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Topic: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones (Read 4556 times) previous topic - next topic
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Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Hi,
I need an advice to find out which headphones are best for my needs. Here are my requirments:
- Wired (mandatory);
- Noise cancelling (optional);
- High quality sound (mandatory)
- High compatibility with Oses (Linux, Mac, Windows and BSDs) and hardware (such as dedicated FLAC, AAC, OGG and MP3 players) (mandatory for common configurations);
- No plastic (almost mandatory);

Thank you

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #1
Try searching this forum for "headphones".   You'll find lots of comments & recommendations.   My usual recommendation is to go to the store to listen for yourself and to check the comfort on your head/ears.   Opinions & preferences vary, and headphones are "difficult" to measure...  So the best headphone for me in a given price range may not be the best headphone for you.

Quote
- High compatibility with Oses (Linux, Mac, Windows and BSDs) and hardware (such as dedicated FLAC, AAC, OGG and MP3 players) (mandatory for common configurations);
Most headphones are analog so the software/operating system/file format is irrelevant.    As far as I know, all USB headphones are "class compliant" and work with any operating system, but I'm not 100% sure about Linux.

Quote
- No plastic (almost mandatory);
What???  Every headphone I've ever seen is plastic.   Grado makes some wood headphones, but they are over your price range (and I'll bet they have some plastic parts/components).

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #2
Hi :)

How about this.

Sony MDR-ZX770BN
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-ZX770BN-Wireless-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B00U5WUOMM

- Use wired
SHURE SRH1840, SENNHEISER HD660S2, SENNHEISER HD 490 PRO, DT 1990 PRO, HIFIMAN ANANDA, HIFIMAN Arya, AKG K712 PRO, SONY MDR-1AM2, Bowers & Wilkins P7, FiiO FT5, Bose QuietComfort 45 (made a Upgrade/Balanced Cable by myself) Shall I write more?

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #3
Some sub 100€ plastic headphones I can recommend:

a) If you want phones which are essentially neutral but especially pleasing to vocals and single acoustical instruments and if you are listening in situations where you don't disturb other people and aren't disturbed by your environment I can recommend open headphones with the GRADO sound.
The GRADO SR60 might match your price tag or the somewhat more neutralized ALLESANDRO MS1 variant of the GRADO SR80 (but it may be hard to get one outside of the US).
The very cheap KOSS KSC75 also have the GRADO sound. They are essentially headphone drivers separately attached to each ear. A bit hard to put on if you want a good seal but otherwise comfortable to wear. Great especially for outdoor use, i.e. for running.

b) If the a) situation doesn't apply I can recommend very much the ~50€ beyerdynamic DTX 350m. They can compete with much more expensive cans IMO. Same goes for the ~40€ Sennheiser CX1.0 in ear phones. When using in ears I can highly recommend using foam tips like the INAIRS AIR2 in order to get a great seal.
lame3995o -Q1.7 --lowpass 17

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #4
Thank you for your replies guys! I'll reply to you one by one.
@DVDdoug I know that choosing the best headphones for me is just a matter of personal preferences. But there a bunch of headphones on the market and maybe asking to someone who is into audio stuff could be helpful to eliminate some candidates. I did try to search for "100€ headphones" on this forum and the results were not satisfying, so i posted here. Finally when i say "no plastic" i mean that at least the headbend must be solid, possibly made of metal since my Sony DR BTN 200 headbend broke because of the low quality plastic.
@Air KEN Seems very interesting!
@halb27 Option a) does not apply since i need to listen to music outdoor on the bus as well as indoor, at home. But i don't like non-neutral headphones. I listen mainly to Classical and Electronic Music (Kraftwerk, New Order etc) but i occasionally listen to rock and mainstream/pop music in FLAC/ALAC or AAC formats(i'm just saying this because you may suggest headphones that support both wired and wireless mode and i don't like compression over Bluetooth as you can see by looking at my very first thread).

