I'm looking to buy headphones for $150 or less so i can upgrade from my horrible pc earphones. I was thinking of using the headphones with my ipod to listen to alternative rock/indie rock/etc.(Interpol/Editors/Strokes/Rakes/etc.). I heard that Sennheiser HD555 are really good for their price of $99. Someone also told AKG K271s are good for rock but I've heard alot of bad reviews about them for mp3 players. Any suggestions on what i should buy?

You might consider Audio-Technica ATH-A55

As low as $79.00 on eBay.

Andrew D.
www.cdnav.com

I can't make a personal recommendation... I've never listened to the headphones you mentioned.* The HD555s have a good reputation. Some AKGs have good reputations too, but I'm not sure which models.

You should probably go to a store and listen to some headphones. They might even let you plug the display model into your iPod, which would be good because you can find out how it's going to sound with your iPod and your program material. (It's hard to tell what headphones/speakers really sound like if the store is playing music that you don't usually listen to.)

I would want to know why they are "bad for MP3 players"... The only thing I can think of is that they may have low sensitivity, and that you drive the player into distortion when listening loud.

You might get some good advice here, but look for some reviews (maybe check-out GoodCans.com) and then go listen before you make a final decision.


*I have a pair of Sennheiser HD280s and a pair of Grado SR225 headphones which also have good reputations. I prefer the sound of the Grado headphones, but they are not sealed like the HD280s, and sometimes I need sealed headphones.

Grado SR60.

I have a pair of the etymotic ER-4 which are good but more than the $150. The ER-6 are in your price range and I would imagine also good. Their customer service is also excellent. My pair had a loose connection in the left channel and they replaced them without a problem.

Don't forget that with quality headphones it's garbage in, garbage out. 64kb mp3s sound like crap with good speakers.

I have the Etymotic ER-6i earphones and they are excellent. They block out a lot of background noise, they are very comfortable, and easy to get in and out of your ear. If you are new to earphones, make sure you get the earphones far enough down into your ear so you get a good seal. If you don't, the sound will be very shallow and you won't hear much bass at all. My dog ended up eating my 1st set of ER-6i earphones after I had them for about a year. I liked them so much, I bought a 2nd pair. Amazon had the best price when I was shopping.

I have a pair of 555s which I can recommend with only one qualification: they are very open so they let in background noise with almost no muffling. OTOH that openness really helps to reduce the hot & sweaty effect of wearing headphones. The 555s are the only set I've ever had that I can bear to have on in really hot weather. But if you plan to use yours in places that aren't fairly quiet, you maybe should look at sealed cans or canalphones.

I paid $160 for mine when they had just come out, and would totally pay the same again if I needed new ones. For $99 they're a steal.


I've used my 555s with my rio mp3 player, and they were ok, though I don't listen to music all that loud so I don't know if the impedance/efficiency is a problem at high volume. Anyways, it's possible to use them without a separate amp for portable use. But they're not the most portable headphones, kinda big & goofy. If you want to go out I'd steer more to the grados or something.

I used to have the ER-6i's but then went to the Futuresonics Atrio M5, which I love. The music is clearer and the bass is tight.

I like noise reduction headphones, personally. Take a look at either the Direct Sound EX-25 headphones or the Direct Sound EX-29 headphones both block an amazing amount of noise without introducing the swoosh sound you get with active noise cancelation headphones. My favorite active noise cancelation headphones are the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones. For in-ear earphones I suggest taking a look at the Etymotic ER6i which I use with my iPod when working out.

The Sony MDR-7506(A.K.A MDR-V6) is one of the best units in this price class for linearity/accuracy. It is THE best in this class for build quality, and better than most that cost 5x as much for build quality.

Is it perfect? No. It has a narrow dip at about 200Hz and has some slight treble resonance that is slightly audible/measurable. Also, it may be too flat for general music listening, where as a slight gradual treble taper is generally more natural sounding, according to perceptual research.

-Chris

I have HD 555s for listening at home, and I like them a lot. An iPod drives them OK for my tastes.

But they're not the ideal for swanning around. They're big, and they come with a 1/4 inch jack, so you need a fairly big converter to connect to a DAP, which is quite cumbersome on the move.

Again, as has already been said: Sony MDR-7506

I'm surprised a few mentioned the ety's without mentioning the Shure E3C's (or newer model) and the ULTIMATE EARS!

I got a set of UE's and haven't looked back. I got the ones with extended bass. I literally have over 20 sets of earphones, cans, etc and these are top notch.

I highly reccomend Sennheisers... heck my HD202's are fabulous, and they're only 26.99 at J&R musicworld!

Denon AH-D1001 (~US$80 online) are a very good value full sized headphones. The next model up is the AH-D2000 (US$200-$300 online). Both get good reviews over at head-fi.org. Super comfy, don't leak much sound. Only thing they are missing is isolation from the outside world.