amping in fact best to use them amped. I say these as you asked the question about the quality vs cost curve

Ok the way I see it is (just in general not an absolute rule) . £10 - £30 you can get 'reasonable' headphones

From £31 - £90 you can get good headphones (again I'm talking eBay or second hand where you can get the Grado 80, Koss Porta, Audio Technica 7. Then £91 - £200 you can get the serious headphones. All of these offer a very noticeable jump from the previous group however the costs keep on doubling roughly after that so you start to get into the Grado RS1 at double the cost c£400 eBay and others from Sony 3000, etc but it's at this point that a lot of people will say is it worth it only you can decide

So I would say go all out to get the best now that you can afford will save you in the long run. Maybe have two sets of headphones minimum. The first would be for your travelling, are more descrete, portable etc and the other one of the 'serious' ones. Like someone already said I don't see the point of settling for the £20 - £25 ones. Please don't say you can't afford double that amount because you can. Your drinks, cigarettes, money you waste, is probably another £25 'student' or not. The reason your on this forum is you want something decent so get something that will be good in the long run.
If you think they are too expensive make them a birthday present from someone, go get a job and pay for them. This saying is true "you buy cheap, you buy twice".

For home go for open back designs full head cans as mentioned above or similar for travel decide whether you want isolated or non-isolated. If non isolated decided if you want in ear or over ear.

I have three (but thats me) that I use often. The RS1 for home. The e5c I try to use as often as possible if I'm not going to be disturbed at work then they go on and are amped. If I will be disturbed I use the Audio Technica 7.

Hope this helps

[Slimchandi]

I can very strongly recommend the Creative EP-630 buds over the Sony Ex71's. Going back to the Sonys is like stuffing socks into your ears. They are on amazon.co.uk for £20, worth every penny (and then some).

[gerbilly]

Originally Posted by Reano

Get the Sony 21's or 31's from Amazon cost less than £18 pound and beat the senn mx500 however the senn px100 are a good buy.

Sorry Reano but that is just your opinion.
I now have the Sony 21's and the Sennheiser MX500 and in my opinion the senns are better.

[TVR_Fan]

Originally Posted by stealther

So are you after in ear headphones then?

I have some mx500s as well there not bad for the money quite reliable to as they have been swimming with me a few times when Ive forgot to empty my pockets.

I was meant to say earphones at the start, when i first asked the question. I forgot earphones were the name of the things i were looking for.

So Sorry guys for wasting your time on the headphones.

[Reano]

Originally Posted by gerbilly

Sorry Reano but that is just your opinion.
I now have the Sony 21's and the Sennheiser MX500 and in my opinion the senns are better.

Didn't say it was someone else's opinion but like I said before, have played, recorded and played back music the Sony's are better at accurately producing the sound. I have objectively tested them.

I gave a big account of how I compared them and what particular things I looked for but no worries mate if you want the senn's I won't complain really its ok ..... honestly ..

[SAP7]

I have been reading this post with interest... but I need some quick advice.

Over ear cans like the Px200's aren't practical enough for daily use.
On ear buds such as the MX500's aggravate the area above one of my ears and it beacomes sore very quicky (rugby!).
In ears like the E2c are isolating.... but are ALL IN EAR phones isolating???

If the 1st two categories rule themselves out (I wish I could manage the on ears like the sens or audio t 7's, but all the walkman buds i have ever used hurt as they press on the ear opening's surrounds), then I appear to require the plug-type ones.
But I don't want to be cut off completely eg E2c

Any comprimise here?? Quality is an issue and circa £50 should be ok as I'll ruin them in a few months whatever, so durability is an issue.

I use Grado's at home with the amp so these phones are for carting here there and everywhere.....

Ta

[steveb06]

I have just bought some Audio-Technica ATH-Cm7 Earphones from ebay for only £9. I'm thinking now that they must be copies for that price. The seller is in Australia but they phones will be coming from China! Here is the link what does everyone think then?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Oh well it's only money. I'll see what they are like in around ten days time. God I must be getting tight...

Why can't you get these from anywhere in the UK then?

[steveb06]

Well those earphones were faulty. Where the jack goes into your ipod it keeps cutting out and fading. To be honest it what I expected.

I have been in contact with Audio Technica in the UK, based in Leeds. They gave me details of a local official supplier and although they don’t stock them they can get me some ATH CM7’s for about £105.

