First look at this thread on Head-Fi.
Ctrl-f B21 for shortcut to MDR-V6 Now look at this chart.
As you can see, the Sony MDR-V6 which is essentially the MDR-7506 is not necessarily the best headphone under 200$. It is outranked by Sony MDR-ZX700 and Audio Technica ATH-M50. Just look at the ratings for each category and the price and decide for yourself if the extra money is worth it (BTW just 0.5 of a mark makes a HUGE difference).
Also, a headphone amplifier does not just increase volume it increases the power the headphones get. On high impedance headphones, the difference it can make is huge since they need more power to be driven. If you run a high impedance headphone on a weak source, the headphone isn’t going to be reaching it’s full potential.
+1 on not getting an iPod. Unless your main focus is not audio and you want an iPod Touch (although I would prefer an Android phone) you could do a lot better and for cheaper.
I own the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones and LOVE them. According to the chart, Amazon reviews, and my personal opinion, they’re just about the best you can get under $200.
While I love how you’ve brought tons of information to the thread – I hate you for adding tons of information to this thread that I will now read instead of sleeping!
Yeah, sorry about that. I did that to myself too when I was looking for new headphones. I stayed up until 3 AM on many occasions looking for over the ear headphones that suited my preferences and could buy at a reasonable price (trying to get good headphones in Canada is pretty brutal). Repeated the process for in ears to replace my lost CX-300s. The guy who made the huge portable headphone comparison thread also made an even larger thread comparing 214 canal-phones (and counting).
wow now I have even more choices too look out thanks guys this information may be overwhelming for an audio noob but im taking it in like a sponge! Oh yeah on head fi I did read a thread about the ath m50 being over rated but idk much the headphone anyways to judge. like there was a re release of the headphone which altered the quality(made it with less bass)
Common consensus: ZX700’s for best phones under $150, 7506 best under $100?
I can agree with this. Interesting chart. A little on the subjective side in some cases, but accurate for the most part. Either way, you can’t go too wrong with Sony headphones. If you wanna stay on the cheap, get the 7506’s, if you wanna pony up some more dough, go for the ZX700’s.
In the price point of what most people on this site recommend for “headphone amplifiers” it’s going to do little to actually bring out the sound in a way that you’re referring to. You would need a standard sized audio system type amplifier or an external desktop amplifier for something like that, and you’d likely be hitting the $300 range very quickly for the type of improvement you’re talking about. So while I totally agree with you on one hand, on the other hand, most of the “headphone amplifiers” out there are more gimmick than function. It really comes down to the audio interface, as ideally you want the source of the signal to be as pure and powerful as possible.
Pretty much any brand has its losers and winners. Sony’s XB series in particular haven’t sounded very good to me. Seems like instead of having good or enhanced bass as advertised, it’s flabby and overwhelming.
For headphone amps, you might want one if your headphones are being underdriven. A good indicator is having to crank the volume up very high on a portable device. You may be able to get them loud enough to hear, but they may not be performing at their best. Relatively sensitive headphones like the MDR-7506 and ATH-M50 do pretty well with portable sources without an amp. More on headphone efficiency: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/09/more-power.html
~$100 range: Sennheiser HD280. Very tonally balanced but some say it’s doesn’t have a good low range.
~$150 range: Audio-Technica ATH-M50. One of the best bang-for-the-buck headphones out there. Excellent lows along with decent highs and mids make it comparable to headphones in the $200-$300 range.
www.BHPhotoVideo.com sometimes has them on sale for less than $150 but even at their current price ($160) you’ll be hard pressed to find any headphone that compare to those at that price range and slightly above.
Audio really comes down to what type of sound you prefer, and if you want to jump into the deep end of the pool like I did go to www.Head-Fi.org and read up. Oh, and sorry about your wallet if you do.
If you want the ATH-M50, you can get them from soundprofessionals.com for $120 with coupon. I bought a pair for an xmas gift from Amazon for $114, but the price fluctuates; right now it’s higher.
If you can afford the M50 that’s what you should get. Grado’s are nice for specific music but they are completely open - they leak a ton of sound and everything leaks in.
1.) ATH-A700 . The best overall headphones I’ve used. They’re great for gaming, movies, music, and reference. (although they’re tuned a tad warm, but that works to it’s benefit if you drive it correctly). The only downside is they’re a 64ohm impedance so you’ll probably need a small headphone amp. If you look around you can find them for cheaper than $120
2.) ATH-M50. The best overall music-based headphone. Like the A700 they’re tuned to be a bit warmer, but the mids are opened up a little bit so they’re probably going to serve better as reference level headphones. As with most who’ve posted here have said, for $150 typically they’re fantastic for the price.
3.) Sony V6. These are the predecessor to the 7506’s which have replaced them. These can be had for under $70 and they’re one of the best reference headphones on the market. They use a relatively flat curve in terms of the sound so if you’re more budget oriented than this would be the route to go.