Jebull
03.24.26 | Sennheiser HD 600 and Audio Technica ATH-M50x. Both are excellent imo |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | Audiotechnica are available here for a fair price, sweet |
JWT155
03.24.26 | Sennheiser HD 595s
Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Sony MDR-7506
I’ve had a few pairs of Bose over the years and have Anker Bluetooth ear buds.
The Sennheisers are open ear so if you plan on wearing publicly I’d make sure you get something closed ear. |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | ^TY. These would be for my PC desk at home, no worries about sound leakage or anything like that |
Jurtz
03.24.26 | I use: Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition (32 Ohms, open back, at home), Mackie MC-350 (32 Ohms, closed back, in the office). I use the headphones with: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC. |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | Beyers look fantastic but outta my range. Ooo, I'm also interested in some type of soundcard/DAC for my pc Edit: Holy moly the price on that DAC is more than the headphones here |
budgie
03.24.26 | focal clears |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | Those are new to me Budgie, look great. On the list. Edit: Holy Christ the price, nevermind |
kkarron
03.24.26 | Beyerdynamic 1770 on 250 ohms run through a Schiit Magni amp. |
Above
03.24.26 | beyerdynamic DT 770 pro x is a good option for closed back. no amp required |
mkmusic1995
03.24.26 | Sennheiser HD 599 SE Open-Backs, I think they go for about $150 on amazon. I love them, have had them for many years now |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | Thanks folks! Keep em coming |
daiguit91Kider
03.24.26 | I'm full on IEMS right now, really good cost-benefit ratio, with that money you can buy a really good DAC and IEM combo |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | I'm open to that .. what do you suggest? |
Meborphus
03.24.26 | Gonna parrot on the Sennheisers. The HD 600 is my go-to, and is a ~$500 pair of headphones that is often on sale for half as much.
DragonFly Cobalt is a good DAC too.
Also - bc I have to recommend it - the Technics AZ100 wireless earbuds are the best I've ever used in its class. |
Gfunk839
03.24.26 | Thanks ^. Appreciate that bud mention. Pretty sure I've seen them around, but they were never on my radar. I will keep them there now |
gabba
03.24.26 | I’m having issues with my dragonfly cobalt when using with my laptop, occasionally I get transient harsh noise, which is supposed to be due to unstable power supply via the built-in usb port. Just ordered an externally powered usb hub in hope of solving the issue because it drives me nuts. |
Emim
03.25.26 | I don't have any experience with their headphones, but I've used Audio-Technica IEMs for a long time and they're great. Affordable too.
Gonna be buying a Roland kit here soon, so I might look into those ATH-M50x |
Hyperion1001
03.25.26 | fyi for everyone recommending sennheiser's, the consumer division of the company was bought out in 2021 buy a hearing aid company and are currently in the process of being "restructured". the products they sell now are fundamentally not the same as they were 5 years ago, so buyer beware.
anyways im using a pair of Hifiman Ananda Stealth v3. Hifiman is probably the best bang for your buck in the headphone market at the moment, and as far as quality control issues go, ive had these for a year without a single issue. |
el_newg
03.25.26 | ATH-M50x here too, had em for like 10 years
Got some Sony wireless ones recently and I was like wow these sound like shit in comparison |
daiguit91Kider
03.25.26 | For IEMs on that range that I've used and recommend: Truthear Pure, Simgot Supermix 4, Kiwi Ears KE4, Juzear Defiant. You can also check from this companies: Simgot, Moondrop, Ziigaat, ThieAudio, Truthear, Aful. All of them have really good IEMs, it depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of IEM you want (bassy, neutral, warm, harman, technical etc...)
Some entry level/cheap IEMs that are really good are: Truthear Gate, CJV Vivian, Tangzu Wanner, Moondrop Chu II
On DACs I see people recommending the dragonfly cobalt, I had one dragonfly and It was fine but for the price I think there are better options, my favorite DAC right now is the qudelix 5K, you can use it wired and bluetooth and has an app for changing eqs manually or via presets, its really useful.
Other good cheap/affordable DACs: moondrop dawn, TRN Black Pearl, Tanchjim Luna |
Hyperion1001
03.25.26 | what is even the point of a DAC on bluetooth headphones? |
daiguit91Kider
03.25.26 | No, its not for bluetooth headphones, what it does is connect to your phone via bluetooth and then you connect wired to the DAC using your IEMs or headphone, has 3.5mm and 2.5 mm balanced entrance. |
budgie
03.25.26 | i had a qudelix but hated the interface, never knew which of the 4 buttons to press |
budgie
03.25.26 | if i lost my clears and had to buy something with a $200 budget id get akg 701s those are great unless you listen to electronica a lot |
Deez
03.25.26 | For home use? I have Shure SRH1540's
Have a pair of Beyerdynamic DTs but barley use them cant remember what they are 770s?? |
Jurtz
03.25.26 | @gabba Faced the same issue, turned out to be a faulty USB port on my laptop. Using a different port solved the issue completely, but I'm sure an external power supply will work too. |
Beardog
03.25.26 | DAC is worth if you do not have a good soundcard in your PC. but upgrading your headphone is for sure worth more. Being able to change the EQ via your DAC would be an upgrade I'd like to have someday. |
Voivod
03.25.26 | Apple products exclusively. |
Groundking
03.25.26 | 99 Classics and Nightowls but my headband on the Nightowls is fucked so I don't wear them that often anymore : (
I love the Classics though, they're really good value for money if you're looking for a closed back. |
Gfunk839
03.25.26 | That's a new one for the shortlist, ty King |
kkarron
03.25.26 | > using wired headphones in 2026 is a fucking meme
competition for the "stupidest take" award is heating up! |
Hyperion1001
03.25.26 | “ what it does is connect to your phone via bluetooth and then you connect wired to the DAC using your IEMs or headphone”
oh ok that makes a little more sense. |
Gfunk839
03.25.26 | @Groundking These 99 classics are super interesting .. I'm tempted |
Beardog
03.25.26 | Only thing I personally used in the price range were the Sennheiser Momentum 3s when they were still wired. Currently using the Audeze MM-500 which are a treat but a bit above your budget lol |
Gfunk839
03.25.26 | Damn bear, you don't play do you .. crazy cans |
Beardog
03.25.26 | For the amount I listen to music and how much I enjoy doing so, I think it makes perfect sense to spend most of my money on its quality. |
TheManMachine
03.25.26 | the $20 Sony ones are great |