Who owns these and are they really worth that much?

Thanks

Just a simple point. Sennheiser have one of the largest market shares in headphones (and climbing) and most are made in the their own factories.

[steveb06]

Good point.

I have some mx500 but for me they aren’t as good as the standard ipod phones. They have a little bit more external noise isolation but no bass and too much treble for me. I have stuck with them and used them for many hours but only really find them best for listening to podcasts, as they appear to handle talking best.

I’m thinking about getting some px100 which are they small cans, in white (!). You have to get them matching don’t you…
They aren’t too big as to make you look a bit silly and have some great reviews. I’m just checking on kelkoo now but I think Amazon will turn out to be the cheapest, unless anyone knows better?

[Narcosynthesis]

How do you all rate the px200's

I am looking for headphones up to about £30 (so similar to the thread starter) looking for something that isolates some of the sound (for using on bus journeys and so on) and sounds as good as I can get for the money - preferably overear ones not in ears and if I can, ones that can fold down and are fairly portable as opposed to giant monsters

the px200's name pops up fairly often, checking another forum the audiophiles didn't seem to rate them too highly (compared to £500 headphones its not that surprising) but checking various review sites around they get rave reviews

David

[Reano]

Originally Posted by Narcosynthesis

How do you all rate the px200's

I am looking for headphones up to about £30 (so similar to the thread starter) looking for something that isolates some of the sound (for using on bus journeys and so on) and sounds as good as I can get for the money - preferably overear ones not in ears and if I can, ones that can fold down and are fairly portable as opposed to giant monsters

the px200's name pops up fairly often, checking another forum the audiophiles didn't seem to rate them too highly (compared to £500 headphones its not that surprising) but checking various review sites around they get rave reviews

David

There ok, reasonable sound, look nice, fold away I find can be a bit sweaty on a hot day but for £30 you could try other makes like Koss but won't get much for the money and type of headphones you want so might as well try them.

[Reano]

Originally Posted by steveb06

Good point.

I have some mx500 but for me they aren’t as good as the standard ipod phones. They have a little bit more external noise isolation but no bass and too much treble for me. I have stuck with them and used them for many hours but only really find them best for listening to podcasts, as they appear to handle talking best.

I’m thinking about getting some px100 which are they small cans, in white (!). You have to get them matching don’t you…
They aren’t too big as to make you look a bit silly and have some great reviews. I’m just checking on kelkoo now but I think Amazon will turn out to be the cheapest, unless anyone knows better?

px100 definately improve on the tinny sound of the mx550 (been saying this for ages )

[Reano]

Originally Posted by parison

Just a simple point. Sennheiser have one of the largest market shares in headphones (and climbing) and most are made in the their own factories.

What does this mean exactly? Largest market share means best?

[Reano]

Originally Posted by steveb06

Well those earphones were faulty. Where the jack goes into your ipod it keeps cutting out and fading. To be honest it what I expected.

I have been in contact with Audio Technica in the UK, based in Leeds. They gave me details of a local official supplier and although they don’t stock them they can get me some ATH CM7’s for about £105.

Who owns these and are they really worth that much?

Thanks

I have these 'ATH-EC7 GM' which are similar to the ones you state and would not say they are worth £105 half that price maybe. They are the best in ear non isolating I've heard.

[spuddler]

Hi,just ordered the ATH-EC7's off ebay shop for £19.99 + £5.99 P&P.Thought i would give them a try for that price.


Cheers BOB

[Reano]

Can you point me to the link as mine was twice the price

[spuddler]

Hi,ordered yesterday(paid £1 etc for recordered delivery,so chaps address on package),came today.Emailed me that they had been dispatched etc.Came packaged well(not in a box thou),no box or instruction book etc.Got Headphones,extension cable & nice little soft pouch to put them in.Normally buds don't fit in my ears well,but these having over ear piece makes buds hold in well for me.


http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Vileen-Shop



Cheers BOB

ps it says on Audio Technica website that they are 'import series' ?

pps Hav'nt tried them yet,but would they be OK with a portable MP3 Player etc being 16ohm's impedence?Could try on PC,but going to Maplins to get a 1/4(male) to 3.5mm(female) adapter,to use them with my Yammy 2500.

ppps Don't know if these will be OK for falling asleep on the settee thou?So considering getting EC4's,or Panny HJE71's when you can get them.Senn 650's to big for this purpose