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #5
With these requirements the Sennheiser CX1.0 may be right for you. Great sounding and unexpensive.
lame3995o -Q1.7 --lowpass 17

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #6
With these requirements the Sennheiser CX1.0 may be right for you. Great sounding and unexpensive.

I think you may mean the PX-100 which are nice sounding phones but with no isolation or noise cancellation. 

Good luck to the OP for avoiding plastic.  Even the most expensive headphones on the market will generally have plastic diaphragm drivers unless you can find some using metal domes.  And why should you avoid plastic?  Some of the best headphones have plastic bodies.  And plastic diaphragms are generally better and more durable than paper ones.  If you want to come in under a hundred pounds or euros I think you'll have plastic, period.


Ed Seedhouse
VA7SDH

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #7
With these requirements the Sennheiser CX1.0 may be right for you. Great sounding and unexpensive.

I think you may mean the PX-100 which are nice sounding phones but with no isolation or noise cancellation. 

...
No, the CX1.0 are in ear phones, so perfect for keeping environmental noise out (and without a plastic headbend since no headband at all). They are also tiny and omfortable to wear (compared to other in ears I used before).
lame3995o -Q1.7 --lowpass 17

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #8
I believe they are listed as CX 1.00 in the usual places.

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #9
You're right. I didn't remember the correct name. Sorry.
lame3995o -Q1.7 --lowpass 17

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #10
This is a great site for comparing and viewing the various higher quality headphones of all types.

I personally prefer the Shure headphones for both in ear and over the ear, but they are a little on the pricy side.

https://www.headphone.com/
JXL

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #11
Thank you for the advices!
For now my preference goes to the Sony MDR ZX770, but i'd like to know if the Sennheiser CX 1.00 (29,90€ on Amazon) are good enough so that using loseless formats makes sense. I'm considering used-but-in-good-condition headphones available at Amazon Warehouse deals as well as in other local and 2.0 online shops. 

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #12
As was said before whether or not you like a certain phone can only be judged by yourself. Even essentially neutral ones don't sound exactly the same.

As for the CX 1.00 I can only say they are neutral (but not with the kind-of-dull sound impression some neutral phones have). I owned 230€ ultimate ear in-ears as well as 150€ Bowers&Wilkins C5 and 60 € beyerdynamic DTX 101iE, and I do prefer the CX 1.00 (though each of the other phones are great as well).

But you have to hear for yourself.
lame3995o -Q1.7 --lowpass 17

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #13
PS(can't edit): it would be perfect if there was a model of the Sony MDR ZX770 headphones without Bluetooth, which obviously would cost less money.

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #14
Noise cancelling function disappears.  :P

How about this?

Soul SL300 WB
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SL300WBC-headphones-Soul-SL300-WB/dp/B006EEGFOG
SHURE SRH1840, SENNHEISER HD660S2, SENNHEISER HD 490 PRO, DT 1990 PRO, HIFIMAN ANANDA, HIFIMAN Arya, AKG K712 PRO, SONY MDR-1AM2, Bowers & Wilkins P7, FiiO FT5, Bose QuietComfort 45 (made a Upgrade/Balanced Cable by myself) Shall I write more?

 

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #15
Sorry.
○ Soul SL300
X Soul SL300 WB
SHURE SRH1840, SENNHEISER HD660S2, SENNHEISER HD 490 PRO, DT 1990 PRO, HIFIMAN ANANDA, HIFIMAN Arya, AKG K712 PRO, SONY MDR-1AM2, Bowers & Wilkins P7, FiiO FT5, Bose QuietComfort 45 (made a Upgrade/Balanced Cable by myself) Shall I write more?

Re: Looking for under 100€ high quality wired headphones

Reply #16
Thank you everyone. Today i bought a pair of Grado SR60e and i am absolutely satisfied! The Sony BTN-200 are garbage when compared to the Grado SR60e.